JetBlue's 1st Amsterdam flight is in the books; what it was like on the inaugural

30.08.2023 - 11:59 / thepointsguy.com / John F.Kennedy

Editors' note: JetBlue provided TPG with a free one-way business-class ticket for the inaugural Paris route. All opinions expressed here are the author's alone and were not subject to review by JetBlue.

As the saying goes, persistence pays off.

And that's a lesson that JetBlue Airways learned on Tuesday when its inaugural Flight 2288 to Amsterdam took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 8:40 p.m. local time. It arrived on Wednesday at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) at 9:15 a.m., completing the 3,643-mile transatlantic crossing in six hours and 35 minutes.

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By now, JetBlue is no stranger to crossing the pond.

After years of anticipation, the airline added its first European route map pin two years ago when it started flying between New York and London. Since then, the airline has grown its U.K. portfolio to include new routes from Boston, service to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and additional frequencies on existing routes.

In addition to the U.K. service, JetBlue started flying from New York to Paris earlier this summer, officially making the City of Lights its second European destination.

But even though JetBlue now operates on two of the busiest transatlantic routes in the world, the carrier isn't resting on its laurels. With seven Airbus A321LR, or "long-range" aircraft in the fleet (and more coming soon), it is planning a European expansion spree.

A business-class boost: Reviewing JetBlue's new Mint Suite

As a tiny player over a very big pond, JetBlue's expansion plans have met a bunch of resistance, especially in Amsterdam. To land at Schiphol, the airline formally petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as other regulatory bodies worldwide, to obtain the requisite slots, or takeoff and landing permissions.

It wasn't the most seamless process, but now that all the legalese is in the rear-view mirror, JetBlue is ready to celebrate its third European city. It's doing so with attractive round-trip fares starting at $499 in economy and $2,199 in Mint business class, a top-notch onboard experience in both cabins and a memorable inaugural celebration.

That celebration was evident from the moment I walked up to Gate 14 in JFK's Terminal 5, and it continued onboard once passengers started boarding.

Here's what it was like flying JetBlue to Amsterdam on day one.

Pre-departure party

Having just experienced JetBlue's Paris inaugural, I was expecting to be greeted at JFK by pomp and circumstance.

While there was definitely some, the pre-departure party for the Amsterdam flight felt a bit more muted than the Paris one. There were no Eiffel Towers or "CDG" letters in the check-in