JetBlue TrueBlue - Jetblue partnership with Lufthansa

Does anyone know the relationship between Jetblue and Lufthansa? Will I be able to earn Trueblue points on Lufthansa flights? I am planning to take the family to Munich in December 2009 and am wondering if Truepasses can be used in booking a flight.

Any info on this relationship (and Jetblue's arrangement with Air Lingus) would be helpful.

Currently the relationship is that Lufthansa own a chunk of jetBlue. That's all. No earning and no redemption betwrrn the two. There are some pretty strong indications (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2008/10/jetblue-looks-to-expand-trueblue.html) that the program is going to improve, including LH relationships, at some point in the first half of the year, but no real details have come out yet. There is a chance that some things will come through for you by late in the year, but I wouldn't bet on it working out great at this point.

The AerLingus partnership is pretty poor, also. It basically allows you to connect betzeen the two carriers and (I think) get the trip issued on a single ticket, but no cross-earning or redemptions are available.

Right now jetBlue is somewhat of an island with regards to airline partnerships.

Sure would be nice to be able to put these TrueBlue awards expiring in a few weeks towards a trip to Berlin, or Dublin for that matter. Of course, obviously the program isn't currently built to support the realities of making that feasible to B6.

I like TrueBlue for the most part, but with the rather rapid expiration of points and also awards once issued, it would be nice from a consumer perspective to have some more earning and redemption options. My TrueBlue awards are about to expire simply because I've been trying out VX for competing routes for the past year.

B6 sure is nice for LA - JFK/BOS/IAD transcons though, but I'll admit I prefer Virgin for those routes now (BOS coming soon). If I have to be shoehorned into a partnerless program I'd rather have it be VX simply because I enjoy the product more, personal preference.

Still a B6 fan, but I'm definitely sleeping with the enemy, so to speak.

I like TrueBlue for the most part, but with the rather rapid expiration of points and also awards once issued, it would be nice from a consumer perspective to have some more earning and redemption options. So which part of the program do you like?? :confused:

B6 sure is nice for LA - JFK/BOS/IAD transcons though, but I'll admit I prefer Virgin for those routes now (BOS coming soon). If I have to be shoehorned into a partnerless program I'd rather have it be VX simply because I enjoy the product more, personal preference.
Interesting choice of words, considering the fact that B6 offers a couple extra inches of pitch over VX. What about the product appeals to you? I'm truly curious; I understand the value of the VX product versus UA (their primary target), but I see it much less against B6.

So which part of the program do you like?? :confused:

It's simple to understand, it's easy to find award flights, and my mom can figure it out without having to call me for help. I also like that I can transfer in Amex MR points to top off an award. :)


Interesting choice of words, considering the fact that B6 offers a couple extra inches of pitch over VX. What about the product appeals to you? I'm truly curious; I understand the value of the VX product versus UA (their primary target), but I see it much less against B6.

Fairly noted - I was of course referring to the TrueBlue program as opposed to the seat pitch, but that's a fair jab. :)

B6 flies into airports I like to use, like BUR and LGB. VX requires me to go to LAX, which is much more of a hassle. To me, that is a *huge* incentive to fly with B6. If I want to fly VX I have to go out of my way to go to LAX. That definitely matters.

I think for people who use LAX as an airport frequently, VX is putting some hurt on B6 for competing routes. I have several friends who fly semi-regularly to SEA and JFK and have switched to VX from B6 when possible because they just like VX's product better. These are people in a creative business, so they appreciate the aesthetic of VX with their lighting and design choices, as well as the superior seatback screen and RED offering. The first class cabin is also a nice option to have...

So on-topic, taking all that into consideration, any partnerships that let me apply TrueBlue points to award flights or upgrades on their airline partners would certainly be attractive, if it was feasible.

Will I be able to earn Trueblue points on Lufthansa flights? I am planning to take the family to Munich in December 2009 and am wondering if Truepasses can be used in booking a flight.

Both things are highly unlikely. While Lufthansa did some promotions here in Germany to spread the JetBlue brand there are no codeshare, interline or frequent-flyer agreements so far.

The two frequent flyer programs TrueBlue and Miles & More are not compatible right now. TrueBlue has a point system while Miles & More has a flown miles system.

Right now it is more of a "Hey look at this airline for your travels" type of thing. We have advertising on our TVs telling our customers about Lufthansa and Aer Lingus. Talk out of HQ is that more will be coming in terms of the partnership and Frequent Flyer programs.

I'm so :confused:
B6 sure is nice for LA - JFK/BOS/IAD transcons though, but I'll admit I prefer Virgin for those routes now (BOS coming soon).

B6 flies into airports I like to use, like BUR and LGB. VX requires me to go to LAX, which is much more of a hassle. To me, that is a *huge* incentive to fly with B6. If I want to fly VX I have to go out of my way to go to LAX. That definitely matters.

So which do you actually prefer??

And I agree that the program is easy/simple. But the simplicity is a huge problem, IMO. It prevents most partner integration and interesting/high-value reward redemption.

I'm so :confused:

So which do you actually prefer??

And I agree that the program is easy/simple. But the simplicity is a huge problem, IMO. It prevents most partner integration and interesting/high-value reward redemption.

That's contextual, but as I had said originally if we're comparing products all-around, I personally prefer VX.

That said, I find myself on B6 flights when the situation permits, for example, I need a flight around 6pm on a Friday, and there's no way I'm going to LAX in rush hour. So they win the business based on airport location and convenience.

