Jetblue has launched its service from London Gatwick to Boston, with plans to offer five daily flights between the US and the UK by October.
The inaugural flight took off from Boston’s Logan International airport on August 4 and landed at Gatwick early on August 5.
The daily flight times are as follows:
- BOS-LGW departs 1837, arrives 0635 (the following day)
- LGW-BOS departs 1225, arrives 1513
To celebrate the launch the airline is offering special fares for a limited time only – from £369 in economy and £1899 in business.
A service from London Heathrow to Boston will follow from September 20.
The Boston-Gatwick route was initially set to launch on July 19 with Boston-London Heathrow following on August 22. Both of these dates were delayed due to late delivery of aircraft from manufacturer Airbus.
The airline launched flights from New York JFK to London Heathrow and Gatwick last year, with an additional Gatwick departure from New York set to launch on October 29.
Jetblue’s flights between the US and London are operated using A321 LR aircraft, configured with 24 Mint suites (business class) and 114 Core seats (economy).
Business Traveller has reported in detail on the carrier’s transatlantic seating and inflight service – for more information see:
Robin Hayes, CEO of Jetblue, commented:
“Our London service from New York has been an incredible success and we are thrilled to finally bring this highly anticipated service to our Boston customers, a route that has long suffered from high fares by legacy carriers.
“As Boston’s largest carrier, adding this nonstop service to Gatwick will only make us more relevant in our New England focus city and introduce Jetblue to a largely unserved market.”
Martha Sheridan, Greater Boston CVB President and CEO, added:
“We are thrilled that Jetblue is launching nonstop service between London and Boston. Visitors from the United Kingdom represent our top overseas source market.
“Rebuilding this segment will be critical to the overall recovery of our visitor economy. We share many historical and cultural bonds with the UK and are so excited that Jetblue is investing in this route, which will surely be a great success!”
Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer at Gatwick Airport, also commented on the launch:
“The addition of JetBlue’s Boston route is fantastic news for passengers and businesses across London and the south-east. Boston is not only a wonderful city to visit on holiday – playing a key role in American history – but is renowned as a thriving center for scientific research, innovation and technology. The wider state of Massachusetts is also a world leader in higher education, with Harvard University one of several top institutions.
“With Gatwick’s direct train links to Cambridge – also known for its top university and as a hub for tech and bioscience industries – as well as more local businesses, this new connection will provide great opportunities for the whole region and beyond.”
Earlier in the week the airline announced that it will purchase carrier Spirit for US$3.8 billion, creating America’s fifth-largest airline.
Jetblue reaches agreement for US$3.8 bn acquisition of Spirit Airlines