Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue Airways Announce New Transatlantic Interline Partnership

Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue Airways have announced a new transatlantic interline partnership linking both airlines’ route networks.

Under this agreement, Virgin Atlantic passengers travelling from London, Glasgow and Manchester can now purchase single itineraries combining travel on both Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue flights from JetBlue’s Boston, New York, Washington and Orlando bases.

Air passengers will now be offered one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in whether their travel starts with Virgin Atlantic or JetBlue.

Edmond Rose, Director of Commercial and Revenue Planning for Virgin Atlantic said, “We are delighted to begin this interline cooperation with JetBlue.This partnership will offer Virgin Atlantic passengers a streamlined journey between our four U.K. airports and many cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, enjoying the highest standards of service throughout their travels.”

British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines Sign Agreement

The long-awaited alliance between British Airways, Iberia and America Airlines is finally nearing. The carriers have signed the final agreement to start the venture, according to the British party on Wednesday, and they could start sharing revenue as soon as next week, though a specific date hasn’t been announced.

Under the terms of the deal, a share of the revenue for a booked transatlantic flight will rebound to each of the airlines, despite the fact that only one of them will ultimately operate the service. This co-operation will include all transatlantic services operated by the group of carriers on routes between the US, Mexico and Canada. It will also apply to counties in the European Union, as well as Switzerland and Norway. With their transatlantic businesses combined, the carriers estimate yearly revenues to be worth £4.4 billion.

This deal will help put the Oneworld Alliance, for which the 3 airlines are all part of, on an equal footing with the SkyTeam and Star Alliance groups. Both of these have already been given approval to operate a transatlantic consortium by the US Department of Transport, and they have been doing so for years. These partnerships, however, have been operating without European regulatory approval, as the deals are still be examined.

Oneworld, on the other hand, was given clearance from the Department of Transport in February this year. They have since gained clearance from other European regulators, with Brussels being the final one in July. At the same time, British Airways and Iberia were given approval to created a merged company.

Airlines Announce Deal To Buy Greener Jet Fuel

A “core group” of 15 airlines have agreed to buy alternative aviation fuel from two producers, the Air Transport Association of America announced Tuesday.

One of the companies, Seattle-based AltAir Fuels, announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding to negotiate the purchase of up to 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina with Air Canada, American Airlines, Read more