JetBlue Stock Plunges 25% on Disappointing Q1 Guidance

JetBlue Airways Corp (NASDAQ:JBLU) shares dove over 25% to $6 after the company reported better than expected earnings but cautioned that capacity would be down in the first quarter of 2025. The New York-based airline forecast its unit costs, excluding fuel, will rise as much as 7% this year from 2024. In the first quarter, it said it expected this metric to rise as much as 10% this quarter year-over-year. It estimated revenue could come in up to 0.5% lower to as much as 3.5% higher this quarter over 2024. Larger competitors Delta and United have been forecasting higher revenue growth, a sign of stronger airline pricing power. The carrier expects its 2025 revenue to rise between 3% and 6% on flat capacity. JetBlue is in the middle of a plan to reduce costs by culling unprofitable routes, deferring new aircraft, and drumming up revenue with higher-priced seats. CNBC reported Friday that JetBlue has offered senior pilots voluntary early retirement packages. JetBlue lost two antitrust cases that blocked two of its growth strategies. In 2024, a federal judge blocked JetBlue's planned acquisition of Spirit Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November, and in 2023, JetBlue lost a case over its regional partnership with.