Back onto TrueBlue specifically, you're absolutely right that the simplicity of the program is a double edged sword, which is sort of my original issue there. You asked what I liked about TrueBlue, and that is what I like about it. On the flip side, it's also obviously one of the things that keeps the program self-contained and not hooked into partners. Resolving that while maintaining simplicity is an entirely separate discussion I'm sure...

B6 is a great airline with a solid product and I still fly them. But if B6 and VX were two girls at a bar, VX is the one I want to take home.

B6 is going to need to "get some sexy back" to steal away those folks that are moving more flights to VX, in my opinion. A lot of folks jumped to B6 for the neat new product back when they came on the scene. Seatback TVs and cheap flights, great! Now VX is here with the same thing but they're doing it a little better, at least in the eyes of a meaningful percentage of people. Nature of the beast.

So as that all applies to the topic for the thread - one of the ways they could do that is by giving me more incentives to accumulate TrueBlue points, such as increased redemption options on partners, when it becomes feasible for them to do so.

That's contextual, but as I had said originally if we're comparing products all-around, I personally prefer VX.

That said, I find myself on B6 flights when the situation permits, for example, I need a flight around 6pm on a Friday, and there's no way I'm going to LAX in rush hour. So they win the business based on airport location and convenience.

Back onto TrueBlue specifically, you're absolutely right that the simplicity of the program is a double edged sword, which is sort of my original issue there. You asked what I liked about TrueBlue, and that is what I like about it. On the flip side, it's also obviously one of the things that keeps the program self-contained and not hooked into partners. Resolving that while maintaining simplicity is an entirely separate discussion I'm sure...

B6 is a great airline with a solid product and I still fly them. But if B6 and VX were two girls at a bar, VX is the one I want to take home.

B6 is going to need to "get some sexy back" to steal away those folks that are moving more flights to VX, in my opinion. A lot of folks jumped to B6 for the neat new product back when they came on the scene. Seatback TVs and cheap flights, great! Now VX is here with the same thing but they're doing it a little better, at least in the eyes of a meaningful percentage of people. Nature of the beast.

So as that all applies to the topic for the thread - one of the ways they could do that is by giving me more incentives to accumulate TrueBlue points, such as increased redemption options on partners, when it becomes feasible for them to do so.Agreed that VX is a "sexier" product, but I am not sure that is actually competitive.

First, as far as "hard product," VX does not have the same legroom as B6, which to a lot of people is a huge plus for B6 even if their interiors aren't quite as mod. The single greatest asset of VX is the presence of a/c and usb outlets.

VX has an outstanding FC, possibly the best in the United States, and on this score B6 cannot compete at all, obviously.

VX's soft product is wonderful and, if B6 were to start feeling the heat from VX, I'm sure they could make a few quick changes to have a mini bar.

For the time being, though, the biggest issue for many B6 flyers is the VX route system, which currently only operates out 7 cities. Out of New York, B6's hub, one can currently only fly to SFO.

Also, while SFO is a wonderful city, it is a fairly odd choice as a hub for a domestic carrier. Not only is SFO a coastal city, but it's also a smaller market with far lower O&D than NYC, B6's eastern coastal hub but which is also the nation's largest city and its principal airline market.

Finally, while B6's frequent flyer program may be simple and bereft of features, it certainly is in the same category as Elevate, the similarly feature-free frequent flier program from VX.

Agreed that VX is a "sexier" product, but I am not sure that is actually competitive.

Interesting choice of words... I am seeing a lot of quite full VX flights LAX to SEA, LAX to IAD, and LAX to JFK. Lotta people I talk to on those flights used to fly B6 until VX came along. No real explanation, but they're on the plane.

First, as far as "hard product," VX does not have the same legroom as B6, which to a lot of people is a huge plus for B6 even if their interiors aren't quite as mod. The single greatest asset of VX is the presence of a/c and usb outlets.

True and true.

VX has an outstanding FC, possibly the best in the United States, and on this score B6 cannot compete at all, obviously.

Definitely. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by VX F. Nothing domestic comes close.

For the time being, though, the biggest issue for many B6 flyers is the VX route system, which currently only operates out 7 cities. Out of New York, B6's hub, one can currently only fly to SFO.

They also fly to LAX and LAS (and connecting to SAN and SEA via SFO.)

But agreed that route limitations are an issue with VX.

Also, while SFO is a wonderful city, it is a fairly odd choice as a hub for a domestic carrier. Not only is SFO a coastal city, but it's also a smaller market with far lower O&D than NYC, B6's eastern coastal hub but which is also the nation's largest city and its principal airline market.

I guess I'm indifferent about their hub being in SFO, I don't know what their overall expansion strategy is, so I'm not sure how much of an impact it will have on them over time.

Finally, while B6's frequent flyer program may be simple and bereft of features, it certainly is in the same category as Elevate, the similarly feature-free frequent flier program from VX.

True - which is one of the reasons I brought this up on the thread in the first place. I felt an expansion of TrueBlue redemption options would make it more attractive than the similarly isolated EleVAte program, thereby giving me an incentive to get back on B6.

I am curious, though, why VX dropped JFK-LAX. With all the non-stop options JFK-LAX/BUR/LBG I don't see why anyone would go out of their way to fly VX JFK-LAX.

Also regarding the routes, presumably VX will expand but currently B6 has achieved a virtual "nastional carrier" stature with its 50+ destinations and fairly substantial Carribean presence.

Until the VX route network becomes far more substantial it's hard to see it as a serious competitor for any airline, especially since its hub is in SFO, with far lower O&D numbers than JFK.