Summary The US-UK aviation market is thriving, with 10 airlines operating over 1,000 weekly flights between the two countries. JetBlue and United Airlines utilize narrowbody jets, including the A321LR and Boeing 757. for select US-UK routes to London and Edinburgh.
More airlines could deploy narrowbodies on transatlantic routes in the future, particularly with the A321XLR soon to enter service. The US-UK aviation market has long been one of the most lucrative global country pairings, and figures are now exceeding pre-pandemic numbers. While routes between the US and UK have typically been served by widebodies over the decades, select airlines have deployed narrowbody jets to fly transatlantically.
Below are all the US-UK routes served by narrowbodies this summer. Narrowbody US-UK flights According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium , the US-UK market is currently served by ten airlines. The largest carrier by some distance (in both frequencies and seats) is British Airways, followed by Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines.
Airlines have scheduled 1,053 weekly flights from the UK to the US, with British Airways leading the ten airlines operating on these routes. The overwhelming majority of flights are operated by widebody aircraft, including the Boeing 767, 777, 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330, A350, and even the beloved Airbus A380. However, a couple of airlines are utilizing narrowbody planes—namely, the Airbus A321 and Boeing 757—to operate a select few routes.
And, with the Airbus A321XLR due to make its debut later this year, we could see even more narrowbodies flying these routes in the future. JetBlue Five routes with the A321LR and A321 Classic JetBlue turned heads when it announced plans to break into the transatlantic market back in 2019. While this wouldn't be realized right away due to the COVID pandemic, the carrier eventually launched its first "across-the-pond" service in August 2021, connecting New York JFK (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR).
The airline now operates five US-UK routes, serving three airports in the UK - London Heathrow, London Gatwick (LGW) and Edinburgh (EDI). Additionally, it launched flights to Paris (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS) in 2023, followed by Dublin (DUB) in March 2024. Most of its flights are served by its A321LR (A321neo) fleet, as seen below: Origin Destination Distance (miles) Aircraft Type Frequency Weekly Seats Boston (BOS) London Gatwick (LGW) 3,283 A321 Daily 1,120 Boston (BOS) London Heathrow (LHR) 3,265 A321LR Daily 966 New York (JFK) Edinburgh (EDI) 3,256 A321LR Daily 966 New York (JFK) London Gatwick (LGW) 3,469 A321LR Daily 966 New York (JFK) London Heathrow (LHR) 3,452 A321LR Twice-Daily 1,932 Book flights from New York to London JetBlue's A321LRs offer a total of 138 seats, including 24 Mint suites and 114 passengers in economy.
As for its A321-200s, or A321 Classic, these planes can seat up to 160 passengers, with 14 Mint suites in business and 144 seats in economy. Are you jumping across the pond? If traveling with one of these carriers, you could be on a narrowbody aircraft. United Airlines Three routes with the B757 JetBlue isn't the only airline flying narrowbodies between the US and UK.
United Airlines has a few routes that utilize its Boeing 757-200 fleet, namely Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR) and Washington Dulles (IAD) to Edinburgh. Origin Destination Distance (miles) Aircraft Type Frequency Weekly Seats Newark (EWR) Edinburgh (EDI) 3,269 B757-200 12 per week 2,112 Washington (IAD) Edinburgh (EDI) 3,478 B757-200 Daily 1,232 Chicago (ORD) Edinburgh (EDI) 3,713 B757-200 Daily 1,232 Find flights from Newark to Edinburgh The airline's Boeing 757-200s on the above routes seat a total of 176 passengers - 16 in Polaris (business) and 160 in economy, of which 45 are Economy Plus seats..
