JetBlue Retires Embraer E190 Fleet: A Sad Day

Intro

There are good narrowbody aircraft, and then there are exceptionally good narrowbody aircraft. Well, over the last 20 years, we have seen JetBlue operate E190s on many short-haul routes. This has long been one of my favorite narrowbody aircraft, and it seems that service in the US will now be coming to an end for this plane...

The Details

Earlier today, September 9th, JetBlue operated its last-ever commercial flight with the E190 from New York to Boston. It was actually quite neat, as JetBlue used the flight number "B6", and the same person who captained the inaugural flight 20 years ago, COO Warren Christie, also operated its final flight.

JetBlue has been in the process of phasing out its E190s

JetBlue E190s were an absolute treat to fly. With 100 seats, laid out across 25 rows in a 2-2 configuration, this meant that there were no middle seats on the plane. Perfect for all passengers here. At one point, JetBlue operated a whopping 63 E190s. I'll never forget flying out of JFK about 9 years ago, and you could see a plethora of these jets.

B6 Focusing On A220s

Just like with everything else in this world, it's all about money. While the E190 allowed routes to be operated to places with less demand, JetBlue's smallest aircraft in the fleet now holds 140 seats.

While the A220 might hold 40% more seats, there is also 40% less fuel burn on these A220s, making routes more economically viable. So, while as consumers, we will see a single middle seat added per row, it's not the end of the world, as the A220s are a lot more modern inside. (sad, yes)

Lastly, if I might add, does anyone know what happened to the 'Mini Mint' coming to their A320 and A220 series? Seems like it was scheduled for 2026, but haven't heard much chatter about it.

Final Thoughts

It's a sad day for US aviation today, as the last US operating carrier flying the E190, JetBlue, has flown its final flight. As JetBlue seeks to (somehow) become profitable, I do think this move to the A220s is a good one. Still, mark this one down as 'one of the history books'.