JetBlue and American Airlines are teaming up, announcing a strategic partnership that will boost service in the Northeast and help accelerate the two airlines' recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The carriers are promising benefits that will include new and expanded routes, additional choice and loyalty perks and an overall seamless experience. The news comes just months after American formed an alliance with Alaska Airlines and six years after JetBlue and American discontinued a similar partnership.
As part of its strategic growth, American will launch international service from New York (via JFK) to Tel Aviv and to Athens and bring back New York (via JFK) to Rio De Janeiro as a daily seasonal route in winter 2021. Meanwhile, JetBlue will add flights at LaGuardia and Newark while increasing its presence at JFK, allowing for convenient connections to American's international network.
What's more, JetBlue and American will operate reciprocal codeshare flights. As a result, customers will have new options to choose from with improved schedules, competitive fares and nonstop access to more domestic and international destinations, the carriers announced.
JetBlue gains connectivity to more U.S. destinations, a broad global network and an improved frequent flyer proposition. At the same time, American will complement JetBlue's service with new international routes. Members of both airlines' loyalty programs will also have access to new benefits.
The partnership also means that customers will be able to book a single itinerary on either website and have access to both JetBlue's Mint and American's three-class Transcon service on long-haul flights.
"Pairing JetBlue's domestic network with American's international route map creates a new competitive choice in the Northeast, where customers are longing for an alternative to the dominant network carriers," said JetBlue's president and chief operating officer Joanna Geraghty in a statement accompanying Thursday's announcement. "This partnership with American is the next step in our plan to accelerate our coronavirus recovery, get our crewmembers and our aircraft flying again, and fuel JetBlue's growth into the future."
American Airlines President Robert Isom called the partnership "an incredible opportunity."
"American has a strong history in the Northeast, and we're proud to partner with JetBlue as the latest chapter in that long history," he added. "Together, we can offer customers an industry-leading product in New York and Boston with more flights and more seats to more cities."
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