The first announcement a year ago, JetBlue Their new direct service from New York to Vancouver will start today
Vancouver represents JetBlue’s first entry into the Canadian market, providing additional transcontinental connections for Canadians and Americans alike.
JetBlue’s New Vancouver-New York flight
JetBlue will operate direct flights from Vancouver to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, based on the following daily schedules:
- B6603 from New York (JFK) to Vancouver (YVR), departs at 6:59 pm and arrives at 10:26 pm
- The B6604 will depart Vancouver (YVR) to New York (JFK) at 11:30 pm and arrive at 7:48 am the next day.
The airline hosted a media event at Vancouver International Airport today to celebrate the launch of the new route, and I went to check it out.
JetBlue leads this route with competitive pricing, with one-way fares starting at $ 200 on mid-week dates.
However, the all-economy configuration of the Airbus A320 means that there are not many premium applications on this route.
Instead, it will be convenient for travelers to the West Coast looking for a faster and cheaper non-stop option in central New York, as well as for East Coast Americans heading for British Columbia.
In fact, the new JetBlue service is the first connection between Vancouver and New York’s JFK Airport since Cathay Pacific dropped their fifth-independence route.
(Air Canada currently provides direct service between Vancouver and New York. Competing in economy products alone, JetBlue offers arguably more convenient New York airport services, with better onboard experience – although overnight advance schedule can be a big mistake.)
As a major international hub without the lack of pleasant departure lounges, JFK is often a useful resource when traveling to points to international destinations.
With this new flight on JetBlue, we now have a nonstop positioning flight from Western Canada – no longer traveling across Manhattan via Pearson or via a cab – which could be a more enjoyable way to set the stage for the next premium long ride. Experience
Everything about JetBlue Airways
In the US airline landscape, JetBlue is an important player, albeit a minor one. Roughly speaking, they play the same role as Canada’s WestJet.
They lack American, United and Delta international presence, instead focusing on domestic routes and sun destinations.
Despite their relatively limited footprint, JetBlue offers more frills than a regional low-cost carrier.
In particular, they are known for setting the bar with free Wi-Fi for all passengers, a robust food program (for domestic standards), and adequate footholds in the economy. They do all this with the aim of setting competitive prices.
JetBlue’s fleet is primarily a 3-3 configuration, with only one economy cabin on most of their shorter routes. For selected coast to coast and international routes, however, they have a pretty business class idea.
On this route, JetBlue features their Mint products, including the new Mint Suite and Mint Studio. These comfortable but cozy herringbone-style pods have a wide sense of privacy, like the seating style you can find in intercontinental carriers.
Unfortunately, the Mint service is not being offered on the Vancouver route, and we can only hope that the new service will be a commercial success and that JetBlue will attract more premium products as it expands its fleet.
JetBlue flight booking at the point
Like other major airlines, JetBlue has a loyalty program called Real blue. Without sugar-coating, however, the benefits for Canadians are extremely limited.
First, the award chart uses dynamic values. There aren’t many benefits to using TrueBlue points instead of cash, and you won’t get a great quality opportunity by flying JetBlue over points.
To earn, JetBlue has some co-branded US credit cards issued by Barclays. With the JetBlue Plus card, you can earn up to 40,000 points against the 99 annual fee. This is not unreasonable, but I would question whether it is worthwhile to engage in another loyalty program when we have so many transferable currencies to collect on both sides of the border.
The transfer of points from the bank program is also questionable, in my view. You can convert points from any one of the Big 4 US credit card providers: Amex, Chase, Citi, or Capital One. However, Amex transfers US MR points to TrueBlue in an unfavorable ratio of 1.25: 1.
In general, the value of either of these currencies would be much higher if used for long-haul international flights on global airlines or exclusive hotel bookings.
Meanwhile, Emirates Skywords JetBlue is one of the few partner airlines that allows you to redeem points on JetBlue flights. There is a distance-based chart, and a seat (2,449 miles per hour) on JetBlue’s new Vancouver-New York service will drive you 26,000 miles to the sky One way.
And yet, starting with ржн 200 one-way cash rent, 26,000 skyward miles is not worth redeeming – especially since skyward miles can be used for much more valuable things, such as Emirates First’s Glitz and Glamor Flying Class.
Unless JetBlue improves their loyalty offer, creates some new redemption partnerships, or creates a Canadian co-branded credit card that is now serving our market (don’t hold your breath), its new Vancouver route will probably be booked with cash. The airline is well known in one of the attractive price points.
Conclusion
JetBlue has launched a new daily service between Vancouver and New York JFK, which will operate westward and eastward overnight during the evening.
Although the route will be served by an Airbus A320 with an all-economy configuration, I still consider it a welcome development, as I now have a new option to return home to the West Coast conveniently and at an affordable price. Landing at New York JFK after a long distance flight.
JetBlue’s plans are not over yet, either: the airline announced last summer that it also wants to connect Vancouver and Boston, providing more coast-to-coast connectivity as it builds on the Canadian market.
