JetBlue Negotiating Partnership with United Airlines, According to Sources – Reuters
This morning’s news comes after JetBlue announced yesterday (Apr. 29) that it would be partnering with another U.S. airline in the coming weeks.
(Long Island City, New York & Chicago, Illinois) JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) and United (NASDAQ: UAL) have been negotiating a partnership, according to a news story reported by Reuters earlier today (Apr. 30), and after JetBlue announced yesterday (Apr. 29) that it would be partnering with another U.S. airline in the coming weeks.
Photo of United and JetBlue airliners parked side-by-side courtesy of Bloomberg via Supply Chain Brain.
JetBlue has been seeking partnerships after a federal judge blocked its so-called Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) in 2023.
Per Reuters sources, the United-JetBlue alliance is expected to focus on providing greater connectivity to customers and allowing them to earn and burn frequent-flier miles; the two carriers will not coordinate on schedules and pricing.
Per Reuters, JetBlue has been struggling to return to sustained profitability after the COVID-19 pandemic, posting a profit in just two of the past nine quarters, and JBLU shares are down 41.71% year-to-date (JBLU shares rose 4.31% to $4.36 today as of the close).
JetBlue had also been discussing a new partnership with American Airlines, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement and American has filed a lawsuit seeking damages after the collapse of the NEA, American’s vice chair, Steve Johnson, said in a letter to employees on Monday, according to Reuters.
