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JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

Just nine days after the U.K. granted vaccinated Americans quarantine-free entry, JetBlue Airways Corp. is making its first foray into transatlantic service, starting flights on the world’s most lucrative air route—from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow—on Wednesday, Aug. 11. 

It’s a long-awaited move for fans of the carrier, which has made its name offering affordable, friendly service primarily in the U.S. and the Caribbean. And it’s only the first step in a plan to bring its loyal customers to Europe: The airline is also set to begin service from Boston to London within the year.

JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

In coach, it’s possible to find a one-way ticket from JFK to Heathrow for as low as $202. But the greatest asset JetBlue brings to the competitive route is its affordable business class product, Mint, with 24 enclosed suites on each A321. Those seats are selling from about $1,660 round trip—even lower than the originally advertised starting fare of $1,979. The airline’s schedule, which also includes flights to London Gatwick starting in September, offers easy overnights on the outbound legs and midday departures on the returns. 

The company has hit one bump in the road, even before its inaugural flight. In late July, Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes said in an earnings call that while flights to both Heathrow and Gatwick would begin on a daily basis in August, they’d be scaled down to four times a week in September, reflecting reduced demand on a route that typically nets airlines $1 billion annually. Also a factor: Brits are still not allowed to enter the U.S. except under certain extraordinary circumstances.

JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

It’s not all doom and gloom. Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. Chief Commercial Officer Juha Jarvinen told Bloomberg in late July that bookings between New York and London were more than doubling on a weekly basis, and legacy carriers such as American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Inc. have restored and expanded service to the British capital after cutting it back in 2020. Getting in on the route now, before the windows are fully flung open, offers advantages not only for JetBlue but also for a slew of competitors vying to meet its low-cost, high-comfort standards. 

Expect Good Deals

JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

Now may seem like an odd moment to launch service in a travel corridor that’s not yet fully opened, but the opposite might be true. “It is widely acknowledged that the slots JetBlue received at Heathrow were the result of other airlines’ pandemic flight cuts,” explains Edward Russell, who reports on airlines for Skift. “This makes good business sense for an airline,” he continues. “Once you get your foot in the door in a long-sought market, it’s easier to stay there than to try and begin flights once air travel recovers.”

Travelers will win out, too. “With almost every country in Europe accessible to vaccinated Americans, both travel demand and flight capacity are rebounding,” says Scott Keyes, the founder and chief flight expert of Scott’s Cheap Flights, a leading site for finding airfare deals. JetBlue’s entry into the market should increase competition among airlines and drive down already-low prices. Flights from the U.S. to Europe are averaging about $400—even lower from New York. “While JetBlue’s first overseas routes may not get a warm welcome from Delta or American, they’re great news for travelers hoping for a cheaper flight to London,” Keyes says.

Competition Heats Up

JetBlue Begins New York-to-London Direct Flights Starting at $202

Other airlines are making similar transatlantic investments. The Norwegian startup Norse Atlantic Airways, founded in February, announced on Aug. 10 that its inaugural flights will take off by summer 2022. It will offer service to New York and London, as well as Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Oslo, and Paris.

And while it’s not yet flying to London, La Compagnie, a small carrier whose Airbus A321neos are outfitted exclusively with business class seats, may soon be another competitor for JetBlue’s Mint. The French airline announced three new routes in June, connecting Newark to Paris, Tel Aviv, and Milan. Seats to Italy start at $1,700.

Meanwhile, United made a buzzed-about decision to invest $3 billion in the purchase of 15 supersonic planes, which could cut the seven-hour journey between New York and London to just three and a half hours by the end of the decade.

More transatlantic competition is on the way. Play Air Hf, commonly called Play, is a new low-cost carrier which already flies from Iceland to London Stansted—it’s eyeing expansion plans to the U.S. in spring 2022. Newly public Frontier Airlines is apparently mirroring JetBlue’s early expansion strategy by first adding international routes throughout the Caribbean. And Breeze Airways, another low-cost carrier currently connecting 16 U.S. cities, may have only taken to the skies this past May, but it’s already said to have international ambitions. It’s the brainchild of none other than David Neeleman, the serial aviation entrepreneur who also founded—who else?—JetBlue.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.