JetBlue Airways has extended its daily flights between New York and London Heathrow airport through October 2022 after securing the required take-off and landing slots. The New York-based carrier says on 21 December that the flights between John F Kennedy International and Heathrow will be operated through the traditionally busy summer travel season in the northern hemisphere. The carrier hopes to take advantage of pent-up demand for transatlantic travel. The flights, which launched on 11 August this year, are now scheduled to run once daily until 31 October 2022. The airline had acquired temporary slots at Heathrow this past year after larger airlines reduced flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline says it now has been able to secure the slots to maintain the route through October 2022. “The response on both sides of the Atlantic has been overwhelmingly positive,” says CE Robin Hayes. “We are committed to collaborating with regulators as well as the US and UK governments to identify a pathway to staying at Heathrow for the long-term. There’s so much more good we can do as we grow this route if we are allowed to stay and compete.” JetBlue operates the route using Airbus A321LRs equipped with a revamped “Mint” premium class that includes lie-flat seats. The carrier took delivery of its first A321LR in April, and now has three flying, with more to come next year. The airline also holds orders for A321XLRs – an aircraft that could easily connect New York or Boston to the European continent.<br/>
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In line with the restoration of Emirates' network and upsurge in travel demand, passengers travelling in premium cabins as well as Skywards members in select membership tiers will have access to more than 120 lounges by February. The airline, which has resumed operations to over 90 per cent of its pre-pandemic network, currently flies to more than 120 destinations worldwide via its hub in Dubai. Customers travelling in First Class and Business Class will be able to complement their travel experience with Emirates' premium lounge service at over 20 airports in its network, comprising popular destinations across Europe, Africa, US and Asia. By late December, the airline's lounges at a host of airports in the UK will have re-opened their doors for customers, including London Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester while the lounges in London Gatwick and Glasgow will welcome customers in January 2022. In Europe, lounges in Germany, namely Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, in addition to lounges in Milan and Rome, have already re-opened, while those in Hamburg and Paris are scheduled to open later this month. In the US, travellers can access the premium lounge experience at Los Angeles International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport as well as New York JFK, with Emirates' San Francisco lounge to re-start its services in February 2022.<br/>