JetBlue Airways announced plans to continue expanding in
Europe with new flights to Amsterdam from Boston and New York City, in addition
to first-quarter financial results.
The airline announced tickets are now on sale for the new nonstop
services from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan
International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Flights from New York begin on August 29 and Boston on
September 20, which mark JetBlue’s third transatlantic market debut. The routes
will operate daily on Airbus A321 Long Range (LR) aircraft.
Seats on the new Amsterdam routes are on sale with low fares
for U.S.-originating travelers, starting at $479 roundtrip for the airline’s core
experience and $1,899 for premium Mint.
“Entrenched legacy carriers have dominated this route for
decades,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said. “Our transatlantic service demonstrates
how JetBlue’s entrance into a new market lowers fares and benefits customers.”
As for the airline’s first-quarter earnings, the net loss
was under 59 cents per share, according to Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP). It was about $111 million in total. That’s not a bad first
quarter when everybody was predicting the worst.
“Demand trends remain robust into the second quarter, with
strong demand for leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) travel
particularly during peak periods,” Chief Operating Officer Joanna Geraghty
said. “We're also pleased with the continued improvement in revenue and
financial performance at our largest focus city, New York.”
“Our TrueBlue Loyalty program continues to show encouraging
trends with strong growth in co-brand card spend,” Geraghty continued. “In
addition, the Northeast Alliance (NEA), which is already a significant revenue
generator, is driving meaningful margin improvement as our service matures.”
The results have given JetBlue optimism for the second
quarter and beyond as plane fares get higher and more people start to travel.
The great unknown is the cost of fuel prices, which were up to $3.50 per gallon
in the first quarter.
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