For years, executives at JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) have been talking about initiating flights to London. Now, it’s finally happening. Last week, JetBlue began selling tickets for new routes from Kennedy Airport in New York to London’s two biggest airports.
Building a successful trans-Atlantic franchise will take time. That said, the launch of these new routes represents an important step toward capitalizing on a massive opportunity for profitable long-term growth in Europe.
JetBlue finalizes its initial London plans
After JetBlue officially announced that it would enter the London market, the biggest question was which airport (or airports) it would serve there. Prior to the pandemic, slot constraints made it hard for new entrants like JetBlue to serve the city’s two main international gateways, Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport.
When the pandemic torpedoed air travel demand (particularly long-haul flights), JetBlue’s problem ended. Earlier this year, the slot coordinator for London’s airports awarded slots at both Heathrow and Gatwick to the popular low-fare airline.
On Wednesday, JetBlue announced that it will begin daily service between JFK and Heathrow on Aug. 11. It will add a daily flight between JFK and Gatwick on Sept. 29. It will operate both routes with Airbus A321LR planes configured with 141 seats, including 24 private “suites” in the premium Mint cabin. Even coach customers will benefit from amenities included in the fare like meals and alcoholic beverages, a self-serve snack bar, and Wi-Fi.
JetBlue hopes to make a splash with low introductory fares. It is selling round-trip flights starting at $599 for U.S.-based customers — and even less for U.K.-based customers. Even the Mint cabin carries an accessible starting price of less than $2,000 round-trip.