JetBlue and Icelandair have been companions for the higher a part of a decade. However the two airways’ ties grew lots deeper this week — and it is excellent news for frequent JetBlue flyers with a stash of factors and/or transferable bank card rewards.
For the primary time, JetBlue TrueBlue members can redeem factors on flights operated by Icelandair.
It is a huge step ahead for the partnership, which dates again to 2017 — however beforehand solely allowed JetBlue members to earn (however not “burn”) factors on flights operated by its Reykjavik-based companion.
This alteration ought to give TrueBlue members a wider vary of how to make use of their factors — whether or not it is a flight to Iceland or a connection to a farther-flung vacation spot Icelandair serves, from Europe to Greenland or the Faroe Islands.
Hold studying to seek out out how one can redeem your JetBlue TrueBlue factors for Icelandair award flights.
How you can guide Icelandair flights utilizing JetBlue TrueBlue factors
To guide an Icelandair flight utilizing JetBlue’s loyalty forex, merely log in to your TrueBlue account and seek for your required itinerary similar to you’ll for any award flight. After you enter your cities and dates, you’ll want to test “Use TrueBlue factors” to seek for award flights.
Relying on the vacation spot and routing, you may even see itineraries involving Icelandair supplied.
As an illustration, here is an August redemption from JetBlue’s residence base at New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to Keflavik Airport (KEF) in Iceland — a route JetBlue doesn’t fly.
You’ll be able to guide this direct flight utilizing 17,000 TrueBlue factors. Simply observe, per JetBlue’s web site, award journey is topic to a further $102.10 one-way per particular person.
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JETBLUEIf you booked this fare utilizing money, you’d pay $494 for the one-way financial system flight. Due to this fact, by utilizing your factors, you’d get a redemption worth of about 2.3 cents per level. TPG values JetBlue factors at 1.35 cents per level, so it is a good approach to maximize your TrueBlue factors.
As all the time, you’ll want to evaluate the money value of the ticket to the award value.
Redeem TrueBlue factors to guide different Icelandair European locations
You can even use JetBlue’s reserving channels to redeem factors on itineraries to Europe. Simply needless to say you may need to cease in Reykjavik in every path as a result of any Icelandair reserving goes to the touch its residence metropolis.
Nonetheless, this could possibly be a approach to redeem JetBlue factors on journeys to European cities the provider would not at the moment serve — from Rome to Copenhagen, Lisbon or Barcelona.
Needless to say JetBlue does serve a rising variety of transatlantic routes with its personal nonstop service. However that is restricted to a half dozen European locations — and solely from JFK and/or Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS).
As of this month, Icelandair serves 14 U.S. cities with nonstop service, per aviation analytics agency Cirium, making this redemption partnership a brand new journey avenue for TrueBlue members in a variety of U.S. cities.
Nonetheless, on the time of publication, most European Icelandair routes weren’t displaying up on JetBlue’s award calendar. We’ll control award redemptions as they’re made accessible.
Issues to bear in mind when reserving Icelandair itineraries by means of JetBlue
One factor to notice: You’ll be able to’t at the moment redeem factors for joint JetBlue-Icelandair itineraries — it must be all JetBlue or all Icelandair. Additionally, Mosaic elite standing members will not be capable to faucet into their loyalty advantages when flying on Icelandair.
Moreover, Icelandair’s most premium choices are extra harking back to a home first-class product than the worldwide business-class-style lie-flat Mint lodging JetBlue boasts on its transatlantic service.
Greatest bank cards to make use of to guide JetBlue companion award flights
Even if you happen to’re not a frequent JetBlue flyer, you’ll be able to simply accrue sufficient TrueBlue factors to guide a flight to Iceland — or Europe, for that matter — aboard Icelandair by using a bank card that earns transferable factors.
A handful of main bank card issuers supply transfers to JetBlue, although you’ll want to think about the switch ratios:
Ensure that there’s availability earlier than transferring your bank card rewards, as you usually cannot undo transfers as soon as they’re full.
Backside line
Whereas JetBlue’s deeper partnership with Icelandair presents vacationers new alternatives to redeem TrueBlue factors on worldwide journeys, it is not the provider’s first such association.
JetBlue presents comparable redemption choices by means of its tie-ups with Hawaiian Airways, TAP Air Portugal and Qatar Airways — together with alternatives to even redeem factors for Qatar Qsuite.
And it appears JetBlue is all the time trying to broaden its partnership with different airways. Beforehand, TrueBlue members may redeem factors on American Airways flights — and vice versa for AAdvantage members flying JetBlue — by means of the Northeast Alliance, which a federal choose later struck down.
Final 12 months, JetBlue mentioned it was exploring the potential of a future partnership with one other airline.
As for Icelandair, the provider already companions with a handful of U.S. carriers, together with its not too long ago launched pact with Southwest Airways. Speedy Rewards members ought to be capable to guide flights aboard Icelandair by 2026, Southwest executives beforehand advised TPG.
Although JetBlue will not be a member of any main alliance, the provider continues to develop noteworthy partnerships to assist broaden its loyalty program.
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