JetBlue Airways (JBLU) 10-Q 9 Nov 20 2020 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020shares
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Quarterly Report	true
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Entity File Number	000-49728
Entity Registrant Name	JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	87-0617894
Entity Address, Address Line One	27-01 Queens Plaza North
Entity Address, City or Town	Long Island City
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	11101
City Area Code	718
Local Phone Number	286-7900
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $0.01 par value
Trading Symbol	JBLU
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	272,483,649
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001158463

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,453	$ 959
Investment securities	566	369
Receivables, less allowance (2020-$2; 2019-$1)	91	231
Inventory, Net	70	81
Prepaid expenses and other	275	146
Total current assets	3,455	1,786
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Flight equipment	10,103	10,332
Predelivery deposits for flight equipment	441	433
Flight Equipment, gross plus deposits	10,544	10,765
Less accumulated depreciation	2,799	2,768
Flight Equipment, Net	7,745	7,997
Other property and equipment	1,210	1,145
Less accumulated depreciation	580	528
Property plant and equipment other net	630	617
Total property and equipment, net	8,375	8,614
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset	833	912
OTHER ASSETS
Investment securities	3	3
Restricted cash	52	59
Other	715	544
Total other assets	770	606
TOTAL ASSETS	13,433	11,918
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	407	401
Air traffic liability	1,253	1,119
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits	391	376
Other accrued liabilities	244	295
Operating Lease, Liability, Current	113	128
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations	400	344
Total current liabilities	2,808	2,663
LONG-TERM DEBT AND FINANCE LEASE OBLIGATIONS	4,439	1,990
Operating Lease, Liability, Noncurrent	782	690
DEFERRED TAXES AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Deferred income taxes	1,092	1,251
Air traffic liability - loyalty non-current	512	481
Other	83	44
Total deferred taxes and other liabilities	1,687	1,776
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 25 shares authorized, none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 900 shares authorized, 430 and 427 shares issued and 272 and 282 shares outstanding at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	4	4
Treasury stock, at cost; 158 and 145 shares at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	(1,981)	(1,782)
Additional paid-in capital	2,355	2,253
Retained earnings	3,341	4,322
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(2)	2
Total stockholders’ equity	3,717	4,799
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$ 13,433	$ 11,918

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable	$ 2	$ 1
Inventory Valuation Reserves	$ 26	$ 22
Preferred stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	25	25
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	900	900
Common stock, shares issued	431	427
Common stock, shares, outstanding	273	282
Treasury stock, shares	158	145

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Revenues [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 492	$ 2,086	$ 2,295	$ 6,063
OPERATING EXPENSES
Aircraft fuel and related taxes	102	471	496	1,392
Salaries, wages and benefits	482	580	1,560	1,731
Landing fees and other rents	84	125	258	362
Depreciation and amortization	127	134	407	385
Aircraft rent	23	26	60	76
Sales and marketing	24	74	84	215
Maintenance, materials and repairs	111	158	344	482
Other operating expenses	167	271	560	833
Special Items	(112)	0	(214)	14
Total operating expenses	1,008	1,839	3,555	5,490
OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME	(516)	247	(1,260)	573
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)
Interest expense	(56)	(18)	(121)	(57)
Capitalized interest	3	4	10	10
Gain (Loss) on Sale of Previously Unissued Stock by Subsidiary or Equity Investee, Nonoperating Income	0	15	0	15
Interest income and other	(9)	6	(10)	7
Total other income (expense)	(62)	7	(121)	(25)
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(578)	254	(1,381)	548
Income tax (benefit) expense	(185)	67	(400)	140
NET (LOSS) INCOME	$ (393)	$ 187	$ (981)	$ 408
(LOSS) EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE:
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ (1.44)	$ 0.63	$ (3.58)	$ 1.36
Earnings Per Share, Diluted	$ (1.44)	$ 0.63	$ (3.58)	$ 1.35
Passenger [Member]
Revenues [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 445	$ 2,005	$ 2,126	$ 5,838
Product and Service, Other [Member]
Revenues [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 47	$ 81	$ 169	$ 225

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
NET (LOSS) INCOME	$ (393)	$ 187	$ (981)	$ 408
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification and Tax, Parent	1	(2)	(4)	2
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	1	(2)	(4)	2
COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME	(392)	185	(985)	410
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	$ 1	$ 0	$ (1)	$ 1

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Net Income (Loss)	$ (393)	$ (981)	$ 408
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income taxes		(351)	87
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use		258	0
Depreciation		374	349
Amortization		33	36
Stock-based compensation		20	24
Gain (Loss) on Sale of Previously Unissued Stock by Subsidiary or Equity Investee, Nonoperating Income	0	0	(15)
Changes in certain operating assets and liabilities		242	314
Deferred CARES Act grant recognition		49	0
Sale and Leaseback Transaction, Gain (Loss), Net	106	106	0
Other, net		27	(5)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(223)	1,198
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures		(529)	(505)
Predelivery deposits for flight equipment		(67)	(172)
Purchase of held-to-maturity investments		0	(353)
Proceeds from the maturities of held-to-maturity investments		21	495
Purchase of available-for-sale securities		(1,162)	(761)
Proceeds from the sale of available-for-sale securities		944	730
Sale Leaseback, Cash Proceeds, Investing	209	209	0
Other, net		(1)	(11)
Net cash (used in) investing activities		(585)	(577)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt		2,541	218
Proceeds from Short-term Debt		981	0
Sale Leaseback, Cash Proceeds, Financing	118	236	0
Proceeds from issuance of common stock		22	27
Proceeds from Issuance of Warrants		28	0
Repayment of long-term debt and finance lease obligations		(272)	(258)
Repayments of Short-term Debt		(1,000)	0
Acquisition of treasury stock		(167)	(381)
Other, net		0	(3)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		2,369	(397)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents, Period Increase (Decrease), Excluding Exchange Rate Effect		1,561	224
Cash and cash equivalents	2,453	2,453	695
Restricted Cash	52	52	62
Restricted Cash, Current	74	74	0
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	2,579	2,579	757
Interest Paid, Excluding Capitalized Interest, Operating Activities		37	50
Income Taxes Paid, Net		0	(54)
Right-of-Use Asset Obtained in Exchange for Operating Lease Liability		144	6
Retained Earnings [Member]
Net Income (Loss)	$ (393)	$ (981)	$ 408

Consolidated Statements of Stoc

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity Statement - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	AOCI Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		422
Treasury Stock, Shares			116
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 4,685	$ 4	$ (1,272)	$ 2,203	$ 3,753	$ (3)
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures		1	1
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Employee Stock Purchase Plans				2
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares			20
Net Income (Loss)	408				408
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification and Tax, Parent	2
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	2
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	2
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures	(6)	$ 0	$ (6)
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Increase for Cost Recognition	24			$ 24
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Employee Stock Purchase Plan				26
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value	(375)		$ 350	25
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		425
Treasury Stock, Shares			129
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	4,697	$ 4	$ (1,503)	2,221	3,974	1
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures		0	0
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares			8
Net Income (Loss)	187				187
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification and Tax, Parent	(2)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	(2)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(2)
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures	0	$ 0	$ 0
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Increase for Cost Recognition	7			7
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value	(125)		$ 125	0
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		425
Treasury Stock, Shares			137
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 4,764	$ 4	$ (1,628)	2,228	4,161	(1)
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	282	427
Treasury Stock, Shares	145		145
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 4,799	$ 4	$ (1,782)	$ 2,253	4,322	2
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures		2	0
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Employee Stock Purchase Plans				2
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares			13
Net Income (Loss)	(981)				(981)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification and Tax, Parent	(4)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	(4)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(4)
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures	(7)	$ 0	$ (7)
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Increase for Cost Recognition	20			$ 20
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Employee Stock Purchase Plan				22
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value	(160)		$ 192	(32)
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Warrant Issued				28
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		430
Treasury Stock, Shares			158
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	4,094	$ 4	$ (1,981)	2,340	3,734	(3)
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures		1	0
Net Income (Loss)	(393)				(393)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification and Tax, Parent	1
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	1
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	1
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures	0	$ 0	$ 0
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Increase for Cost Recognition	$ 5			5
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Warrant Issued				10
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	273	431
Treasury Stock, Shares	158		158
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 3,717	$ 4	$ (1,981)	$ 2,355	$ 3,341	$ (2)

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation JetBlue Airways Corporation, or JetBlue, provides air transportation services across the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Our condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of JetBlue and our subsidiaries which are collectively referred to as “we” or the “Company”. All majority-owned subsidiaries are consolidated on a line by line basis, with all intercompany transactions and balances being eliminated. These condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with our 2019 audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 , or our 2019 Form 10-K. These condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by us following the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In our opinion they reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring items, that are necessary to present fairly the results for interim periods. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP, have been condensed or omitted as permitted by such rules and regulations; however, we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. Due to the impacts from the coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic, seasonal variations in the demand for air travel, the volatility of aircraft fuel prices, and other factors, our operating results for the periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or the entire fiscal year. Investment Securities Investment securities consist of available-for-sale investment securities and held-to-maturity investment securities. When sold, we use a specific identification method to determine the cost of the securities. Held-to-maturity investment securities. We did not have any held-to-maturity investments as of September 30, 2020 . We did not record any significant gains or losses on these securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 or 2019 . The estimated fair value of these investments approximated their carrying value as of December 31, 2019 . The aggregate carrying values of our short-term and long-term investment securities consisted of the following at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Available-for-sale securities Time deposits $ 561 $ 325 Commercial paper — 20 Debt securities 8 6 Total available-for-sale securities 569 351 Held-to-maturity securities Corporate bonds — 21 Total held-to-maturity securities — 21 Total investment securities $ 569 $ 372 Other Investments Our wholly-owned subsidiary, JetBlue Technology Ventures, LLC, or JTV, has equity investments in emerging companies which do not have readily determinable fair values. In accordance with Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities , we account for these investments using a measurement alternative which allows entities to measure these investments at cost, less any impairment, adjusted for changes from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identifiable or similar investments of the same issuer. The carrying amount of these investments was $40 million and $41 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively. We have an approximate 10% ownership interest in the TWA Flight Center Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport and it is also accounted for under the measurement alternative. The carrying amount of this investment was $14 million and $13 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively. Equity Method Investments Investments in which we can exercise significant influence are accounted for using the equity method in accordance with Topic 323, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("Codification"). The carrying amount of our equity method investments was $35 million and $38 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively, and is included within other assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Recently Issued Accounting Standards New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can impact our financial results and the comparability of our financial statements. The authoritative literature which has recently been issued and that we believe will impact our consolidated financial statements is described below. There are also several new proposals under development. If and when enacted, these proposals may have a significant impact on our financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes . The update eliminates, clarifies, and modifies certain guidance related to the accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are still evaluating the full impact of adopting the update on our consolidated financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments . The update requires the use of an "expected loss" model on certain types of financial instruments and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to calculate credit loss estimates. For trade receivables, loans, and held-to-maturity debt securities, entities are required to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. For available-for-sale debt securities, entities will be required to recognize an allowance for credit losses rather than a reduction to the carrying value of the asset. We adopted the requirements of ASU 2016-13 as of January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective transition approach. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement

The COVID-19 Pandemic (Notes)

