The A320 has varying ranges depending on configuration, but let's start with the fact that BOS-OAK is at least 2345 nm. (That's with exceptionally favorable routing.)
Airliners.net says that range is up to 3065 nm (with the V2500 engines, which is what JB's got) with an "economical cruising speed" of 454 knots at 37,000 feet. Ignoring the climb and descent times/burns for a moment, 3065 nm at 454 knots is almost exactly 6 3/4 hours of endurance (time aloft), which is really what you want to go by. (Airplanes don't really have ranges. They have endurance times. If the headwind exactly equals your forward airspeed, then your range is zero.
)
Now let's add a headwind and do some back-of-the-envelope math with 2345 nm. Suppose there's an 90 knot headwind. That takes the forward ground speed down to 364 knots. And that would require just under 6 1/2 hours of endurance to fly BOS-OAK. You can do similar calculations for different headwinds.
Anyway, you get the picture. Basically, throw in a heavy-duty headwind (which happens in winter) and they
could be having problems making the distance.
There's a version of the 737-700 that (according to the same web site) can do 3260 nm range. (Excluding the BBJ variants.) But that's the only one that'll go farther than the A320 on full tanks. And there's a non-corporate A319 variant (common type rating with A320) that'll go farther than a 737-700, so you could play that game forever.
By the way, to see what the "real" computer says, for a little more back-of-the-envelope precision, I just went to DUATS and ran the numbers. (DUATS is the FAA's flight plan filing system.) For you geeks in the house I let DUATS pick the regular jet airway routing using extremely favorable (and therefore unlikely
) BOS and OAK VOR transitions to the jet airways (since I have no clue what you'd really get). That's the 2345 nm distance, which is almost certainly the shortest clearance you could hope for. Then I assumed 2000 foot/minute rates of climb and descent, 250 knots forward speed for both, and 37000 foot cruise at 454 knots. (Those assumptions are probably "close enough" for these purposes. I'm not sure 37K is the appropriate altitude, though, but I'm assuming everything in the aircraft's favor here.) I picked today (January 2, 2005) with a departure time of 1700 UTC. And guess what? DUATS says that trip, with prevailing and forecast winds, ought to take 6 hours and 33 minutes. Headwinds at that altitude over that route are expected to hit a peak average of 116 knots straight out of the west between the Badger VOR (near Milwaukee) and MCW (Mason City, Iowa) -- which is not helpful.
So you can see how JetBlue might have trouble over that route right now. That's a stiff headwind, although it does happen in the winter. (I had a ~70 knot headwind at 4,000 feet once. Near the Badger VOR, as it happens.) If you're the pilot looking at around 12 minutes before you start to dip into minimum legally required reserve fuel, do you really want to take your chances that everything is going to go
perfectly, including the shortest possible route clearance and zero air traffic control delays? A fuel stop is prudent in these circumstances.