Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Sign Codeshare and Frequent-Flyer Agreements

Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways are deepening their partnership with the signing of new agreements to offer new benefits to the customers of both airlines.

According to Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue, members of both carriers’ frequent-flyer programs will soon be able to earn and redeem loyalty points or miles for travel on either airline.

Travelers will also be able to connect easily between the two carriers to points throughout the East Coast and points throughout Hawaii, with the signing of a new codeshare agreement.

Hawaiian Airlines has 21 Airbus A330-200s in service and on order, as well as options on five more. Hawaiian has leased three of its A330-200s from leasing companies

Both agreements will go into effect on June 5, when Hawaiian Airlines launches the only non-stop service between New York City and Hawaii. Hawaiian will operate daily widebody flights between JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at New York JFK and Honolulu International Airport (HNL).

“Starting next month, Hawaiian will bring Hawaii to New York, and this expansion of our partnership with JetBlue will make travel between the East Coast and Hawaii easier than ever,” says Peter Ingram, Hawaiian’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer.

From June 5, JetBlue’s TrueBlue members will be able to accrue one point for every two miles flown on eligible Hawaiian-operated flights, while HawaiianMiles members will be able to earn miles on eligible JetBlue-operated flights on a mile-for-mile basis.

To earn points or miles on the entire trip, customers must call JetBlue Airways or Hawaiian Airlines reservations to enter their TrueBlue or HawaiianMiles numbers into their itineraries prior to travel. Frequent fliers can also redeem their points or miles for travel on either airline’s network by calling their program’s reservation desk.

JetBlue Airways unveiled this Airbus A320 in Boston Red Sox colors on February 10, 2012, saying the aircraft was the first officially to sport a Major League Baseball uniform

JetBlue boasts that its TrueBlue frequent-flyer program has no blackout dates: every seat on every JetBlue flight is available for redemption, allowing customers to redeem awards whenever they want to travel.

However, a TruBlue program-member’s points expire completely after just 12 months if there is no activity during that period on the member’s account – as this reporter found out personally, as an unpleasant surprise.

From May 30, Hawaiian Airlines has placed its ‘HA’ flight code on a host of connecting JetBlue flights, allowing connections to be found in worldwide reservations systems between points on JetBlue’s network throughout the East Coast and points throughout Hawaiian’s intra-state Hawaii network.

According to Hawaiian Airlines, codesharing provides one-stop check-in, seamless flight connections and boarding passes all the way through from origin to destination.

Hawaiian Airlines has leased three more Boeing 717-200s for its inter-island fleet in order to service the peak-period transportation needs of Hawaii residents and visitors flying within the Hawaiian Islands. The carrier is leasing the three aircraft from Boeing Capital Corporation (BCC) and has also bought the 15 Boeing 717s it previously was leasing from BCC, which is a Boeing aircraft-financing unit

Customers may book their codeshare connecting travel online at HawaiianAirlines.com, on third party travel sites or by calling Hawaiian Airlines or their preferred travel agent.

In January, the airlines announced an interline partnership enabling customers to travel on a single combined ticket for connecting Hawaiian and JetBlue-operated flights.

The agreement also offered other benefits, including one-stop check-in and baggage transfer between the carriers’ networks via New York JFK and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where Hawaiian offers multiple daily departures to Hawaii.

At JFK, JetBlue customers in cities such as Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Raleigh/Durham will be able to make seamless connections to Honolulu or onwards on Hawaiian to Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii Island.