United Airlines will end service to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport in October, the airline announced Tuesday.

To compensate for the change, United will add flights to destinations from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), in New Jersey, about the same distance from midtown Manhattan as JFK, but in the opposite direction.

Over the past seven years, United failed to turn a profit at JFK, according to Reuters. Although the decision is a financial one, the airline is presenting the move to customers as a win for them.

"Manhattan business travelers, particularly those who work on Wall Street and throughout lower and western Manhattan, enjoy easy access to Newark Liberty, the most convenient of the three New York-area airports," United said in a statement.

Getting from midtown Manhattan to JFK or EWR takes about half an hour by car without traffic, and about an hour and 15 minutes by public transportation, according to Google Maps.

However, calling the airport the "most convenient" for New Yorkers was met with some skepticism online.

@benoitbruneau @united "Newark Liberty, the most convenient of the three New York-area airports." Wait, what? — Brooke LaFlamme (@Brooke_LaFlamme) June 16, 2015

@airfarewatchdog have you ever compared how hard it's to get to Newark from the city? #ewr is the worst airport #imho — Olexy (@dolboebinusa) June 16, 2015

Flying in and out of Newark, for many people who live in Manhattan, and especially those in Queens and Brooklyn, can be a "last resort." To get to Newark from Manhattan via public transportation requires buying a subway ticket to Penn Station, then a ticket on a New Jersey Transit train to Newark Airport, followed by an AirTrain ride to the terminals.

This compares to a subway ride followed by an airport shuttle line from Manhattan to JFK.

@dolboebinusa we live in Midtown and only use Newark when there's no choice. E/A train to Airtrain all the way :) — airfarewatchdog (@airfarewatchdog) June 16, 2015

The worst consequences of the change may be felt by airline employees who live near JFK for convenience. United has 270 employees at JFK: Executives said they would be offered jobs elsewhere but some layoffs were likely.

United has put significant resources into improving its facilities at Newark, including spending $2 billion to build "a world-class gateway at Newark Liberty."

That investment includes the planned installation of 6,000 iPads on which travelers can order food and travel services.

Also in its announcement, United revealed plans to move several Boeing 757-200 aircraft to Newark for "international-style" domestic flights, while adding more Boeing 767 aircraft to trans-Atlantic routes. That could be good news for travelers this winter, as the 757 can have a difficult time completing the round trip in the winter months because of strong jet stream winds.

United said it maintains a "significant presence" at New York's LaGuardia airport, with 37 daily domestic departures.