Brand loyalty can pay big dividends in the travel industry. Collecting points or airline miles can get you closer and closer to that dream vacation on a much more affordable airfare when they thank you for flying with earned miles. That, of course, only matters if your airline of choice services your desired destination. That is where airline partnerships come in, and that is where JetBlue and Qatar Airways are working on expanding their network to allow for more options for travelers with varied ventures.
JetBlue and Qatar Airways add 11 cities
JetBlue and Qatar Airways expanded what they call their Codeshare Program this week to include 11 more cities travelers can fly to while still earning loyalty points on Qatar Airways. The agreement will allow travelers to visit eight countries throughout Africa and Asia when purchasing a single JetBlue ticket. According to the company announcement, all flights will go through Doha’s Hamad International Airport, the Qatar Airways hub.
The new destinations added to the agreement join the 13 Qatar Airways destinations already available to JetBlue customers and the more than 50 JetBlue destinations across the US, Caribbean, and Latin America available to Qatar Airways travelers. The new destinations include Accra, Ghana (ACC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADD), Alexandria, Egypt (HBE), Bangkok, Thailand (BKK), Cairo, Egypt (CAI), Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia (DPS), Harare, Zimbabwe (HRE), Jakarta, Indonesia (CGK), Khartoum, Sudan (KRT), Phuket, Thailand (HKT), and Windhoek, Namibia (WDH).
Agreement Builds on a Decade-Long Partnership
This expanded codeshare agreement builds on the airlines’ partnership struck in 2011. Per the announcement, customers benefit from enhancements that link the carriers’ loyalty programs. TrueBlue and Privilege Club members are able to gain TrueBlue points or Privilege Club Avios. That will expand with the ability to redeem those points on either airline.
“Together with Qatar Airways, we’re connecting more customers to more outstanding destinations, all while providing them with industry-leading experiences onboard our two airlines,” Robin Hayes, chief executive officer of JetBlue, said in the company statement. “Qatar Airways is already our top internationally-based partner for connecting customers across the Americas to its worldwide network, and as we continue to strengthen our relationship, we’re giving travelers a variety of fresh choices for flying to new corners of the globe.”