The COVID-19 Pandemic (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic [Abstract]
COVID-19 Pandemic [Text Block]	The COVID-19 Pandemic The unprecedented coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic and the related travel restrictions and physical distancing measures implemented throughout the world have significantly reduced demand for air travel. Beginning in March 2020, large public events were canceled, governmental authorities began imposing restrictions on non-essential activities, businesses suspended travel, and popular leisure destinations temporarily closed to visitors. Certain countries have imposed bans on international travelers for specified periods or indefinitely. Demand for air travel began to weaken at the end of February 2020. The pace of decline accelerated throughout March into April 2020 and has remained depressed. This decline in demand has had a material adverse impact on our operating revenues and financial position. During the third quarter of 2020, our operating revenues were 76% lower than the same quarter of 2019. Although demand improved compared to the second quarter of 2020, it remains significantly lower than in prior years. The exact timing and pace of the recovery is uncertain given the significant impact of the pandemic on the overall U.S. and global economy. Some states have experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases after reopening and as a result, certain other states, such as New York, have implemented travel restrictions or advisories for travelers from such states. We have also seen a similar resurgence of COVID-19 cases in other countries and we expect to see fluctuations in the number of cases, which we believe will result in actions by governmental authorities restricting activities. We expect the demand environment to remain depressed until an accepted treatment and/or vaccine for COVID-19 is widely available. Our response to the pandemic and the measures we take to secure additional liquidity may be modified as we have more clarity on the timing of demand recovery. In response to these developments, since March 2020 we have implemented the following measures to focus on the safety of our customers, our crewmembers, and our business. Customers and Crewmembers The safety of our customers and crewmembers continues to be a priority. As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed, we have taken steps to promote physical distancing and implemented new procedures that reflect the recommendations of health experts, including some of the following: • Introduced "Safety from the Ground Up", an initiative with a multi-layer approach that encompasses enhanced safety and cleaning measures on our flights, at our airports, and in our offices; • Instituted temperature checks for our customer-facing and support-center crewmembers; • Updated our sick leave policy to provide up to 14 days of paid sick leave for crewmembers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are required to quarantine; • Implemented a framework for internal contact tracing, crewmember notification, and a return to work clearance process for all crewmembers, wherever they may be located; • Required face coverings for all crewmembers while boarding, in flight, and when physical distancing cannot be maintained; • Administered more frequent disinfecting of common surfaces and areas with high touchpoints in our facilities; • Enhanced daily and overnight cleaning of our aircraft and all facilities, using electrostatic spraying of disinfectant in the cabins of aircraft parked overnight at selected focus cities; • Required customers to wear face coverings during check-in, boarding, and inflight; • Limited the number of seats available to be sold on most flights; we plan to continue limiting the capacity on our flights to less than 70% through December 1, 2020; • Suspended group boarding and implemented a back-to-front boarding process to minimize passing in the aisle; • Eliminated layovers for crewmembers in New York City and worked with crew transportation companies to ensure physical distancing; • Implemented jump seat buffers on our flights to further promote physical distancing measures; • Provided enhanced flexibility to our customers by waiving change and cancel fees for customers with existing bookings made through February 28, 2021, while also extending the expiration date of travel credits issued between February 27, 2020 and June 30, 2020 for flight purchases to 24 months ; and • Announced our partnership with Vault Health to provide discounted at-home COVID-19 testing to customers with pending travel plans. Our Business The COVID-19 pandemic drove a significant decline in demand beginning in the second half of March 2020. We have significantly reduced our capacity to a level that maintains essential services to align with demand. Our capacity for the third quarter of 2020 declined by 58% year-over-year. For the fourth quarter of 2020, we expect capacity to be down by at least 45% , as compared to the same period in prior year. As a result of the significant reduction in demand expectations and lower capacity, we have temporarily parked a portion of our fleet. The reductions in demand and in our capacity have resulted in a significant reduction to our revenue. As a result, we have, and will continue to implement cost saving initiatives to reduce our overall level of cash spend. Some of the initiatives we have undertaken include: • Adjustments in flying capacity to align with the expected demand. • Temporary consolidations of our operations in certain cities that contain multiple airport locations. • Renegotiated service rates with business partners and extended payment terms. • Instituted a company-wide hiring freeze. • Implemented salary reductions of 20% to 50% for our officers through September 30, 2020, and 10% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2020 . • Offered crewmembers voluntary time off and separation programs, with most departures for the separation program occurring during the third quarter. At September 30, 2020 , we had cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and short-term restricted cash of approximately $3.1 billion . We believe the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the demand for air travel and the corresponding decline in revenue will continue to have an adverse impact on our operating cash flow. Given this situation, we have taken actions to increase liquidity, strengthen our financial position, and conserve cash. Some of the actions we have taken since the onset of the pandemic through September 30, 2020 include: • Executed a new $1.0 billion 364-day delayed draw term loan agreement in March 2020 and immediately drew down on the facility for the full amount available. This term loan facility was repaid during the third quarter. • Borrowed on our existing $550 million revolving credit facility in April 2020. • Executed a $150 million pre-purchase arrangement of TrueBlue ® points with our co-brand credit card partner in April 2020. • Suspended non-critical capital expenditure projects. • Amended our purchase agreement with Airbus which changed the timing of our Airbus A321 and A220 deliveries in May 2020. • Suspended share repurchases. • Obtained $963 million of government funding under the Payroll Support Program of The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), which is discussed further below. • Executed a $750 million term loan credit facility and immediately drew down on the facility for the full amount available in June 2020. • Entered into $445 million of sale-leaseback transactions; which is discussed further below. • Completed public placements of equipment notes in an aggregate principal amount of $923 million secured by 49 Airbus A321 aircraft in August 2020, which is discussed further in Note 4 to our condensed consolidated financial statements. The net proceeds were primarily used to repay the outstanding borrowings under our 364-day delayed draw term loan facility that was due to be repaid in March 2021. • Entered into a Loan and Guarantee agreement with the United States Department of the Treasury ("Treasury") under the Loan Pr ogram of the CARES Act which gives us access to loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1.14 billion until March 26, 2021, which is discussed further below. We made a drawing of $115 million under the Loan Program on September 29, 2020. As a result of these activities, we had $2.5 billion in unrestricted and short-term restricted cash as of September 30, 2020 . In the second quarter of 2020, we executed $118 million of sale-leaseback transactions. These transactions did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The assets associated with these transactions remain on our consolidated balance sheets within property and equipment and the related liabilities under the lease are classified within debt and finance leases obligations. These transactions are treated as cash from financing activities on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. In the third quarter of 2020, we executed $327 million of sale-leaseback transactions. Of these transactions, $118 million did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The remaining $209 million qualified as sales and generated a loss of $106 million . The assets associated with sale-leaseback transactions which qualified as sales are recorded within operating lease assets. The liabilities are recorded within current operating lease liabilities and long-term operating lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. These transactions are treated as cash from investing activities on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. In October 2020, we further amended our our purchase agreement with Airbus to defer several aircraft deliveries, resulting in approximately $2.0 billion of reduction in aircraft capital expenditures through 2022. We also executed $59 million of sale-leaseback transactions in October 2020. In November 2020, we entered into an agreement with the Treasury to increase our borrowing capacity under the Loan Program of the CARES Act to $1.95 billion . We continue to evaluate future financing opportunities to leverage our unencumbered assets in an effort to build additional levels of liquidity. Valuation of Long-Lived Assets Under the Property, Plant, and Equipment topic of the Codification, we are required to assess long-lived assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired. An impairment of long-lived assets exists when the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated directly by the assets are less than the book value of the assets. Our long-lived assets include both owned and leased properties which are classified as property and equipment, and operating lease assets on our consolidated balance sheets, respectively. As discussed above, our operations were adversely impacted by the unprecedented decline in demand for travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine if impairment exists in our fleet, we grouped our aircraft by fleet-type and estimated their future cash flows based on projections of capacity, aircraft age, maintenance requirements, and other relevant conditions. Based on the assessment, we determined the future cash flows from the operation of our Embraer E190 fleet were lower than the carrying value. For those aircraft, including the ones that are under operating lease, and related spare parts in our Embraer E190 fleet, we recorded an impairment loss of $56 million and $258 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. These losses represent the difference between the book value of these assets and their fair value. We estimated the fair value of our Embraer E190 fleet using third party valuations and considered specific circumstances such as aircraft age, maintenance requirements and condition, and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. We evaluated the remaining fleet and determined the future cash flows of our Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 fleet exceeded their carrying value as of September 30, 2020 . As the extent of the ongoing impact from the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, we expect to update our assessment from time to time, as new information becomes available. Valuation of Indefinite-Lived Intangibles Our intangible assets consist primarily of acquired take-off and landing slots, or Slots, at certain domestic airports. Slots are the rights to take-off or land at a specific airport during a specific time period of the day and are a means by which airport capacity and congestion can be managed. We account for Slots at High Density Airports, including Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., LaGuardia Airport, and JFK Airport, both in New York City, as indefinite life intangible assets which result in no amortization expense. We evaluate our intangible assets for impairment at least annually or when events and circumstances indicate they may be impaired. Indicators include operating or cash flow losses as well as various market factors to determine if events and circumstances could reasonably have affected the fair value. We performed an impairment assessment as of September 30, 2020 and determined our indefinite-lived intangible assets are not impaired. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act. Under the CARES Act, assistance was made available to the aviation industry in the form of direct payroll support (the "Payroll Support Program") and secured loans (the "Loan Program"). On April 23, 2020, we entered into a Payroll Support Program Agreement (the "PSP Agreement") with the United States Department of the Treasury ("Treasury") governing our participation in the Payroll Support Program. Under the Payroll Support Program, Treasury provided us with a payment of $936 million (the "Payroll Support Payment"), consisting of $685 million in grants and $251 million in an unsecured term loan. The loan has a 10 -year term and bears interest on the principal amount outstanding at an annual rate of 1.00% until April 23, 2025, and the applicable Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") plus 2.00% thereafter until April 23, 2030. The principal amount may be repaid at any time prior to maturity at par. In consideration for the Payroll Support Payment, we issued warrants to purchase approximately 2.6 million shares of our common stock to the Treasury at an exercise price of $9.50 per share. The warrants will expire five years after issuance, and will be exercisable either through net cash settlement or net share settlement, at JetBlue's option, in whole or in part at any time. In accordance with the PSP Agreement, we are required to comply with the relevant provisions of the CARES Act which, among other things, includes the following: the requirement to use the Payroll Support Payment exclusively for the continuation of payment of crewmember wages, salaries and benefits; the prohibition on involuntary furloughs and reductions in crewmember pay rates and benefits through September 30, 2020; the requirement that certain levels of commercial air service be maintained until March 1, 2022; the prohibitions on share repurchases and the payment of common stock dividends; and restrictions on the payment of certain executive compensation until March 24, 2022. On September 30, 2020, Treasury provided us a payment of $27 million (the "Additional Payroll Support Payment"), consisting of $19 million in grants and $8 million in an unsecured term loan under the PSP Agreement. The terms of the unsecured term loan are identical to those under the initial loan issued on April 23, 2020. In consideration for the Additional Payroll Support Payment, we issued warrants to purchase approximately 85,540 additional shares of our common stock to the Treasury at an exercise price of $9.50 per share (the "Additional PSP Warrants"). The Additional PSP Warrants have the same terms and exercise price as the initial warrants issued on April 23, 2020 under the Payroll Support Program. The total payroll support funding of $963 million received under the CARES Act was originally classified as short-term restricted cash since the funds had to be utilized to pay the salaries and benefits costs of our crewmembers. The funds are reclassified from short-term restricted cash within prepaid expenses and other on our consolidated balance sheets to cash and cash equivalents when the funds are utilized. As of September 30, 2020 , $74 million of payroll support funding remained available. The carrying value relating to the payroll support grants is recorded within other liabilities and will be recognized as a contra-expense within special items on our consolidated statements of operations as the funds are utilized. The relative fair value of the warrants, estimated to be $19 million , was recorded within stockholder's equity and reduced the total carrying value of the grants to $685 million . As of September 30, 2020 , the carrying value of the grants was $49 million . Proceeds from the payroll support grants and from the issuance of warrants were classified within operating activities and financing activities, respectively, on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The carrying value relating to the unsecured term loan is recorded within long-term debt and finance lease obligations on our consolidated balance sheets. The proceeds from the loan were classified as financing activities on our consolidated statement of cash flows. On April 29, 2020, we submitted our application for the Loan Program of the CARES Act. Under the Loan Program, we have the ability to borrow up to approximately $1.14 billion from the Treasury. Any loans issued under the Loan Program are expected to be senior secured obligations of the Company. If we accept the full amount of the loan, we will issue warrants to purchase approximately 12.0 million shares of our common stock to the Treasury. Any amount received under the Loan Program will be subject to the relevant provisions of the CARES Act, including many of those described above under the Payroll Support Program. On September 29, 2020, we enter ed into a Loan and Guarantee Agreement (the "Loan Agreement") with the Treasury under the Loan Program of the CARES Act. Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, Treasury agreed to extend loans to us in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1.14 billion until March 26, 2021, subject to specified terms. Unless otherwise terminated early, all borrowings under the Loan Agreement are due and payable on the fifth anniversary of the initial borrowing date. We drew $115 million under the Loan Agreement on September 29, 2020. Borrowings under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR (or another rate based on certain market interest rates, plus a margin of 1% per annum, in each case with a floor of 0%), plus a margin of 2.75% per annum . Our obligations under the Loan Agreement are secured by liens on (i) certain eligible aircraft collateral, (ii) certain loyalty program assets, including JetBlue's rights in certain loyalty program agreements, loyalty program data and intellectual property, and (iii) certain cash accounts (collectively, the "Collateral"). Under the terms of the Loan Agreement, we may also pledge eligible spare parts, slots, gates and routes, and a dditional aircraft, real property, ground support equipment, flight simulators and equity interests. The Loan Agreement includes affirmative and negative covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things, dispose of Collateral, merge, consolidate or sell assets, incur certain additional indebtedness or pay certain dividends. In addition, we are required to maintain unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and unused commitments available under all revolving credit facilities aggregating not less than $550 million and to maintain a minimum ratio of the borrowing base of the Collateral (determined as the sum of a specified percentage of the appraised value of each type of Collateral) to outstanding obligations under the Loan Agreement of not less than 1.6 to 1.0. If we do not meet the minimum collateral coverage ratio, we must either provide additional Collateral to secure our obligations under the Loan Agreement or repay the loans by an amount necessary to maintain compliance with the collateral coverage ratio. The Loan Agreement contains events of default customary for similar financings. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the outstanding obligations under the Loan Agreement may be accelerated and become due and payable immediately. In addition, if certain change of control events were to occur with respect to JetBlue, we would be required to prepay the loans in full under the Loan Agreement. In connection with the Loan Agreement, on September 29, 2020, we entered into a warrant agreement with Treasury, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Treasury warrants to purchase approximately 1.2 million shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $9.50 per share. As previously discussed, we entered into an agreement with the Treasury to increase our borrowing capacity under the Loan Program of the CARES Act to $1.95 billion in November 2020. The CARES Act also provides for deferred payments of the employer portion of social security taxes through the end of 2020, with 50% of the deferred amount due December 31, 2021 and the remaining 50% due December 31, 2022. We have deferred $36 million in payments through September 30, 2020 . We expect to defer approximately $13 million of additional payments for the remainder of 2020. Income Taxes Among other things, the CARES Act allows a five-year carryback period for tax losses generated in 2018 through 2020. As a result, our effective tax rate includes an income tax benefit related to anticipated refunds from tax losses generated during 2020 that are permitted to be carried back to certain years when the U.S. federal income tax rate was 35%. A benefit of $10 million was recorded in the quarter related to the release of a valuation allowance to adjust deferred tax assets to an amount we consider is more likely than not to be realized. Because realizability is dependent on future income, we plan to continue monitoring and updating our assessment and it is possible tax attributes may require a valuation allowance in future periods.

