JetBlue expanding to London

Low-cost commercial airliner JetBlue announced Wednesday that it would expand to London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with flights set to begin in August.

A news release from the company said that initial nonstop service to the two airports would be from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, beginning Aug. 11 with flights to Heathrow and expanding to Gatwick in late September.

The second U.S.-London JetBlue connection will go into service next year, the company added, with flights from Boston to London set to begin in the summer of 2022.

“JFK-LHR, the single largest international air travel market from the US, has long suffered from outrageously high fares for far too long, especially in premium cabins. We’re ready to change that with a price point and experience that will impress even the most discerning transatlantic flyers,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes.

“We’ve always said that JetBlue would serve multiple London airports, and we’re pleased to have secured a path at Heathrow and for long-term growth at Gatwick, which offers speed, low costs, and convenient accessibility into Central London,” Hayes continued.

U.S.-based travelers can already begin purchasing tickets on JetBlue flights to London, with round-trip tickets beginning at $599.

Nonessential travel between the U.S. and Europe was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic, though the head of the European Commission said last month that that will change this summer for vaccinated travelers.