United Airlines and JetBlue Airways announced a new collaboration on Thursday. Called Blue Sky, the agreement benefits JetBlue and United customers alike and includes a slight redistribution of the airlines’ flying networks in the New York area.
The Blue Sky collaboration is somewhat similar to JetBlue’s recent partnership with American Airlines, which was struck down in a federal lawsuit in 2023. Unlike that partnership, United and JetBlue will not collaborate on pricing or schedules at airports where both airlines fly, and the airlines will not codeshare flights (which is when both airlines provide a flight number for a given flight, no matter which airline operates it).
One of the biggest gains for United from this new collaboration is that it will lease seven takeoff and landing slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from JetBlue. JetBlue and United will also exchange the timings of eight daily flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, where takeoffs and landings are metered out but not slot-constrained as they are at JFK.
The beleaguered New Jersey airport has been beset with issues this year, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce the number of flights allowed into and out of the hub. That came after air traffic control outages caused a long-simmering air traffic controller shortage to boil over, leading to numerous delays and cancellations. United has already cut 35 daily departures, representing about 10 percent of its Newark flights.
United will return to JFK after leaving most recently in 2022, though it said at the time the departure was temporary. This return will not happen until 2027 at the earliest, when the airport’s shiny new Terminal 6 is scheduled to be completed; it’s being built alongside JetBlue’s hub at Terminal 5 and will be connected to it.
“This actually will help make JetBlue a stronger competitor to Delta and American at JFK because now United Airlines customers who may live in certain parts of New York … might be more inclined to fly JetBlue once the reciprocal loyalty program is implemented,” Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Afar. “That will force American and Delta to work harder to compete for customers for their airlines.”
Meanwhile, passengers will be able to benefit from the strength of both airlines’ networks when booking flights. A new interline agreement will allow passengers to buy flights for JetBlue via United.com and its mobile app and vice versa, and passengers will be able to fly on both airlines on a single itinerary.
“For travelers who often fly with JetBlue, the addition of an interline agreement with United not just offers more choice in terms of destinations, but can be uber helpful when things go awry,” said Katy Nastro, travel expert and spokesperson for the Going app. For instance, she added, “having the ability to rebook [JetBlue] customers who are dealing with significant delays and cancellations onto United flights offers way more options during already stressful times.”
That means JetBlue fliers will be able to book flights on United’s much larger network, while those loyal to United can tap into JetBlue’s much larger presence at JFK as well as in New England and Florida.
Another key aspect of the Blue Sky agreement is the ability to earn and use JetBlue TrueBlue points on United flights, and United’s MileagePlus miles on most JetBlue flights. United didn’t say which JetBlue flights are excluded but did tell Afar that JetBlue’s transatlantic Europe flights will be included.
United and JetBlue released a chart detailing the reciprocal benefits of the Blue Sky agreement.
Courtesy of United Airlines
Customers will be able to earn elite credit, and those with elite status will receive loyalty perks when flying on flights with the other airline, such as priority boarding, free checked bags, and selection of preferred seats. There’s even an opportunity to get bumped up to a seat with extra legroom upon check-in—to EvenMore on JetBlue and Economy Plus on United. Two notable exceptions: There will be no reciprocal upgrades for elites hoping to get bumped up to first class on United or Mint on JetBlue (JetBlue’s version of business), and there has been no mention of reciprocal lounge access.
“This is a relationship that will strengthen United and JetBlue, yet the two airlines remain independent,” Harteveldt said. “They will compete for the same customers.”
When is it coming, and what’s next?
Don’t expect Blue Sky to be implemented immediately. The announcement indicates that certain aspects of the program will go into effect later this year, with more details forthcoming, but the airlines did not offer a specific timeline. The interline agreement, for example, will require a lot of backend development to integrate the two airlines’ systems, Hardtveldt noted.
Two domestic airlines entering into a collaboration always sparks the question: Is this going to result in a merger down the line? United CEO Scott Kirby has already expressed his reluctance about a merger in an interview at an event Thursday, but there’s no way to know for sure at this point. Still, mergers are risky, as JetBlue’s ultimately doomed proposed merger with Spirit Airlines can attest.
“This is very much an arms-length relationship, but there is a firm handshake between the two airlines,” Harteveldt said. “I believe that this is the start of what will become a much closer relationship between JetBlue and United once they get the initial pieces of this implemented.”
