JetBlue has selected Paris as its second European city for transatlantic services. It will launch services from New York JFK next summer, to be followed later by Boston Logan to Paris CdG, the airline announced on November 16. JetBlue to add Paris to its transatlantic schedule.
JetBlue’s Chief Operating Officer, Joanna Geraghty, said in the recent Q3 earnings call that the announcement of the transatlantic second destination after London Heathrow was due. JetBlue flies to Heathrow since August 2021 and followed this up with services to Gatwick in September 2021. The network now includes five daily services.
The selection of Paris comes as no surprise. “France is the world’s most visited country and is on track to reach nearly 75 million visitors this year, with equally strong travel trends expected in 2023”, says JetBlue in a media statement. “JetBlue plans to offer flights to Paris from both cities (New York and Boston) as it continues to grow its relevance in the Northeast with new routes most frequently requested by customers.”
Although a minnow compared to the other US and European carriers that dominate the transatlantic, JetBlue thinks that it can differentiate itself with its high-quality, low-cost Mint product onboard its Airbus A321LRs. “The response to our London service is proof that combining great service with low fares works. We can’t wait to bring our reimagined Mint and core offerings to Continental Europe’s most visited city,” says CEO Robin Hayes.
JetBlue is unlikely to stop here. Back in September 2019, Joanna Geraghty told AirInsight that the airline is looking at other options in Europe besides the UK. Paris was already on the radar back then, but she also mentioned Germany (Frankfurt) and The Netherlands (Amsterdam) as potential destinations. For this, the carrier will need the extra range of the A321XLRs that it has on order but which aren’t to enter service before 2024.
