JetBlue Considers Legal Recourse Against Portugal Over Alleged Moves To Deny Airport Access

The airline reportedly stated that airport slot requests to land in Lisbon have been “repeatedly” turned down since 2023.

JetBlue (JBLU) is reportedly considering legal action against Portugal over the European nation’s alleged efforts to limit U.S. flights into the country.

According to a Bloomberg News report, citing a regulatory filing dated Aug. 28, JetBlue has claimed that American carriers are not being allowed to fly into Lisbon, Portugal’s biggest international airport. The airline also stated that airport slot requests to land there have been “repeatedly” turned down since 2023.

The report stated that JetBlue’s comments were included in a submission to the U.S. Department of Transportation in response to larger peers American Airlines Group, United Airlines Holdings, and Delta Air Lines, regarding America’s “open skies” policy with Europe and its impact on Portugal and Lisbon airport.

The Long Island City-based carrier reportedly argued that Portugal shouldn’t benefit from the same unrestricted access European airlines get to the U.S. unless they can offer similar access.

JetBlue’s attacks on Portugal mirror similar claims by the U.S. airlines of unfair treatment by European countries, including in Amsterdam and Dublin. According to the report, the Netherlands scrapped a plan to reduce capacity at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport due to pressure from American carriers.

Last month, the company decided to cancel its partnership with TAP Air Portugal, just months after launch. However, passengers can still use TrueBlue points to book TAP Air tickets to Lisbon and Porto till Sept. 30.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits about JetBlue was in the ‘bearish’ territory at the time of writing.

The airline also stated that among all the main airport gateways in Europe, Lisbon has the third-lowest share of US carriers, at 33%, which is below the 45% average.

JetBlue stock has fallen 33.8% this year, but has gained 18.6% over the past month after the U.S. approved its Blue Sky partnership with United.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<