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Travelers wanting to fly United Airlines (UAL-0.79%) out of busy JFK International Airport in New York City again will soon get their wish.
United flights have found a partner in JetBlue (JBLU+3.23%) and are set to return to JFK in 2027 under this agreement.
The hope is this one will pass legal scrutiny after a judge derailed a JetBlue partnership with American Airlines earlier this year.
From 2020 through 2024, American and JetBlue partnered on flights in and out of New York City and Boston. The partnership — dubbed the Northeast Alliance — allowed customers to book on either airline, and the two companies shared revenue and booking codes. Customers could also rack up reward points with either airline.
JetBlue’s new partnership with United Airlines stops short of some of the legal problems from the previous arrangement, covering just JFK and not an array of Northeast markets.
“This collaboration with United is a bold step forward for the industry — one that brings together two customer-focused airlines to deliver more choices for travelers and value across our networks,” JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said in a news release.
For United, the partnership offers a chance to return to an airport it has been absent from since 2022.
“We’re always looking for ways to give our MileagePlus members even more value and benefits and this collaboration gives them new, unique ways to use their hard-earned miles and find options that fit their schedule,” United Airlines CEO Kirby said.
According to airline industry insider website, One Mile at a Time, the new arrangement is a slot-lease and codeshare agreement, which means that JetBlue is leasing takeoff and landing slots to United at JFK, and while the agreement allows for some coordination, it lacks deep revenue sharing or strategic integration, making it less likely to run afoul of antitrust laws.
United Airlines shareholders seemed to laud the move, sending shares up 1% after the announcement, while JetBlue stakeholders were sour, seeing a drop of 5% Thursday morning.