JetBlue’s Latest Bid For Growth: A Codeshare With British Airways

JetBlue is seeking a codeshare with British Airways, which would allow the two carriers to significantly expand their networks in the U.S. and Europe. 

The proposal, filed with the Department of Transportation on Wednesday, would allow the two to codeshare flights for 92 destinations, including 39 from New York and 36 from Boston. There are also 17 European destinations listed in the agreement, which include Munich, Stockholm, Oslo, Lisbon and Copenhagen. 

The codeshare was first reported by Paxex Aero, an industry news website. 

Airlines typically use codeshare agreements, which allow them to sell other carriers’ flights, as a way to expand in areas outside their network. 

“With the new codeshare, customers will be able to seamlessly book a single ticket for travel on both airlines, providing an expanded network of destinations across Europe and the U.S.,” JetBlue said in a statement.

British Airways said in a statement it believed the codeshare would give customers more choice for transatlantic travel.

It’s unclear from the filing whether the codeshare will also include any reciprocal loyalty program benefits. 

JetBlue May Get More Europe Access

If approved, the codeshare would give JetBlue significantly more access to Europe. The New York-based carrier had expanded its presence in Europe in recent years, with flights to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Edinburgh. 

While JetBlue executives previously said transatlantic flights have been successful for the company, the airline is now cutting capacity in the region under new CEO Joanna Geraghty’s leadership. 

JetBlue already scrapped winter flights to London Gatwick and plans to reduce capacity between New York and Paris during the offseason. Geraghty has not indicated whether JetBlue would plan to add more European destinations to its network. 

“Now that we’ve kind of cycled through the markets that are large European destinations that we did not serve out of New York and Boston,” she said at the JPMorgan Industrials Conference March 12, “I think we’re going to be far more opportunistic in terms of what we’re doing.”

Coming Out of the Northeast Alliance

The proposed codeshare comes after a federal judge struck down the Northeast Alliance, JetBlue’s partnership with American Airlines where the two coordinated schedules and routes. 

American also has a decades-old codeshare with British Airways. Since American has a limited presence in the New York area, a JetBlue codeshare would allow British Airways to expand its Northeast offerings. 

Even though the Northeast Alliance was struck down, neither JetBlue nor American have ruled out a similar partnership in the future. 

Geraghty said a potential alliance, whether with American or a different carrier, “may be something we’re interested in somewhere down the road.” American appealed the judge’s ruling on the Northeast Alliance, but JetBlue didn’t join at the time to focus on its merger with Spirit Airlines. 

American did not comment on if it played a role in the proposed JetBlue-British Airways codeshare. 

“The new BA/B6 codeshare provides more options for transatlantic travel, which travelers can appreciate, whether flying on the Atlantic Joint Business or otherwise,” American said in a statement.