Revenue Recognition (Notes)

Revenue Recognition (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]	Revenue Recognition The Company categorizes the revenues received from contracts with its customers by revenue source as we believe it best depicts the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of our revenue and cash flow. The following table provides the revenues recognized by revenue source for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Passenger revenue Passenger travel $ 420 $ 1,914 $ 1,973 $ 5,563 Loyalty revenue - air transportation 25 91 153 275 Other revenue Loyalty revenue 38 54 127 146 Other revenue 9 27 42 79 Total revenue $ 492 $ 2,086 $ 2,295 $ 6,063 TrueBlue ® points earned from ticket purchases are presented as a reduction to Passenger travel within passenger revenue. Amounts presented in Loyalty revenue - air transportation represent the revenue recognized when TrueBlue ® points have been redeemed and the travel has occurred. Contract Liabilities Our contract liabilities primarily consist of ticket sales for which transportation has not yet been provided, unused credits available to customers, and outstanding loyalty points available for redemption (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Air traffic liability - passenger travel $ 1,020 $ 929 Air traffic liability - loyalty program (air transportation) 703 661 Deferred revenue 42 10 Total $ 1,765 $ 1,600 During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 , we recognized passenger revenue of $697 million and $856 million respectively, that was included in passenger travel liability at the beginning of the respective periods. The Company elected the practical expedient that allows entities to not disclose the amount of the remaining transaction price and its expected timing of recognition for passenger tickets if the contract has an original expected duration of one year or less or if certain other conditions are met. We elected to apply this practical expedient to our contract liabilities relating to passenger travel and ancillary services as our tickets or any related passenger credits generally expire one year from the date of issuance. In response to the impact of COVID-19 on air travel, we extended the expiration dates for travel credits issued from February 27 through June 30, 2020 to a 24 month period. Accordingly, any revenue associated with these travel credits, which are deferred in air traffic liability, will be recognized within 24 months. We continue to monitor our customers' behavior to determine whether any portion of these travel credits may need to be classified as non-current on our consolidated balance sheets. Given the change in contract duration, our estimates of revenue from unused tickets may be subject to variability and differ from historical experience. TrueBlue ® points are combined in one homogeneous pool and are not separately identifiable. As such, the revenue is comprised of the points that were part of the air traffic liability balance at the beginning of the period as well as points that were issued during the period. In April 2020, we executed a pre-purchase arrangement of TrueBlue ® points with our co-brand credit card partner for $150 million . The funds are expected to be applied to future point purchases ratably over the course of one year. As the funds are not yet associated with a point, they are considered to be short-term and have been included within other accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. The carrying value of this arrangement was approximately $75 million as of September 30, 2020 . The proceeds from this arrangement were classified within operating activities on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The table below presents the activity of the current and non-current air traffic liability for our loyalty program, and includes points earned and sold to participating companies for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 661 TrueBlue ® points redeemed (153 ) TrueBlue ® points earned and sold 195 Balance at September 30, 2020 $ 703 Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 580 TrueBlue ® points redeemed (275 ) TrueBlue ® points earned and sold 342 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 647 The timing of our TrueBlue ® point redemptions can vary; however, the majority of our points are redeemed within approximately three years of the date of issuance.

