New Route of the Day – Americas (29 September 2021): JetBlue between New York JFK and London LGW

On 29 September, JetBlue began 4-weekly service on the 5,580-kilometre route between New York JFK and London LGW. This is the airline’s second transatlantic route having begun London LHR service from JFK on 11 August. The inaugural Gatwick service (flight number B6 43 operated by an Airbus A321neo, registration N-4022J) departed New York JFK at 20:11 and touched down at Gatwick just over six hours later at 07:17 local time, the following day. The return flight (B6 44) departed London at 12:18 and landed back in the US seven hours and 49 minutes later at 15:07 local time, according to flightradar24.com. Flights depart the US on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with the return flight from London operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Frequency will increase to daily from 31 October. There is currently no direct competition on the route although American, British Airways, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue itself all operate between JFK and London LHR.

JetBlue latest carrier to connect Gatwick and JFK

For Gatwick this marks the return of US service. Prior to the start of the pandemic both British Airways and Norwegian flew from the airport to JFK. Since 2000, various carriers have served the New York region from Gatwick:

• British Airways: operated to JFK up until Sep 2001, returned from October 2008 to September 09 and then again from May 2016 to March 2020
• Continental: operated to Newark until October 2008
• Delta: operated to JFK from November 2006 until August 2008
• Norwegian: operated to JFK from July 2014 to March 2020
• Virgin Atlantic: operated to Newark until July 2003
• Zoom Airways Ltd: operated to JFK from July 2007 to August 2008

The only other US service currently set to operate this winter from Gatwick is a 5-weekly British Airways service to Tampa in Florida, which is currently scheduled to resume on 1 November.

What they said

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport, said: “I’m delighted and excited to welcome JetBlue to Gatwick. Travel restrictions between the UK and US start falling away in just days, so fully vaccinated customers can now book this exciting new route with confidence. London to New York is historically the world’s most popular international route and – given JetBlue’s extremely competitive pricing and high-quality service – I expect this new route to be in high demand. Anyone thinking about booking a well-deserved Christmas break or a long overdue business trip to New York should book this new service early to avoid disappointment.”

Joanna Geraghty, President and COO, JetBlue, said: “With a 500% increase in JetBlue’s UK bookings following news of easing US entry requirements for international travellers, it’s clear there is significant pent up demand for travel between our two countries and that our Gatwick launch is well timed to meet the growing number of customers returning to the skies. JetBlue’s new service at Gatwick – complemented by our recently launched flights at Heathrow – introduces an all-new choice for London travellers who won’t have to choose between an attractive fare and great service as they reunite with family, friends and colleagues on either side of the Atlantic.”