The latest salvo in the battle of the Atlantic was fired today with the inaugural Zoom flight from Gatwick to New York JFK. The flight moved away from the gate two minutes early with 264 passengers on board, the first batch of more than 10,000 people who have booked to fly with the airline.

The new service operates daily, although the two weekend services operate via Bermuda, using 767-300 planes leaving Gatwick at lunchtime and arriving in New York in the early afternoon.

Existing carriers on the route will be worried about Zoom’s fares. Return flights during the week of 16 July, for example, cost £312 including taxes, compared with £668 on BA and £654 on Virgin.

Premium economy seats on the same flights, which give access to 36 inch seat pitch (up from 31 inches), free alcoholic drinks, increased baggage allowance (30kg up from 20kg) and shorter minimum check in (90 minutes), cost £510 including taxes.

Business fares over the Atlantic are already under pressure thanks to the all-business-class airlines. Flights on Silverjet from Luton for the same dates are £1,099 in business class while MAXjet is charging £1,174 from Stansted.

Flights in October on Zoom are even cheaper, at £215 return in economy and £373 in premium economy.

Zoom owner John Boyle said: “Today a new low-cost era has really taken off. People have been forced to pay outrageously high fares to fly between London and New York for too long. The prices charged by BA, Virgin and the American carriers on the New York route are virtually inseparable and it is high time that passengers had a better deal. We are offering savings of up to 70% on these flights.”