California, here we come! United Airlines returned to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on March 28, 2021, resuming service to both San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX). In 2015, United left JFK to consolidate service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), but just a few years later the airline's CEO Scott Kirby said giving up premium slots to competitors was a mistake. He said. Now, just five years after the last United flight departed from JFK, the airline has returned to the New York airport.
United held a special event at the gate to commemorate both first arrivals and first departures. Flight UA514 from Los Angeles arrived at JFK's Terminal 7 as a 767-300 with registration number N670UA, and was greeted with cheers of congratulations by passengers as they disembarked. This included a torch passing ceremony symbolizing the resumption of coast-to-coast services. The outbound flight was heading to San Francisco and was completely full.
United currently operates round-trip flights to each West Coast airport five days a week. The airline plans to double the number of flights as demand increases due to the slump in air travel caused by COVID-19. On its JFK flights, United will use Boeing 767-300s in a premium “High J” configuration that includes 46 Polaris business class seats, 22 Premium Plus seats, 43 extra legroom Economy Plus seats, and 56 regular economy seats. It is scheduled to operate.
“United’s return to JFK reflects not only our strong commitment to the New York City region, but also our commitment to increasing service to where our customers want to fly,” said Ankit Gupta, vice president of domestic network planning and scheduling. “With the addition of JFK, United now offers unparalleled service, greater convenience, more choice and a best-in-class product for travelers across New York City as they return to the skies.”