Note: An earlier version of this story reported that JetBlue did NOT secure the slots based on data published by slot regulator ACL on the morning of 26 March. An updated version of the ACL data was released at approximately 11:30a EDT including the new allocations to JetBlue and Wideroe, among others.
JetBlue secured access to London’s Heathrow Airport for its inaugural transatlantic services. The carrier has been allocated 270 slots for the Northern Summer 2021 season according to ACL, the slot administrator for the airport.
It remains unclear whether these are permanent slot assignments or temporary allocations as a result of usage waivers permitted for incumbent carriers.
The carrier will operate from T2, according to the allocations, should it choose Heathrow for its flights.
The filing also suggests that JFK will now see the bulk of London frequencies, not Boston. In the report Boston holds 90 of the slots while JFK holds 180. That is a shift, though unclear if it is binding.
JetBlue also holds the same 270 slots allocation at Gatwick per the ACL filings. Expect that those will be returned now that the Heathrow slots are secured.
The carrier notes it “has applied for multiple slots at various airports and we are discussing the availability of various permanent and temporary slots with the slot coordinators.”
Because of the potential to have to change next year if the slots at Heathrow are temporary the company has not yet made a final choice for service, noting “discussions are continuing and we will evaluate what each London airport is proposing before making a final decision that best supports our transatlantic strategy.”
The on-board experience
With the unveiling of the new A321neo Mint experience at the beginning of February we learned what the premium cabin experience will be for JetBlue’s transatlantic travelers. In economy the cabin should match the other A321 offerings with rather generous legroom, keeping with JetBlue’s value proposition.
The aircraft is still detailed as operating with 138 seats, a rather low density configuration that reflects the large Mint business class cabin on board.
The 24 business class seats will extend to the over-wing exits per sources, with 114 economy seats behind that. Of those economy class seats, 24 will be the carrier’s Even More Space product with extra legroom.
The aft galley also comes with ovens on board, indicating a hot meal option will be part of the offering for economy class travelers. Exactly how that plays out, however, remains to be seen.
Crew rest requirements for the long-haul flights will see one Mint seat allocated for pilots and a trio of seats in the last row of economy reserved for flight attendants when service launches.
An August Launch??
Based on the slot filings the first week JetBlue anticipates operations at Heathrow is 2 August 2021. The carrier holds slots for 14 movements as of that week, enough for daily service.
The allocation increases to 22 movements the week of 13 September and 28 the following week and remains at that level through the season ending on 30 October.
These numbers match the 90 and 180 allocations of total operations. If the JFK/BOS split is correct this could mean JetBlue will launch London service from JFK rather than Boston as previously suggested.
The original story appears below.
The highly anticipated launch of JetBlue‘s service to London continues to draw attention as the carrier remains mum on which airport it will serve. The website briefly mentioned Heathrow earlier this month, touching off a flurry of rumors. But the latest news on allocated slots suggests Gatwick will (still) be the carrier’s initial focus of operations.
In November 2020 the carrier secured access to two daily flights at Stansted and one at Gatwick. Things have changed since then, however.
ACL International released the Start of Season slot allocation reports for London’s airports this morning and JetBlue no longer shows on the Stansted listing. This fits with internal reports from the beginning of February suggesting the carrier would no longer push Stansted as an option.
At that time the company explained it as “giving back slots for certain dates in early summer that we won’t be ready to fly.” Moreover, them early ensured access to the slots for the third quarter when operations are expected to launch. The company also told crewmembers, “[W]e have secured access to Gatwick and we continue to work on Heathrow.”
It is worth noting that United’s announcement of Boston-Heathrow service comes thanks to one of “remedy slots” JetBlue was pursuing. That reduces the chances of easy or inexpensive access to Heathrow for the new entrant.
Heathrow slots could still be secured from those returned by other airlines as part of the 80/20 usage rule waiver, but they have not yet been allocated to JetBlue per the reports. This would be in line with Wideroe’s plans to launch Heathrow service this summer despite also not receiving any slots in the normal application/allocation cycle.
Slots and Seats
For Gatwick JetBlue now holds 270 slots, split between Boston and JFK service. This is a significant drop from the 868 at Stansted and 434 at Gatwick previously allocated, but it fits with the partial season schedule noted above.
The filing also suggests that JFK will now see the bulk of London frequencies, not Boston. In the report Boston holds 90 of the slots while JFK holds 180. That is a shift, though unclear if it is binding.
The aircraft is still detailed as operating with 138 seats, a rather low density configuration that reflects the large Mint business class cabin on board.
JetBlue was allocated space the North Terminal at Gatwick.
The August start also lines up with what Heathrow Airport was showing, suggesting the date may be more solid than the airport details.
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