JetBlue reports deeper-than-expected Q1 loss on elevated fuel costs
JetBlue reported its first-quarter earnings before markets opened on Tuesday. The carrier’s shares have ticked down about 2% in premarket trading.
For Q1, JetBlue reported:
An adjusted loss of $0.87 per share, compared to Wall Street estimates of a loss of $0.73 per share from analysts polled by FactSet.
Total revenue of $2.24 billion, in line with estimates.
JetBlue said it expects to pay between $4.13 and $4.28 per gallon for fuel in the second quarter, up from the $2.40-per-gallon average in the same period last year. The carrier also said it expects to recapture between 30% and 40% of fuel costs in Q2, and 100% by early next year. The airline forecast a boost in capacity by between 1.5% and 4.5% in the second quarter, compared to the Wall Street consensus of 3.2% growth.
Like its major US rivals, JetBlue has been pummeled by higher fuel costs amid the war in Iran despite reporting strong demand. Late last month, JetBlue became the first major US carrier to hike its bag fees in an effort to offset fuel costs. The rest of the industry soon followed.
In the coming days, JetBlue could see significant impact from the outcome of reports that the Trump administration is considering extending a lifeline to low-budget rival Spirit in the form of a loan of up to $500 million.
Like its larger rival United Airlines, JetBlue has reportedly been mulling merger partners of its own. A common industry theory is that United’s efforts to merge with American could have been a means to actually attempt a smaller (but still huge) merger with JetBlue.
