New York based low-cost carrier JetBlue has started its first scheduled transatlantic route, from New York JFK Airport to London Heathrow. JetBlue flight B67 took off from JFK on the evening of 11th August, landing 6 hours and 24 minutes later at London Heathrow on the morning of 12th August.
The inaugural flight marks the start of the airline’s transatlantic routes, which were first announced in 2019, when CEO Robin Hayes said JetBlue would start flights to Europe from New York JFK and Boston. The airline hopes to shake up transatlantic travel by challenging the costs of legacy airlines which have dominated the market for decades.
Key to this objective, JetBlue introduced its own business class product named ‘Mint’ in 2014. Mint offers a flat bed seat with enhanced privacy and the latest iteration on these transatlantic flights are in keeping with the industry trend of moving towards ‘business class suites’. This is further improved on the A321neo with the introduction of the new Airspace by Airbus cabin, which offers larger overhead bins, LED mood lighting and modified galley and lavatory layout.
The flight was operated by JetBlue’s newest aircraft type to be added to its fleet, the Airbus A321LR. The A320 family of aircraft has always been the main part of the JetBlue fleet, with the first A321 joining the existing fleet of 130 A320s in 2013. This is now complimented with the A321neo family, of which the airline has 85 on order, split across all three variants (59 A321neo, 13 A321LR and 13 A321XLR). The first A321LR, registered as N4022J, was delivered in April 2021. It was the aircraft used for the inaugural flight.
More regional routes have been operated by 60 Embraer E190 jets (of which the airline was the launch customer), but these are set to be replaced by a new fleet of 70 Airbus A220-300s.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
