A JetBlue Airways plane passes behind an American Airlines jet waiting to taxi at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways on Thursday began selling tickets on each other’s airlines, launching the partnership the two companies announced last year.
The companies are moving forward with the deal, as the United States Department of Justice and attorney generals in Massachusetts and New York are investigating the deal, according to an American Airlines stock document.
The airlines have agreed to divest some slots at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and will avoid coordination on some routes, after analysis by the Department of Transportation.
Under the deal so far, the American from Fort Worth, Texas and JetBlue from New York have jointly sold seats on nearly 75 routes in New York and Boston, a practice known as code sharing.
The two companies, which are trying to avoid competition from other companies in the region, such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, will add 33 new domestic and international routes.
Thereafter, airlines hope to expand the partnership to gain and burn the benefits of each other’s frequent flyer programs.
JetBlue pilots on Tuesday rejected an agreement to provide the carrier with relief from the contract to implement the full partnership with American Airlines.
“Safety at work, especially during turbulent times in our industry, is every pilot’s primary concern,” said Captain Chris Kenney, president of the Air Line Pilots Association’s JetBlue division, in a statement.
The union said it wants to work with the airline on a resolution.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, said it is reviewing the issue and that “it would be very upsetting to us if it were determined that American management is planning to engage in codesharing on routes that violate another union’s contract. of pilots. “