JetBlue is clear on what it wants from a new airline partner: more dots on its map.
“The most important thing, number one, is a significantly higher network opportunity for earn and burn of TrueBlue points,” Marty St. George, president of JetBlue, said during the airline’s first-quarter earnings call on Tuesday.
St. George went on to describe a scenario where a loyal JetBlue frequent flyer needs to go to Boise or Omaha but, given the airline’s current route map, which is heavily East Coast oriented, cannot. The carrier’s new partner — an as-yet-unnamed U.S. domestic airline — will fill that gap.
The new partner will also fill a gap left after a 2023 court order forced JetBlue and American Airlines to end their partnership known as the Northeast Alliance. The two airlines have spent the better part of two years unwinding the pact, though some outstanding items remain unresolved. American Airlines filed suit in Texas on Monday for more than $1 million that it claims JetBlue owes.
“This is not an expected turn,” Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue, said of the lawsuit on Tuesday.
One thing is clear: American will not be JetBlue’s new domestic partner.
“Although we proposed a very attractive proposition to JetBlue and its customers and team, it became clear over time that JetBlue was focused on different business priorities,” wrote Steve Johnson, American’s vice chair and chief strategy officer, in a letter to staff on Monday.
With American out of the picture, JetBlue’s best options to expand the breadth of its U.S. route map for TrueBlue members are carriers like Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
JetBlue plans to announce its new U.S. partner by the end of June, St. George said.
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At least 2 more new JetBlue cities coming in 2025
“There will be multiple new dots coming later this year on the route map,” St. George said in response to a question on whether the airline planned any further expansion in 2025. He added that “multiple” could mean just two new cities, without elaborating.
The additions come after JetBlue slashed its schedule by 4.3% in the first quarter compared to 2024 and plans to shrink it by as much as 3.5% in the second quarter. The airline has suspended its full-year outlook, citing macroeconomic uncertainty.
U.S. domestic travel demand has slowed since President Trump took office in January. For JetBlue, bookings decreased in January, February and March but have stabilized (albeit at a lower level than initially forecast) since early April, St.George said.
“I would not do something as simple as to say this is a red-versus-blue recession of whatever you want to call it,” he continued. “But it does seem like the coasts seem to be impacted a little bit more.”
The slowdown has prompted JetBlue to cut off-peak flying on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The cuts follow the airline’s exit from 15 cities and dozens of routes since early 2024 as part of a larger restructuring known as JetForward that aims to return JetBlue to regular profitability.
The airline even pulled planned new service to Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) in Nova Scotia from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) that was due to begin in June.
Profits eluded JetBlue in the first quarter when the airline reported a net loss of $208 million on revenue of $2.1 billion.
Prior to the latest slowdown, JetBlue had unveiled plans to add Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire, Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Virginia, Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) in Honduras, Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) in Michigan and Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina to its map in 2025.
JetBlue’s loyalty and premium bets are paying off
JetBlue executives seemed happy with the airline’s decision to double down on its premium and loyalty offerings ahead of the latest slowdown. Both segments of its business outperformed economy leisure travel in the first quarter.
In January, the airline unveiled the new JetBlue Premier Card with a plethora of benefits. That addition helped drive a 7% increase in cobranded credit card spending during the first quarter.
The information for the JetBlue Premier Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
JetBlue also rebranded its extra-legroom Even More Space seats as “EvenMore” in January. As part of the change, the carrier turned the seats into their own fare class that travelers can select during the booking process rather than as an add-on after they book a flight.
The really exciting stuff, however, comes later this year when JetBlue will unveil its eagerly awaited domestic first class. The new seats will be laid out in a 2-2 configuration and located at the front of its Airbus A320 family and A220 aircraft. Beyond that, the airline has been quiet on details.
The airline also plans to unveil its first airport lounge at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in the fourth quarter and a lounge at BOS in 2026.
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