JetBlue to start offering flights to London

JetBlue Airways said it will use long-range Airbus jets with a modified version of its premium cabin as it prepares to join the hyper-competitive market for business travellers flying between the US and Europe. JetBlue will fly starting in 2021 from its hubs at New York’s John F. Kennedy and Boston Logan to an unspecified airport in London using the single-aisle Airbus A321LR, the carrier told employees at a rally Wednesday in New York. The announcement capped months of vows from CEO Robin Hayes that JetBlue could bring new travellers to the market by undercutting “obscene” business-class fares and offering its posh Mint service. The trans-Atlantic jump is a major gamble for JetBlue, which carved out a domestic business starting in 2000 by offering plush leather seats and innovative seat-back video screens at discount fares. The carrier will immediately face twin competitive threats from entrenched global airline alliances and struggling low-cost operators, while also needing to secure space at crowded airports. “This is one of the biggest step-changes in growing an airline, going international,” said Samuel Engel, head of the aviation group at consultant ICF. “And the Atlantic is not just any international market. The trans-Atlantic is a graveyard for airlines. JetBlue is better positioned to succeed than almost any other airline that has grown into it.”<br/>