I recall an article that indicated Jetblue would like a DCA-BUF route. I'll assume BOS and JFK are on the table too

I think there is much more routes to be added from DCA-FLL/MCO/TPA.

Would IAD-JFK be part of this package?

No.

B6 and AA
 

Perhaps B6 should follow the Alaska Air example and allow one to earn miles on either B6 or AA or ... , if they are interlining with AA .

I had a lot of time to ruminate on my thoughts about this announcement as I was in transit all day today. That meant I actually had to think about things rather than just react. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that B6 is going to play as the AS of the North-East. They can partner with whoever is convenient for additional routes and lift and they don't have to alter their FF program to "fit" the mold of a traditional one to join a global alliance. They form partnerships of convenience and benefit without too many obligations.

Plus, they now have a pretty decent sized portfolio to start operations at DCA.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...ine-agreement/

Any guesses as to what B6 will do with the additional slot out of HPN? More Florida service, or service to a focus city to allow for west coast connections?

How about HPN-DCA?

Probably would be to Florida b/c that has been very profitable for B6. However, HPN-AUS/ORD would provide service to Texas/Chicago with easy connection to the West Coast.

Also, very possible but would only be 1X per day vs US's to DCA and UA's To IAD.

Yes, it would be workout very well.

This quote leads me to suspect that may not entirely be the case.

"When asked at a press conference about adding JetBlue to the Oneworld alliance, Mr. Arpey said, "We'll see where things lead."

American Airlines, JetBlue Establish Partnership

It seems odd that neither AA or B6 completely denied any future OW membership. Usually that would be the case, but Arpey's statement left things wide open.

I strongly disagree with the above bit I highlighted. Why say "yes" or "no" when the answer really is "maybe." Moreover, making the leap from interline service on a couple dozen routes to participation in a global alliance is such a drastic jump that I don't think it is quite appropriate yet. The partnership could grow, but B6 also has an almost identical relationship with LH; that doesn't mean they're about to join *A.

My WAG on this is that Jetblue will apply for a perimeter exemption at DCA. Many airlines have been successful in getting an excemption to fly to their west coast hubs (e.g. UA-DEN, DL-SLC, AS-LAX/SEA, US-PHX). There are actually unused slots at DCA for early morning and late evening flights (6am-7am, 8-9pm). While these times aren't great for short haul travel, they would fit in nicely for transcon. Imagine a DCA-LGB flight that left at 8pm, arrived LGB at 11pm with a redeye return coming into DCA before 7am. I could see B6 operating DCA-LGB 2x daily, one a day flight with connecting possibilities and other a night/red-eye combination primarily for O and D. Other than that I would expect service to either MCO or FLL, and probably BOS and JFK.

Those exemptions have greatly benefited from having Congress-critters in on the deal when making the request. I'm not sure that B6 has a ton of ability there given their base in NYC, but maybe.

That's exactly my point. If there was no possibility of B6 joining OW, I would have expected Arpey or the jetblue CEO to respond with a "no". By leaving it open like they did, puts a slight cloud of doubt on the idea of B6 becoming a codeshare-whore like AS.

As I posted in other threads, I suspect that this interline was annouced as a precursor the actual codeshares and other cooperation. I'm sure the details of this new alliance are still being worked out. With B6's move to Sabre, implementing the tech to join an alliance should be easier, and I'm sure AA would be the one sponsoring them.

The partnership with B6 is redundant for LH as they now have CO in *A to handle connections out of the NYC area. LH bought into B6 as a hedge due to UA's financial uncertainty. Now that UA is more stable, LH is looking for value from the investment.