JetBlue Adds Boston To Edinburgh & Madrid Flights In 2025

Wow, first Edinburgh gets the inaugural Emirates A350 and now it gets Mint from Boston. Good on them.

I appreciate the additional competition on these routes, but also would be nice if JetBlue would follow United's lead and bring some new markets and uniqueness to their route map rather than just piling on routes that already exist. I understand they are limited by their aircraft type, but what about something like Boston to Malage or San Sebastion or Tenerife instead of MAD? That might even make folks go out of their way to fly B6 by positioning through BOS if they could get to their final destinations directly.

If I have to connect to get to or from a second tier European city, I’d much rather do it in Europe.

Means my outbound initial and return final legs are the longest and better for sleeping, and I don’t have to hassle with US re-clearance on my return.

Competition, competition, competition...

JBLU probably has a better chance on these routes out of BOS than JFK. Why? As I harp on all the time, lounges. At least in BOS, certain JetBlue customers may have access to the Chase lounge in the B/C connector if they have the right card. At JFK, they have to deal with the outdated Terminal 5, which has no lounges and gets to be a crowded zoo all too often.

Also, both American and Delta (along with various international airlines) fly to a lot these destinations out of JFK, while Delta is really the only domestic transatlantic competition out of BOS. For example, four airlines fly to MAD out of JFK already, while only one (Iberia) flies there from BOS.

Not saying JBLU will be hugely successful on these routes, but I can see the rationale

Edinburgh is one of those long and thin long-haul routes that makes perfect sense for JetBlue with its fleet. A sizeable American immigrant population there too which is why there is a consulate.

Appears as of today as well, JetBlue is allowing you to select EMS as a fare type, how Delta sells C+, rather than as just an add on after purchasing economy

Jetblue should consider Manchester as a summer UK route as Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus US flights are often busy in the summer

But then again I do wonder if it's too much of a mainstream route for a narrow body to compete on

This is giving MEH. They are following Delta’s footsteps by being vanilla. They need to think outside the box

Why not Barcelona instead of Madrid? No real competition (LEVEL is not competition) out of Boston, such a hot leisure destination, etc.

Huge market for American golfers too.

Madrid has quite the premium demand, both for leisure and business. Something which goes chronically unnoticed in this blog for whatever reason

LEVEL is competition. It's a plane with nearly 300 seats. That is, actually, competition. It has an impact on the fare level, etc. It is competition, whether you like it or not (and certainly, those who actually make the decisions, namely, those network planners and those who have access to fare levels and demand information, DO see it as robust competition).

I wasn't aware of the American population there, is there any specific reason why so many of them are in Edinburgh?

No I notice, but Jetblue would have BCN all to themselves (besides Budget Level). Madris currently gets Iberia and Delta from BOS.

This is great for a parent of a student at St Andrews. Just wish they would make one of these year round!

@Andrew Delta is starting a seasonal BOS-BCN route, not BOS-MAD. So JetBlue would compete with two widebody flights on the BCN route, versus two single aisle planes on the BOS-MAD route.

It's hard to imagine the MAD flight being successful. IB is a generally well ran airline, and there is a reason they fly their smallest long-haul jet to BOS. If they thought there was more demand, IB would upgauge the route. Also, IB is an incredibly affordable transatlantic carrier in cash or points, with a perfectly acceptable product in both business and economy. I can't imagine B6 competing with the prices, let alone undercutting. This move feels like an experiment that's likely to fail.

Manchester makes sense as the metro area has 3 million and the region over 8 million. In addition to having 20 universities with over 400,000 students within an hour’s drive, digital and biotech as well as tourism in the region.

BOS-EDI: what's worse? The coffin seats on DL or the herringbone seats on B6...
BOS-MAD: Only herringbone seats on that route now, gosh I miss the A340s! ;( I wonder why the Stelia Opera like on ITA is not proving to be popular on narrow bodies. Especially for airlines trying to market how "premium" they are. I honestly prefer the standard Thompson Vantage (original Mint, TAP 321LRs) to the Vantage Solo product (Mint "suite", Iberia 321XLR). #DisownTheHerringbone

It’s less than 7000.

Apart from the weather as there are two seasons, June and winter - Healthcare. No student large loans. Accessiblity. Work conditions- sick pay , maternity leave, to name but a few dozen.

Delta does not fly MAD-BOS.

get ready to be crushed JB. Just like you were on LGW and CDG..... between Delta and Iberia you are toast!!!!!

Maybe they're planning a partnership with IB? They already have ones with other IAG carriers over at BA and EI. If they implement one, am curious to see if this results in the dissolution of the one they have with TP

Like?

Good for JetBlue! And you’re wrong, if I had a nickel every time for the last 22 years nay saying say “JetBlue will get crushed going head on with the big boys” this past quarter leadership said transatlantic has come along way and is outperforming the whole system. It’s doing very well on its own. They aren’t trying to cripple delta and united, they see an opportunity to expand their
Loyalty and make money. So no they “won’t be crushed” they been continuing to expand transatlantic ever since they started. It’s working and succeeding.

Iberia and DL both are awful.

WTH are you are talking about?!

They now fly to Boston on their smallest plane but at up to double the frequency; daily this winter (instead of 4x weekly on the A330) and double daily this summer (instead of daily on the A330/A350). While it is only a small increase in overall capacity (the lack of PY is the biggest change), the benefit is allowing passengers a choice of more flights and convenient connections via Madrid. Overall, the switch from daily wide bodies to double-daily narrow bodies is an overall benefit for the market on one of the shortest transatlantic flights.

That said, Barcelona is a much bigger tourism draw than Madrid and Madrid is hot… and I mean HOT in summer, so I do agree that JetBlue will have to work to make this one work. It isn’t a huge local market but it’s not nothing either, connected by many of the standard features for Boston (life sciences, education, tech, tourism).