By Pablo Diaz
American and JetBlue Ink New Agreement
JetBlue Airways and American Airlines announced a new partnership on Wednesday in a joint press release that aims to create more connectivity options for passengers.
The association includes an alliance agreement that proposes codeshare benefits and loyalty programs that will improve the offers of each operator in New York and Boston, providing strategic growth and added value for customers and team members of both airlines, the press release states.
American will also launch international service from New York-FK to Tel Aviv and Athens, and the carrier’s route from JFK to Rio de Janeiro will return as a daily seasonal route in the boreal winter of 2021.
JetBlue will also bolster its growth in New York, adding flights at LaGuardia and Newark, while increasing its presence at JFK for connections to American’s international network. JetBlue plans to improve service to strategic markets on the East Coast, West Coast, and Southeast. JetBlue announced plans to shift its West Coast base to Los Angeles from Long Beach last week.
JetBlue and American will operate codeshare flights too. Travelers can opt to book an itinerary on either of the airlines’ websites.
“Pairing JetBlue’s home network with American’s international route map creates a new competitive option in the Northeast, where customers crave an alternative to dominant network operators,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer of JetBlue in a press release. “This partnership with American is the next step in our plan to accelerate our recovery from the coronavirus, make our crew members and our aircraft fly again, and fuel JetBlue’s growth in the future.”
JetBlue will not join oneworld or the AA / IAG Atlantic Joint Trade Agreement and will continue its plans to independently launch and operate transatlantic flights to London in 2021. The implementation of this alliance agreement and other arrangements are subject to government review and approval, according to the airlines.
Technology and systems expert, occasional spotter, not-so-dynamic midfielder, blogger, husband, father of three cats; he believes that Latin America’s aviation industry past, present, and future offer a lot of stories to be told.