JetBlue CEO Confirms Transatlantic Service to London Delayed Until Late-2021

JetBlue Airways’ plans to introduce a long-awaited transatlantic service to London from its hubs in New York and Boston, will be delayed until late 2021, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes, confirmed during an interview with Bloomberg last week.

“Well, it’s going to be later in 2021 than we originally thought,” said Hayes in an interview with Bloomberg, but he confirmed that it’s “reasonable” to expect JetBlue to begin offering multiple daily flight service to London in the third quarter of 2021.

JetBlue announced last year that it planned to introduce London its first European destination, as part of its Focus City strategy. The addition of the London flights will serve to strengthen its U.S. offerings, while providing a cheaper alternative for those traveling to England.

“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,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer, JetBlue in a previous statement.

The airline will operate this transatlantic service with the Airbus A321neoLR, the newest aircrafts in JetBlue’s fleet. JetBlue is also developing a long-haul friendly on-board experience, with spacious and comfortable seating, live television, high-speed Fly-Fi broadband internet, and more.

The route’s anticipated launch was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and as the U.S. is experiencing a surge of new cases, airlines are preparing to resume cutting flights. JetBlue plans to fly about 40% of its normal flight schedule, according to Hayes.

Currently, the European Union is still barring U.S. citizens from entering its countries.