JetBlue takes first A220

Already flying with Delta, JetBlue Airways has become the second US airline to receive the Airbus A220.  It is the first of 70 on order offering 25 ‘Mint’ seats and 115 in coach class.

The A220 comes as part of a fleet renewal that will see JetBlue retire its smallest jet, the Embraer E190.  The first routes are planned out of JetBlue's Boston hub, but the introduction was made on New Year’s Eve at New York Kennedy airport with a direct flight from the Airbus facility at Mobile Alabama.  

The new plane, which remains nameless for the time being but wears the registration N3008J, was delivered painted in JetBlue's instantly-recognisable blue and white livery but sports a new tail design. The pattern is called ‘hops’, the term for the flights that make up a larger journey, as the curved lines resemble airline routes.

Each new JetBlue aircraft type receives a new tail design, a trend that started with the arrival of the Airbus A321 in 2013. Passengers seated near the wings of the A220 will also notice the design is also painted on the aircraft's wing attachments, known as winglets, in a first for a JetBlue aircraft.

Powering the aircraft are two Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines, the A220 reduces fuel burn by 40% compared to the aircraft it replaces according to the airline. Noise levels are reduced by half.

JetBlue has not yet unveiled the interior of the aircraft, but customers are not likely to be disappointed as the airline has been steadily improving its onboard product.

"The interior of JetBlue's A220 will be as impressive as the operating capabilities of the aircraft," the airline said in a statement. "Customers will also enjoy an elevated inflight experience with wider seats, spacious overhead bins, and extra-large windows."

The A220’s arrival comes at an exciting time for the airline as it introduces a new service offering for Mint business class and prepares to head overseas with flights to London later this year (See BTN 7 December 2020).

www.jetblue.com

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John Davidson, France

Your sentence construction is a bit awkward! "JetBlue takes first A220 Already flying with Delta, JetBlue Airways has become the second US airline to receive the Airbus A220. It is the first of 70 on order offering 25 ‘Mint’ seats and 115 in coach class." "Already flying with Delta, JetBlue Airways...' Means that JetBlue Airways is already flying with Delta, which you certainly don't want to say. You should write: "Already flying with Delta, the A220 is now joining the fleet of...." Good luck.