By Irish Echo Staff
Aer Lingus has signed a code-share agreement with JetBlue Airways and the deal will soon mean that Aer Lingus Ireland-bound passengers will be using the JetBlue terminal at Kennedy airport .
The agreement also covers connecting east coast flights to and from JFK airport and Boston's Logan International Airport.
The new partnership will see Aer Lingus moving out of Kennedy's Terminal 4 and into Jet Blue's Terminal 5 with a starting up date for the new partnership on April 3.
From April 3, Aer Lingus customers connecting to one of JetBlue's destinations across the U.S. will benefit from same terminal connections, one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in for travel on both airlines, from the U.S. to Europe, according to a release.
The two airlines have been "interline" partners since 2008 with connections to over 40 destinations in the U.S. According to the release, as a result of the new agreement, tickets featuring an Aer Lingus flight number (EI) will be available for sale on the Aer Lingus website for JetBlue-operated connections between 29 cities in North America connecting through New York including Buffalo, Orlando, Rochester and Syracuse and Tampa and through Boston, including Baltimore, Dallas-Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and West Palm Beach. This is subject to government approval.
From the end of March, Aer Lingus will offer double daily flights between Dublin and New York, and Dublin and Boston. Flights from Shannon to New York will operate three times weekly, with four weekly departures to Boston, all connecting with JetBlue.
According to the Irish Independent, the new code-share agreement means the two airlines will now market and sell each other's flights as if they were their own.
Reported the daily: Aer Lingus is beefing up its transatlantic services. It's using an additional aircraft that had been in use by the now defunct service it operated in conjunction with United between Washington and Madrid. From March, Aer Lingus will fly twice a day between Dublin and New York and Dublin to Boston. It will also operate three flights a week from Shannon to New York as well as four to Boston.
In addition to the extra service from the U.S., Aer Lingus is also looking at the opening of a route between Canada and Ireland.
