Airline News: JetBlue and Aer Lingus team up

Name: Budget Travel LLC
Price range: $

By Sean O'Neill

October 3, 2012

It's a rare U.S.-Ireland partnership between two discount airlines: JetBlue Airways and Ireland's Aer Lingus will let U.S. passengers book linked flights between more than 40 U.S. destinations and Ireland in a single reservation, connecting through New York City's JFK airport, according to the Wall Street Journal and Travel Weekly.

In other words, later year (probably by September), you'll be able to go to JetBlue.com or AerLingus.com and book flights from any point in the U.S. through to Ireland on a single ticket purchase.

One potential flaw: It appears that luggage will not sail through. At JFK airport, passengers would need to leave one terminal, get on the airport shuttle for one stop, and then re-check themselves and their luggage at the other terminal. Further details on this should be forthcoming.

"Rather than establishing new multi-airline fares, as carriers have long done, the duo's systems will simply add the cost of two flights that could be booked separately," reports the WSJ. "The carriers hope later to include JetBlue's flights to the Caribbean and Aer Lingus's flights around Europe from Ireland."

This is great news for budget travelers. And given that German airline Lufthansa recently purchased a stake in JetBlue, more connections via European airlines may be in the offing.

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