JetBlue is canceling its San Juan to Cancún route due to poor performance, while Aeroméxico will launch flights from San Juan to Mexico City starting October 29.
JetBlue Airways is pulling the plug on its direct flight between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Cancún, Mexico, less than a year after launching the route. The airline confirmed that the final flight will take off on August 30, citing poor performance as the reason for the cancellation.
The announcement comes just as Aeroméxico revealed plans to connect San Juan and Mexico City with a new route starting in late October, signaling a shift in air connectivity between Puerto Rico and Mexico.
In a written statement to El Nuevo Día, JetBlue said it is cutting the Cancún route to better allocate its aircraft to more profitable markets.
“As the largest airline on the island, we remain committed to our customers in Puerto Rico, taking them where they want to go,” the airline said. “We constantly evaluate our network performance and make changes as needed. In order to allocate aircraft to new routes in our network, we recently made the decision to discontinue a small number of unprofitable routes, including our only weekly flight between San Juan and Cancún.”
The New York-based airline assured travelers that customers impacted by the route’s termination will be able to choose from alternative itineraries or receive a full refund.
JetBlue’s decision marks another disruption for Puerto Ricans hoping to vacation in Cancún, a longtime favorite getaway destination. In recent years, direct air service between San Juan and the popular Mexican beach city has been inconsistent. Frontier Airlines briefly revived the route in early 2024, but the service did not last.
The abrupt end of JetBlue’s Cancún flight came as a surprise to Puerto Rico Tourism Company officials. Willianette Robles, the agency’s executive director, told the newspaper she had not been informed of the decision and declined to provide immediate comment.
Still, Robles said the end of one route presents a chance to improve air access in other ways, especially with Aeroméxico’s arrival.
“Any route that closes is always an opportunity to improve and see where we can strengthen or make adjustments,” Robles said. “But I can say that I would give a greater opportunity to Aeroméxico’s new route, which has excellent connectivity from Mexico City to the Mexican states.”
Aeroméxico is scheduled to begin its San Juan–Mexico City route on October 29, with flights operating four times per week. During the peak holiday season—from December through January—the airline plans to increase the frequency to one daily flight.
The Mexican flag carrier’s entrance into the Puerto Rican market was supported by a significant government incentive. Puerto Rico’s government reportedly raised its total incentive package to $1.5 million to secure the new route.
The move reflects Puerto Rico’s continued efforts to boost air connectivity and diversify its tourism market, not just from the mainland United States but also from Latin America.
While JetBlue remains the largest carrier operating out of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, its latest route cancellation underscores the challenges airlines face in sustaining international service between secondary markets—especially when demand falls short of expectations.
With Aeroméxico stepping in and offering stronger connections to other Mexican destinations via its Mexico City hub, Puerto Rican travelers may gain more options despite losing direct access to Cancún. However, the lack of dedicated Cancún flights remains a sore spot for many local tourists.
Whether other airlines will seek to fill the Cancún gap remains to be seen. For now, JetBlue’s exit and Aeroméxico’s arrival mark a notable shift in the cross-Caribbean travel landscape between Puerto Rico and Mexico.
