JetBlue, which plans to start flying from New York and Boston to London later this year, has charged that the UK has put its plans in jeopardy by keeping it from getting suitable airport take-off and landing slots at London airports.
The airline has asked the U.S. government to take “official notice” and to call on the UK for a policy change that would unlock slots that have been abandoned by other airlines. Notably, they are pointing the finger at Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian, which have both closed their bases at London Gatwick, but have held on to their many slots there. Norwegian, in particular, has withdrawn from the long-haul market.
JetBlue has had its eye on becoming a significant lower-cost carrier in the market, below the legacy airlines but above the super cut rates that were offered by Norwegian, but it fears not having a shot if it can’t get good slots. Its application for slots at Heathrow was turned down, and it was offered 14 of the 28 slots it requested at Gatwick, and 28 of 28 at Stansted, which has much less access to other destinations and to London itself.
Fourteen slots are the equivalent of one landing and one take-off a day, and the Gatwick slots do not even allow each day’s flight to be at the same time. So far, the UK government and the airports say they are reserving the slots in case the airlines that have dropped out return later; JetBlue is asking them to follow a U.S.-style rule that pushes airlines to return unused slots.
