JetBlue and British Airways May Be Partnering Up to Expand Their Networks — What That'll Mean for Travelers

24.05.2024 - 19:29 / travelandleisure.com / Spirit Airlines

JetBlue and British Airways have submitted a codeshare agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), hoping to make travel easier for fliers across the Atlantic. 

“We are always looking for new ways to offer our customers more choice when traveling,” JetBlue shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure. “With the new codeshare, customers will be able to seamlessly book a single ticket for travel on both airlines, providing an expanded network of destinations across Europe and the U.S.”

The codeshare partnership, filed on Wednesday, proposes both airlines leverage their unique route networks and fly to nearly 100 destinations across the U.S. and Europe. This would allow travelers to fly from 75 domestic airports in JetBlue’s network, such as Charleston and Syracuse, and cover 17 cities British Airways serves, including Copenhagen and Lisbon.

JetBlue’s hubs are heavily focused on the Northeast, as its transatlantic flights depart from New York and Boston. Since JetBlue launched its first-ever routes to London in 2021, it now offers flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin, and, most recently, Edinburgh. 

The news of the codeshare agreement comes as JetBlue recently announced it would cut back daily transatlantic frequencies during the slower winter season. If approved, this agreement would benefit JetBlue to maintain capacity on the routes by flying codeshare passengers year-round.

The past year has been marked by JetBlue’s unsuccessful tie-ups with American Airlines and Spirit Airlines — and on separate occasions. The Northeast Alliance between JetBlue and American, which had added more flights out of New York and Boston, was dissolved last summer due to antitrust violations. Then, in January, a federal judge blocked JetBlue's proposed merger with Spirit, which was proposed to make the fifth-largest airline in the country.

British Airways shared with Travel + Leisure the agreement with JetBlue would give its travelers more choice. As one of the largest members of the Oneworld alliance, British Airways operates existing codeshare flights with major domestic competitors American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.