United returns to JFK after historic agreement with JetBlue and these will be the airline’s destinations

United Airlines will gain access to slots at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) as part of a a new strategic partnership with JetBlue.

United join forces with JetBlue to compete with rivals

Earlier this month, United CEO Scott Kirby hinted that the carrier was looking to return to JFK. The carrier left its base at the airport in October 2015 following seven years of loses and used JFK on a much smaller scale as a hub as it expanded elsewhere, adding slots at slots at Newark and La Guardia.

United did return briefly to JFK in the spring of 2021 but the move lasted little over 18 months with the last flight out of the airport taking off in October 2021.

This week, it was announced Thursday that United have sealed a partnership with JetBlue under the banner, Blue Sky. This new arrangement will allow both carriers to sell seats on each other’s websites while enabling JetBlue customers the chance to build up frequent flyer miles on United and vice versa.

Another feature is the reciprocal loyalty benefits such as priority boarding and offering special deals such as extra leg room seats to TrueBlue and MileagePlus members.

United to return to JFK in 2027

Blue Sky will also see United given slots at JFK for the first time in five years. From 2027, the Chicago-based carrier will be able to operate up to seven daily round-trip flights out of JFK Terminal 6. The two carriers will exchange eight flight timings at Newark “as part of a net-neutral exchange.”

“Blue Sky reflects our airlines’ shared focus on innovation and the customer experience,” United CEO Scott Kirby explained in a press release. “We’re always looking for ways to give our MileagePlus members even more value and benefits and this collaboration gives them new, unique ways to use their hard-earned miles and find options that fit their schedule.”

JFK is one of just three slot-restricted airports left in the United States (LaGuardia and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are the others), which means airlines have to be granted a slot there to be authorized to take off and land.

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