Route Awakening

An alliance between American and JetBlue is bringing new flights to travelers—but the DOu says it will cost consumers 700 million

- Lark Gould

IN THE AIRLINE industry, alliances and mergers are simply the price of doing business. In December, JetBlue and American Airlines announced the addition of 11 new nonstop flights out of their Boston and New York hubs to increase the presence of their Northeast Alliance (NEA) in the region.

The NEA is being tested in federal court as a concept that can either open up seats and lower fares or eventually dominate the market and eat up the competition. The airline alliance allows the companies to take advantage of each other’s networks and services and offer passengers from the Northeast better access to the Sun Belt.

The NEA was formed in 2020 to maximize lift in the Boston and New York metro areas. Then Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao approved the move as a system that promotes the coordination of schedules at Boston (BOS), New York's Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) and later Newark (EWR).

New Routes Resulting from the NEA