Jetblue and Emirates agree codeshare expansion

JetBlue Airways and Emirates are planning to expand their codeshare agreement. JetBlue will place its "B6" airline code on all flights currently operated by Emirates between the U.S. and Dubai International Airport, as well as between New York's JFK airport and Milan, Italy. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval. Current codeshare routes offered by Emirates on JetBlue-operated flights cover 28 destinations including Boston, Chicago, Orlando and Puerto Rico. Since March this year, Emirates also began placing its code on additional JetBlue routes, including Bridgetown, Barbados, Cancun, Mexico, Montego Bay, Jamaica and Santo Domingo, Santiago and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Through the existing agreement, customers can use a single combined ticket for Emirates and JetBlue-operated flights, plus other benefits including one-stop check-in and baggage transfer. Members of Skywards, the Emirates reward program, can earn miles on JetBlue-operated flights and also redeem miles for flights to any of JetBlue’s 77 destinations throughout the Americas. Similarly, members of JetBlue's TrueBlue loyalty program can earn points for Emirates-operated flights worldwide. Thierry Antinori, Emirates' executive vice president of passenger sales worldwide, said: "As Emirates continues to expand its presence in the U.S. market, our partnership offering with JetBlue provides customers with convenient connections from its extensive network to our seven U.S. gateways, including our twice daily A380 service non-stop from JFK to Dubai." Emirates this week announced that it will deploy an A380 on its Dubai-Brisbane-Auckland route from October (see online news, May 16). For more information, visit jetblue.com and emirates.com. Report by Graham Smith