Throughout the subsequent two months, JetBlue is anticipated to announce its subsequent main airline partnership, executives stated this week.
Now, hypothesis is swirling over which airline that will probably be — and what it would imply for frequent flyers.
Talking on the corporate’s first-quarter earnings name Tuesday, JetBlue President Marty St. George stated that the airline deliberate to announce its latest tie-up with one other main provider by the top of the second quarter, which runs by way of the top of June.
“I believe we’re getting very shut to creating an announcement,” St. George stated. “We have now made good progress on discussions.”
The airline in query, St. George stated, will probably be a home U.S. provider that has a much bigger community than JetBlue.
Solely 5 match that class: the “Massive Three” legacy U.S. carriers, together with Southwest Airways and Alaska Airways.
It isn’t Alaska, TPG confirmed.
It is also not American, JetBlue’s former Northeast Alliance associate, because the provider stated on Monday that talks between it and JetBlue about a revived partnership fell aside (and it is now suing JetBlue).
Including gas to the hypothesis: Reuters on Tuesday reported that JetBlue is, in reality, in talks with one other main provider, United Airways, citing sources conversant in the reportedly ongoing negotiations. TPG has not independently verified that reporting, and each carriers have declined to touch upon the reported talks.
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Requested in regards to the stories, a JetBlue spokesperson deferred to commentary on this week’s earnings name.
As TPG reported on Tuesday, throughout that decision, JetBlue leaders stated that they hoped a brand new airline partnership would open up new locations for vacationers hoping to earn and redeem JetBlue TrueBlue factors. The thought: to primarily broaden the community of an airline that bases a good portion of its operation on the East Coast.
“Only a type of higher alternative for our prospects to fly extra locations with extra frequency,” St. George stated.
For months, JetBlue has publicly acknowledged that it hopes to discover a new airline associate that might largely fill a void created in 2023 when a federal choose ordered the top of its NEA with American on antitrust grounds.
Final 12 months, JetBlue introduced a complete technique known as “JetForward” meant to return the airline to profitability. The plan included the airline’s new airport lounges set to open later this 12 months, its new home first-class seats and a partnership with one other airline.
However, in accordance with St. George, the deal JetBlue is now eyeing is larger than what the corporate had anticipated final 12 months.
“We do have a quantity in JetForward for partnerships,” he advised analysts Tuesday whereas talking in regards to the potential monetary profit. “It’s a quantity that doesn’t assume a partnership of this dimension.”
For its half, JetBlue already has a handful of loyalty partnerships that permit TrueBlue members to earn and redeem factors with worldwide carriers, from Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways within the Center East to Singapore Airways in Asia. Final week, the provider introduced a brand new loyalty deal with Japan Airways that rapidly introduced JetBlue loyalists with new sweet-spot redemption alternatives on flights to Asia.
