JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

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Operator: Thank you. Next question comes from Savi Syth at Raymond James. Please go ahead. Savi, your line is open. You can proceed with your question.

Savi Syth: Hey good morning everyone. Thank you. Sorry, I had mute on. Just on the comments around increasing utilization to grow capacity and that should help productivity. Could you provide a little bit more color on how this still compares to 2019, given that it sounds like you still have a lot of conservatism here and what we could expect throughout the year? Does that get better as we head into 2024, or is this kind of a new normal?

Joanna Geraghty: Yes. Thanks, Savi. Thanks for the question. So, you will see utilization improving relative to 2022 levels, but we will still be operating at a lower utilization level than 2019. We’re very cognizant of the overarching operational environment and the need to ensure that we are protecting the operation. And that includes both aircraft time but also investments we’re making around pilots that we made in 2022 that will continue into 2023. I will say, though, those are improving from a productivity standpoint. So we are peeling away some of those investments, but we will not return to 2019 levels from a utilization perspective or from a, for example, pilot resources or some of the buffering in the padding that we’re putting in.

Savi Syth: Joanna, like do you think as you get to the end of 2023, is that what you expect to be kind of the new normal, or are you hoping that just things will ease as the next few years as well with ATC hiring and things like that?

Joanna Geraghty: Yes. We’re not expecting things are going to ease. I think frankly, two weeks ago was proof positive of some of the challenges that we are experiencing overall in the airspace that we fly into. JetBlue has significantly higher amount of exposure in that — in the Northeast corridor, where nearly two-thirds of the ATC delays are present. Absent a step change from the FAA in terms of technology or the ability to handle the ATC throughput, we’re planning for a more conservative approach. We are very connected with the FAA. They’ve been great from a transparency perspective and a communication perspective. But at the end of the day, we need to ensure that our operation is protected. So you will see us continue things such as incrementally more reserves, a higher percentage of out back flights that enables a cleaner cancel if we need to when we are in a disruptive situation, trying to base more flying out of crew bases.

And then JetBlue is investing in some system improvements as well and have been for quite some time and then obviously, Spirit and diversifying our network. So bottom line for the foreseeable future, you should expect that some of these costs that we laid in, in 2022 will carry through into 2023 and beyond, although they are easing a bit as we return to a new normal, but it will not return to 2019 levels.

Savi Syth: That’s helpful. And if I might — just you talked about the TrueBlue revamp as well and it was kind of somewhat unique. I was kind of curious, what’s the goal around some of the changes that you made. And how do you expect that to kind of flow through kind of either purchasing behavior or travel behavior?

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