Airbus
- JetBlue will commence flights to London in 2021.
- The airline is expected to launch service to London from its bases in Boston and New York. It has not yet selected which of London’s airports it will serve.
- JetBlue will use the Airbus A321LR for its transatlantic flights.
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JetBlue Airways will commence flights to London in 2021. The airline confirmed the news Wednesday afternoon after days speculation. The boutique US carrier is expected to launch service to London from its bases in Boston and New York.
"Twenty years ago, our founders had a simple formula for choosing a new market — it had to be overpriced, underserved, or both," Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and COO, said in a statement. "The fares being charged today by airlines on these routes, specifically on the premium end, are enough to make you blush."
According to Geraghty, London is the largest metropolitan area not served by JetBlue from New York and Boston.
Read more: The 15 most popular flights in the world.
The airline has not yet selected which of London’s airports it will serve. However, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt told Business Insider he expects JetBlue to select either Gatwick or Heathrow. According to Harteveldt, Gatwick is the most likely destination for the JetBlue due to the extraordinarily high costs required to obtain landing rights at Heathrow.
JetBlueJetBlue will use the new Airbus A321LR for the London flights. The LR is an extended-range version of the new Airbus A321neo airliner that is set to enter the JetBlue fleet this year. The A321neo, itself, is an updated version of the Airbus A321 already in service with JetBlue.
In total, JetBlue has 85 A321neos on order with 13 of the 85 aircraft converted to LR specification.
Each of JetBlue’s transatlantic A321s will be equipped with an updated version of the airline’s Mint business class that features both flatbed seats and enclosed suites.
The New York-based airline is calling London its first European destination, signaling the possibility of expanding to to other cities in the region.
JetBlue currently has 1,000 flights per day to destinations in the US, the Caribbean, and select locations in South America.
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See Also:
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Source: Business Insider – bzhang@businessinsider.com (Benjamin Zhang)