Summary

  • JetBlue’s inaugural flights between New York and Edinburgh have taken off on May 22, landing at the Scottish capital on the following day.
  • The transatlantic flight was six-hours long.
  • In total, four airlines operate transatlantic flights from/to EDI: Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

JetBlue has officially taken off on its inaugural flight between New York, the United States, and Edinburgh, Scotland, with flight B6 73 being operated by an Airbus A321neo, which departed eastward on May 22, 2024. The flight landed on May 23.

6-hour flight

The inaugural flight, connecting New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Edinburgh Airport (EDI), departed JFK at 20:35 local time (UTC -4), landing at EDI at 7:50 local time (UTC +1) on the following day. In total, passengers traveled in the air for six hours and 16 minutes, Flightradar24 records showed.

JetBlue operated the flight with an Airbus A321neo, not an A321LR, a derivative of the A321neo. The aircraft, registered as N2142J, was delivered to JetBlue on June 3, 2021, and was christened as ‘A Mint Summer Night’s Dream,’ according to ch-aviation data.

According to Marty St. George, the President of JetBlue, the airline has redefined the transatlantic travel experience, introducing low fares and great services in markets previously dominated by high-fare legacy airlines. The executive added that JetBlue was looking forward to connecting the two cities and their corresponding regions this summer with its award-winning Mint and core services, bringing the signature JetBlue experience to the Scottish capital.

JetBlue Airbus A321neo

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

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The Scottish Connection

Meanwhile, executives from the Scottish side, including John Lamont, the United Kingdom Government Minister for Scotland, emphasized a special relationship with the US. Lamont added that JetBlue’s newest flights between JFK and EDI will strengthen the connection between the US and Scotland.

“Just last month, I walked down Sixth Avenue with other representatives from the UK Government as part of the annual Tartan Day celebrations in Manhattan, promoting our most important exports – whisky, energy and financial services, and our rich culture.”

Jim Fairlie, the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity of Scotland, continued that the new flights will add more connectivity between the US and Scotland, adding that the itineraries will improve the connections for business travelers as well.

JetBlue Airbus A321neo

Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock

According to Fairlie, another direct connection has demonstrated that EDI has a strong case for a Preclearance border facility at the airport. The facility, operated by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would make the travel experience much smoother for passengers traveling to the US.

Currently, two airports in Europe have a Preclearance facility: Dublin Airport (DUB) and Shannon Airport (SNN), Ireland. Other countries with such facilities include Canada, Aruba, Bermuda, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a total of 15 airports being equipped with the CBP facility.

Related

How Does US Preclearance Work & Which Airports Have It?

The system allows US-bound travelers to bypass the CBP and TSA process.

EDI’s connectivity

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed that in June, EDI will have 57 weekly flights to the US. Four airlines, namely Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, are scheduled to operate the transatlantic flights during the month.

United 757

Photo: GingChen | Shutterstock

In total, the 57 weekly flights, including 27 flights to the New York area, namely JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), will amount to 62.6 million weekly one-way ASKs. During the same month a year prior, the EDI’s flights to the US totaled 60.5 million ASKs, with 52 weekly flights scheduled across the Atlantic Ocean.

Related

United Airlines Celebrates 20 Years Of Edinburgh Service With Capacity Boost

The Chicago-based carrier has three nonstop services to Edinburgh.

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