JetBlue Announces Daily Service to London from NYC & Boston
After much anticipation, JetBlue announced Wednesday its plans to add daily nonstop service to London from both New York and Boston. This will be JetBlue’s first routes to Europe.
No precise launch date has yet been given but flights are expected to begin sometime in 2021. The big draw will be JetBlue’s popular business product, known as Mint, which will be priced much lower than competing carriers. ““I looked at some legacy brands and what they were charging a week out for business class between London and New York and it is obscene..eight, nine or ten thousand dollars. And, when we see that, we know that we can do that a lot cheaper,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes.
New Spaceplane Can Go from NYC to London in an Hour
Can you even imagine a world in which a person could fly from New York to London in the time it takes to watch two episodes of Golden Girls? That’s what British aviation company Reaction Engines is promising, minus the part about the Golden Girls. A new spaceplane would travel at 25 times the speed of sound, or Mach 3, and make the trip in under an hour. The aircraft would reportedly use less fuel than traditional commercial aircraft and cost less to operate. By comparison, the Concorde was able to make the same trip in three hours, but was much more expensive.
Airlines Pad Schedules to Improve On-Time Performance
Airlines love to brag about improvements to their on-time performance, but those numbers are misleading. A study out this week from Singapore Management University confirms what many have long known. Airlines inflate flight times to allow for late departures.
For example, flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco were estimated to take 90 minutes in 1996 but now some airlines will schedule the trip at 110 minutes. That may seem like not much but as the BBC explains, “this global trend poses multiple problems: not only does your journey take longer but creating the illusion of punctuality means there’s no pressure on airlines to become more efficient, meaning congestion and carbon emissions will keep rising.”
Brace Yourself for the TSA's New ID Rules
While it may surprise you to learn that it isn’t impossible to fly without an ID, showing up without or with an outdated ID is huge hassle and one you’ll want to avoid. With that in mind, you may want to confirm that your current driver’s license is compliant with new TSA guidelines. The new ID rules are set to go into effect on October 1, 2020 and will apply to all passengers 18 years and older. According to the TSA site, “REAL ID-compliant cards are generally marked with a star located in the upper portion of the card. If you’re not sure, contact your state driver’s license agency on how to obtain a REAL ID compliant card.” More info on this at tsa.gov.
