Passengers win as JetBlue, Delta slug it out in Boston

Boston Logan International is the locus of a full-tilt contest between two U.S. East Coast heavyweights: JetBlue and Delta Air Lines. The winner is the flying public. Just now JetBlue leads in terms of number of flights flown and destinations served. This spring,  the high-frills/low-cost airline fielded some 150 daily flights from Boston (BOS), with nonstop service to 60 destinations. JetBlue’s plans are to raise that number to 200 daily departures. Possibly in the offing, once JetBlue takes delivery of its first long-haul A321neos (new engine option),  is nonstop service to Europe from the East Coast. BOS is a beautiful launch pad for the flights with Amsterdam a 3,444 mile (5543km) trip from Logan and New York JFK  just  3,634 miles away. Delta already flies the route. More immediately, JetBlue is laying on more domestic service soon. Starting October,  the carrier is set to add extra flights to Florida, with one more daily departure each to Jacksonville, Palm Beach and Fort Myers. Other additions this October include a fourth daily ‘Mint’ flight to Los Angeles. Delta is not backing off.   By October 2017,  there will be 103-peak day departures out of Boston, an increase of 20 more flights vs. July 2016. Together with its partner airlines, Delta will serve some 47 airports from Boston by February of next year. Look for new nonstops to Pittsburgh and New Orleans. BOS flights to the latter will be seasonal. Delta’s Boston menu includes several new 2017 nonstop routes: Tampa, Dublin, San Francisco, Buffalo, Austin, Kansas City, Jacksonville and Norfolk.