JetBlue To Offer Flights To Europe

NEW YORK – Southern California air travelers seeking a different path to Europe received good news today. US airline JetBlue has announced it will launch transatlantic service in 2021, beginning with direct flights to London from both New York and Boston.

In a written statement released today the company said that, “Travelers trying to cross the Atlantic have had to face either mediocre service in a market controlled by legacy carriers and the sky-high fares to fly in premium cabins, or take a no-frills, bare-bones approach to flying with low-cost carriers.

“Our introduction in Europe will pave the way and raise the bar on what travelers should expect on a low-cost carrier that offers premium services.”

The airline has not yet indicated which of London’s airports it will fly to.

JetBlue president Joanna Geraghty said: "Twenty years ago, our founders had a simple formula for choosing a new market, it had to be overpriced, underserved, or both.

"London is the largest metro area JetBlue doesn't yet serve from both Boston and New York and we could not be more thrilled to be changing that in the years ahead.

"The fares being charged today by airlines on these routes, specifically on the premium end, are enough to make you blush."

JetBlue will be using Airbus A321LR single-aisle aircraft on the routes, a redesigned aircraft that will allow the company to explore other longer-distance markets.

Transatlantic routes are currently dominated by British Airways and American Airlines, as well as the partnership between Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic.

Whilst several smaller airlines have tried to enter the transatlantic market via ‘low-cost, no frills’ service, beginning with Laker Airways in the 1970’s and People Express in the 1980’s, all apart from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic have met with failure - Iceland's Wow Air being the most recent, going into administration last month and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

However by offering premium services along with lower costs, JetBlue’s sights would seem firmly set upon the business traveler market. And the financial markets responded favorably to the news – the airline’s shares were up 0.5% in after-hours trading.