JetBlue Introduces New European Flights—Perfect Timing for Summer

JetBlue is making waves again. Just a month after opening reservations for its new routes from New York to Paris (with fares starting at $479 round-trip—a welcome change amid skyrocketing international ticket prices), the budget airline announced today it will add a third European destination: Amsterdam.

Beginning in late summer 2023, JetBlue will launch new services between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), with plans for flights from Boston to Amsterdam to follow. (Exact dates for the Boston routes are still pending.) Tickets for the low-cost Amsterdam flights will be available for purchase “in the coming weeks,” JetBlue stated.

Once the Amsterdam flights commence (pending final government approval), they will operate daily using Airbus A321 LR (long-range) aircraft—narrow-body planes designed for longer journeys. Each flight will feature 24 Mint seats, JetBlue’s business class offering with lie-flat capabilities, along with 114 economy seats. Passengers can also expect JetBlue's hallmark amenities like “the most legroom in coach,” seatback screens with live and on-demand entertainment, plus complimentary Wi-Fi, snacks, and beverages.

JetBlue first hinted at its Amsterdam plans in March when the Paris flights became available. “It’s a limited airport with controlled slots [dominated by legacy airlines]. We aim to be that disruptor that provides a superior experience at competitive fares for customers in those areas,” JetBlue’s president and COO Joanna Geraghty shared with Dinogo last month.

In a statement, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes remarked, “For far too long, U.S. legacy airlines, supported by their partnerships with global carriers enjoying antitrust immunity, have trapped customers with exorbitant fares and subpar service.”

The “big three” U.S. airlines maintain formal collaborations with European partners to enhance connections across the Atlantic. American Airlines is a member of the oneworld Alliance, which includes British Airways, while Delta Air Lines collaborates with Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic for transatlantic routes. United Airlines is part of the Star Alliance network, featuring Lufthansa, Austrian, and TAP Air Portugal.

JetBlue is intensifying its competition with these airlines through its expanding transatlantic offerings, which now include flights from New York to Paris, along with upcoming nonstop service between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and CDG.

JetBlue made its transatlantic debut in August 2021 when it secured slots at London Heathrow that became available due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. Last summer, the airline successfully sought to make those slots permanent. On October 29, JetBlue introduced a second daily flight between New York’s JFK and London Gatwick (where it began service later in 2021), increasing its daily trips between New York and London to three. Flights from Boston to Gatwick commenced in August, followed by Boston to Heathrow in September.

The announcement of JetBlue’s Amsterdam expansion follows a recent ruling from a Dutch court, which determined that the Dutch government overstepped its bounds in attempting to limit air traffic at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. JetBlue stated that this legal decision boosted its “confidence that there is space for us to enter the market.”