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JetBlueContinuing its solid growth, it landed in London today, Thursday, August 12, with its maiden flight from New York. The airline has spent several months preparing for the long-awaited launch of this new route that makes JetBlue a transatlantic line.
The team chosen for the task is the Airbus A321LR and will operate daily non-stop flights between John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and London Heathrow (LHR), with plans to expand the offer to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) from September 29, as well as increase a route more between London and Boston.
On August 9, the FAA granted JetBlue the certification of extended operations with bi-reactor equipment (ETOPS for its acronym in English) that was necessary to begin flying the route in the transatlantic sector. The A321LR (long range) is equipped with 114 coach-class seats and 24 premium “Mint Suites” seats which include seats that fully recline and a sliding door.
In April, Airbus delivered the first of 13 A321LRs to JetBlue, which feature the new “Airspace” interiors, designed to provide greater comfort on long-haul flights. The A321 LR has a range of 4,000 nm, which makes it the right equipment for transatlantic routes, at a time when market demand does not justify the use of wide-aisle aircraft. Consequently, JetBlue has converted another 13 of its orders for A321, to long range equipment (LR).
Tonight’s the night! We’re taking off on our first flight from NYC to London—and you can take a mini-tour of our new Airbus A321LR right now. More at https://t.co/ynjwsfTDLD. pic.twitter.com/h6dBY9VSG6
— JetBlue (@JetBlue) August 11, 2021
The airline continued to launch its service to Heathrow despite the fact that UK passengers are still banned from entering the United States due to COVID-19 restrictions. The UK government has wished its unilateral actions to suspend quarantine requirements for US passengers to be reciprocal. However, the Joe Biden government continues with its strict position of not allowing the entry of people from the European continent, despite the fact that vaccination rates are considerably higher in several countries of the European bloc compared to several regions of the United States. .
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By: Alfonso Vazquez
Commercial Aviator Pilot, passionate about aviation and especially its history. Consummate Avgeek, a member of the Pan American Airways Historical Society.
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