United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) and JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) are reportedly negotiating a partnership focused on providing greater connectivity to customers and frequent-flyer benefits, Reuters reported. The airlines will not coordinate schedules or pricing to avoid the same fate as the blocked Northeast Alliance (NEA) that JetBlue proposed with American Airlines in the past.
The carriers have not yet finalised all the details and the specifics of the arrangement could still change, according to sources close to the negotiations.
On April 29, JetBlue’s chief executive, Joanna Geraghty, said during the company’s first-quarter investors call that the carrier had been in negotiations with multiple airlines to gain a new partner and expected to make an announcement during the second quarter of 2025.
In January, JetBlue expressed an interest in forming a new partnership as part of its ongoing business transformation and efforts to achieve sustained profitability. One of the company's key strengths has been the growth of revenue from its customer loyalty schemes. According to Reuters, JetBlue depends on partnerships with other airlines to enhance that revenue stream by providing customers with expanded connectivity. The carrier posted a USD208 million net loss for the first quarter of 2025.
United declined to comment on the reports. JetBlue was not immediately available.
JetBlue and American Airlines worked on the NEA between 2021 and 2023. However, the partnership was struck down during the Biden administration, and in recent months JetBlue has been adamant that it would not be interested in a new attempt at a similar deal. Meanwhile, American Airlines has filed a lawsuit to recover money owed due to the alliance's unwinding.
Last month, United Airlines' chief executive, Scott Kirby, said the company wanted to increase its presence at New York JFK. However, he discarded the possibility of buying a carrier to achieve this.
“I would like to have a presence on the other side of the river at JFK. But man, all the headaches, all the brain damage of buying a whole airline to get there. That’s a lot to do,” he said as quoted by Reuters.
