American Airlines and JetBlue Airways Implement Their Commercial Agreement on Routes Into and Out of New York JFK and Boston

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --  American Airlines and JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) tomorrow will launch their partnership to offer customers convenient connections and more travel options to and from New York and Boston.

American and JetBlue also announced today that they have agreed to begin a frequent flyer relationship later this year. Members of American's AAdvantage® program and JetBlue's TrueBlue® customer loyalty program will be able to earn AAdvantage miles or TrueBlue points, respectively, when they fly only on the cooperative interline routes listed below.

These announcements are the next steps toward enhancing the cooperation between American and JetBlue since the two airlines announced their new partnership in March.

Beginning tomorrow, customers will be able to book convenient, interline service in non-overlapping markets from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston's Logan Airport (BOS) through travel agencies, most major North American online travel agency websites, American Airlines ticket counters, or by calling American Airlines Reservations at 800-433-7300.

Both American and JetBlue are also working to make flights offered through the agreement available for sale on each other's websites.

Under the cooperative agreement, customers will be able to easily connect between 14 of American's international destinations departing from JFK and Boston, including Barcelona, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo and 18 JetBlue domestic markets, including Portland, Maine; Rochester, N.Y.; or Richmond, Va. None of the routes on which the airlines will cooperate overlap current flights flown by the other. A full list of the cities for each airline is available at the end of this release.

Customers of both airlines will benefit from improved connections, while each airline will see additional customers fed into their networks – JetBlue's domestic network and American's international network to Europe, Asia, and South America.

"This new agreement with JetBlue complements both airlines' networks and greatly benefits our respective customers," said Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO of American Airlines. "It will also provide important opportunities for us to grow American's international traffic into and out of New York and Boston."

"We are pleased to extend our route network, offering customers well-timed international connections on American and introducing new customers to the award-winning JetBlue Experience," said Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue. "As the largest domestic carrier at JFK and Boston, and with our new home at Terminal 5 at JFK, we are in a natural position to take advantage of these important partnership opportunities."

As announced previously, on Nov. 1, American will transfer eight slot pairs at Ronald Reagan National Airport and one slot pair at White Plains, N.Y., to JetBlue, while JetBlue will transfer 12 slot pairs at JFK to American.

Here are lists of the markets in which the cooperative, interline service is available, including seamless check-in and baggage drop services for customers connecting:

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

About JetBlue Airways

Voted "Most Eco-Friendly Airline" by Zagat's Airline Survey in 2008 and 2009, New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. In 2010, the carrier also ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low-Cost Carriers in North America" by J.D. Power and Associates, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the sixth year in a row. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers Lots of Legroom and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats. JetBlue introduced complimentary in-flight e-mail and instant messaging services on aircraft "BetaBlue," a first among U.S. domestic airlines. JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 61 cities with 650 daily flights. New service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC and to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT begins in November. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JET-BLUE (1-800-538-2583), TTY/TDD 1-800-336-5530 or visit www.jetblue.com.

SOURCE American Airlines; JetBlue Airways