United Airlines Partners With JetBlue, Paving Way for JFK Return and Shared Perks

The Blue Sky alliance will merge loyalty perks, bring United back to JFK in 2027, and expand travel options.

United Express and JetBlue aircraft are on the ground as an American Airlines aircraft comes in to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

United Airlines and JetBlue Airways have unveiled a broad new partnership that links their loyalty programs, streamlines cross-booking, expands flight options in Boston and New York City, and sets the stage for United’s comeback to New York City’s JFK airport.

The collaboration, dubbed Blue Sky, was announced in a joint statement on May 29, and marks one of the most significant non-merger alliances between two U.S. carriers in recent years.

“This collaboration with United is a bold step forward for the industry—one that brings together two customer-focused airlines to deliver more choices for travelers and value across our networks,” Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue, said in a statement.

The Blue Sky partnership includes several customer-facing upgrades. Travelers will be able to book JetBlue and United flights interchangeably through either airline’s website and mobile app starting later in 2025. While the agreement stops short of a full codeshare or revenue-sharing model, it introduces an interline setup that streamlines booking across both carriers’ networks.

The alliance also allows members of United’s MileagePlus and JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty programs to earn and redeem points on either airline, giving travelers reciprocal perks such as priority boarding, access to extra legroom seating, and same-day standby privileges—regardless of which airline operates the flight.

“We’re always looking for ways to give our MileagePlus members even more value and benefits and this collaboration gives them new, unique ways to use their hard-earned miles and find options that fit their schedule,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement. “Plus, our employees are really excited about United’s return to JFK for the longer term, and we’re all looking forward to starting up flights very soon.”

As part of the agreement, JetBlue will lease United up to seven daily round-trip slots at JFK Terminal 6 beginning in 2027. The two airlines will also swap eight flight timings at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, where United maintains a hub.

The move was made as the Federal Aviation Administration continues to limit operations at Newark because of construction, staffing shortages, and equipment issues—a situation that has prompted United to scale back some flights there in recent months.

For JetBlue, the deal helps monetize unused JFK slots and sharpen its focus on high-performing East Coast markets, in line with its JetForward strategy to cut underperforming routes and expand into more profitable destinations, including in Europe. For United, the partnership provides a route back into JFK—an airport it left in 2022—without the legal risks of deeper joint ventures, allowing it to reestablish a presence in New York City by tapping into JetBlue’s local footprint and customer base.

Beyond flights, United will adopt JetBlue’s Paisly platform to handle its hotel, rental car, cruise, and travel insurance bookings—replacing its current patchwork of standalone services with a simpler and more unified system.

Although subject to regulatory review, the alliance avoids some of the pitfalls that unraveled JetBlue’s prior partnership with American Airlines. That deal—known as the Northeast Alliance—was struck down in court in 2023 over antitrust concerns tied to revenue sharing and route coordination. Blue Sky, by contrast, maintains independent pricing, branding, and flight scheduling.