JetBlue launches London flight despite lingering pandemic

JetBlue Airways Corp started transatlantic flights between New York and London this week, planning to grab market share with low fares and drive a recovery on what is usually one of the world's busiest and most lucrative international routes, report agencies.
Transatlantic travel remains partially shut as the United States is still not allowing most travelers from Britain into the country because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Anyone who does enter, including US citizens, must present a negative COVID-19 test.
United Kingdom has only opened to fully vaccinated US travelers in this month.
But the New York-based JetBlue pressed ahead with the start of its daily John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport to London's Heathrow service, counting on its new Airbus A321LR jets, a longer-range variant of the A321neo, to underpin profits.
Fares for JetBlue's Mint class, which features 24 lie-flat private suites, will start at $1,979 and 999 pounds, significantly cheaper than traditional prices by rivals, while round-trip economy tickets will start at $599 for US travelers.
Speaking at JFK before the first departure, JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes said the launch was already driving a price war, with fares between New York and London falling since its flights went on sale.
"JetBlue is responsible for that," he said.
UK-based airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are struggling in the pandemic because unlike US rivals American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, they do not have a large, buoyant domestic market to fall back on.
JetBlue, which plans to add flights to London's Gatwick in late September and between Boston and London this year, is more affected than other US airlines during the pandemic because its hub airports were heavily affected by lockdowns.
As domestic COVID-19 restrictions ease, it has seen an increase in revenues. It hopes its London service will provide a further boost and that it will fare better than other low-cost carriers that have tried and failed to conquer the transatlantic in the past.
Meanwhile, Airbus has warned employees of hundreds of possible job losses at its small-parts manufacturing business in Germany if the unit is not hived off in line with a cost-cutting strategy set out in April, a source familiar with the plan said.
The group sees 1,000 of its 2,500 small-parts manufacturing jobs in Germany at risk if it continues to manufacture parts within the group rather than spinning off the activities, said the source who is familiar with plans presented to its works council and trade unions.
Under the shakeup set out four months ago, Airbus's Premium Aerotec unit in Germany would be split off, with part combined with other Airbus manufacturing plants and the rest folded into a new business specialising in small mass-produced "detail" parts which could be spun off.