Long-term Debt, Short-term Borr

Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings, and Capital Lease Obligations	Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 , we made principal payments of $1.3 billion on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations. Of this amount, $998 million represents the early repayment of outstanding balance on our 364-day delayed draw term loan facility during the third quarter. We had pledged aircraft, engines, other equipment, and facilities with a net book value of $6.2 billion at September 30, 2020 as security under various financing arrangements. At September 30, 2020 , scheduled maturities of our long-term debt and finance lease obligations were $95 million for the remainder of 2020 , $438 million in 2021 , $417 million in 2022 , $1.1 billion in 2023 , $966 million in 2024 , and $1.9 billion thereafter. The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, net of debt acquisition costs, at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value (2) Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value (2) Public Debt Fixed rate special facility bonds, due through 2036 $ 42 $ 43 $ 42 $ 46 Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes: 2019-1 Series AA, due through 2032 574 414 581 586 2019-1 Series A, due through 2028 179 146 181 186 2019-1 Series B, due through 2027 114 142 — — 2020-1 Series A, due through 2032 628 611 — — 2020-1 Series B, due through 2028 170 213 — — Non-Public Debt Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2023 114 115 133 141 Floating rate equipment notes, due through 2028 164 150 201 207 Fixed rate equipment notes, due through 2028 935 920 1,107 1,201 Floating rate term loan credit facility, due through 2024 709 750 — — Unsecured CARES Act Payroll Support Program loan, due through 2030 259 192 — — Secured CARES Act Loan, due through 2025 105 100 — — 2020 sale-leaseback transactions, due through 2024 235 262 — — Citibank line of credit, due through 2023 546 520 — — Total (1) $ 4,774 $ 4,578 $ 2,245 $ 2,367 (1) Total excludes finance lease obligations of $65 million and $89 million at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively. (2) The estimated fair values of our publicly held long-term debt are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of our enhanced equipment notes and our special facility bonds were based on quoted market prices in markets with low trading volumes. The fair value of our non-public debt was estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis based on our borrowing rates for instruments with similar terms and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of our other financial instruments approximate their carrying values. Refer to Note 9 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for an explanation of the fair value hierarchy structure. We have financed certain aircraft with Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates, or EETCs. One of the benefits of this structure is being able to finance several aircraft at one time, rather than individually. The structure of EETC financing is that we create pass-through trusts in order to issue pass-through certificates. The proceeds from the issuance of these certificates are then used to purchase equipment notes, which are issued by us and are secured by our aircraft. These trusts meet the definition of a variable interest entity, or VIE, as defined in the Consolidations topic of the Codification, and must be considered for consolidation in our financial statements. Our assessment of our EETCs considers both quantitative and qualitative factors including the purpose for which these trusts were established and the nature of the risks in each. The main purpose of the trust structure is to enhance the credit worthiness of our debt obligation through certain bankruptcy protection provisions and liquidity facilities, and also to lower our total borrowing cost. We concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary in these trusts because our involvement in them is limited to principal and interest payments on the related notes, the trusts were not set up to pass along variability created by credit risk to us, and the likelihood of our defaulting on the notes. Therefore, we have not consolidated these trusts in our financial statements. Floating Rate Term Loan Credit Facility On June 17, 2020, we entered into a $750 million term loan credit facility with Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent. The loans under this term loan credit facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR (subject to a 1.00% floor), or at our election another rate, in each case, plus a specified margin . Our obligations are secured on a senior basis by airport takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Reagan National Airport and the right to use certain intellectual property assets comprising the JetBlue brand. The term loan facility is subject to amortization payments of 5% per year, payable quarterly, commencing on September 30, 2020 with the remaining balance due and payable in a single payment on the maturity date of June 17, 2024. The interest rate on our outstanding balance was 6.25% as of September 30, 2020 . Unsecured CARES Act Payroll Support Program Loan As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, on April 23, 2020, we entered into the PSP Agreement under the CARES Act with the Treasury. Pursuant to the agreement, JetBlue received a Payroll Support Payment of $936 million (the "Payroll Support Payment") which included a grant of $685 million and a promissory note for $251 million . The note matures 10 years after issuance and is payable in a lump sum at maturity. As part of the agreement, JetBlue issued to the Treasury warrants to acquire more than 2.6 million shares of our common stock under the program. The warrants expire five years after issuance. On September 30, 2020, Treasury provided us Additional Payroll Support Payment of $27 million consisting of $19 million in grants and $8 million in an unsecured term loan under the PSP Agreement. The terms of the unsecured term loan are identical to those under the initial loan issued on April 23, 2020. In consideration for the Additional Payroll Support Payment, we issued Additional PSP Warrants to purchase approximately 85,540 additional shares of our common stock to the Treasury at an exercise price of $9.50 per share. The Additional PSP Warrants have the same terms and exercise price as the initial warrants issued on April 23, 2020. Secured CARES Act Loan Program As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, on April 29, 2020, we submitted our application for the Loan Program of the CARES Act. Under the Loan Program, we have the ability to borrow up to approximately $1.14 billion from the Treasury. Any loans issued under the Loan Program are expected to be senior secured obligations of the Company. If we accept the full amount of the loan, we will issue warrants to purchase approximately 12.0 million shares of our common stock to the Treasury. Any amount received under the Loan Program will be subject to the relevant provisions of the CARES Act, including many of those described above under the Payroll Support Program. On September 29, 2020, we entered into the Loan Agreement with the Treasury under the Loan Program of the CARES Act. Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, Treasury agreed to extend loans to us in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1.14 billion until March 26, 2021, subject to specified terms. Unless otherwise terminated early, all borrowings under the Loan Agreement are due and payable on the fifth anniversary of the initial borrowing date. We made a drawing of $115 million under the Loan Agreement on September 29, 2020. Borrowings under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR (or another rate based on certain market interest rates, plus a margin of 1% per annum, in each case with a floor of 0%), plus a margin of 2.75% per annum . Our obligations under the Loan Agreement are secured by liens on (i) certain eligible aircraft collateral, (ii) certain loyalty program assets, including JetBlue's rights in certain loyalty program agreements, loyalty program data and intellectual property, and (iii) certain cash accounts (collectively, the "Collateral"). Under the terms of the Loan Agreement, we may also pledge eligible spare parts, slots, gates and routes, and additional aircraft, real property, ground support equipment, flight simulators and equity interests. The Loan Agreement includes affirmative and negative covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things, dispose of Collateral, merge, consolidate or sell assets, incur certain additional indebtedness or pay certain dividends. In addition, we are required to maintain unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and unused commitments available under all revolving credit facilities aggregating not less than $550 million and to maintain a minimum ratio of the borrowing base of the Collateral (determined as the sum of a specified percentage of the appraised value of each type of Collateral) to outstanding obligations under the Loan Agreement of not less than 1.6 to 1.0. If we do not meet the minimum collateral coverage ratio, we must either provide additional Collateral to secure our obligations under the Loan Agreement or repay the loans by an amount necessary to maintain compliance with the collateral coverage ratio. The Loan Agreement contains events of default customary for similar financings. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the outstanding obligations under the Loan Agreement may be accelerated and become due and payable immediately. In addition, if certain change of control events occur with respect to JetBlue, we will be required to prepay the loans in full under the Loan Agreement. In connection with the Loan Agreement, on September 29, 2020, we entered into a warrant agreement with Treasury, pursuant to which we agreed to issue to Treasury warrants to purchase approximately 1.2 million shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $9.50 per share. In November 2020, we entered into an agreement with the Treasury to increase our borrowing capacity under the Loan Program of the CARES Act to $1.95 billion . Fixed Rate Enhanced Equipment Notes 2020-1A and B Equipment Notes In August 2020, we completed a public placement of equipment notes in an aggregate principal amount of $808 million secured by 24 Airbus A321 aircraft. The equipment notes were issued in two series: (i) Series A, bearing interest at the rate of 4.00% per annum in the aggregate principal amount equal to $636 million , and (ii) Series B, bearing interest at the rate of 7.75% per annum in the aggregate principal amount equal to $172 million . Principal and interest are payable semi-annually. 2019-1B Equipment Notes In August 2020, we completed a public placement of equipment notes in an aggregate principal amount of $115 million bearing interest at a rate of 8.00% per annum. These equipment notes are secured by 25 Airbus A321 aircraft, which were included in the collateral pool of our 2019-1 Series AA and Series A offerings completed in November 2019. Principal and interest are payable semi-annually. 2020 Sale-Leaseback Transactions In the second quarter of 2020, we executed $118 million of sale-leaseback transactions. These transactions did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The assets associated with these transactions remain on our consolidated balance sheets within property and equipment and the related liabilities under the lease are classified within debt and finance leases obligations. These transactions are treated as cash from financing activities on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. In the third quarter of 2020, we executed $327 million of sale-leaseback transactions. Of these transactions, $118 million did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The remaining $209 million qualified as sales and generated a loss of $106 million . The assets associated with sale-leaseback transactions which qualified as sales are recorded within operating lease assets. The liabilities are recorded within current operating lease liabilities and long-term operating lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. These transactions are treated as cash from investing activities on our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. Citibank Line of Credit In August 2019, we amended our revolving Credit and Guaranty Agreement with Citibank N.A. as the administrative agent. The amendment increased our borrowing capacity by $125 million to $550 million and extended the term of the facility through August 2023. Borrowings under the Credit and Guaranty Agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR, plus a margin . The Credit and Guaranty Agreement was previously secured by Slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Reagan National Airport, as well as certain other assets. Slots are rights to take-off or land at a specific airport during a specific time period during the day and a means by which airport capacity and congestion can be managed. On May 29, 2020, we exercised our pre-existing right and removed the Slots from the collateral pool to the facility. In exchange for the Slots, we added unencumbered aircraft, simulators, and certain other assets to the facility as permitted. The Credit and Guaranty Agreement includes covenants that require us to maintain certain minimum balances in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, and unused commitments available under revolving credit facilities. In addition, the covenants restrict our ability to, among other things, dispose of certain collateral, or merge, consolidate, or sell assets. We borrowed the full amount of $550 million under this revolving credit facility on April 22, 2020. The interest rate on our outstanding balance was 2.22% as of September 30, 2020 . Short-term Borrowings Morgan Stanley Delayed Draw Term Loan Agreement In March 2020, we entered into a 364-day delayed draw term loan credit agreement with Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc., as the administrative agent. The delayed draw term loan agreement provided for a term loan facility of up to $1 billion . Borrowings under the credit agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR (but not less than 1% per annum), plus a margin , or at our election, another rate based on certain market interest rates. Our obligations under the delayed draw term loan agreement were secured by liens on certain aircraft and spare engines. The delayed draw term loan agreement includes provisions that require us to maintain unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and unused commitments available under all revolving credit facilities (including the term loan facility) aggregating not less than $550 million . We borrowed the full amount of the term loan facility in March 2020. Amortization payments equal to 0.25% of the outstanding principal of the term loan will be due on the last day of each quarter during the term. The remaining outstanding principal amount of the term loan was required be repaid in a single installment on the maturity date on March 15, 2021. We may prepay all or a portion of the term loan from time to time, at par plus accrued and unpaid interest. We repaid the full balance of this facility during the third quarter of 2020. Morgan Stanley Line of Credit We have a revolving line of credit with Morgan Stanley for up to approximately $200 million . This line of credit is secured by a portion of our investment securities held by Morgan Stanley and the amount available to us under this line of credit may vary accordingly. This line of credit bears interest at a floating rate based upon LIBOR, plus a margin . As of and for the periods ended September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share (Notes)

Earnings Per Share (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	(Loss) Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing net (loss) income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated similarly but includes potential dilution from restricted stock units, the Crewmember Stock Purchase Plan, and any other potentially dilutive instruments using the treasury stock method. Anti-dilutive common stock equivalents excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share amounts were 1.9 million and 1.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. There were no anti-dilutive common stock equivalents during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 . The following table shows how we computed basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (dollars and share data in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Net (loss) income $ (393 ) $ 187 $ (981 ) $ 408 Weighted average basic shares 272.4 294.0 274.3 300.1 Effect of dilutive securities — 1.9 — 1.7 Weighted average diluted shares 272.4 295.9 274.3 301.8 (Loss) earnings per common share Basic $ (1.44 ) $ 0.63 $ (3.58 ) $ 1.36 Diluted $ (1.44 ) $ 0.63 $ (3.58 ) $ 1.35 On February 24, 2020 , JetBlue entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement, or ASR, paying $160 million for an initial delivery of 6.6 million shares. The term of the ASR concluded on March 16, 2020 with a delivery of 4.9 million additional shares to JetBlue on March 18, 2020 . A total of 11.5 million shares, at an average price of $13.91 per share, were repurchased under the agreement. On September 6, 2019 , JetBlue entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement, or ASR, paying $125 million for an initial delivery of 6.0 million shares. The term of the ASR concluded on November 18, 2019 with delivery of 1.1 million additional shares to JetBlue on November 20, 2019 . A total of 7.1 million shares, at an average price of $17.46 per share, were repurchased under the agreement. On June 13, 2019 , JetBlue entered into an ASR, paying $125 million for an initial delivery of 5.2 million shares. The term of the ASR concluded on August 13, 2019 with delivery of 1.5 million additional shares to JetBlue on August 15, 2019 . A total of 6.7 million shares, at an average price of $18.58 per share, were repurchased under the agreement. On March 11, 2019 , JetBlue entered into an ASR, paying $125 million for an initial delivery of 6.1 million shares. The term of the ASR concluded on May 21, 2019 with the delivery of 1.3 million additional shares to JetBlue on May 22, 2019 . A total of 7.4 million shares, at an average price of $16.93 per share, were repurchased under the agreement. Our share repurchase program has been suspended since March 31, 2020.

Crewmember Retirement Plan (Not

Crewmember Retirement Plan (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans [Text Block]	Crewmember Retirement Plan We sponsor a retirement savings 401(k) defined contribution plan, or the Plan, covering all of our crewmembers where we match 100% of our crewmember contributions up to 5% of their eligible wages. The contributions vest over three years and are measured from a crewmember's hire date. Crewmembers are immediately vested in their voluntary contributions. Another component of the Plan is a Company discretionary contribution of 5% of eligible non-management crewmember compensation, which we refer to as Retirement Plus. Retirement Plus contributions vest over three years and are measured from a crewmember's hire date. Certain Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, licensed crewmembers receive an additional contribution of 3% of eligible compensation, which we refer to as Retirement Advantage. Effective August 1, 2018, pilots receive a non-elective Company contribution of 15% of eligible pilot compensation per the terms of the finalized collective bargaining agreement between JetBlue and the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA, in lieu of the above 401(k) Company matching contribution, Retirement Plus , and Retirement Advantage contributions. Refer to Note 10 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for additional information. The Company's non-elective contribution of 15% of eligible pilot compensation vests after three years of service. Our non-management crewmembers are eligible to receive profit sharing, calculated as 10% of adjusted pre-tax income before profit sharing and special items up to a pre-tax margin of 18% with the result reduced by Retirement Plus contributions and the equivalent of Retirement Plus contributions for pilots. If JetBlue's resulting pre-tax margin exceeds 18% , non-management crewmembers will receive 20% profit sharing on amounts above an 18% pre-tax margin. Total 401(k) company match, Retirement Plus, Retirement Advantage , pilot retirement contribution, and profit sharing expensed for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 was $42 million and $50 million , respectively, while the total amount expensed for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 was $135 million and $148 million , respectively.

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	Commitments and Contingencies Flight Equipment Commitments As of September 30, 2020 , our firm aircraft orders consisted of 74 Airbus A321neo aircraft and 70 Airbus A220 aircraft, all scheduled for delivery through 2026. Committed expenditures for these aircraft and related flight equipment, including estimated amounts for contractual price escalations and predelivery deposits as of September 30, 2020 is approximately $0.2 billion for the remainder of 2020 , $1.0 billion in 2021 , $0.9 billion in 2022 , $1.7 billion in 2023 , $1.9 billion in 2024 , and $2.1 billion thereafter . In October 2020, we amended our purchase agreement with Airbus which changed the timing of our Airbus A321 deliveries and extended the delivery schedule through 2027. Following this amendment, our committed expenditures for aircraft and related flight equipment, including estimated amounts for contractual price escalations and predelivery deposits is approximately $0.2 billion for the remainder of 2020, $0.8 billion in 2021, $0.7 billion in 2022, $1.4 billion in 2023, $1.8 billion in 2024, and $2.9 billion thereafter. In October 2019, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced a 10% tariff on new commercial aircraft and related parts imported from certain European Union member states, which include aircraft and other parts we are already contractually obligated to purchase, including those noted above. The U.S. Trade Representative increased the tariff to 15% effective March 2020. We continue to work with our business partners, including Airbus, to evaluate the potential financial and operational impact of these announcements on our aircraft deliveries. The continued imposition of the tariff could substantially increase the cost of new Airbus aircraft and parts. Other Commitments We utilize several credit card processors to process our ticket sales. Our agreements with these processors do not contain covenants, but do generally allow the processor to withhold cash reserves to protect the processor from potential liability for tickets purchased, but not yet used for travel. While we currently do not have any collateral requirements related to our credit card processors, we may be required to issue collateral to our credit card processors, or other key business partners, in the future. As of September 30, 2020 , we had approximately $25 million in assets serving as collateral for letters of credit relating to a certain number of our leases. These are included in restricted cash and expire at the end of the related lease terms. Additionally, we had approximately $25 million pledged related to our workers' compensation insurance policies and other business partner agreements, which will expire according to the terms of the related policies or agreements. In April 2014, ALPA was certified by the National Mediation Board, or NMB, as the representative body for JetBlue pilots after winning a representation election. We reached a final agreement for our first collective bargaining agreement which was ratified by the pilots in July 2018. The agreement is a four-year, renewable contract, which became effective August 1, 2018 and included compensation, benefits, work rules, and other policies. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we signed a letter of agreement with ALPA to avoid involuntary furloughs of our pilots until May 1, 2021 in exchange for short-term changes to the collective bargaining agreement. In April 2018, JetBlue inflight crewmembers elected to be solely represented by the Transport Workers Union of America, or TWU. The NMB certified the TWU as the representative body for JetBlue inflight crewmembers. In October 2020, we reached a tentative agreement for our first collective bargaining agreement which is subject to a ratification vote. JetBlue can provide no assurance that the tentative agreement will be approved, and therefore the effect of any incentives and other provisions would be recorded upon final ratification. Except as noted above, our crewmembers do not have third party representation. Legal Matters Occasionally, we are involved in various claims, lawsuits, regulatory examinations, investigations and other legal matters involving suppliers, crewmembers, customers, and governmental agencies, arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of business. The outcome of litigation and other legal matters is always uncertain. The Company believes it has valid defenses to the legal matters currently pending against it, is defending itself vigorously, and has recorded accruals determined in accordance with GAAP, where appropriate. In making a determination regarding accruals, using available information, we evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome in legal or regulatory proceedings to which we are a party and record a loss contingency when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. These subjective determinations are based on the status of such legal or regulatory proceedings, the merits of our defenses, and consultation with legal counsel. Actual outcomes of these legal and regulatory proceedings may materially differ from our current estimates. It is possible that resolution of one or more of the legal matters currently pending or threatened could result in losses material to our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, or financial condition. To date, none of these types of litigation matters, most of which are typically covered by insurance, has had a material impact on our operations or financial condition. We have insured and continue to insure against most of these types of claims. A judgment on any claim not covered by, or in excess of, our insurance coverage could materially adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, or financial condition.

