Undersized JetBlue Wants to Leverage This Crisis to Grow at Big Airports
Photo Credit: A JetBlue Airways Airbus A321 on the ground in Hamburg, Germany, before delivery. Flickr / Kevin Hackert
Skift Take
JetBlue wants to expand in a time of crisis. It should be a sound strategy. But there's a potential problem: All U.S. airlines are in considerable trouble, including JetBlue.
JetBlue Airways wants to cozy up to American Airlines, with the carriers on Thursday announcing a new codeshare partnership in which JetBlue will send passengers to American for its long-haul flights, mainly in Boston and New York, including new nonstops from JFK to Tel Aviv and Athens.
What sounds like a one-way partnership may help JetBlue significantly. JetBlue has a strong brand on the East Coast, but as the nation's sixth-largest airline, it is tiny compared to its competitors. It does not fly many popular routes from Boston and New York, and on many where it does fly, it offers fewer flights than larger carriers, a competitive disadvantage.
In announcing the agreement, JetBlue suggested it plans to leverage the partnership into more growth by adding new flights "to strategic markets" on the East Coast, West Coast and in the Southeastern United States. Eventually, American said it wants to add new markets in India, Africa, Europe and South American from New York, and to fill
