JetBlue and Aer Lingus Announce Codeshare Agreement

NEW YORK and DUBLIN, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York's Hometown Airline™, and Aer Lingus, Ireland's flag carrier, today announced a codeshare agreement that expands upon the partnership that has linked the two carriers' networks at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport since 2008.

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Flights operated by JetBlue and featuring the Aer Lingus "EI" flight number will soon be available for sale on the Aer Lingus website, travel agents and online travel agencies, connecting the Irish carrier's transatlantic flights with 29 JetBlue destinations in North America including Baltimore, Buffalo, Dallas-Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Philadelphia, Rochester, Syracuse, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, subject to receipt of government approval.   

Through the JetBlue-Aer Lingus partnership, customers can enjoy the convenience of booking a single ticket that includes flights operated by both carriers, with benefits including one-stop check-in and baggage transfer to dozens of destinations throughout the United States.

"We are pleased to expand our successful relationship with Aer Lingus with this new codeshare agreement, providing customers more access to both networks," said Robin Hayes, JetBlue's Chief Commercial Officer. "Aer Lingus was our first international airline partner; we're thrilled with the strength of and growth in our partnership and happy to welcome them in our home at Terminal 5."

Stephen Kavanagh, Chief Commercial Officer at Aer Lingus added, "We are delighted to expand our relationship with JetBlue, as we enter into our fifth year of partnership. Aer Lingus and JetBlue share the same customer focused ethos and passion for innovation and best-in-class service. We've had fantastic feedback from customers to the high level of convenience and choice of destinations. With the new codeshare agreement coupled with increased frequencies on our US routes, we look forward to providing customers with more choice and a seamless travel experience." 

The start of the new codeshare arrangement coincides with the move of Aer Lingus' New York flight operations from Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport into JetBlue's acclaimed Terminal 5. Aer Lingus customers connecting to one of JetBlue's many destinations across the U.S. will benefit from same terminal connections, one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in for travel on both airlines, from the U.S. to Europe.

With the move to Terminal 5, scheduled for April 3, 2013, the minimum connection time from European arrivals to US departures will be reduced to just about 60 minutes. Customers travelling to Ireland will enjoy connections as fast as 40 minutes.

About JetBlue Airways        
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline™ with other focus cities in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles (Long Beach), San Juan and Orlando. Known for its award-winning service and free inflight entertainment as much as its low fares JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch) as well as super-spacious Even More Space seats. 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 75 cities with 750 daily flights and plans to launch service to Charleston, S.C., Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2013, as well as Medellin, Colombia, subject to receipt of government operating authority. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information call 1-800-538-2583 (TTY/TDD 1-800-336-5530), or visit www.jetblue.com.

About Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, founded in 1936.The airline provides award winning customer service at great value prices living up to its customer promise of Great Care, Great Fare. Aer Lingus carries ca. 11 million passengers per annum to destinations in the UK, Europe and North America. It has four U.S. Gateways at New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando and offers connections to another 50 U.S. destinations through its partnership with JetBlue. Aer Lingus serves central airport locations, throughout its network, enhancing connectivity options for our passengers. Aer Lingus' primary mission is to connect Ireland with the world, by offering the best product in the Irish airline market, at a competitive price to passengers. The airline celebrated its 75^th anniversary in May 2011, making it one of the longest standing airlines in the world and has been serving the U.S. market for 54 years.

SOURCE JetBlue Airways