A while back, we wrote about how you can quickly tell whether you’re looking at a Boeing or Airbus aircraft just by glancing at a few key design features (that post is here).
But there’s one plane where that trick doesn’t work: the Airbus A220.
I realized this recently, thanks to my wife’s ongoing JetBlue 25-for-25 challenge (check out her first seven airports here). She’s been flying on a bunch of JetBlue A220s. When she sent me a photo of her plane at the gate, my first thought was: that doesn’t look like an Airbus.
JetBlue’s Fleet: What We Usually See
Most of our JetBlue flights over the years have been on the airline’s A320 or A321 variants.
JetBlue Airbus A320 with JetBlue Vacations livery.
On one trip to New York, we even flew an Embraer E190 (review here)—a type now retired from JetBlue’s fleet in favor of the A220. Here’s coverage of the airframe’s farewell flight.
JetBlue Embraer E190 — retired and replaced by the A220.
The A220 entered JetBlue’s lineup in late 2020, with the first delivery arriving just before the New Year.
Why the A220 Doesn’t Look Like Other Airbus Planes
Here’s the catch: the A220 wasn’t really an Airbus to begin with.
The aircraft began its life as the Bombardier CSeries, a development by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier as its entry into the 100–150 seat market, directly competing with Airbus and Boeing.
But the program quickly ran into trouble: soaring development costs, international trade disputes, and political drama. After years of back-and-forth (including a fight with Boeing that even pulled in the U.S. government), Airbus stepped in and took over the struggling program. They rebranded the CSeries as the A220, relocated some production to the U.S., and integrated it into their lineup (deep dive here).
So if you look at an A220 and think, That doesn’t look like an Airbus, you’re right. You’re seeing Bombardier’s design DNA.
A Passenger-Friendly Plane
From the inside, the A220 is also a little different. Instead of the usual 3–3 seating found on most narrowbodies, it has a 2–3 layout. That means fewer dreaded middle seats and a cabin that feels more open and comfortable.
For JetBlue, the A220 is the perfect replacement for the retired E190: it’s fuel-efficient, right-sized for medium-haul routes, and far more passenger-friendly.
Final Thought
So while the A220 now wears Airbus branding, it’s not your typical Airbus design. It’s a Canadian-born aircraft with a complicated history that eventually found a home under the Airbus umbrella.
If you’re flying JetBlue and board a plane that doesn’t look like the usual A320 family, chances are you’re on an A220—and that’s a very good thing.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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