Pulling a Meghan Markle... Shares of JetBlue popped in after-hours trading on speculation it could go transatlantic for its 1st time with a new London flight. Word leaked to CNBC that JetBlue's holding an "all-hands" meeting this afternoon from New York's JFK airport, with "viewing parties" from other hubs. The details look cheeky:
- A save-the-date email announcing the April 10th event featured a London ~~subway~~ underground style design.
- Buttons with Big Ben and the London Eye were sent to JetBlue offices to be handed out during the "event."
The royal treatment... JetBlue's channeling it. The airline's focused on its profitable business class-ish segment — Mint. It has flat-lying seats, fancy sliding-door suites, and meals that don't come in wrappers. Since 2013, Mint's focused on long East Coast <> West Coast flights (for now).
- JetBlue's President: "When we think about transatlantic, we do think we can disrupt largely around a Mint-like product."
- Then she goes on about the transatlantic haul: "It suffers from the same lack of competition and high fares that transcontinental routes in the US saw before JetBlue introduced Mint." That's convenient.
JetBlue's innovating a whole new category... "Upgraded Low-Cost." The airline industry's divided between low-cost and high-cost carriers — 75% of transatlantic flights last year were high-cost airlines like Delta or British Airways. But among the 25% that are low-cost, JetBlue's Mint option would fly above. London's calling.