United and JetBlue discuss potential partnership, report says
JetBlue has reportedly approached United Airlines in search of a partnership agreement, three sources told Reuters.
The details of the potential deal were not described, but it would not involve a code-share, with aligned flights or even joint points in mileage programs.
The two US carriers are reportedly finalizing the details of the partnership, which could be announced by June.
When consulted by the outlet, the companies preferred not to comment on speculation.
Merger with Spirit Airlines failed
Founded by David Neeleman, creator of other budget airlines such as Breeze, JetBlue had been posting comfortable results and expanding its network with flights to Europe.
But after the Covid pandemic, it was unable to recover profitability. Its shares have fallen sharply this year after 2024 stocks ended badly.
After a tie-up between its competitors Frontier and Spirit in 2022, JetBlue veered away from the deal and proposed acquiring the Florida-based airline.
Despite shareholder approval, the U.S. courts deemed the merger bad for passengers, as it threatened to reduce routes and increase ticket prices.
In the face of resistance, the two companies abandoned the plan in 2024. But before that, JetBlue had left the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines, hoping that the end of the partnership would help approve the merger with Spirit.
In addition to the chronic problems of air travel in the U.S., the carrier is now also facing the effects of President Donald Trump’s controversial measures, which have brought chaos to the country’s economy and led to many canceled travel plans.
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
