JetBlue to Announce Aer Lingus Venture Plans Tomorrow
JetBlue Airways Corp., the New York-
based discount carrier, will announce details tomorrow of its
partnership with Irelands Aer Lingus Group Plc to link the
airlines Web sites.
The agreement will provide “an innovative way to connect
customers, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Dave Barger said
today at a New York conference for analysts and investors.
Spokesman Sebastian White declined to give details.
The unveiling of the accord will cap a year of work since
JetBlue said on Feb. 6 that it would connect its Web site with
that of Dublin-based Aer Lingus, allowing travelers to book
flights on both airlines through the Irish carriers site. The
companies said last year they would share the revenue.
JetBlues approach echoes the strategy of Southwest
Airlines Co., the largest low-fare carrier. While most
discounters avoid the complexities and costs of alliances,
Southwest has had a marketing agreement with ATA Holdings Corp.
since February 2005.
Sharing in revenue from international flights, which have
less low-fare competition than U.S. routes, would help JetBlue
counter a 49 percent jump in the price of jet fuel in the past
year.
Barger said Deutsche Lufthansa AGs purchase of a 19
percent stake in JetBlue, completed yesterday, makes the U.S.
carrier “a smarter airline. Talks are under way with the
German airline, Europes second-biggest, for partnership
possibilities that are “not just commercial, but also things
like supply chain as well, Barger said.
JetBlue is the biggest airline based at New Yorks John F.
Kennedy International Airport. The Wall Street Journal reported
earlier today that JetBlue and Aer Lingus would minimize their
alliances costs by using their Web sites, because each
carriers reservation system is Internet-based.
