Budget airline launches brand new daily direct flights from the UK to New York
BUDGET airline JetBlue has revealed a brand new long-haul flight from the UK to New York.
Today (Thursday, May 23, 2024), the low-cost airline announced the launch of its new direct service between Edinburgh Airport and New York.
The service departed from Edinburgh Airport earlier today, with the airline operating daily flights between the two cities until September 30, 2024.
Outbound flights will depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 9.12pm local time before arriving in the UK at 9.30am the following morning.
Return flights from Scotland to New York will then depart at 12.30pm later that day, touching down on US soil at 3.06pm.
The route will be operated by JetBlue’s Airbus A321neo with Mint aircraft, each plane will feature 16 redesigned Mint Suite seats, 144 core seats, as well as enhanced cabins with XL bins.
Return fares can be purchased from as little as £399.
The new service is only the second direct flight offering between JFK and Edinburgh, giving more options for Scottish passengers.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “We are excited to welcome JetBlue to Scotland with the launch of this new direct service.
“North America is our most valuable international visitor market, and we are seeing record levels of demand here, welcoming almost one million visitors last year, surpassing not only pre-pandemic levels but also other parts of the UK.
“We know these visitors are drawn to Scotland for a variety of reasons from our dramatic landscapes to our rich history and culture and warm people, with Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital offering a well-connected gateway for exploring the rest of the country.
“These visitors who often stay longer and spend more, are hugely important to Scotland’s tourism industry and wider economy supporting businesses, jobs and communities and why making it as easy as possible for people to visit here with direct access is key.”
The latest new routes
British Airways announced that it would be launching two new flights from a small UK airport this summer.
The flights launched from Southampton Airport over the weekend, with Brits now being able to fly to Bergerac and Majorca.
This is in addition to Faro and Malaga, which already operated from Southampton with British Airways, as well as winter flights to Chambery.
Budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways is launching new transatlantic flights from London Gatwick to Las Vegas.
It is the first time the London airport will have flights to the US city.
The airline also confirmed new routes from London Gatwick to Cape Town this winter.
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EasyJet has launched new flights from Glasgow Airport to Larnaca in Cyprus and Enfidha in Tunisia.
And new airline Lufthansa City Airlines, launched by German flag carrier Lufthansa, will have flights between Birmingham and Munich from June.