JetBlue’s long-awaited debut in Italy has taken place at Milan Malpensa with the arrival of the first flight on the Boston-MilanMalpensa route.
Looking at year-round connections
Operated by an Airbus A321neo daily throughout the summer season until the end of October, this inaugural service could pave the way for year-round connections, which the airline already operates in Europe to Amsterdam, London Heathrow and Paris; these are complemented by seasonal services to Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, London Gatwick and Madrid.
"Travellers are getting the experience they deserve"
“The launch of this route is part of our expansion strategy, aimed at bringing low fares and excellent service to the markets in which we operate. This new route will connect global markets with high-quality facilities and a premium travel experience. Fares are falling, service is improving, and travellers are getting the experience they deserve. We have completely reinvented transatlantic travel, not only in our award-winning business class, but also in our core experience. In particular we offer a rotating menu inspired by New York City restaurants and local flavours. Everything is carefully designed with customers in mind to offer them more comfort, more choice and more value,” said Stephanie Evans Greene, SVP of Marketing & Brand at JetBlue.
"We offer...a very solid and varied mix of European destinations"
JetBlue currently serves “over 1,000 destinations in the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe. We operate in more than 30 countries and have probably more than 23,000 employees. We are the sixth-largest airline in the United States with a strong presence in Boston, New York, the Greater Northeast of the US, as well as in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean.” As for the next steps in JetBlue's European expansion, Stephanie Evans Greene explains that “it depends very much on aircraft availability. Today, we believe we offer our customers a very solid and varied mix of European destinations. All destinations our customers wish to reach”. Milan and Italy, in particular, remain among the most sought-after destinations for US travellers: “Demand on this route is very strong, there has been great interest from our customers in this flight and it is one of the reasons why it operates daily. I believe we are the only airline flying daily from Boston to Milan this season.”
Some 90,000 passengers in total annually
Aldo Schmid, Head of Aviation Business Development at Sea Aeroporti di Milano, highlights the value of a new airline serving Malpensa: “We are very proud that JetBlue has chosen Milan as its first stop in Italy for this ever-growing European venture. The carrier offers a highly original product and an intriguing market positioning, with excellent value for money, delivering an outstanding flying experience.” Noting similarities between Milan and Boston, he adds: “starting with the distinctive European feel that characterises both, but also the many cultural and commercial exchanges, and the growing tourism in both directions. Currently, the route carries around 70,000 passengers a year between the two cities alone, a figure that rises to 90,000 when their respective catchment areas are taken into account, with double-digit growth in recent years and significant further growth potential.
