United appears to be preemptively targeting JetBlue with this new route announcement …
New United Airlines route from Boston to London
United Airlines announced that it plans to launch daily nonstop flights between Boston and London in 2021, which will be the operator’s 19th daily flight to London Heathrow. The exact start date of the service has not yet been revealed, as it will be based on demand recovery and travel restrictions, but it is said that the flight will go on sale in the coming weeks.
United’s new flight from Boston to London will operate at the following times:
Boston to London Heathrow departing at 10 pm and arriving at 9:35 am (+1 day)
London Heathrow to Boston departing at 5 pm and arriving at 7:30 pm
United will fly between Boston and London
Personally, I like these times in both directions, although I realize that some may not like the flight schedule to the west.
United Airlines will use a premium Boeing 767-300 for this new service, with only 167 seats, as follows:
- 46 Polaris business class seats
- 22 Premium Plus Economy Class seats
- 47 Economy Plus seats with extra legroom
- 52 economy class seats
United will use a premium 767 for the Boston to London route
Here is a review of the United 767-300 that will be used for this route.
This is a preemptive attack on JetBlue
Of the “big three” airlines in the United States, United has the smallest presence in Boston. The airline has historically only flown to Boston from its hubs and is currently also operating some seasonal point-to-point flights to Florida (which almost all US airlines are currently offering).
It is quite clear that this ad is aimed at JetBlue:
JetBlue’s new Mint studio
I would say that United is serious about launching this flight from Boston to London (despite the lack of a start date), although I’m not sure I understand the strategy here:
- It’s not like that makes JetBlue reconsider the launch of flights from Boston to London, as the airline specifically ordered planes for routes like these
- JetBlue will hurt other airlines when it comes to premium pricing and restrictions, as it did when Mint was introduced to the transcon markets years ago
- United cannot compete with the two large joint ventures that dominate this market, which includes the Delta and Virgin Atlantic alliance, as well as the American and British Airways alliance.
- I assume that United has significant corporate traffic in general, although if there were enough demand for this route, you would think that the airline would have launched this route before the pandemic, as it will take years for the US to London business markets to recover to pre-2020 levels
Boston to London is already very well served
Result
United Airlines will launch daily nonstop flights between Boston and London sometime in 2021. It seems quite obvious that this is targeting JetBlue, as JetBlue plans to launch transatlantic flights in this market later this year, and JetBlue also continues to expand Newark.
I’m still not entirely sure I understood the strategy, however – a daily flight won’t be able to compete with the two mega-joint ventures on the market, and JetBlue obviously has no qualms about entering transatlantic markets that are already very busy, as the first two transatlantic routes will be Boston and New York to London. Likewise, years ago, the airline had no trouble entering the crowded transcon markets and even worked quite successfully for the airline.
What do you think of United’s new flight from Boston to London and do you think it will actually be launched (and last)?