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JetBlue is cutting unprofitable routes and leaving 5 cities
JetBlue Airways is eliminating a number of unprofitable routes to destinations in the U.S. and overseas as it moves to cut costs after a judge blocked its $3.8 billion bid for Spirit Airlines earlier this year.
The airline will also completely exit Kansas City, Missouri and Newburgh, New York.
In a statement to CBS News, the airline said its removal of certain routes will reduce “the chance of delays for our customers.” The cuts will also free up aircraft to fly more profitable routes.
It also cited limited aircraft as a driver of the route cuts. About a dozen Airbus aircraft remain grounded over issues with their Pratt and Whitney engines, which are currently undergoing inspection.
“With less aircraft time available and the need to improve our financial performance, more than ever, every route has to earn its right to stay in the network,” Dave Jehn JetBlue’s VP of network planning and airline partnerships said in an internal memo viewed by CBS News.
In addition to the two U.S. cities, the airline is also ditching international cities Bogotá, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador and Lima, Peru.
Here are the routes JetBlue is cutting
- Aguadilla to Tampa
- Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta
- Fort Lauderdale to Austin
- Fort Lauderdale to Nashville
- Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans
- Fort Lauderdale to Salt Lake City
- Los Angeles to Cancun
- Los Angeles to Las Vegas
- Los Angeles to Liberia
- Los Angeles to Miami
- Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta
- Los Angeles to Reno
- Los Angeles to San Francisco
- Los Angeles to Seattle
- New York/JFK to Detroit
- Orlando to Salt Lake City
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
