JetBlue is to launch services to Amsterdam as the US carrier continues its transatlantic expansion later this year.
The airline plans to start daily flights between Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and New York JFK in “late” summer, with a Boston-Amsterdam route to “follow” within an unspecified timeframe.
JetBlue already flies from the two London airports of Heathrow and Gatwick, and is due to launch services to Paris in June.
“This route is long overdue for some competition,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes. “For too long the US legacy carriers, backed by their joint ventures with other global airlines that enjoy immunity from antitrust laws, have locked customers in with very expensive fares and mediocre service.
“Just like we’re doing in London and Paris, we will bring fares down and improve the experience for customers flying between the US and Amsterdam.”
JetBlue’s flights to Amsterdam will be operated using a single-aisle Airbus A321LR aircraft with 138 seats, including 24 premium Mint Suite seats.
The airline’s announcement comes a week after a court in the Netherlands ruled that the Dutch government could not carry out its plan to cut flights at Schiphol to 460,000 per year from the start of the 2023-24 winter season.
JetBlue said that this legal ruling had given it the “confidence there is room to enter the market” in Amsterdam.