JetBlue Airways told CNBC on Wednesday that it will close its flight attendant base at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and tech operations bases there and at LaGuardia Airport in New York this fall as it seeks to reduce costs and beef up service in Florida, though it noted that no staff will lose their jobs.

It said staff could bid or transfer to other bases.

“JetBlue is making targeted schedule adjustments, ending seasonal service between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS), to support growth in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport,” the airline said in a statement.

It comes as JetBlue earlier Wednesday said it would expand daily, cross-country flights with its lie-flat business class, Mint, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Diego on Nov. 19 and will add more Mint-equipped flights this winter to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

JetBlue has spent years trimming unprofitable routes and cutting costs to return to steady profitability.

Its last profitable quarter was two years ago, and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport push is a big part of its strategy, JetBlue President Marty St. George told CNBC earlier this month. The airline is scouting space for a high-end airport lounge there, too, he said.

The airline is already the top carrier at Fort Lauderdale, though it was previously second to Spirit Airlines, the South Florida-based discounter that collapsed on May 2.

JetBlue executives have called out the high costs of operating at airports like LaGuardia.

“We are much, much smaller at LaGuardia than we were four years ago because it’s a $40 [enplanement fee] airport for us. And the fountain is really pretty, but … I think people would rather have low fares than a really nice fountain,” St. George said at a JPMorgan industry conference in March, referring to the 25-foot-tall water feature in the airport’s Terminal B.

Microsoft on Thursday announced a A$25 billion ($18 billion) investment into Australia’s digital infrastructure which will see the technology giant partnering with Canberra on initiatives spanning cybersecurity, workforce upskilling, and artificial intelligence development.

Touting its “largest ever” investment in Australia, Microsoft said it would expand adoption of its Azure cloud computing infrastructure in the country by more than 140% by the end of 2029.

The partnership would also see Microsoft expanding existing collaborations with government entities like the Australian Signals Directorate — Australia’s signals intelligence agency — and the Department of Home Affairs to secure critical infrastructure, as well as training three million Australians on the use of AI by 2028.

Microsoft’s Thursday agreement builds on a previous A$5 billion commitment to Australia in October 2023, which it said at the time was its “single largest investment” in 40 years operating in the country.

“We want to make sure all Australians benefit from AI. Our National AI Plan is all about capturing the economic opportunities of this transformative technology while protecting Australians from the risks,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference where he was joined by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as part of the Sydney leg of Microsoft’s AI tour.

Canberra has actively sought to expand the country’s AI capacity. In December 2025, the government launched its National AI Plan, which pledged to “build an AI-enabled economy that is more competitive, productive and resilient.”

Beyond Microsoft, Canberra has courted investments from other AI hyperscalers. In July, Amazon Web Services pledged a A$20 billion investment in Australia, and in December, Australia announced a A$7 billion investment from OpenAI.

Australia has touted its edge in attracting foreign AI investment, citing its “rigorous but tech-friendly” regulatory environment. The country ranked second only to the U.S. in global data center investments in 2024, according to a ranking published by Knight Frank.

Microsoft executives inked a memorandum of understanding Thursday, pledging to abide by the Australian government’s recently announced expectations of data centers and AI infrastructure development, which include commitments to prioritize Australia’s national interest, and to ensure sustainable water usage.

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