Financial Derivative Instrument

Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management	Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management As part of our risk management strategy, we periodically purchase over the counter energy derivative instruments and enter into fixed forward price agreements, or FFPs, to manage our exposure to the effect of changes in the price of jet fuel. Prices for the underlying commodities have historically been highly correlated to jet fuel, making derivatives of them effective at providing short-term protection against volatility in average fuel prices. We also periodically enter into jet fuel basis swaps for the differential between heating oil and jet fuel, to further limit the variability in fuel prices at various locations. We do not hold or issue any derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. Aircraft Fuel Derivatives We attempt to obtain cash flow hedge accounting treatment for each fuel derivative that we enter into. This treatment is provided for under the Derivatives and Hedging topic of the Codification which allows for gains and losses on qualifying hedges to be deferred until the underlying planned jet fuel consumption occurs, rather than recognizing the gains and losses on these instruments into earnings during each period they are outstanding. When the underlying jet fuel is consumed and the related derivative contract settles, any gain or loss previously recorded in other comprehensive income is recognized in aircraft fuel expense. If a hedge does not qualify for hedge accounting, the periodic changes in its fair value are recognized in interest income and other. All cash flows related to our fuel hedging derivatives are classified as operating cash flows. Our current approach to fuel hedging is to enter into hedges on a discretionary basis without a specific target of hedge percentage needs. We view our hedge portfolio as a form of insurance to help mitigate the impact of price volatility and protect us against severe spikes in oil prices, when possible. The following table illustrates the approximate hedge percentages of our projected fuel usage by quarter as of September 30, 2020 , related to our outstanding fuel hedging contracts that were designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes. Jet fuel call spread option agreements Fourth Quarter 2020 25 % The table below reflects quantitative information related to our derivative instruments and where these amounts are recorded in our financial statements (dollar amounts in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Fuel derivatives Asset fair value recorded in prepaid expense and other (1) $ — $ 8 Longest remaining term (months) 3 6 Hedged volume (barrels, in thousands) 680 2,112 Estimated amount of existing losses (gains) expected to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months $ 2 $ (2 ) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Fuel derivatives Hedge effectiveness losses recognized in aircraft fuel expense $ 2 $ — $ 5 $ 4 Losses on derivatives resulting from the discontinuance of hedge accounting recognized in interest income and other 1 — 6 — Hedge losses (gains) on derivatives recognized in comprehensive income — 2 11 1 Percentage of actual consumption economically hedged 27 % — % 25 % 5 % (1) Gross asset of each contract prior to consideration of offsetting positions with each counterparty and prior to the impact of collateral paid. Any outstanding derivative instrument exposes us to credit loss in connection with our fuel contracts in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties to the agreements, but we do not expect that any of our counterparties will fail to meet their obligations. The amount of such credit exposure is generally the fair value of our outstanding contracts for which we are in a receivable position. To manage credit risks we select counterparties based on credit assessments, limit our overall exposure to any single counterparty, and monitor the market position with each counterparty. Some of our agreements require cash deposits from either JetBlue or our counterparty if market risk exposure exceeds a specified threshold amount. We have master netting arrangements with our counterparties allowing us the right of offset to mitigate credit risk in derivative transactions. The financial derivative instrument agreements we have with our counterparties may require us to fund all, or a portion of, outstanding loss positions related to these contracts prior to their scheduled maturities. The amount of collateral posted, if any, is periodically adjusted based on the fair value of the hedge contracts. Our policy is to offset the liabilities represented by these contracts with any cash collateral paid to the counterparties. There were no offsetting derivative instruments as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 .

Fair Value (Notes)

Fair Value (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value Under the Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures topic of the Codification, disclosures are required about how fair value is determined for assets and liabilities and a hierarchy for which these assets and liabilities must be grouped is established, based on significant levels of inputs as follows: Level 1 - observable inputs such as unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 - quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities, and other inputs that are observable directly or indirectly for the asset or liability; or Level 3 - unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, such as discounted cash flow models or valuations. The determination of where assets and liabilities fall within this hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The following is a listing of our assets and liabilities required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis and where they are classified within the fair value hierarchy as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): September 30, 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets Cash equivalents $ 1,330 $ 160 $ — $ 1,490 Available-for-sale investment securities — 569 — 569 December 31, 2019 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets Cash equivalents $ 611 $ 30 $ — $ 641 Available-for-sale investment securities — 351 — 351 Aircraft fuel derivatives — 8 — 8 Refer to Note 4 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for fair value information related to our outstanding debt obligations as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 . Cash equivalents Our cash equivalents include money market securities and time deposits which are readily convertible into cash, have maturities of three months or less when purchased, and are considered to be highly liquid and easily tradable. The money market securities are valued using inputs observable in active markets for identical securities and are therefore classified as Level 1 within our fair value hierarchy. The fair values of remaining instruments are based on observable inputs in non-active markets, which are therefore classified as Level 2 in the hierarchy. Available-for-sale investment securities Our available-for-sale investment securities include investments such as time deposits, commercial paper, and convertible debt securities. The fair values of these instruments are based on observable inputs in non-active markets, which are therefore classified as Level 2 in the hierarchy. We did not record any material gains or losses on these securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 . Aircraft Fuel Derivatives

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Comprehensive Income (Loss) Note [Text Block]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Comprehensive income (loss) includes changes in fair value of our aircraft fuel derivatives which qualify for hedge accounting. A rollforward of the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is as follows (in millions): Aircraft Fuel Derivatives (1)(2) Total Balance of accumulated (loss), at June 30, 2020 $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $(1) 1 1 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 — — Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2020 $ (2 ) $ (2 ) Balance of accumulated income at June 30, 2019 $ 1 $ 1 Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $0 — — Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 (2 ) (2 ) Balance of accumulated (loss) at September 30, 2019 $ (1 ) $ (1 ) A rollforward of the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is as follows (in millions): Aircraft Fuel Derivatives (1)(2) Total Balance of accumulated income, at December 31, 2019 $ 2 $ 2 Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $(4) 7 7 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $5 (11 ) (11 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2020 $ (2 ) $ (2 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at December 31, 2018 $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes $(1) 3 3 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 (1 ) (1 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2019 $ (1 ) $ (1 ) (1) Reclassified to aircraft fuel expense. (2) We made several capacity reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These capacity reductions led to the discontinuance of hedge accounting on a number of our aircraft fuel derivatives as the forecasted consumption of aircraft fuel was no longer probable. Losses of $1 million and $5 million that were previously deferred in other comprehensive loss were reclassified to interest income and other during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020

Special Items (Notes)

