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Rumors are swirling that United Airlines might make a play to acquire JetBlue. This would grant United gates at New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), which it has wanted pretty much since it abandoned the airport in 2015, as well as a huge bump in its presence in both Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). These are very early stage, unsubstantiated rumors that could prove incredibly interesting if true or even partially true.
JetBlue has been struggling to find its place. It’s not quite a low-cost carrier, but also not really seen as a true competitor to American, Delta, and United. JetBlue has introduced multiple transatlantic routes (and cut some recently) and is also looking to add a true First Class cabin domestically and open lounges (more here).
The Northeast Alliance that saw it closely partnering with American Airlines was dismantled. The two airlines launched it in 2021. This strategic partnership allowed for codeshares, frequent flyer reciprocity, and closer alignment between the two carriers. American has long struggled to build its presence in NYC organically and JetBlue would feed it traffic so that that New York would serve as an international gateway. For a few years, this alliance has worked as described. It was broken up during the Biden administration, but could come back under Trump.
I have sources telling me UA is heavily looking at B6 — merger or buying assets or something else I’m not remotely sure at the moment.
Whether any of the planned changes or even returning to the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines is enough to keep the carrier solvent remains to be seen. What’s more interesting is the play that United could make here. Aviation watchdog, @JonNYC, shared that United is looking at JetBlue for some unknown reason. This could be just a rumor or it could be the move that gets United back into New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), allows it to create a Florida hub at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) (which it has been rumored to want a place in Florida to take on American with its nearby Miami International Airport (MIA) hub), and beefs up its presence enough in Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to take on Delta Air Lines there.
United doesn’t have many, if any, options to get gates at New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK). JetBlue has plenty there and would give United a true New York presence again. Sure, United markets Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) as New York, but it’s New Jersey even if it is easier to get to some parts of New York City from there than JFK.
The new administration will likely be more open to mergers (like what Frontier is attempting with Spirit Airlines), but would there be anti-trust concerns even under a Trump Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Justice (DOJ)? If this were to happen (again a big if), this would be a huge coup for United Airlines. The carrier did donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and seems to have a positive outlook. Will this be enough to grant it a favor this huge?
Anthony’s Take: Many chided United for leaving JFK and even its management has said that was a mistake. United might smell blood in the water and look for a little quid pro quo from the Trump administration. I’ve got my popcorn and am ready for what comes next. As a United flyer, this would be a welcome addition to what is already the greatest route network of any US carrier.
(Image Credits: JetBlue, American, and United Airlines.)
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1 comment
That would be catastrophically bad for the consumer. United already controls a disproportionate portion of flights in the area; Vastly increasing that is pretty much impossible to see in any favorable way for the flying public. If JetBlue needs to merge with a competitor it should merge with Alaska. That would set up a potentially viable competitor.