jetBlue and Aer Lingus to enter codeshare

[T-Bird76]

AP
JetBlue to Announce Deal With Aer Lingus
Thursday January 31, 3:48 pm ET
By Adam Schreck, AP Business Writer
JetBlue Plans to Announce Strategic Partnership With Irish Carrier Aer Lingus Group

NEW YORK (AP) -- JetBlue Airways Corp. plans to announce a partnership this week with Irish airline Aer Lingus Group PLC, a spokesman for the discount carrier said Thursday.
Sebastian White, a spokesman for Forest Hills, N.Y.-based JetBlue, said the carriers will announce the deal early Friday morning in Dublin. He declined to comment on any of the terms of the arrangement.

The deal will be a strategic partnership that will allow passengers to make reservations on flights between Ireland and more than 40 U.S. destinations, with connections at JetBlue's hub at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Thursday.

White confirmed the accuracy of the Journal's report.

In December, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Germany's biggest airline, agreed to pay $300 million to buy a 19 percent stake in cash-strapped JetBlue. After that deal closed in January, the two companies said they would "begin exploring innovative commercial arrangements designed to benefit both airlines and their customers."

Lufthansa and JetBlue have not yet announced any traffic-sharing arrangements, although Chief Executive Dave Barger suggested that could soon change. In a conference call with investors earlier this week, he said: "Discussions with Lufthansa regarding a commercial agreement have already begun."

An agreement with Lufthansa could include code-sharing, which lets two airlines book passengers onto one another's planes, and supply chain agreements, in which they pool purchasing resources to cut costs.

White gave no further details when asked about the status of negotiations with the German carrier Thursday.

"We're still exploring our options with Lufthansa in some sort of innovative partnership," he said.

Federal law prohibits foreign companies from owning more than a 25 percent stake in domestic airlines.

JetBlue shares jumped 63 cents, or 10 percent, to $6.99 in afternoon trading.

[LGA777]

jetBlue's new terminal at JFK sounds and looks (from the plans) to be a really awesome facility and a HUGE improvement over their current digs. But it my understanding that there are no wide-body capable gates planned in the new term and with first LH and now EI any future code shares would be so more practical if they could park at the new B6 JFK Terminal. Thoughts ?

LGA777

[cancidas]

it seems that B6 managment is struggling to get these codeshares signed now after realizing that thier pax aren't only O/D from JFK. it seems this wasn't thought of during the planning phase of thier new terminal...

[Matt Molnar]

An airside shuttle bus like the one that takes you to the temporary gates now would be neat! :D

[bluejuice]

The new T5 does not have any customs facilities. Even when it opens we will still use T4 for all our Intl flights. As a side note. I will be posting pictures next week of our new T5 as I had a tour the other day. It will be an awsome facility when it opens in the Fall.

[JZ1]

Would B6 name one of the plane "Shamrock Blue" :)