Dive Brief:

• JetBlue Airways has boosted satisfaction among customers and improved its reliability since launching its JetForward turnaround plan last year, CEO Joanna Geraghty said on a Q3 2025 earnings call Tuesday.
• The airline’s net promoter score saw double-digit growth year to date. It also improved its completion factor and on-time performance year over year, with the rate of flights that arrive within 15 minutes of schedule improving 2 points. 
• “Even though our operation has consistently been challenged by external factors, our results demonstrate that the investments we've made in reliability are working,” Geraghty said. “By delivering a reliable operation and improving customer satisfaction as part of JetForward, we are building a greater customer loyalty and generating more repeat customers.”

Dive Insight:

In July last year, JetBlue launched JetForward to return the airline to profitability through a back-to-basics CX strategy and investments in premium. Five quarters later, the airline has yet to return to profitability, but it’s seeing customer experience metrics improve.

JetBlue reported operating revenue of $2.3 billion for the third quarter of 2025, a decline of 1.8% year over year, according to its earnings report. Operating revenue per available seat mile decreased 2.7% year over year.

Macroeconomic factors weighed heavily on the airline this year, with tariff-induced economic anxiety causing weak consumer sentiment and a pull back in travel. As the macro environment improves, executives expect JetBlue to break even or better. 

“Over the summer, the demand environment continued to show signs of recovery, characterized by strong close in bookings, healthy demand for peak travel, and the sustained strength of premium,” President Marty St. George said on the call. There remains “continued robust demand for premium products.”

Premium plays a role in the airline’s path toward profitability. Year over year, premium revenue per available seat mile grew 6 percentage points relative to core, St. George said. 

“We've done an analysis that shows those [airlines] who have more premium exposure have actually been less impacted,” Geraghty said. “And when you look at JetForward, it is all about leaning into premium.”

Already this year, the airline rolled out a premier card and preferred seating. It’s on track to open a lounge at JFK in the fourth quarter. Next year, the carrier is opening more lounges and plans to launch domestic first class. 

Loyalty programs also showed their strength. Co-brand card sign-ups were up double digits, and TrueBlue loyalty revenue grew 12% year over year, according to the earnings presentation.

“The card and True Blue trend are evidence of our improved customer satisfaction scores, recalibrated network and product as well as a strong benefit we are already seeing from the Blue Sky collaboration announcement,” St. George said.

The airline began implementing Blue Sky, JetBlue’s joint loyalty venture with United Airlines last week. Customers are now able to accrue and redeem points across loyalty ecosystems. 

“We’re already seeing significant customer interest, and since announcing Blue Sky at the end of May, we've seen a sustained double-digit increase in average daily card acquisition growth across geographies, particularly in non-focused city markets,” St. George said. "We expect to continue momentum in the first quarter as we begin cross selling each other's flights on all digital channels.”