JetBlue and Aer Lingus have announced an expansion of their codeshare partnership between the United States and Ireland. The two airlines announced the codeshare on four routes from the US to Ireland operated by Aer Lingus. The codeshare will help expand JetBlue's reach into Europe as it prepares to launch more services across the Atlantic.
JetBlue and Aer Lingus expand their codeshare agreement
JetBlue and Aer Lingus have announced that the JetBlue "B6" code will now be found on four Aer Lingus routes from the United States to Ireland. From New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), JetBlue will place its code on Aer Lingus' flights to Dublin Airport (DUB) and Shannon Airport (SNN). From Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), JetBlue's code will be found on Aer Lingus-operated routes to DUB and SNN.
Joanna Geraghty, President and Chief Operating Officer at JetBlue, stated the following:
“Connecting our customers with more of the destinations they want to fly to ensures JetBlue grows its relevance in the Northeast, and by expanding our partnership with Aer Lingus we’re introducing new options for travelers flying between the U.S. and Ireland. More than 13 years after Aer Lingus became our very first international airline partner our relationship continues to strengthen in ways that bring more benefits customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
JetBlue advertises that the partnership with Aer Lingus offers single-ticket itineraries for customers looking to travel between the US and Ireland. This includes flight transfers, one-stop check-in, and baggage transfer. In addition, Ireland is home to pre-clearance customs facilities, allowing Aer Lingus' flights to land in the US as domestic operations, leading to less time on the ground in New York and Boston. Both DUB and SNN have pre-clearance facilities.
JetBlue and Aer Lingus have been partners since 2008. In 2013, the two airlines announced a unilateral codeshare agreement that put the Aer Lingus "EI" code to over 30 JetBlue routes, focusing on connections from the US to Ireland via New York or Boston.
JetBlue is on a codeshare expansion
In the future, JetBlue is looking to add its code to select Aer Lingus routes beyond Ireland. This would mainly allow the airline to offer connections to further interior European points. Aer Lingus has not set up a connecting hub the size of London-Heathrow or Frankfurt, but the airline still provides a sizable number of connections.
JetBlue and Icelandair announced a codeshare expansion in early November. JetBlue placed its code on routes extending from Iceland to Europe, allowing customers the ease of a one-stop itinerary. JetBlue announced an expanded codeshare partnership with Qatar Airways in April, offering an even larger slate of connections beyond Qatar's Doha hub to points in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Not to be forgotten is the airline's continued expansion with American Airlines under the Northeast Alliance, which also includes codeshares.
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JetBlue is looking to expand in Europe
JetBlue inaugurated its first long-haul flights to Europe in August. For now, the airline is only flying to London from its hub in New York using its Airbus A321LR aircraft. While JetBlue only has three A321LRs now, it has ten more on order. In addition, JetBlue also has 13 A321XLRs on order.
This sets up JetBlue to continue its expansion across Europe. While London was the start, it is not the finish line for the airline. With the A321XLR offering up to 4,700 nautical miles of range, it opens up new opportunities for JetBlue to expand further into Europe in major markets like Greece, Italy, and Eastern Europe.
It may seem strange that JetBlue is adding more codeshare routes as it plans to add its services to Europe in the coming years. However, codeshare routes can be a way to grow opportunities for flights. With codeshares, JetBlue can start marketing to customers various options between the US and Europe. This gives it access to data for its customers to see what the most popular destinations are while also building up its market share and brand presence of connecting itineraries to Europe, which can help secure some loyal travelers ahead of the airline's launch of nonstop service. Other airlines have also employed this strategy, including American Airlines.