- American Airlines and JetBlue Airways continue a partnership in the northeastern United States.
- The two will coordinate better in the region, adding a total of 33 local and international routes.
- Holders of elite status will also be able to earn and redeem miles on each airline.
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American Airlines and JetBlue Airways are joining forces in the Northeast as part of an alliance that creates new routes, schedules, regular flight programs and more.
The duo continues with the first phase of a ‘Northeastern alliance’ following a regulatory review by the Department of Transport that took place in January. JetBlue and US flight codes will be placed on more than 70 flights between the two airlines under a code-sharing agreement, which allows customers to book certain flights on the airline or on the website.
“Our alliance with American opens the door for JetBlue to successfully enter new markets, offering more choices and our award-winning service and low rates to more customers,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning at JetBlue.
American has joined forces with coastal services such as JetBlue on the East Coast and Alaska Airlines on the West Coast to fill the gaps in its route network. Both US and JetBlue will add 33 new routes combined with domestic and international destinations as the journey slowly bounces back with COVID-19 vaccine development and increasing testing for access options abroad.
This is where travelers will see the biggest differences.
New routes from the Northeast
JetBlue is adding 15 new routes to New York’s three major airports, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia. American, in turn, will add 18 new routes from Kennedy International and LaGuardia, as well as JetBlue’s stronghold at Logan International Airport in Boston.
From Kennedy International, two new JetBlue routes will be added to Boise, Idaho and Kalispell, Montana, in July. Both are located in the mountainous west, a region that became popular during the pandemic because Americans are taking social distance.
On American, new routes from Kennedy to the Colombian cities of Cali, Bogota and Medellin; Santiago, Chile; Saint Lucia; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos will launch in May and June. Previously announced routes from New York to Tel Aviv, Israel, Athens, Greece and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also start this year.
American will also give New York City its first non-stop link to Orange County, California, as the airline adds a new route from Kennedy from July 2. The daily flight is operated by the ultra-premium American Airbus A321 aircraft with first-class, business-class and economy-class seats.
Newark will see ten new routes to Antigua’s current JetBlue recreational destinations; Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; Cartagena, Colombia; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Seattle; Saint Lucia; and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The new routes start on July 1st.
LaGuardia will receive more routes across the East Coast and to the west. JetBlue flights to Charleston, South Carolina; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; and Denver also begins on July 1, while American will begin and resume summer season flights to Key West Florida; Pensacola, Florida; Rapid City, South Dakota; Kansas City, Missouri; and Savannah, Georgia in June.
And from Boston, American also flies to Asheville, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Traverse City, Michigan; and Wilmington, North Carolina this summer.
Better schedules and more first class
The two airlines coordinate schedules in key markets so passengers can make more choices as they fly. Americans will see six segments in particular, especially Boston-South Florida, Boston-Washington, New York-Washington, New York-Boston, New York-South Florida and New York-California.
JetBlue kites will notice the difference in the segments Boston-Los Angeles, Boston-Chicago, New York-San Francisco, New York-Atlanta, New York-Dallas, New York-Chicago and New York-Raleigh, North Carolina.
On the popular route between New York and Los Angeles, for example, the airlines will offer 14 daily flights together. Both American and JetBlue manage the route with Airbus A321 business-class cabins.
American also plans to offer first-class on all its flights originating from New York, as it retires smaller regional aircraft such as the Embraer ERJ145. JetBlue currently offers business class on select routes to popular destinations.
Loyalty has its benefits
Regular carriers from both carriers will also benefit as they can earn miles if they fly this spring. Both airlines will soon allow customers to use points and miles to book award tickets on each other’s flights, but the functionality will come “over time”.
A JetBlue loyalist might book an award ticket from New York to Tel Aviv on American, as Israel is currently outside JetBlue’s scope of service.
Holders of elite status can also receive mutual benefits if they travel on the two, but specifically, including whether it includes complementary first-class upgrades, has yet to be announced.
JetBlue Elite does not currently receive any upgrades in the luxury Mint business class cabin, while American offers its status holders free upgrades on select flights. Upgrades are a major benefit of regular flights that keep customers loyal to a particular airline, as a single upgrade can be worth hundreds of dollars and provide free meals, early boarding opportunities and even free lounge access.
Better options for single travelers
The codeshare agreement opens the door to single travel bookings for connecting flights, simplifying the travel experience for those unable to reach America or JetBlue alone.
A JetBlue pilot in Buffalo, for example, can book a one-time trip from New York to Athens, Greece, with a mix of JetBlue and US flights under one itinerary.
The move also eliminates the need for self-connections between the two airlines where passengers book two separate tickets. This is a common practice, but it can have disadvantages if one of the flights is canceled or delayed.
Flights can already be booked under the code sharing agreement starting on 25 February.