As many European cities continue to welcome record numbers of travelers from the U.S., airlines are seeing increased demand for direct service to cities that would have previously only been accessible to transatlantic travelers by transfer.
Over the summer, Delta Air Lines announced a new route to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto that will start running in May 2026, while American Airlines is also adding new cities such as Budapest and Prague to its network for next summer from several U.S. cities.
After launching new routes to Edinburgh and Madrid earlier this year, JetBlue Airways is leaning even further into its service out of Beantown, with two flights to Barcelona and Milan that launch in spring 2026.
Customers “gain access to two of Europe’s most iconic cities,” JetBlue says
The new flight to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) is set to launch on April 16, and the flight to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) will follow a month later on May 11.
Both seasonal routes will be retired in October after the summer travel season and will bring JetBlue’s total number of European destinations to eight (the airline first launched its transatlantic service in 2021 with a flight to London).
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“With the addition of Barcelona and Milan to JetBlue’s map, customers from across JetBlue’s network gain access to two of Europe’s most iconic cities: Barcelona, known for its art, architecture, and Mediterranean charm; and Milan, celebrated as Northern Italy’s fashion and design capital and gateway to Lake Como,” the airline writes of its choice of cities.
“Together, these destinations offer vibrant culture, world-class cuisine, and the stunning landscapes of the Mediterranean and the Alps.”
JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said in a statement that the airline is “proud to continue delivering incredible value and style on both sides of the Atlantic.”
JetBlue also launched new flights to Edinburgh and Madrid earlier in 2025.
New JetBlue flights to Barcelona, Milan: ticket prices and other things to know
Early tickets will go on sale on November 20, and pricing on these two routes will become available then. Both flights will run on an Airbus A321 plane featuring 24 Mint seats with lie-flat beds and 114 regular economy seats.
Both flights will also run daily until service is retired in October, while European routes that run year-round include London (LHR) and Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) from JFK, as well as another CDG flight from Boston.
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Seasonal routes to Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Dublin will also resume progressively in April and May of next year.
In explaining the decision to hone in on Italy and Spain, JetBlue cited growing traveler numbers and demand. The 22.3 million international visitors who came to the latter country during the summer months of 2025 set a new record.
Italy is also set to break tourism records by the time the full-year numbers are calculated, while Boston is one of JetBlue’s core Northeast hubs from which it seeks to build its leisure travel network.
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