Skift Take
JetBlue will lastly land in London in August. But with U.S.-UK travel still up in the air, can its upgraded service at cheaper-than-the-competition fares charm tourists as hoped?
Edward Russell, Skift
London is finally coming true for JetBlue Airways.
Hot on the heels of the EU’s decision to resume to immunized travelers and those from so-called safe nations, JetBlue revealed details of its long-planned service to London. Flights between its New york city JFK base and London Heathrow will begin on August 11, followed by a second flight between JFK and London Gatwick on September 29. A planned flight between Boston Logan and London is postponed till next spring.
It just took two years, a new airplane, and a global pandemic to get JetBlue into Heathrow.
JetBlue does not have a simple course ahead of it. Worldwide, global travel was down almost 68 percent in March compared to the same month in 2019, according to the most recent information from trade group the International Air Transport Association.
And between the U.S. and UK specifically, guest traffic was down a dramatic 96 percent in November 2020 compared to a year earlier, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Data most current data programs.
While some travel across the North Atlantic will rebound this summertime, most of that will be focused in countries that have already resumed– particularly Croatia, Greece and Iceland. The UK has yet to reduce entry constraints for U.S. tourists, with the nation’s exemption from its first so-called green list called “disappointing” by Cowen airline company expert Helane Becker in a current report. Lots of in the market forecast 2021 as another “lost summer” of travel in between the EU and U.S. as was last year.
JetBlue management appears unfazed with the difficulties ahead. The goal is to interrupt premium transatlantic travel as the airline company did on U.S. transcontinental routes. For a round-trip between New York and London leaving August 11 and returning a week later, seats in JetBlue’s swank Mint company class are about $500 less expensive than any of its rivals at $1,979 each, a search on Google Flights programs. However, prior to the crisis service class fares in the market were frequently several times JetBlue’s initial offering.
“When we take our item, when we take our customer base already that is extremely keen for us to do this, and we take low fares– we believe that’s a winning combination,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes stated on London in March. “We believe that’s going to increase extremely quickly.”
The provider takes on a who’s-who of worldwide airline company leaders in between New york city and London: American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic all fly the route.
JetBlue will fly its brand new Plane A321LR aircraft– a longer variety variation of the A321neo– on its new flights to London. The jets are equipped with 24 Mint seats and 117 economy seats, the latter including 24 with extra legroom.
The airline company’s flights will operate from Terminal 2 at Heathrow, and the North Terminal at Gatwick.
London is only the start of JetBlue’s European aspirations. With 26 long-range jets on order, the carrier will have the ability to expand to more locations throughout Europe in the coming years. Naturally, that assumes that transatlantic travel will rebound– though that is widely considered as more a matter of when and not if.
After London, some ideas where JetBlue might fly with the A321LR (solid line) and A321XLR (dotted line) from Boston and New York. #WorldRoutes pic.twitter.com/3GFaU1XVxm
— Edward Russell (@ByERussell) September 24, 2019
Future development to Europe, nevertheless, has taken a backseat to healing at JetBlue. The airline company prepares to fly 85 percent of 2019 capacity in the 2nd quarter, and is wanting to the succumb to a return of lucrative business tourists. And lots of paths it flew in the past Covid-19 stay suspended, especially those in organization markets.