American Airlines and JetBlue Airways have expanded loyalty benefits under their Northeast Alliance. Now, AAdvantage® members can earn miles while flying on JetBlue, while TrueBlue® members can earn loyalty points when flying on American Airlines.
On Wednesday (May 26, 2021), American Airlines announced enhanced miles earning opportunities for AAdvantage members when flying on JetBlue under the joint Northeast Alliance. Likewise, JetBlue TrueBlue members can earn loyalty points when flying on American Airlines. With the Northeast Alliance between American and JetBlue, customers will enjoy more travel choices, competitive fares and nonstop flights to more domestic and international destinations. American Airlines’ AAdvantage is now the only loyalty program that allows elite status earning across three U.S. carriers including American, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.
In Wednesday’s announcement, American Airlines’ Chief Customer Officer, Alison Taylor, said,
“One of the best things about our Northeast Alliance is the additional benefits it brings to customers. This includes more ways to earn miles and eventually more choice in how they use them, creating a truly valuable loyalty program. Our partnership with JetBlue offers travelers more options to get to more places with ease, thanks to better schedules and on a more premium product.”
Also commenting on the expanded Northeast Alliance benefits, JetBlue’s Vice President – Loyalty and Personalization, Don Uselmann, added,
“Just in time for summer travel, we’re giving TrueBlue members more program value and versatility by offering the ability to earn TrueBlue points on thousands of daily flights operated by our Northeast Alliance partner, American Airlines. As JetBlue and American add more routes and new destinations to and from the Northeast, we’re able to enhance the power of our Northeast Alliance so that our loyal customers can get rewarded more often.”
AAdvantage members were already able to earn miles on flights codeshared with JetBlue, but can now earn miles on any JetBlue flight in the Americas. When booking flights, customers will have the option of selecting where to accrue their miles or points. Additionally, members of both programs will also be able to earn elite qualifying currency on trips. With American Airlines’ partners, customers have more than 1,000 ways to earn miles, from car rentals and hotel stays to dining out and using credit cards.
In a separate press release, JetBlue also announced the expansion Northeast Alliance benefits for TrueBlue loyalty members, who can now accrue TrueBlue Points on all American Airlines operated flights to nearly 350 destinations across over 50 countries. American Airlines’ flights operating within the Northeast Alliance (routes to/from New York and Boston) are now bookable on the JetBlue website and app. When completing bookings on aa.com, TrueBlue customers should select ‘JetBlue Airways’ for the frequent flyer program and enter their TrueBlue number. Please note, flights booked on aa.com or the American app are not eligible for the JetBlue booking bonus.
Base points earned on American flights will count towards Mosaic status, JetBlue’s top earning loyalty program. In the future, customers will also be able to redeem points or miles on either carrier. Additionally, JetBlue and American are exploring opportunities to recognize elite status members across both airlines.
Since the launch of the Northeast Alliance, some 3.4 million customers have benefitted from the introduction of 57 new routes from New York and Boston Airports, enhanced schedules, codesharing on over 100 routes and access to itineraries when visiting jetblue.com or aa.com, and enhanced frequent flyer reciprocity. Additional benefits are coming soon such as expanded international codeshare itineraries and an improved on-the-ground connecting experience at New York-JFK.
Commenting on the initial success of the alliance, JetBlue’s Vice President – Northeast Alliance, Dave Fintzen, added,
“JetBlue and American are already delivering on the promise of NEA growth, which is outpacing the industry and has already stimulated competition in New York and Boston. Now, with a loyalty accrual component layered on top of our growing list of codeshare routes and dozens of new destinations and markets, we expect to bring our trusted brand, low fares, and award-winning service to even more people.”
Source(s): American Airlines, JetBlue Airways