From Bourget to Roissy, there is only one step. And the American company JetBlue crossed it without hesitation, at the end of June, to exhibit on the tarmac of the International Air Show its brand new Airbus A321LR, alongside the other planes deployed by the European aircraft manufacturer, civil and military. This extended version of the best-selling A320, known as “long range” because it is capable of flying more than ten hours on a single tank, was to enable it, barely a few days later, to make a first commercial flight between Charles airport -de-Gaulle and New York.
“As early as 2019, we announced our desire to serve Europe. And Paris has always been on our list: the market between the United States and France is the second largest in the world, and remains dominated by incumbent carriers”, reminds Capital the CEO of JetBlue, Robin Hayes, who intends to assign seven planes each week to ensure its rotations to Paris, but also London (where it has been operational since March 2023) and soon Amsterdam (August 2023).
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Paris-New York: more than 2 million passengers per year
At this rate, it’s a real airlift that regulars on the line will be able to benefit from. The Paris-New York link is indeed the one that took off again the fastest, at the end of the pandemic. Figures from Eurocontrol, the continental body responsible for monitoring the sector, attest to this: according to its latest reports that we were able to consult, more than 900 direct flights between Paris and New York were recorded in the month of May 2023 alone, i.e. 131 more than in the same period of 2019, the last reference year for the sector. The line attracts more than 2 million passengers per year, for 3 million seats offered, representing a market estimated at nearly 2 billion dollars.
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Admittedly, this score remains lower, by about 1 million, than the number of passengers recorded on the London-New York. But the French capital is now connected to the Big Apple by eight companies, two more than in the case of London. Which makes it, despite the defections of XL Airways, Level and Norwegian since the Covid, the most disputed international line in the world… “It is a very important and hypercompetitive axis. New York is our first international stopover with 90 Air France employees on site,” confirms Olivier Piette, Air France-KLM program director.
In detail, Air France has reinforced its offer, to 42 flights per week, as has its partner and shareholder Delta Air Lines, which offers 21 flights. Enough to keep their challengers at a distance, for the time being. These offer only seven flights each per week, whether American rivals American Airlines and United Airlines, but also new competitors such as JetBlue, therefore, and the French French bee and La Compagnie, not to mention Norwegian Norse Atlantic Airways.
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So many actors who intend to settle permanently. “We have already created 100 jobs in France, including 20 pilot positions and 70 flight crew. Everyone is under French contract”, thus describes an internal source at Norse Atlantic. This increased competition is also good for customers. “Given the choice that passengers have, this line must be a showcase with impeccable service. Moreover, it is often there that the companies inaugurate their new cabins”, notes a professional in the sector.
A business clientele particularly cared for by the airlines
Of course, not everyone is aiming for the same niche. Traditional carriers, such as Air France or Delta, play the regularity card above all. “Since 2019, we have increased the frequencies, with departures at fixed times which are more readable for customers”, indicates Olivier Piette, whose company offers 2,200 seats every day (2,900 by integrating those of Delta).
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The other American majors rely on the connections made possible by their daily flights, which are likely to attract European and American customers wishing to travel beyond the French capital or the New York hub. But the business clientele, very present on the roads of the North Atlantic, is obviously looked after. As with La Compagnie, which operates between the two secondary airports of Orly in Paris and Newark in New York, with its 100% business class cabin made up of 76 armchair beds, and accessible from 1,350 euros one way.
The carrier thus put the small dishes in the big ones at the beginning of the summer, to welcome a rather special passenger, the prodigy of French basketball Victor Wembanyama (19 years old, 2.23 meters and 104 kilos), who flew away for his American dream in the NBA. Faced with such a level of comfort, the historic align. On the return from New York, where planes always take off at the end of the day because of jet lag, Air France thus offers a unique meal service, organized in an airport lounge with table service, as in mid-flight, allowing to spend a full night on the plane, undisturbed. In addition, the national pavilion has invested 180 million euros in the renovation of its New York spaces, and the upgrading of the cabin of a dozen of its oldest aircraft.
Return trips for less than 500 euros
At the other end of the spectrum, Norse and French bee are playing the cut price card, with a range of additional services on board, for round trips displayed at less than 500 euros on certain dates this summer. “We are convinced that these flights complement the existing offer between France and the United States with a new low-cost concept which is already appealing to several segments of travelers”, declared the CEO of Norse, Bjorn Tore Larsen, in visit to the French capital at the end of March for the launch. Between the two models, the latest arrival JetBlue intends to steal some wealthy customers from historical companies.
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“What sets us apart from other carriers? We are very disruptive in the business world. We offer exceptional service at competitive rates,” says CEO Robin Hayes. Each seat thus has live television, free and unlimited Wi-Fi, snacks and free non-alcoholic drinks. A price war is also not excluded. “After our launch to London, business class reservationless fares were down 39%. I think that in Paris JetBlue will bring a 50% discount on the last business seats compared to traditional carriers”, anticipates Robin Hayes.
JetBlue does not intend to stop there, and is putting the finishing touches to a line to Boston, which should open by the end of the year. It must be said that the Parisian platform has a strong argument to make: unlike the airports of London and New York, Charles-de-Gaulle still has take-off slots, these precious “slots”. What to seduce a ninth company?
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2023-07-30 18:15:00
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