US carrier JetBlue believes it can compete with “any transatlantic airline” for the quality of its premium service, despite not yet having committed to flying to Europe.
President Joanna Geraghty, speaking to Bloomberg, said the airline needed only to capture a “small incremental part” of the premium transatlantic market to be successful.
JetBlue is understood to be considering a move into the European transatlantic market.
Speaking at the Aviation Festival in London last month, the carrier’s UK-born chief executive Robin Hayes branded last-minute $8,000 to $10,000 business class fares from New York to London “obscene”, adding he was confident JetBlue could undercut this.
JetBlue’s “Mint” business cabin has been hugely successful on US coast-to-coast services, bringing down advance purchase business fares on US transcontinental routes from around $2,000 to $599.
Said Geraghty this week: “We know we can compete in the front cabin with any airline that provides transatlantic service. There are a lot of customers and a lot of premium seats. We only need a small incremental part to be very successful.”
Tom Screen, Birmingham airport acting aviation director, told TTG in August the airport had been in discussion with JetBlue about its transatlantic plans. The airport has since lost transatlantic partner Primera Air following the airline’s insolvency earlier this month.