Three weeks ago JetBlue confirmed that some of its flights between New York City and London would be operated on the A321neo owing to delays in delivery of new A321LR aircraft. Those troubles continue to grow, with the Boston-London routes now impacted.
In a message to crew the airline indicated that flights between Boston and Gatwick Airport will see the A321neo flights most frequently. But some flights between Boston and Heathrow are also expected to operate on the typically domestic plane during October.
The update comes against the backdrop of JetBlue officially launching the Boston-Heathrow route next week. The month-long delay in launching that route also comes as a result of the Airbus aircraft delivery delays.
The JetBlue website provides mixed information for travelers. The assigned aircraft type for the Heathrow flights shows A321/Mint while the Gatwick flights shows A321LR for the rest of the year. The seat maps, however, show the A321LR layout on most of the Heathrow flights, matching the company announcement. This includes next Tuesday’s inaugural.
The smaller Mint cabin of the A321/Mint aircraft shows on the flight to Heathrow October 1, among other dates.
JetBlue also confirmed that it received ETOPS certification from the FAA for the A321neo fleet, with observation rides planned in the coming days. This will enable the carrier to use the planes for the transatlantic services.
As with the previously announced New York adjustments, the A321neo flies with just 16 Mint suites at the front, rather than the 24 on the A321LR. Because of the late switch to the new aircraft type, JetBlue indicated that “a small number of passengers” are now booked on flights with insufficient business class seats. That’s good news for advance purchase demand for the product, but bad news in that it means passengers must now be reaccommodated.
JetBlue plans to offer those travelers the option to change to the other London airport, change their travel date, or fly in economy class on the original flight. Presumably those choosing the latter will also be due a refund of the fare difference.
The onboard service will also adjust on the Boston routes, similar to the New York changes previously confirmed. For economy class passengers this means cold meals rather than the DIY hot options from Dig.
Affected passengers are also being offered a $25 credit for future JetBlue travel as a good will gesture.
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DWT says
Ahhh… they’d been running these on some transcon frequencies as of late and I’d wondered where all the neos had gone