Special Items (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both, Disclosure [Text Block]	Special Items The following is a listing of special items presented on our consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Special Items CARES Act payroll support grant recognition (1) $ (332 ) $ — $ (636 ) $ — Fleet impairment (2) 56 — 258 — Severance and benefit costs (3) 58 — 58 — Losses on sale-leaseback transactions (4) 106 — 106 — Embraer E190 fleet transition costs (5) — (3 ) — 6 Union contract costs (6) — 3 — 8 Total $ (112 ) $ — $ (214 ) $ 14 (1) As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, we entered into a PSP Agreement with the Treasury governing our participation in the Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act. Under the Payroll Support Program, Treasury provided us with payroll support funding totaling $963 million , consisting of $704 million in grants and $259 million in an unsecured term loan. The payroll support funds are to be used exclusively for the continuation of payment of crewmember wages, salaries and benefits. The carrying value of the payroll support grants is recorded within other liabilities and will be recognized as a contra-expense within special items on our consolidated statements of operations as the funds are utilized. We utilized $332 million and $636 million of the payroll support grants for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. (2) Under the Property, Plant, and Equipment topic of the Codification, we are required to assess long-lived assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired. An impairment of long-lived assets exists when the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated directly by the assets are less than the book value of the assets. Our long-lived assets include both owned and leased properties which are classified as property and equipment, and operating lease assets on our consolidated balance sheets, respectively. As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, our operations were adversely impacted by the unprecedented decline in demand for travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine if impairment exists in our fleet, we grouped our aircraft by fleet-type and estimated their future cash flows based on projections of capacity, aircraft age, maintenance requirements, and other relevant conditions. Based on the assessment, we determined the future cash flows from the operation our Embraer E190 fleet were lower than the carrying value. For those aircraft, including the ones that are under operating lease, and related spare parts in our Embraer E190 fleet, we recorded an impairment loss of $56 million and $258 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. These losses represent the difference between the book value of these assets and their fair value. We estimated the fair value of our Embraer E190 fleet using third party valuations and considered specific circumstances such as aircraft age, maintenance requirements and condition, and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. We evaluated the remaining fleet and determined the future cash flows of our Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 fleet exceeded their carrying value as of September 30, 2020 . As the extent of the ongoing impact from the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, we will update our assessment as new information becomes available (3) The unprecedented declines in demand and in our capacity caused by COVID-19 has led to a significant reduction to our staffing needs. In June 2020, we announced a voluntary separation program which allowed eligible crewmembers the opportunity to voluntarily separate from the Company in exchange for severance, health coverage for a specified period of time, and travel privileges based on years of service. Virtually all of our crewmembers were eligible to participate in the voluntary separation program with the exception of our union-represented crewmembers and crewmembers of our wholly-owned subsidiaries (JetBlue Technology Ventures and JetBlue Travel Products). Separation agreements for the majority of the crewmembers who elected to participate in the voluntary program were executed in the third quarter. One time costs of $58 million , consisting of severance and health benefits, were recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2020 in connection with the program. Approximately $39 million of this charge was disbursed during the third quarter of 2020. Accruals related to the voluntary separation program are primarily recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, and accounts payable on our consolidated balance sheets. Additional costs may be incurred as the remaining separation agreements are executed. (4) In the third quarter of 2020, we executed $327 million of sale-leaseback transactions. Of these transactions, $118 million did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The remaining $209 million qualified as sales and generated a loss of $106 million . These losses represent the difference between the book value of these assets and their fair value. We estimated the fair value of the related aircraft considering third party valuations and considered specific circumstances such as aircraft age, maintenance requirements and condition, and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. (5) In July 2018, we announced our decision to exit the Embraer E190 fleet and order 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, formerly known as the Bombardier CS300, for expected deliveries beginning in 2020 with the option for 60 additional aircraft. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 , fleet transition costs include certain contract termination costs associated with the transition. (6) In April 2014, ALPA was certified by NMB as the representative body for JetBlue pilots after winning a representation election. We reached a final agreement for our first collective bargaining agreement which was ratified by the pilots in July 2018. The agreement is a four-year renewable contract, which became effective August 1, 2018 and included compensation, benefits, work rules, and other policies. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of presentation	Basis of Presentation JetBlue Airways Corporation, or JetBlue, provides air transportation services across the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Our condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of JetBlue and our subsidiaries which are collectively referred to as “we” or the “Company”. All majority-owned subsidiaries are consolidated on a line by line basis, with all intercompany transactions and balances being eliminated. These condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with our 2019 audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 , or our 2019 Form 10-K. These condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by us following the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In our opinion they reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring items, that are necessary to present fairly the results for interim periods. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP, have been condensed or omitted as permitted by such rules and regulations; however, we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. Due to the impacts from the coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic, seasonal variations in the demand for air travel, the volatility of aircraft fuel prices, and other factors, our operating results for the periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or the entire fiscal year.
Marketable Securities, Available-for-sale Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Investment Securities Investment securities consist of available-for-sale investment securities and held-to-maturity investment securities. When sold, we use a specific identification method to determine the cost of the securities. Held-to-maturity investment securities. We did not have any held-to-maturity investments as of September 30, 2020 . We did not record any significant gains or losses on these securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 or 2019 . The estimated fair value of these investments approximated their carrying value as of December 31, 2019 . The aggregate carrying values of our short-term and long-term investment securities consisted of the following at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Available-for-sale securities Time deposits $ 561 $ 325 Commercial paper — 20 Debt securities 8 6 Total available-for-sale securities 569 351 Held-to-maturity securities Corporate bonds — 21 Total held-to-maturity securities — 21 Total investment securities $ 569 $ 372 Available-for-sale investment securities Our available-for-sale investment securities include investments such as time deposits, commercial paper, and convertible debt securities. The fair values of these instruments are based on observable inputs in non-active markets, which are therefore classified as Level 2 in the hierarchy. We did not record any material gains or losses on these securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 .
Cost Method Investments, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Other Investments Our wholly-owned subsidiary, JetBlue Technology Ventures, LLC, or JTV, has equity investments in emerging companies which do not have readily determinable fair values. In accordance with Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities , we account for these investments using a measurement alternative which allows entities to measure these investments at cost, less any impairment, adjusted for changes from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identifiable or similar investments of the same issuer. The carrying amount of these investments was $40 million and $41 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively. We have an approximate 10% ownership interest in the TWA Flight Center Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport and it is also accounted for under the measurement alternative. The carrying amount of this investment was $14 million and $13 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019
Equity Method Investments [Policy Text Block]	Equity Method Investments Investments in which we can exercise significant influence are accounted for using the equity method in accordance with Topic 323, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("Codification"). The carrying amount of our equity method investments was $35 million and $38 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively, and is included within other assets on our consolidated balance sheets.
New Accounting Pronouncements [Policy Text Block]	Recently Issued Accounting Standards New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can impact our financial results and the comparability of our financial statements. The authoritative literature which has recently been issued and that we believe will impact our consolidated financial statements is described below. There are also several new proposals under development. If and when enacted, these proposals may have a significant impact on our financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes . The update eliminates, clarifies, and modifies certain guidance related to the accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are still evaluating the full impact of adopting the update on our consolidated financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments . The update requires the use of an "expected loss" model on certain types of financial instruments and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to calculate credit loss estimates. For trade receivables, loans, and held-to-maturity debt securities, entities are required to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. For available-for-sale debt securities, entities will be required to recognize an allowance for credit losses rather than a reduction to the carrying value of the asset. We adopted the requirements of ASU 2016-13 as of January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective transition approach. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement . The update eliminates, adds, and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. We adopted the requirements of ASU 2018-13 as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2018-13 did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statement disclosures.
Short-term Debt [Text Block]	Short-term Borrowings Morgan Stanley Delayed Draw Term Loan Agreement In March 2020, we entered into a 364-day delayed draw term loan credit agreement with Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc., as the administrative agent. The delayed draw term loan agreement provided for a term loan facility of up to $1 billion . Borrowings under the credit agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR (but not less than 1% per annum), plus a margin , or at our election, another rate based on certain market interest rates. Our obligations under the delayed draw term loan agreement were secured by liens on certain aircraft and spare engines. The delayed draw term loan agreement includes provisions that require us to maintain unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and unused commitments available under all revolving credit facilities (including the term loan facility) aggregating not less than $550 million . We borrowed the full amount of the term loan facility in March 2020. Amortization payments equal to 0.25% of the outstanding principal of the term loan will be due on the last day of each quarter during the term. The remaining outstanding principal amount of the term loan was required be repaid in a single installment on the maturity date on March 15, 2021. We may prepay all or a portion of the term loan from time to time, at par plus accrued and unpaid interest. We repaid the full balance of this facility during the third quarter of 2020. Morgan Stanley Line of Credit We have a revolving line of credit with Morgan Stanley for up to approximately $200 million . This line of credit is secured by a portion of our investment securities held by Morgan Stanley and the amount available to us under this line of credit may vary accordingly. This line of credit bears interest at a floating rate based upon LIBOR, plus a margin . As of and for the periods ended September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Cash equivalents Our cash equivalents include money market securities and time deposits which are readily convertible into cash, have maturities of three months or less when purchased, and are considered to be highly liquid and easily tradable. The money market securities are valued using inputs observable in active markets for identical securities and are therefore classified as Level 1 within our fair value hierarchy. The fair values of remaining instruments are based on observable inputs in non-active markets, which are therefore classified as Level 2 in the hierarchy.
Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Aircraft Fuel Derivatives

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of marketable securities	The aggregate carrying values of our short-term and long-term investment securities consisted of the following at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Available-for-sale securities Time deposits $ 561 $ 325 Commercial paper — 20 Debt securities 8 6 Total available-for-sale securities 569 351 Held-to-maturity securities Corporate bonds — 21 Total held-to-maturity securities — 21 Total investment securities $ 569 $ 372

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Table Text Block]	The following table provides the revenues recognized by revenue source for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Passenger revenue Passenger travel $ 420 $ 1,914 $ 1,973 $ 5,563 Loyalty revenue - air transportation 25 91 153 275 Other revenue Loyalty revenue 38 54 127 146 Other revenue 9 27 42 79 Total revenue $ 492 $ 2,086 $ 2,295 $ 6,063 TrueBlue ® points earned from ticket purchases are presented as a reduction to Passenger travel within passenger revenue. Amounts presented in Loyalty revenue - air transportation represent the revenue recognized when TrueBlue ® points have been redeemed and the travel has occurred.
Contract with Customer, Contract Asset, Contract Liability, and Receivable [Table Text Block]	Our contract liabilities primarily consist of ticket sales for which transportation has not yet been provided, unused credits available to customers, and outstanding loyalty points available for redemption (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Air traffic liability - passenger travel $ 1,020 $ 929 Air traffic liability - loyalty program (air transportation) 703 661 Deferred revenue 42 10 Total $ 1,765 $ 1,600 The table below presents the activity of the current and non-current air traffic liability for our loyalty program, and includes points earned and sold to participating companies for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 661 TrueBlue ® points redeemed (153 ) TrueBlue ® points earned and sold 195 Balance at September 30, 2020 $ 703 Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 580 TrueBlue ® points redeemed (275 ) TrueBlue ® points earned and sold 342 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 647

Long-term Debt, Short-term Bo_2

Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long Term Debt	The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, net of debt acquisition costs, at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows (in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value (2) Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value (2) Public Debt Fixed rate special facility bonds, due through 2036 $ 42 $ 43 $ 42 $ 46 Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes: 2019-1 Series AA, due through 2032 574 414 581 586 2019-1 Series A, due through 2028 179 146 181 186 2019-1 Series B, due through 2027 114 142 — — 2020-1 Series A, due through 2032 628 611 — — 2020-1 Series B, due through 2028 170 213 — — Non-Public Debt Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2023 114 115 133 141 Floating rate equipment notes, due through 2028 164 150 201 207 Fixed rate equipment notes, due through 2028 935 920 1,107 1,201 Floating rate term loan credit facility, due through 2024 709 750 — — Unsecured CARES Act Payroll Support Program loan, due through 2030 259 192 — — Secured CARES Act Loan, due through 2025 105 100 — — 2020 sale-leaseback transactions, due through 2024 235 262 — — Citibank line of credit, due through 2023 546 520 — — Total (1) $ 4,774 $ 4,578 $ 2,245 $ 2,367 (1) Total excludes finance lease obligations of $65 million and $89 million at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 , respectively. (2) The estimated fair values of our publicly held long-term debt are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of our enhanced equipment notes and our special facility bonds were based on quoted market prices in markets with low trading volumes. The fair value of our non-public debt was estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis based on our borrowing rates for instruments with similar terms and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of our other financial instruments approximate their carrying values. Refer to Note 9 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for an explanation of the fair value hierarchy structure. We have financed certain aircraft with Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates, or EETCs. One of the benefits of this structure is being able to finance several aircraft at one time, rather than individually. The structure of EETC financing is that we create pass-through trusts in order to issue pass-through certificates. The proceeds from the issuance of these certificates are then used to purchase equipment notes, which are issued by us and are secured by our aircraft. These trusts meet the definition of a variable interest entity, or VIE, as defined in the Consolidations topic of the Codification, and must be considered for consolidation in our financial statements. Our assessment of our EETCs considers both quantitative and qualitative factors including the purpose for which these trusts were established and the nature of the risks in each. The main purpose of the trust structure is to enhance the credit worthiness of our debt obligation through certain bankruptcy protection provisions and liquidity facilities, and also to lower our total borrowing cost. We concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary in these trusts because our involvement in them is limited to principal and interest payments on the related notes, the trusts were not set up to pass along variability created by credit risk to us, and the likelihood of our defaulting on the notes. Therefore, we have not consolidated these trusts in our financial statements.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	The following table shows how we computed basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (dollars and share data in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Net (loss) income $ (393 ) $ 187 $ (981 ) $ 408 Weighted average basic shares 272.4 294.0 274.3 300.1 Effect of dilutive securities — 1.9 — 1.7 Weighted average diluted shares 272.4 295.9 274.3 301.8 (Loss) earnings per common share Basic $ (1.44 ) $ 0.63 $ (3.58 ) $ 1.36 Diluted $ (1.44 ) $ 0.63 $ (3.58 ) $ 1.35

Financial Derivative Instrume_2

Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Percentage fuel covered under derivative contracts	The following table illustrates the approximate hedge percentages of our projected fuel usage by quarter as of September 30, 2020 , related to our outstanding fuel hedging contracts that were designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes. Jet fuel call spread option agreements Fourth Quarter 2020 25 %
Derivative instrument in statement of financial position and financial performance	The table below reflects quantitative information related to our derivative instruments and where these amounts are recorded in our financial statements (dollar amounts in millions): September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Fuel derivatives Asset fair value recorded in prepaid expense and other (1) $ — $ 8 Longest remaining term (months) 3 6 Hedged volume (barrels, in thousands) 680 2,112 Estimated amount of existing losses (gains) expected to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months $ 2 $ (2 ) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Fuel derivatives Hedge effectiveness losses recognized in aircraft fuel expense $ 2 $ — $ 5 $ 4 Losses on derivatives resulting from the discontinuance of hedge accounting recognized in interest income and other 1 — 6 — Hedge losses (gains) on derivatives recognized in comprehensive income — 2 11 1 Percentage of actual consumption economically hedged 27 % — % 25 % 5 % (1) Gross asset of each contract prior to consideration of offsetting positions with each counterparty and prior to the impact of collateral paid.

Fair Value (Tables)

Fair Value (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value, by balance sheet grouping	The following is a listing of our assets and liabilities required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis and where they are classified within the fair value hierarchy as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): September 30, 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets Cash equivalents $ 1,330 $ 160 $ — $ 1,490 Available-for-sale investment securities — 569 — 569 December 31, 2019 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets Cash equivalents $ 611 $ 30 $ — $ 641 Available-for-sale investment securities — 351 — 351 Aircraft fuel derivatives — 8 — 8 Refer to Note 4 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for fair value information related to our outstanding debt obligations as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 .

