The airline had announced daily flights connecting the rural airport in Ronkonkoma to Boston Logan International, a move that many travelers had anticipated would offer a more convenient option to traveling through New York City’s bigger hubs.

Travelers at Long Island MacArthur Airport were left unhappy this week after JetBlue abruptly canceled its scheduled route between Islip and Boston—just two days before the service was set to commence.

Many travelers had thought that the airline’s announcement of daily flights from the rural airport in Ronkonkoma to Boston Logan International would provide a more convenient option than transiting through the busier hubs of New York City.

According to Ridge resident Heather Steimle, “it would be much more convenient for people who have to drive around the city and such to fly straight through to Boston.”

JetBlue canceled the route because to poor demand and general economic concerns. “We are canceling our launch of this route because bookings have not met expectations,” the airline said in a statement. This is one of the actions we are doing to handle our business in the face of economic uncertainties and lower-than-anticipated travel demand this year.

Many in the travel sector were caught off guard by the announcement.

“I see it as a little bit of a shock that they pulled out of this,” said Matthew Kondrup, with Matty K Travel Group. “We’re not seeing that revenge travel we saw in 2021, 2022, but we are still seeing a steady amount of clients booking.”

Town leaders are nonetheless hopeful about the airport’s future despite the setback. They claim that through the first quarter of 2025, Long Island MacArthur Airport has maintained strong operational and financial performance.

JetBlue customers who have already purchased tickets to Boston now have two choices: they can either request a complete refund or be rescheduled on a flight departing from JFK airport.