US’s JetBlue Airways seeks new partnership deals

JetBlue Airways is pursuing new potential partnerships with multiple airlines to increase its competitive position in the industry. The new initiative follows recent setbacks after federal judges blocked the JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines merger in 2024 and its partnership with American Airlines in 2023.

JetBlue’s New Partnership Deals

The company’s president, Marty St. George, revealed during a Barclays industrial conference that JetBlue Airways will be in contact with “multiple airlines” about new partnership opportunities. He stated:

If we find a deal that’s accretive, we’ll absolutely do it.

St. George has also said that JetBlue has allocated funds within its JetForward plan to support potential partnerships, as a new alliance would have many advantages. A new partnership would improve JetBlue’s loyalty program, TrueBlue, by offering customers expanded options and benefits.

We’re very happy with where TrueBlue revenues have been […]. But we think that there’s a lot of upside, given that we really don’t have full global earn and burn. I think to be able to add that to our network would be very, very helpful.

There is speculation that there will be a large-scale merger between JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines. The rumours began circulating after Southwest Airlines’ decision to lay off 15 percent of its corporate staff, potentially laying the foundation for a future merger. Neither airline has commented on the topic.

Previous Partnership Attempts

JetBlue Airways attempted to merge with Spirit Airlines in 2022. The $3.8 billion merger was blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) due to concerns over its impact on competition in the airline sector. William Young, a U.S. district judge in Boston, ruled against the merger, citing concerns about the availability of low-priced tickets. He concluded that travellers who rely on Spirit Airlines’ cheaper fares would be harmed by the acquisition.

If the proposed JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines merger had been successful, it would have created the fifth-largest carrier in the United States, increasing JetBlue’s competitive position in the industry.

JetBlue Airways also planned a partnership with American Airlines, establishing the Northeast Alliance (NEA) in 2020 as a way to improve their competitive position in the industry. This alliance was blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice, similar to their ruling against the Spirit merger, because of its threat to competition and the likelihood that it would lead to higher fares and fewer choices for consumers.

What airline do you think Jetblue will partner with in the future? Let us know in the comments below!