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	A rollforward of the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is as follows (in millions): Aircraft Fuel Derivatives (1)(2) Total Balance of accumulated (loss), at June 30, 2020 $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $(1) 1 1 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 — — Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2020 $ (2 ) $ (2 ) Balance of accumulated income at June 30, 2019 $ 1 $ 1 Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $0 — — Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 (2 ) (2 ) Balance of accumulated (loss) at September 30, 2019 $ (1 ) $ (1 ) A rollforward of the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is as follows (in millions): Aircraft Fuel Derivatives (1)(2) Total Balance of accumulated income, at December 31, 2019 $ 2 $ 2 Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes of $(4) 7 7 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $5 (11 ) (11 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2020 $ (2 ) $ (2 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at December 31, 2018 $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Reclassifications into earnings, net of deferred taxes $(1) 3 3 Change in fair value, net of deferred taxes of $0 (1 ) (1 ) Balance of accumulated (loss), at September 30, 2019 $ (1 ) $ (1 ) (1) Reclassified to aircraft fuel expense. (2) We made several capacity reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These capacity reductions led to the discontinuance of hedge accounting on a number of our aircraft fuel derivatives as the forecasted consumption of aircraft fuel was no longer probable. Losses of $1 million and $5 million that were previously deferred in other comprehensive loss were reclassified to interest income and other during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020

Special Items (Tables)

Special Items (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both [Table Text Block]	The following is a listing of special items presented on our consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Special Items CARES Act payroll support grant recognition (1) $ (332 ) $ — $ (636 ) $ — Fleet impairment (2) 56 — 258 — Severance and benefit costs (3) 58 — 58 — Losses on sale-leaseback transactions (4) 106 — 106 — Embraer E190 fleet transition costs (5) — (3 ) — 6 Union contract costs (6) — 3 — 8 Total $ (112 ) $ — $ (214 ) $ 14 (1) As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, we entered into a PSP Agreement with the Treasury governing our participation in the Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act. Under the Payroll Support Program, Treasury provided us with payroll support funding totaling $963 million , consisting of $704 million in grants and $259 million in an unsecured term loan. The payroll support funds are to be used exclusively for the continuation of payment of crewmember wages, salaries and benefits. The carrying value of the payroll support grants is recorded within other liabilities and will be recognized as a contra-expense within special items on our consolidated statements of operations as the funds are utilized. We utilized $332 million and $636 million of the payroll support grants for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. (2) Under the Property, Plant, and Equipment topic of the Codification, we are required to assess long-lived assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired. An impairment of long-lived assets exists when the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated directly by the assets are less than the book value of the assets. Our long-lived assets include both owned and leased properties which are classified as property and equipment, and operating lease assets on our consolidated balance sheets, respectively. As discussed in Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements, our operations were adversely impacted by the unprecedented decline in demand for travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine if impairment exists in our fleet, we grouped our aircraft by fleet-type and estimated their future cash flows based on projections of capacity, aircraft age, maintenance requirements, and other relevant conditions. Based on the assessment, we determined the future cash flows from the operation our Embraer E190 fleet were lower than the carrying value. For those aircraft, including the ones that are under operating lease, and related spare parts in our Embraer E190 fleet, we recorded an impairment loss of $56 million and $258 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 , respectively. These losses represent the difference between the book value of these assets and their fair value. We estimated the fair value of our Embraer E190 fleet using third party valuations and considered specific circumstances such as aircraft age, maintenance requirements and condition, and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. We evaluated the remaining fleet and determined the future cash flows of our Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 fleet exceeded their carrying value as of September 30, 2020 . As the extent of the ongoing impact from the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, we will update our assessment as new information becomes available (3) The unprecedented declines in demand and in our capacity caused by COVID-19 has led to a significant reduction to our staffing needs. In June 2020, we announced a voluntary separation program which allowed eligible crewmembers the opportunity to voluntarily separate from the Company in exchange for severance, health coverage for a specified period of time, and travel privileges based on years of service. Virtually all of our crewmembers were eligible to participate in the voluntary separation program with the exception of our union-represented crewmembers and crewmembers of our wholly-owned subsidiaries (JetBlue Technology Ventures and JetBlue Travel Products). Separation agreements for the majority of the crewmembers who elected to participate in the voluntary program were executed in the third quarter. One time costs of $58 million , consisting of severance and health benefits, were recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2020 in connection with the program. Approximately $39 million of this charge was disbursed during the third quarter of 2020. Accruals related to the voluntary separation program are primarily recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, and accounts payable on our consolidated balance sheets. Additional costs may be incurred as the remaining separation agreements are executed. (4) In the third quarter of 2020, we executed $327 million of sale-leaseback transactions. Of these transactions, $118 million did not qualify as sales for accounting purposes. The remaining $209 million qualified as sales and generated a loss of $106 million . These losses represent the difference between the book value of these assets and their fair value. We estimated the fair value of the related aircraft considering third party valuations and considered specific circumstances such as aircraft age, maintenance requirements and condition, and therefore classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. (5) In July 2018, we announced our decision to exit the Embraer E190 fleet and order 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, formerly known as the Bombardier CS300, for expected deliveries beginning in 2020 with the option for 60 additional aircraft. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 , fleet transition costs include certain contract termination costs associated with the transition. (6) In April 2014, ALPA was certified by NMB as the representative body for JetBlue pilots after winning a representation election. We reached a final agreement for our first collective bargaining agreement which was ratified by the pilots in July 2018. The agreement is a four-year renewable contract, which became effective August 1, 2018 and included compensation, benefits, work rules, and other policies. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 , union contract costs primarily include various one-time costs incurred to implement the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement into our systems.

Summary of Significant Accoun_4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Available-for-sale securities
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	$ 8	$ 6
Available-for-sale investment securities	569	351
Debt Securities, Held-to-maturity	0	21
Marketable securities	569	372
Bank Time Deposits [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Available-for-sale investment securities	561	325
Corporate Bond Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Debt Securities, Held-to-maturity	0	21
Commercial Paper [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Available-for-sale investment securities	$ 0	$ 20

Summary of Significant Accoun_5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Held-to-Maturity Securities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Held-to-maturity securities	$ 0		$ 0		$ 21
Debt Securities, Held-to-maturity, Sold, Realized Gain (Loss)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Summary of Significant Accoun_6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Other Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Investments, All Other Investments [Abstract]
Cost Method Investments - JetBlue Tech Ventures	$ 40	$ 41
Cost Method Investments - TWA Flight Center Hotel	$ 14	$ 13

Summary of Significant Accoun_7

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Equity Method Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Equity Method Investments	$ 35		$ 35		$ 38
Gain (Loss) on Sale of Previously Unissued Stock by Subsidiary or Equity Investee, Nonoperating Income	$ 0	$ 15	$ 0	$ 15

The COVID-19 Pandemic Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic Pandemic (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Nov. 03, 2020	Sep. 29, 2020	Apr. 23, 2020
Unusual or Infrequent Item, or Both [Line Items]
Change in Revenue, Percent			(76.00%)
Change in Capacity, Percent			(58.00%)
Employee Related Cost Reductions, Salary Reduction, Officers						Implemented salary reductions of 20% to 50% for our officers through September 30, 2020, and 10% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2020
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Short-Term Investments, and Short-Term Restricted Cash			$ 3,100			$ 3,100
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-Term Restricted Cash			2,500			2,500
Loyalty points, pre-purchase arrangement						150
Reduction in aircraft capital expenditures through 2022, relating to Airbus purchase agreement amendment	$ (2,000)
Proceeds from Sale Leaseback Transactions	$ 59		327	$ 118		445
Sale Leaseback, Cash Proceeds, Investing			209			209	$ 0
Sale and Leaseback Transaction, Gain (Loss), Net			(106)		$ 0	(106)	0
Special Items - Fleet Impairment			56		0	258	0
CARES Act, Payroll Support Program, Total Payment			27	936		963
CARES Act, Payroll Support Program, Grant			$ 19	$ 685		$ 704
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding			85,540			85,540			1,200,000	2,600,000
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights			$ 9.50			$ 9.50			$ 9.50
Warrants and Rights Outstanding, Term										5 years
Restricted Cash, Current			$ 74		$ 0	$ 74	$ 0
Warrants and Rights Outstanding			19			19
CARES Act, Payroll Support Program, Grant, Carrying Value			49			49
CARES Act, Payroll Support Program, Grant, Carrying Value, Total			685			685
CARES Act, Secured Loans, Eligibility Amount			$ 1,140			$ 1,140		$ 1,950
CARES Act, Class of Warrant or Right, Expected			12,000,000			12,000,000
CARES Act, Payroll Tax Deferral						$ 36
CARES Act, Payroll Tax Deferral, Expected Liquidity, Remainder of Fiscal Year						$ 13
CARES Act, Federal Tax Benefit, Valuation Allowance			$ 10
Forecast [Member]
Unusual or Infrequent Item, or Both [Line Items]
Change in Capacity, Percent		(45.00%)

Revenue Recognition (Details)

Revenue Recognition (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 420	$ 1,914	$ 1,973	$ 5,563
Passenger Revenue - Loyalty Air Travel	25	91	153	275
Other Revenue - Loyalty	38	54	127	146
Other Revenue - Non Loyalty	9	27	42	79
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	492	2,086	2,295	6,063
Air Traffic Liability - Passenger Travel	1,020		1,020		$ 929
Air Traffic Liability - Loyalty Program (Air Transportation)	703		703		661
Other Deferred Revenue	42		42		10
Contract with Customer, Liability	1,765		1,765		1,600
Contract with Customer, Liability, Revenue Recognized			697	856
Air Traffic Liability	703	$ 647	703	647	$ 661	$ 580
Increase (Decrease) to Air Traffic Liability - Points Redeemed			(153)	(275)
Increase (Decrease) to Air Traffic Liability - Points Earned			195	$ 342
Loyalty points, pre-purchase arrangement			150
Loyalty points, pre-purchase arrangement, carrying value	$ 75		$ 75
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-06-30
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Period	3 years		3 years

