JetBlue is in talks with multiple airlines over a potential partnership, with the airline’s president Martin St. George stating that it would be an “attractive” option for the Boston-based carrier.
The airline had previously been a part of the Northeast Alliance (NEA), a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines, which had the aim of enhancing competition against carriers such as Delta and United, at airports in the Northeast region of the US.
Speaking at the Barclays 42nd Annual Industrial Select Conference in Miami, St. George said that the company is looking forward to letting the Northeast Alliance “play out in the original design”.
The NEA formally ended in July 2023, following attempts by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to shut down the alliance. The DOJ argued the alliance was anti-competitive. In November 2024, a US appeals court upheld a ruling which rejected American Airlines’ attempt to overturn this previous ruling.
St. George said there is an amount of money in the airline’s JetForward plan which is set aside in order to facilitate a partnership deal. He also noted that if the amount of money needed to fund the partnership changed, the airline would guide this.
Another benefit of the airline entering a partnership agreement would be to improve the utility of the company's loyalty points for customers, he said.
In addition to exploring potential partnerships, the airline’s CFO Ursula Hurley stated that JetBlue expects GTF engines to be its largest challenge this year. “The situation remains very fluid," she said. “We believe that the number of our aircraft on the ground will peak within the next one to two years.”
GTF engine constraints are varied between the airline’s A220 and A321neo fleets, with the airline being more heavily exposed to issues from its A321neo fleet at the moment, she said. On February 14, 2025, JetBlue said it expects shop visits for its geared turbofan (GTF) engine to take nearly a year to complete.
JetBlue had a total of 11 planes grounded during 2024, the airline expects to see the number of planes on the ground this year range in the mid to high teens.