B6/AA Codeshare...is AS Next for DL or UA?
Despite the biting Northeast winter, the heat is on. That is for airlines operating in one of the most important markets in the country.
On Thursday, American Airlines and JetBlue unveiled a major network alignment to kick off the Northeast-focused tie-up, including nearly 80 codeshares, 33 new domestic and international routes, schedule coordination and more.
The first codeshare begins Feb. 25, roughly a month since receiving regulatory approval in mid-January and just days after the JetBlue pilots rejected the proposed agreement.
The first set of codeshares
Starting on Thursday, customers can purchase domestic flights operated by JetBlue through American’s booking channels and vice versa for flights beginning on Feb. 25. AA is putting its code on 49 JetBlue routes, while JetBlue is putting its code on more than 25 American routes.
The airlines intend to grow the codeshare to include international flights soon, including the new routes below, subject to government approval.
At the outset, codesharing will be limited to point-to-point markets, like New York-JFK to Salt Lake City (SLC), but the new partners promise to add more Northeast markets, as well as connecting itineraries throughout the first half of 2021.
All eligible codeshare flights are bookable both on AA.com and JetBlue.com. For now, customers flying on codeshares will earn miles with the carrier through which they purchased the ticket.
Both airlines promise to introduce reciprocal mileage earning benefits this spring — meaning that you could purchase an AA flight and choose to credit it to JetBlue’s TrueBlue program and vice versa.
There’s no firm timeline yet for when customers can redeem points or miles on either carrier. Both airlines are also working through reciprocal elite benefits, with more details promised for later this year.
Related: Frenemies American, JetBlue will ease connections at JFK, but scuffle in South Florida
33 new domestic and international routes
The Northeast Alliance is fueling significant growth for both airlines with a slew of new routes from both the New York and Boston areas.
