Today marked the end of an era for JetBlue and aviation as a whole in the United States today. The New York based carrier has officially retired its last Embraer 190 jet, marking the end of the aircraft’s scheduled operations by a U.S. carrier.
JetBlue Ends Embraer 190 Operations
The final flight for the Embraer 190 in JetBlue colors took off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for a short hop up to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
The aptly numbered Flight 190 arrived at Gate C25, almost 30 minutes ahead of schedule, marking the end of scheduled service for the aircraft type. While I’m not sure if this was on purpose, knowing the carrier I believe it is, the aircraft that operated the final flight, N329JB, is appropriately named My Other Ride is a JetBlue A320.
JetBlue hosted events in New York and Boston to commemorate the final flight and the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Warren Christie, captained the final flight. Christie was the pilot for the first E190 flight back in 2005. When asked about the final flight, Christie stated:
“I am proud to operate today’s flight, as it marks a significant evolution of our fleet. The E190 was instrumental in our early years and proved to deliver on critical connectivity in short-haul markets, allowing us to grow into new regions, especially in our New York and Boston focus cities. As one of the originating crewmembers to launch the E190 at JetBlue, it is an honor to pilot our final E190 revenue flight.”
JetBlue Transitions to an All Airbus Fleet
With the final revenue flight of the Embraer 190, JetBlue has officially transitioned to an all Airbus fleet. The carrier recently took delivery of its 50th Airbus A220, though it has postponed some A321 deliveries as it evaluates changing business needs.
The incoming A220s replace the E190s and offer forty more seats per aircraft. JetBlue’s E190s were equipped with 100 seats while its A220-300s have 140 seats onboard. JetBlue currently has 48 yet to be delivered A220-300s and roughly 50 Airbus A321 aircraft on the books.
Summary
JetBlue, the final U.S. operator of the Embraer 190, flew its last flight with the jet between New York and Boston today. With the removal of the E190, JetBlue has transitioned to an all Airbus fleet.
(Images courtesy JetBlue)