It has been christened the Northeast Alliance "and it took shape on 25 February. This is theStrategic alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue which was announced at the beginning of January. An alliance which, according toAmerican and JetBluewill enable them to accelerate their financial and operational recovery.
The two carriers are launching the first phase of their partnership, with 33 new routes and code-sharing on nearly 80 others departing from New York and Boston. The first code-sharing session began on 25 Februaryjust six weeks after the US Department of Transportation signed the agreement.
Initially, the JetBlue code will be used on 25 American Airlines routes. In return, the American will operate alongside JetBlue on 49 routes. For the moment, these are domestic point-to-point lines.
In a press release, Scott Laurence, Jet Blue's head of planning and revenue, explained: " Thanks to this alliance, we are closer to offering passengers more competition in the North East. It will compete with routes currently served by a single airline with high fares and poor service." .
The return of the New York intercontinental hub
Above all, the two companies will strengthen their Boston and New York hubs. Hence the announcement of the opening of these 33 new lines in the first phase of the Northeast Alliance. An upsurge that American's Chief Revenue Officer, Vasu Raja, describes as " the first step towards providing the best customer offering with the largest network in New York and Boston" .
Thanks to this alliance, we are closer to offering passengers more competition in the North East.
American has just announced that on 6 May it will be inaugurating 18 new routes. Six involve international flights to the Caribbean and South America. From New York JFK, it will offer daily flights to Cali, Bogota and Medellin in Colombia on Airbus A319s. The airline will launch three frequencies a week to Santiago de Chile using Boeing 777-200s. This route should become daily in November.
On 5 June, American will also launch two routes with a weekly flight to Saint Lucia (UVF) and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It will also follow the launch of on 2 June of a seasonal American service between New York JFK and Athens. The flight will be operated daily by Boeing 777-200 until the end of October. For its part, JetBlue has confirmed its arrival in London this summer.
" Customers who appreciate the JetBlue experience can expect significant growth at LaGuardia. There will also be up to 70 daily flights to Newark. We will also offer connections to American's long-haul network from and to New York and Boston." Scott Laurence added.
