JetBlue to launch new daily flights from Vancouver to NYC and Boston

JetBlue AirBus A321 aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. (Shutterstock)

JetBlue made its initial announcement earlier this year that it will launch two new non-stop flight routes from Vancouver to New York City and Boston, sometime in Summer 2022.

As of this week, more details on the highly anticipated routes have been released, with bookings now available. Based on the American low-cost airline’s updated flight tables, both routes are now scheduled to launch on Thursday, June 9, 2022, departing once daily in each direction.

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For the New York City route, daily flights will leave Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 11:45 pm and arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 8 am the next day. The total flight time is five hours and 14 minutes.

Return trips from JFK to YVR depart at 7:04 pm and arrive at 10:35 pm on the same day, with the flight time set at six hours and 31 minutes due to prevailing winds.

Daily flights from YVR to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) will take off at 10:13 pm and land at 6:28 am the next day, with a flight time of five hours and 15 minutes. For the return trip, flights will depart from BOS at 5:40 pm and arrive at YVR at 9:03 pm the same day. The flight time is six hours and 23 minutes.

Fares for both routes start as low as CAD$127 (USD$99). While the NYC route is a year-round service, the BOS route is intended to initially be a seasonal route.

JetBlue’s routes from YVR to NYC and BOS are the airline’s first services reaching a Canadian destination. They significantly reduce the flight times compared to non-stop routes requiring a layover, and provide more convenient opportunities for passengers to transfer to other destinations.

“Almost since day one, both our customers and crew members have been asking us to add flights to the middle of the country and into Canada,” said Scott Laurence, the head of revenue and planning for JetBlue, in a previous statement.

“We can’t wait to shake up the status quo in these markets currently dominated by high-fare carriers, and we look forward to introducing new customers to JetBlue favourites like live seatback TV, free Wi-Fi, the most legroom in coach and great service from our friendly crew members.”

Prior to COVID-19, Air Canada operated a daily, year-round service from Vancouver to New York City’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

As well, both United Airlines and Delta Airlines operated seasonal summer services to EWR and JFK, respectively.

Just prior to the onset of the pandemic, Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific cancelled its daily service between Hong Kong International Airport and JFK, with a stop in YVR. This fifth freedom service — rated as one of North America’s best flight services — met its end after 23 years, as it was increasingly a money-losing venture due to increased competition.

YVR Airport New Flights 2020-2022

May 2, 2020: Istanbul, Turkey (IST) — Turkish Airlines, 3x weekly
December 2, 2021: Singapore (SIN) — Singapore Airlines, 4x weekly (winter seasonal)
May 16, 2022: Kelowna, BC (YLW) — Flair Airlines, 3x weekly
May 17, 2022: San Francisco, California (SFO) — Flair Airlines, 3x weekly
May 20, 2022: Quebec City, Quebec — Air Canada Rouge, 3x weekly (summer seasonal)
June 15, 2022: Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP) — Sun Country Airlines, 2x weekly (summer seasonal)
June 9, 2022: New York City (JFK) — JetBlue, daily
June 9, 2022: Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) — JetBlue, daily (summer seasonal)

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