JetBlue Airways and Emirates have announced plans to expand their current partnership to include bilateral codesharing. The agreement is pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) as well as foreign government operating authorities, according to BreakingTravelNews.com.
The agreement will allow JetBlue to 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 builds on a previous arrangement between the two companies. Emirates started placing code on JetBlue-operated flights in April 2012, expanding an interline agreement dating back to 2010.
Members of Skywards, the rewards program for Emirates, will be able to earn miles on JetBlue-operated flights and redeem the miles on any of JetBlue's 77 destinations throughout the Americas. Members of JetBlue's TrueBlue loyalty program will be able to earn points for Emirates-operated flights worldwide, in turn.
"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," Thierry Antinori, the Executive Vice President of Passenger Sales Worldwide, said. "Offering a boost to tourism and added convenience for inbound travelers, the codeshare also gives Emirates' customers a new choice of destinations with the benefit of a single combined ticket."
The Emirates global network encompasses 133 destinations in 77 countries across six continents.
"Putting our code on another airline is a significant milestone for JetBlue," Robin Hayes, the Chief Commercial Officer of JetBlue, said. "We're proud to do it with Emirates, a fantastic partner for JetBlue over the past years.
"Emirates product and network is exceptional and has been providing our customers easy access to all corners of the globe in comfort and style," Hayes added. "We trust this expansion will create additional ease of travel for our customers."
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