Long-term Debt, Short-term Bo_3

Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	May 08, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Apr. 23, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Reduction in outstanding debt and capital lease obligations			$ 1,300,000,000
Value of aircraft, engines and other equipment and facilities which were pledged as security under various loan agreements		$ 6,200,000,000	6,200,000,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal, Remainder of Fiscal Year		95,000,000	95,000,000
Long-term debt, maturities, repayments of principal in Year Two		438,000,000	438,000,000
Long-term debt, maturities, repayments of principal in Year Three		417,000,000	417,000,000
Long-term debt, maturities, repayments of principal in Year Four		1,100,000,000	1,100,000,000
Long-term debt, maturities, repayments of principal in Year Five		966,000,000	966,000,000
Long-term debt, maturities, repayments of principal after Year Five		1,900,000,000	1,900,000,000
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		4,774,000,000	4,774,000,000		$ 2,245,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		4,578,000,000	4,578,000,000		2,367,000,000
Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		923,000,000	923,000,000
Public Debt Fixed Rate Special Facility Bonds Due Through Two Thousand Thirty Six [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		42,000,000	42,000,000		42,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		43,000,000	43,000,000		46,000,000
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2032, 2019-1 AA [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		574,000,000	574,000,000		581,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		414,000,000	414,000,000		586,000,000
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2028, 2019-1 A [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		179,000,000	179,000,000		181,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		146,000,000	146,000,000		186,000,000
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2027, 2019-1 B [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		114,000,000	114,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		142,000,000	142,000,000		0
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2027, 2019-1 B [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 115,000,000	$ 115,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		8.00%	8.00%
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2032, 2020-1 A [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		$ 628,000,000	$ 628,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		611,000,000	611,000,000		0
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2032, 2020-1 A [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 636,000,000	$ 636,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%	4.00%
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2028, 2020-1 B [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		$ 170,000,000	$ 170,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		213,000,000	213,000,000		0
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2028, 2020-1 B [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 172,000,000	$ 172,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		7.75%	7.75%
Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, 2020-1A and B [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 808,000,000	$ 808,000,000
Non Public Debt Fixed Rate Enhanced Equipment Notes Due Through Two Thousand And Twenty Three [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		114,000,000	114,000,000		133,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		115,000,000	115,000,000		141,000,000
Non Public Debt Floating Rate Equipment Notes Due Through Two Thousand And Twenty Eight [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		164,000,000	164,000,000		201,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		150,000,000	150,000,000		207,000,000
Non Public Debt Fixed Rate Equipment Notes Due Through Two Thousand Twenty Eight [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		935,000,000	935,000,000		1,107,000,000
Estimated Fair Value, Total		920,000,000	920,000,000		1,201,000,000
Non Public Debt Floating Rate Term Loan Credit Facility Due Through 2024 [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		709,000,000	709,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		750,000,000	750,000,000		0
Non Public Debt Unsecured CARES Act Payroll Support Program loan due through 2025 [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		259,000,000	259,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		192,000,000	192,000,000		0
Non Public Debt Secured CARES Act Loan due through 2025 [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		105,000,000	105,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		100,000,000	100,000,000		0
Non Public Debt Sale Leaseback Transactions due through 2024 [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		235,000,000	235,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		262,000,000	262,000,000		0
Non Public Debt Citibank Line of Credit due through 2023 [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Long-term Debt		546,000,000	546,000,000		0
Estimated Fair Value, Total		$ 520,000,000	$ 520,000,000		0
Airbus A321 [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Secured Debt		49	49
Airbus A321 [Member] | Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, due through 2027, 2019-1 B [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Secured Debt		25	25
Airbus A321 [Member] | Fixed rate enhanced equipment notes, 2020-1A and B [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Secured Debt		24	24
Barclays [Member] | Non Public Debt Floating Rate Term Loan Credit Facility Due Through 2024 [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 750,000,000	$ 750,000,000
US Department of Treasury [Member] | Non Public Debt Secured CARES Act Loan due through 2025 [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		115,000,000	115,000,000
US Department of Treasury [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		8,000,000	8,000,000	$ 251,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				1.00%
Long-term Debt, Term				10 years
Citibank [Member] | Non Public Debt Citibank Line of Credit due through 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Line of Credit, Current		550,000,000	550,000,000
Morgan Stanley [Member]
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Line of Credit, Current		$ 0	$ 0		$ 0
Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap Rate [Member] | US Department of Treasury [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	2.00%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Non Public Debt Secured CARES Act Loan due through 2025 [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			LIBOR (or another rate based on certain market interest rates, plus a margin of 1% per annum, in each case with a floor of 0%), plus a margin of 2.75% per annum
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Barclays [Member] | Non Public Debt Floating Rate Term Loan Credit Facility Due Through 2024 [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			LIBOR (subject to a 1.00% floor), or at our election another rate, in each case, plus a specified margin
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		6.25%	6.25%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Citibank [Member] | Non Public Debt Citibank Line of Credit due through 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			LIBOR, plus a margin
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Line of Credit Facility, Interest Rate During Period		2.22%	2.22%
Short-term Debt [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt		$ 998,000,000
Short-term Debt, Fair Value			$ 0
Carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		1,000,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000
Short-term Debt [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			LIBOR (but not less than 1% per annum), plus a margin
Line of Credit [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 200,000,000	$ 200,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			LIBOR, plus a margin

Long-term Debt, Short-term Bo_4

Long-term Debt, Short-term Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations Short-term Borrowings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Morgan Stanley [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit, Current	$ 0	$ 0
Short-term Debt [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis	LIBOR (but not less than 1% per annum), plus a margin
Line of Credit [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	$ 200
Line of Credit [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Morgan Stanley [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis	LIBOR, plus a margin
Non Public Debt Citibank Line of Credit due through 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Citibank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit, Current	$ 550
Non Public Debt Citibank Line of Credit due through 2023 [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Citibank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis	LIBOR, plus a margin

Earnings Per Share (Details)

Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	Feb. 25, 2020	Sep. 09, 2019	Jun. 14, 2019	Mar. 12, 2019	Mar. 16, 2020	Mar. 16, 2020	Nov. 18, 2019	Nov. 18, 2019	Aug. 13, 2019	Aug. 13, 2019	May 21, 2019	May 21, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Numerator:
Net Income (Loss)													$ (393)	$ 187	$ (981)	$ 408
(Loss) earnings per common share
Basic													272.4	294	274.3	300.1
Earnings Per Share, Basic													$ (1.44)	$ 0.63	$ (3.58)	$ 1.36
Diluted
Employee stock options, restricted stock units and stock purchase plan													0	1.9	0	1.7
Adjusted weighted average shares outstanding and assumed conversions for diluted earnings per share													272.4	295.9	274.3	301.8
Earnings Per Share, Diluted													$ (1.44)	$ 0.63	$ (3.58)	$ 1.35
Shares excluded from EPS calculation (in millions):
Shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options or vesting of restricted stock units as assumed exercise would be antidilutive													1.9	0	1.7	0
Accelerated Share Repurchases, Settlement (Payment) or Receipt	$ 160	$ 125	$ 125	$ 125
Treasury Stock, Shares, Acquired	6.6	6	5.2	6.1	4.9	11.5	1.1	7.1	1.5	6.7	1.3	7.4
Accelerated Share Repurchases, Final Price Paid Per Share						$ 13.91		$ 17.46		$ 18.58		$ 16.93
Retained Earnings [Member]
Numerator:
Net Income (Loss)													$ (393)	$ 187	$ (981)	$ 408

Crewmember Retirement Plan (Det

Crewmember Retirement Plan (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Match			100.00%
Percentage of employees' gross pay for which the employer contributes a matching contribution to the Plan.			5.00%
Defined Contribution Plan Requisite Service Period			3 years
Percentage of employees' gross pay for which the employer can contribute a discretionary profit sharing contribution to the Plan.			5.00%
Retirement Plus Contribution Plan Requisite Service Period for Vesting			3 years
Percentage of FAA licensed employees gross pay for which ER can contribute discretionary profit sharing contribution to plan			3.00%
Percentage of Company Contribution to Pilots Retirement Program			15.00%
Pilots Retirement Vesting Period			3 years
Percent of Eligible Pre-tax Profits the Company Contributes to Profit Sharing until the Pre-tax Margin is 18%			10.00%
Profit Sharing Calculation Trigger, Pretax Margin			18.00%
Percentage of Eligible Pre-tax Profits the Company Contributes to Profit Sharing when Pre-tax Margin is above 18%			20.00%
Contribution to employee retirement plan	$ 42	$ 50	$ 135	$ 148

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Millions	Oct. 16, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)aircraft
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation [Line Items]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, to be Paid, Remainder of Fiscal Year	$ 200	$ 200
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, to be Paid, Year One	800	1,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, to be Paid, Year Two	700	900
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, to be Paid, Year Three	1,400	1,700
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, to be Paid, Year Four	1,800	1,900
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, after Year Four	$ 2,900	2,100
Restricted assets pledged under letter of credit		25
Restricted Assets Pledged Related To Workers Compensation Insurance Policies And Other Business Partner Agreements		$ 25
A-321 Neo [Member]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation [Line Items]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligations Disclosure | aircraft		74
A220-300 [Member]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation [Line Items]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligations Disclosure | aircraft		70

Financial Derivative Instrume_3

Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management (Details) bbl in Thousands, $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)bbl	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)bbl
Derivative [Line Items]
Price Risk Cash Flow Hedge Unrealized Gain (Loss) to be Reclassified During Next 12 Months		$ (2)
Fuel Derivatives [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Longest remaining term, cash flow hedge (months)	3 months	6 months
Barrels Of Fuel Covered Under Derivative Contracts | bbl	680	2,112
Price Risk Cash Flow Hedge Unrealized Gain (Loss) to be Reclassified During Next 12 Months	$ 2
Derivative, Collateral, Right to Reclaim Cash	$ 0	$ 0
Fuel [Member] | Call Option [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Percentage Fuel Hedged - Fourth Quarter Second Year	25.00%
Fair Value, Recurring [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Asset		8
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Fair Value, Recurring [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Asset		0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Fair Value, Recurring [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Asset		8
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Fuel Derivatives [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Current	$ 0	$ 8

Financial Derivative Instrume_4

Financial Derivative Instruments and Risk Management - Hedging Effectiveness (Details 2) - Fuel Derivatives [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Percentage of actual consumption hedged	27.00%	0.00%	25.00%	5.00%
Aircraft Fuel Expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Hedge losses recognized	$ 2	$ 0	$ 5	$ 4
Interest Income [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Loss on Discontinuation of Cash Flow Hedge Due to Forecasted Transaction Probable of Not Occurring	1	0	6	0
Comprehensive Income [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives Arising During Period, before Tax	$ 0	$ 2	$ 11	$ 1

Fair Value (Details)

Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Assets
Available-for-sale investment securities	$ 569		$ 569		$ 351
Liabilities
OCI, Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Gain (Loss), after Adjustment, before Tax	0	$ 0	0	$ 0
Fair Value, Recurring [Member]
Assets
Cash equivalents	1,490		1,490		641
Available-for-sale investment securities	569		569		351
Derivative Asset					8
Fair Value, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Assets
Cash equivalents	1,330		1,330		611
Available-for-sale investment securities	0		0		0
Derivative Asset					0
Fair Value, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Assets
Cash equivalents	160		160		30
Available-for-sale investment securities	569		569		351
Derivative Asset					8
Fair Value, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Assets
Cash equivalents	0		0		0
Available-for-sale investment securities	$ 0		$ 0		0
Derivative Asset					$ 0

Comprehensive Income (Details)

Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning accumulated gains (losses)	$ (3)	$ 1	$ 2	$ (3)
Ending accumulated losses	(2)	(1)	(2)	(1)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), Reclassification, after Tax	1	0	7	3
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), Reclassification, Tax	1	0	4	1
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	0	(2)	(11)	(1)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Derivative, Excluded Component, Increase (Decrease), Adjustments, Tax	0	0	(5)	0
Fuel Derivatives [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning accumulated gains (losses)	(3)	1	2	(3)
Ending accumulated losses	(2)	(1)	(2)	(1)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), Reclassification, after Tax	$ 1	$ 0	$ 7	$ 3

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivative [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	$ (2)	$ (1)	$ (2)	$ (1)	$ (3)	$ 2	$ 1	$ (3)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Derivative, Excluded Component, Increase (Decrease), Adjustments, after Tax	0	(2)	(11)	(1)
Fuel Derivatives [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(2)	$ (1)	(2)	$ (1)	$ (3)	$ 2	$ 1	$ (3)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), Reclassification, after Tax	$ 1		$ 5

Special Items (Details)

Special Items (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Special Items - CARES Act Payroll Support	$ (332)	$ 0	$ (636)	$ 0
Special Items - Fleet Impairment	56	0	258	0
Special Items - Severance and Benefit Costs	58	0	58	0
Special Items - Severance and Benefit Costs	39
Sale and Leaseback Transaction, Gain (Loss), Net	106	0	106	0
Special Items - E190 Fleet Transition	0	(3)	0	6
Special Items - Union Contract Costs	0	3	0	8
Special Items	$ (112)	$ 0	$ (214)	$ 14

Leases (Details)

Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset		$ 833		$ 833	$ 912
Operating Lease, Liability, Current		(113)		(113)	(128)
Operating Lease, Liability, Noncurrent		782		782	690
Finance Lease, Liability		65		65	$ 89
Proceeds from Sale Leaseback Transactions	$ 59	$ 327	$ 118	$ 445

Uncategorized Items - q32020for

Label	Element	Value
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	us-gaap_CashCashEquivalentsRestrictedCashAndRestrictedCashEquivalents	$ 533,000,000
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	us-gaap_CashCashEquivalentsRestrictedCashAndRestrictedCashEquivalents	1,018,000,000
Sale Leaseback, Cash Proceeds, Financing	jblu_SaleLeasebackCashProceedsFinancing	$ 118,000,000