JetBlue Delays London Debut to Late 2021

For years, JetBlue Airways had hoped to create its first trans-Atlantic route and, finally, last year, the New York-based airline announced it would fly to London.

That was supposed to happen early in 2021 but, well, we all know what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the airline industry.

Instead, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes told Bloomberg News Service that its European debut will now have to wait until pushing the fall and winter of next year, at the earliest.

“Well, it’s going to be later in 2021 than we originally thought,” Hayes told Bloomberg, noting that he believes it will be good timing as pent up demand for travel will encourage more travelers to book tickets.

Even if JetBlue was ready to go, neither the U.S. nor Europe is ready. International travel is at an all-time low, and Europe has banned American travelers from entering its countries. The U.S. has a similar restriction on European travelers.

JetBlue is prepared to fly to London out of New York and Boston. It still has not announced which London airport – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Luton and Southend – it will utilize. The airline will go up against American, Delta, United, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian, all of whom service the route, but JetBlue is confident its no-frills budget philosophy that has worked so well on U.S. routes will translate to international service to Europe.