Originally Posted by
Sotonsean
I am not surprised by this announcement whatsoever. A decision I was half expecting, and it makes perfect sense for Jetblue to go seasonal at LGW and concentrate operations at LHR.
With competition from British Airways, Delta and Norse on the LGW to JFK route it makes me wonder whether STN would have been a better option for Jetblue.
I tend to agree and that someone needs to execute it again in the future. The A321neo long range variants help make these naturally thinner routes more economical. It's a shame Primera Air couldn't make it work, they had the right product but just tried to take on too much too soon.
When Cambridge South station opens for the biomedical campus that too should be a big draw for a direct US service again from STN, particularly Boston. There will also be a north/east London catchment for US flights which will favour a STN service. Emirates see this already with their Dubai connections. I think the main issue is most airlines perceive STN's customer experience exactly as it is and see the slots they get at congested airports as high value assets, so if they can get into LHR or LGW they will.
I've always thought LGW is too much the default for LHR overspill rather than it being a chosen alternative on a solid business case as such. Hopefully the future planned improvements at STN, and indeed LTN to some extent, will help put them on a more level playing field in providing some more healthy competition with LGW.