Article from BTNews 8 APRIL 2019
JetBlue date for Aviation Club
Eyes are on the Aviation Club’s latest lunch this Thursday, 11 April, when JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will be guest speaker amid rumours his airline is about to break into the transatlantic market from its bases in New York and Boston (BTN 11 March).
The official title for his talk is 'Two Decades of Challenging the Status Quo in Aviation', which sums up the story of JetBlue. The carrier is now one of the top five US airlines and, with Southwest, is an acknowledged leader of the low-cost sector.
JetBlue however has managed to move outside that envelope to become more of a hybrid operation than a low-cost carrier (LCC), offering a well-regarded premium product on its US transcontinental services under the brand Mint (pictured below).
This includes lie-flat beds and state-of-the-art entertainment systems and could form the basis for transatlantic operations, which would use the Airbus A321. JetBlue has several on order with an option to convert some to the long-range version.
The airline has said it plans to announce a decision on the long-range version this year and “potential routes to Europe could provide us an opportunity … as we consider the best use of the aircraft”.
Online booking for the lunch is open till midnight tonight, Monday. After that, those interested must email philippa@aviationclub.org.uk. No bookings can be taken after tomorrow, Tuesday.
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