Update..Jet Blue locked STN and LGW Slots.
JetBlue Airways has secured slots at London Gatwick (LGW) and London Stansted (STN), but was denied slots at the UK's main hub London Heathrow (LHR).
New York-based JetBlue currently plans to launch its first transatlantic service sometime during the 2021 third quarter (Q3), operating from Boston Logan (BOS) and New York (JFK) to London using Airbus A321LR jets.
However, JetBlue will not be flying to LHR next summer, after being denied slots at the IATA Level 3 slot-constrained hub. The airline had requested 42 slots, or 21 slot pairs, which would have allowed it to operate 3X-daily round-trips to the US from the airport.
Of the numerous carriers who applied for slots at LHR next year, only one—Shenzhen Airlines—received any, according to a report from Airport Coordination Limited International, which oversees slot coordination at the three UK airports. The slot awards were first reported by Paxex.aero.
At London Gatwick, the UK’s second-busiest airport, JetBlue was awarded 14 of the 28 slots it requested, enough to fly one daily transatlantic round-trip. And at London Stansted, the country’s fourth-busiest airport, the carrier secured all 28 of the slots it sought—enough to operate twice-daily round-trips.
Filings submitted to ACL indicate that JetBlue plans to fly from JFK to LGW, and from BOS to STN.
“We are confident that we have a viable path into more than one London airport,” JetBlue communications manager Phillip Stewart told Aviation Week Network in response to a query. “JetBlue has applied for multiple slots at various London airports and remains committed to launching service in 2021. We continue to review opportunities available to us and will share more details as this process advances.”
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