TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.
Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of the site. Traveling For Miles has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Traveling For Miles and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. For more details please see the disclosures found at the bottom of every page.
JetBlue has made a number of announcements today that see the airline firming up its position at London Heathrow, expanding the service that it offers between New York JFK and London Gatwick, and slightly improving its customers’ ground experiences at London’s two biggest airports.
JetBlue confirms permanent slots at LHR
When JetBlue first applied for slots at various London airports, it was successful in getting slots at London Stanstead and London Gatwick but didn’t get a single slot at the biggest prize of all – London Heathrow.
Back in the first quarter of 2021, however, JetBlue was awarded Heathrow slots for the summer season and then, later in the year, it saw its slot allocation extended through October 2022.
Essentially, JetBlue was being allowed to operate services to/from London Heathrow but the slot allocation was a temporary one and was subject to review. From a forward planning standpoint, this has probably been a far from ideal situation for the airline but when it comes to slots at Heathrow, you take whatever you can get.
The good news now is that going forward, JetBlue’s life at London Heathrow looks a lot more secure with the airline confirming that it has received permanent slots at London Heathrow for flights starting 29 October 2022.
As of 29 October 2022, this is what JetBlue’s daily service between New York JFK and London Heathrow will look like:
B67 JFK 21:05 – 09:30+1 day LHR (Daily)
B620 LHR 10:45 – 14:05 JFK (Daily)
As has always been the case, these flights will be operated by JetBlue’s A321LR aircraft which come configured with a very impressive Mint Business Class cabin.
JetBlue adds a new daily flight to London Gatwick
As well as announcing the positive news at Heathrow, JetBlue has today also confirmed that it will be adding a second daily flight between New York JFK and London Gatwick for winter 2022/23 season.
B643 JFK 19:47 – 08:16+1 day LGW (Daily)
B63 JFK 21:59 – 10:22+1 day LGW (Daily)
B644 LGW 12:00 – 15:04 JFK (Daily)
B64 LGW 14:00 – 17:05 JFK (Daily)
Seats for these flights are on sale as of today but the airline has yet to confirm whether this will be a seasonal service or if the second flight will operate year-round (I suspect it will be the latter).
Select flyers now get expedited security in London
One of the noticeable shortfalls of JetBlue’s London services so far has been that the airline has failed to offer premium cabin customers and elite flyers much in the way of benefits while on the ground at Heathrow and Gatwick.
JetBlue doesn’t offer lounge facilities at either airport (this is where having a Priority pass membership comes in useful) and although dedicated check-in desks are available for select flyers, anyone flying with JetBlue out of Heathrow and Gatwick has had to take their chances with the regular security lines.
As of today, however, things are getting slightly better.
“[E]nhanced airport experiences at both Gatwick and Heathrow with new expedited security screening now available to select JetBlue customers. The airline’s Even More Speed option is now automatically included for Mint® customers, Mosaic customers and Mosaic companions traveling on the same reservation, customers who have purchased a Blue Extra fare and for customers who have purchased an Even More® Space seat. To take advantage of this new benefit, customers at Heathrow should follow signs for “Fast Track.” At Gatwick, customers should follow signs for “Premium Security.”
While this doesn’t make up for the lack of a lounge option, having access to expedited security lines can be an incredibly useful timesaver so this is a move that will be welcomed by JetBlue flyers.
Bottom line
JetBlue has announced that it finally has a permanent slot allocation at London Heathrow airport which firms up the airline’s commitment to offering a daily service from New York JFK to the London hub.
The airline has also announced that it will be adding a second daily flight between New York JFK and London Gatwick later in the year and that in an improvement to its ground offering at London’s two largest airports, select passengers can now make the most of expedited security lines just in time for the busiest travel months of the year.
