No, I don’t mean…can JetBlue and American talk to me… I mean, can you, dear reader, and I talk? Seriously, I just didn’t see this one coming. In fact, when I first heard whispers about the hookup between American and JetBlue the night before it was announced, I straight up did NOT believe it. Seriously, it’s just too far-fetched. Or is it? I mean, Delta is obviously in the driver’s seat right now as far as New York goes. In the pool of large domestic airlines (or is it Air Lines), Delta is clearly the one to beat right now. You’ve often read me post about how much I like “flying” Delta, I just don’t care for their slightly less than desirable mileage program. I mean, they are firing on all cylinders when it comes to product attractiveness, network breadth, and all around coolness in the major airline department. And they have laid a major stake in the ground in New York.
But did we really think that American was just going to stick its tail between it’s aft mounted JT8D MD-80 engines and run away from the town where it has so much history? I didn’t think so. I’ve learned over time that betting against American is usually a losing proposition. I just had no idea that they would do something like cook up a “deal” between themselves and their almost exact opposite of an airline, JetBlue. Today’s announcement of increased cooperation seems like just the beginning. Can enhanced benefits like reciprocal frequent flier miles be far behind? Only time will tell. But I don’t need any time to know that this deal is going to be VERY interesting to watch develop.
