The brand new United and JetBlue Blue Sky partnership started this morning. TPG aviation reporter Sean Cudahy wrote a narrative overviewing the new United-JetBlue Blue Sky partnership, together with the incomes charges you possibly can anticipate and different upcoming adjustments.
However, on this article, I will dive into what we have discovered whereas trying to find United-operated award flights by means of JetBlue TrueBlue and for JetBlue-operated award flights by means of United MileagePlus. This is what it is best to know.
Reserving United flights by means of JetBlue TrueBlue
Now, you possibly can redeem JetBlue TrueBlue points for United-operated flights. Usually, you may at all times discover the identical award pricing for United flights booked by means of JetBlue, whatever the date you journey.
Nevertheless, award house will be tough to seek out for United flights booked by means of JetBlue TrueBlue on some routes, and it is normally nearly unattainable to seek out any award house in enterprise class.
On some — however not all — routes, you may see awards pricing at the next tier near departure. For instance, we discovered nonstop United flights between Newark and Johannesburg priced at 27,800 extra factors when booked inside three days of departure.
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We additionally discovered that nonstop United flights between Newark and Dubai value 26,600 extra factors whenever you guide them shortly earlier than departure.
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You may wish to give attention to nonstop flights, as every phase is priced individually. For instance, a one-stop itinerary from Los Angeles to Seoul through San Francisco on United-operated flights would value 81,800 JetBlue factors plus $260.60.
However a nonstop itinerary from San Francisco to Seoul would value 69,900 factors plus $260.60. And a nonstop itinerary from Los Angeles to San Francisco would value 11,900 factors plus $5.60. Therefore, the factors required for the one-stop itinerary are merely the sum of the 2 nonstop segments that comprise it.
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Lastly, it is value mentioning that United-operated flights booked by means of JetBlue do not appear to observe a strict distance-based factors value (even when you give attention to nonstop flights and exclude close-in bookings). For instance, nonstop United-operated flights value 39,900 JetBlue factors plus $5.60 for the 1,023-mile route from Newark to Palm Seashore, Florida.
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Nevertheless, you may solely must redeem 39,000 JetBlue factors plus $5.60 for the three,370-mile route from Newark to Anchorage.
This being mentioned, the minimal JetBlue factors you possibly can anticipate to pay on United flights throughout the continental U.S. seems to be 11,900, as discovered on the 140-mile route from Houston to Austin.
In the meantime, the minimal JetBlue factors you may pay on United flights outdoors the continental U.S. seems to be 15,900, as discovered on the 129-mile route from Guam to Saipan, one of many Northern Mariana Islands.
Reserving JetBlue flights by means of United MileagePlus
We had extra points when trying to find JetBlue flights we might guide by means of United MileagePlus. Typically, we could not discover any JetBlue-operated flights bookable by means of United, even on routes the place JetBlue operates nonstop flights.
And even after we did discover JetBlue-operated flights, the award pricing was typically far increased than the United-operated choices.
Different JetBlue accomplice awards had been additionally priced much less expensively than JetBlue-operated flights on some routes. For instance, a JetBlue-operated flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Medellin, Colombia, would value 20,000 United miles plus $20.60, whereas an Avianca-operated flight would value 17,500 miles plus $20.60.
We discovered no JetBlue Mint transatlantic itineraries bookable by means of United MileagePlus, however this doesn’t suggest they do not exist. Nevertheless, TPG’s Nick Ewen discovered a JetBlue Mint itinerary bookable from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles for 80,000 United miles plus $5.60. Alternatively, you possibly can guide an financial system seat on this JetBlue-operated flight for 35,000 United miles plus $5.60. Nevertheless, you can fly on a connecting United-operated itinerary for simply 13,300 miles plus $5.60.
Based mostly on the info factors we collected, the award charges for nonstop JetBlue-operated flights booked by means of United MileagePlus appear to be based mostly on distance thresholds. Listed below are just a few flight distances and what number of United miles they’d value for a seat in financial system:
- Brief flights of 155 (San Juan to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) and 187 miles (New York Metropolis to Boston): 15,000 United miles
- Flights of 1,035 (Palm Seashore, Florida, to New York) and 1,056 miles (San Juan to Medellin): 20,000 United miles
- Flight of 1,951 miles (New York Metropolis to Aruba): 30,000 United miles
- Flight of two,343 miles (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles): 35,000 United miles
- Flights of two,704 (San Francisco to Boston) and three,451 miles (New York Metropolis to London): 45,000 United miles
Backside line
The brand new Blue Sky alliance is nice for JetBlue and United members, giving them extra methods to earn and redeem their factors and miles. Nevertheless, not one of the award charges we discovered are compelling sufficient for me to wish to transfer rewards to JetBlue TrueBlue or United MileagePlus. And even if in case you have JetBlue factors or United miles that you just wish to redeem, do not forget that there could also be better-value choices in your miles than the brand new redemption choices unlocked by the Blue Sky alliance.
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