JetBlue adds Marriott, Icelandair as partners

Posted by Seth Miller on May 2, 2011 under Flying, frequent flyer, News, points | 2 Comments to Read

JetBlue announced today two new partnerships, furthering the growth of their route map and TrueBlue loyalty program. On the flying side Icelandair and JetBlue will now provide interline service with connections between the two available at Boston, New York’s JFK and Washington’s Dulles airports. And on the hotel side Marriott is now an earning partner with TrueBlue.

The Icelandair partnership is similar to eight of the nine other interline partnerships JetBlue offers. It adds the option for a single ticket and through-checking of bags but the fares are additive and there is no frequent flyer reciprocity in terms of earning or redemption.

The Marriott relationship is a nice improvement on the TrueBlue side, adding the option for TrueBlue points earning across the entire Marriott product portfolio. The full-service brands (The Ritz-Carlton®, EDITION^SM, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Vacation Club®) will earn at a $1=1 point ratio while the other brands earn at a $2=1 point ratio. This is an improvement versus the earning rates on the carrier’s other hotel partner, Hilton, where all properties are at a 2:1 earning rate. Earning on hotel points still does not extend the expiration date of TrueBlue points; only flight or American Express points do.

Overall, two big improvements that see JetBlue continuing to improve their product portfolio.

Related Posts:

• JetBlue adds Virgin Atlantic as interline partner
• JetBlue adds Budget & Avis as earning partners
• Comparing Southwest’s Rapid Rewards 2 and JetBlue’s TrueBlue programs
• JetBlue & American Airlines announce earning reciprocity