JetBlue, which only months ago announced Paris as its second European destination, will add flights to Amsterdam “later this summer,” after apparently resolving an issue over airport slots at Schiphol Airport.
Less than a month ago, JetBlue was hedging on the plan, asking the U.S. government to help it secure permanent takeoff and landing slots at the Dutch airport, which had awarded slots to JetBlue, but only for the summer season. The airline said it would be hard to build the route on a seasonal basis and its reputation would suffer.
The change in plans may be connected to a Dutch court ruling that barred new rules that would reduce Schiphol’s slots from 500,000 now to 440,000 next year and 420,000 the year after. But with no official announcement of permanent assignments, JetBlue is still hedging on the start date. In the meantime, the Dutch government has said it would appeal the court ruling.
JetBlue’s first Amsterdam flights, whatever the date, will be from New York JFK, with service from Boston added later, the same pattern it has followed with London and Paris. All flights will use JetBlue’s new A321LR, with 138 seats, 24 of them in Mint premium, 24 in its ‘Even More Space’ cabin and 90 in regular economy.
JetBlue says it is challenging an established dominance on the routes by a joint venture of AirFrance-KLM and Delta. The joint venture has five flights a day between New York and Amsterdam, and is the only other airline flying Boston to Amsterdam.
