British Airways is planning to expand its codeshare agreement with the New York-based JetBlue to provide more services in the United States in preparation for the busy summer season.
Background
The codeshare partnership between British Airways and JetBlue was announced in June 2024. As part of the agreement, British Airways assigns its BA code to JetBlue-operated routes that connect Boston and New York with 75 other cities across the United States. The agreement also allows JetBlue to apply its B6 code to British Airways routes from London to 17 European destinations. Thus, the arrangement allows passengers to book a single ticket for multiple destinations conveniently.
Under the agreement, the European routes included flights from London to the following cities:
- Frankfurt
- Lyon
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Lisbon
- Budapest
- Berlin
- Warsaw
- Brussels
- Geneva
- Munich
Across the pond, the initial routes proposed in North America included 39 routes that originated from New York and led to cities all over the country. These included Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Denver, Chicago, and Atlanta.
British Airways has now increased the number of flights on North American routes from London Heathrow Airport to New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston, and other US cities. Moreover, by signing codeshare agreements with various airlines worldwide, BA is increasing its presence in key markets it wants to expand into.
While the agreement allows British Airways Club members to earn Avios points for flights and tier points even on flights conducted by carriers not part of the oneworld alliance, it's not yet determined if the same can be said for JetBlue's TrueBlue members. The agreement doesn't specify whether they will also be able to enjoy mutual loyalty benefits.
Jet Blue Had Experienced Trouble in Europe
JetBlue has been trying to enter the transatlantic long-haul sector in recent years. In the summer of 2021, the airline began long-haul flights from New York JFK to London Heathrow on its Airbus A321LR planes. JetBlue broadened its services to include routes from Boston to London, Paris CDG, and Amsterdam. While there were some positives, the US airline has faced problems with its European operations, especially in Amsterdam, where it had to temporarily halt flights in the summer of 2024, with plans to restart them in March 2025.
It's a Win-Win Situation for Both Airlines
The codeshare partnership allows both airlines to expand their networks and offer passengers a wider choice of destinations without expanding flight numbers or buying additional aircraft.
While the agreement makes sense for both airlines, JetBlue stands to gain more. British Airways runs its transatlantic routes through a well-established joint venture with its oneworld ally, American Airlines, despite having an interline partnership with Jet Blue since 2013. Data from aviation analytics provider Cirium reveals that British Airways schedules as many as 329 weekly flights from the UK to the US, which includes 77 weekly flights to New York and 21 to Boston.
Since August 2021, when Jet Blue first began transatlantic flights connecting New York JFK with London Heathrow, it has expanded its European routes, introducing services from New York and Boston to cities including Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, London Gatwick, and Paris. According to Cirium, JetBlue now operates as many as 88 weekly flights to Europe, including 35 weekly flights to London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
The positive effect of the codeshare agreement for both airlines was visible in December 2024 when it was announced that the following JetBlue flights would bear BA flight numbers as well:
- Boston (BOS) to Atlanta (ATL)
- Boston to Austin (AUS)
- Boston to Cleveland (CLE)
- Boston to Denver (DEN)
- Boston to Seattle (SEA)
- New York (JFK) to Atlanta
- New York to Sacramento (SMF)
- New York to Seattle
The Agreement Allows JetBlue to Enter Europe
Through this agreement, JetBlue gets a foothold in major hubs despite not being a member of the oneworld alliance. These arrangements enable JetBlue customers to book codeshare flights, which are advantageous for the airline headquartered in New York. This is especially true as many of JetBlue's major hubs, including Boston, New York JFK, and Los Angeles, are key operational centres for American Airlines, a prominent oneworld member.
However, whether this will result in JetBlue ultimately joining the oneworld alliance is debatable. The carrier has previously had one-off agreements with non-aligned airlines such as Icelandair and even with a Star Alliance member such as Singapore Airlines without entering into a long-term alliance with either.
Final Thoughts
Looking ahead, JetBlue intends to use Airbus A321XLR aircraft for its transatlantic flights. However, according to a report from Travel Weekly last September, the delivery of these aircraft has been postponed.
Despite this, JetBlue remains a reliable partner for British Airways on established routes connecting New York, Boston, and European cities like London and Paris. The agreement expanded the number of flight and destination options for British Airways Club, previously known as the British Airways Executive Club, and oneworld members, frequent flyers, and even normal travellers flying between North America and Europe. More competition will lead to better ticket prices, which would mean fewer Avios points for flights, which bodes well for all.
- Passenger1
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