• 

  JetBlue

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  B6/JBA

  Hub(s):

  Boston Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, New York JFK Airport, Orlando International Airport

  Year Founded:

  2000

  CEO:

  Robin Hayes

  Country:

  United States

JetBlue has announced that the launch of its flights from Boston to London has been postponed. The airline cited delivery delays from Airbus as the reason for the change.

Flights to London Gatwick will now begin on August 4th, and to London Heathrow on September 20th. This represents a delay of several weeks from the planned launch dates of July 19th and August 22nd respectively.

Affected passengers have been rerouted via New York JFK on JetBlue's existing transatlantic services, rebooked on partner airlines, or offered a full refund.

When the services do eventually launch, JetBlue will become the only airline to fly from Boston to both London Gatwick and London Heathrow airports. The flight schedules will be as follows:

• Boston to London Gatwick – departing at 6.37 pm, arriving at 6.35 am (+1)
• London Gatwick to Boston – departing at 12.15 pm, arriving at 3.02 pm
• Boston to London Heathrow – departing at 6.32 pm, arriving at 6.30 am (+1)
• London Heathrow to Boston – departing at 8.25 am, arriving at 11.13 am

A321LR delivery delays

The setback has been caused by aircraft delivery delays. The Airbus A321LRs that JetBlue is awaiting have been ordered specifically to operate the airline’s transatlantic services. The A321LR's range of 4,000 nautical miles is longer than that of the existing A321s in JetBlue’s fleet, and is more than enough to cover the 2,800 nautical miles between Boston and London.

JetBlue’s A321LRs feature 24 redesigned Mint Suites and 114 Core seats, offering passengers an impressive economy class seat pitch of 32 inches. The airline currently has three A321LRs in its fleet, with a further 10 on order.

While Boeing has recently hit the headlines on several occasions due to delivery delays, such as those affecting Emirates’ Boeing 787s and Akasa Air’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, its competitor Airbus has for the most part managed to avoid the spotlight. However, today’s announcement from JetBlue shows that Airbus is not immune to similar problems.

While the Boston to London routes have been postponed due to a lack of suitable aircraft, JetBlue has also cut a number of flights from its summer schedule as a result of ongoing disruption and staff shortages. Many airlines around the world are currently facing similar issues as demand for travel soars following the pandemic.

Disrupting the Transatlantic market

JetBlue, the seventh-largest airline in North America by passengers carried, already flies to both London airports from New York JFK. The airline launched its long-awaited Transatlantic services in August last year, plugging a gap left by the demise of Norwegian’s long-haul services. Since then, its low fares and highly-rated onboard product have been disrupting the market.

With 10 more A321LRs still to be delivered, JetBlue may announce further transatlantic routes in the future. This summer meanwhile, the airline will face additional competition on the New York to London route from Norse Atlantic Airways, although it remains to be seen if the Norwegian carrier will enter the Boston to London market too.

What do you think of the delay to JetBlue’s Boston to London services? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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