JetBlue and American Airlines Advance Strategic Alliance Following Regulatory Review

JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) and American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) today announced their strategic alliance is moving ahead following review by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Both carriers will begin implementing key aspects of this innovative and customer-focused alliance in phases, offering more seamless connectivity and better travel choices on routes to and from New York (JFK, LGA and EWR) and Boston (BOS). The carriers also expect this alliance will accelerate each airline’s recovery from the pandemic as customers are attracted to the expansion of options and enhanced service.

“Due to the COVID crisis, I fought for and delivered over $40 billion in payroll support to the airlines and its workers to keep the industry from collapsing and prevent massive job loss,” said incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “I am glad to see JetBlue and American Airlines collaborating on innovative solutions to save thousands more jobs in a way that also expands New Yorkers’ travel options.”

“Through this alliance, we are one step closer to bringing customers even more competition in the Northeast, especially on routes currently served by only one airline with high fares and poor service,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning at JetBlue. “Customers who love the JetBlue experience can look forward to significant growth at LaGuardia and similarly up to 70 daily flights at Newark, as well as seamless connections onto American’s long-haul network in and out of New York and Boston.”

“With this alliance, American and JetBlue will operate the biggest network for our customers in the Northeast, which will allow American to grow our mainline operations as we recover from the pandemic,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Chief Revenue Officer. “We are already planning to launch new international routes to Athens and Tel Aviv this summer, which are just two of many new routes we plan to launch.”

Important components of the alliance will be introduced starting in the first quarter of 2021 and phased in over the course of the year:

• Seamless customer experience
  With each element of the alliance, customers flying in and out of New York and Boston will enjoy a more seamless experience across both airlines, including the ability to book a single itinerary on either website, access to the alliance’s significant global network, convenient connections, access to loyalty benefits and an improved on-the-ground experience — resulting in a compelling proposition for both leisure and corporate customers.
• Network alignment in the Northeast