JetBlue to announce partnership with US carrier after deal with American Airlines collapsed in acrimony

[ad_1] JetBlue introduced an upcoming partnership with a significant U.S. airline can be revealed later this 12 months (Getty Photos) JetBlue Airways is reportedly getting ready to announce a partnership with one other U.S. airline, based on the provider's president.

The Tuesday announcement has left these within the business questioning which provider will accomplice with JetBlue. The corporate tried to accumulate Spirit Airways final 12 months, however the transfer was blocked by the Justice Division. It was additionally in talks to accomplice with American Airways, however that plan fell aside after it misplaced an antitrust lawsuit in 2023.

The airline, based mostly in New York, has reportedly been in talks with a number of carriers for a partnership. The corporate's president. Marty St George, mentioned throughout an earnings name that the corporate expects to announce which provider it should accomplice with someday this quarter, based on CNBC.

He mentioned the bigger community offered by the accomplice firm will enable JetBlue's clients to earn and use loyalty factors on JetBlue flights.

“If you're a buyer within the Northeast and you like JetBlue for leisure, however twice a 12 months it's a must to go to Omaha or Boise, these are locations that you could’t earn TrueBlue factors on now and when this partnership goes ahead, it is possible for you to to,” the president mentioned.

CNBC spoke to Alaska Airways, which mentioned it doesn't have any plans to accomplice with JetBlue and is targeted as a substitute on its merger with Hawaiian Airways.

The outlet additionally spoke to Southwest Airways, which declined to supply a remark, and Delta Air Strains, which mentioned there was no pending announcement for a partnership.

American Airways had beforehand been in talks to accomplice with the corporate, however an antitrust lawsuit stopped that improvement.

On Monday, American Airways introduced that it was suing JetBlue following the collapse of the proposed partnership. The airline's vice chair and chief technique officer Steve Johnson mentioned the airline made a "very enticing proposition" throughout the talks, however mentioned that JetBlue was "centered on totally different enterprise priorities."

"In the end, we have been unable to agree on a assemble that preserved the advantages of the partnership we envisioned, made sense operationally or financially, or was in keeping with the journey rewards and co-branded card enterprise aims which are so necessary to our technique and our clients," he mentioned.

The lawsuit seeks to "get better cash owed to American" after the proposed partnership dissolved.

A JetBlue spokesperson informed Axios that the corporate is reviewing American Airways grievance however didn't provide additional remark on account of pending litigation.

"We have beforehand mentioned we're speaking to a number of airways a few new partnership," the spokesperson mentioned. "We've got been making good progress and count on to announce a partnership settlement within the second quarter."