United plans expansion at JFK via JetBlue partnership and slot deals

United Airlines is working to rebuild a presence at New York's JFK International Airport, four years after it last withdrew from the facility. Chief executive Scott Kirby said the carrier has several efforts underway to expand there, according to an interview published by CNBC.

United will initially gain access to slots for up to seven daily round trips at JFK through its Blue Sky partnership with JetBlue, which is based in New York. Kirby indicated the airline's ambitions extend beyond that arrangement, saying United could look to acquire additional slots from other carriers operating routes that are not currently profitable for them.

He did not specify how many slots United might pursue or which routes it would serve from JFK if the expansion goes ahead.

United has had a limited footprint at JFK for over a decade. It ended service there in 2015, moving its long-haul and transcontinental flying to Newark Liberty International Airport instead. The carrier briefly returned to JFK in 2021, using slots obtained during the pandemic, before pulling out again in late 2022.

JFK is one of three airports in the United States that operate under full slot controls, along with LaGuardia and Reagan National. That regulatory structure makes it difficult for airlines to establish or grow operations there without acquiring slots from existing holders.

In the same interview, Kirby also discussed United's use of artificial intelligence and confirmed the airline has held merger talks with both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, matters that had previously been reported earlier this year.