American AAdvantage miles can now be redeemed for flights on aa.com, but not via the website. This can be a good value in the economy, but not as good of a value in Mint. The original post was published on October 13, 2021. The tip of the hat is used to view from the wing.
American and JetBlue formed a strategic alliance in the Northeast. The idea behind this partnership is that American wants to grow its presence in New York but needs connecting traffic, and that JetBlue has amazing connections in the Northeast. The partnership is good for consumers, though the DOJ disagrees, and is trying to challenge it.
There is some great news when it comes to the partnership between American and JetBlue, they are both rolling out elite benefits as of today, and we can expect redemptions between the two airlines in November.
The elite benefits of American and JetBlue.
Codeshare flights were introduced early this year by American and JetBlue, and as of May 2021, there were opportunities for points to be earned.
American and JetBlue have an alliance.
Select elite perks are now available to American AAdvantage and JetBlue TrueBlue Mosaic elite members when flying with another airline. This also includes:
Priority check-in.
Up to two free checked bags, weighing up to 50 pounds each, are given to all elite tiers with both airlines.
Priority baggage handling.
Priority security.
Priority boarding with Group 4 on American and Mosaic passengers.
For Mosaic members on American, there is a free same day flight change.
You can get priority boarding with American and JetBlue.
This is a great start, but it doesn't offer full reciprocity. The good news is that we should see more benefits for AAdvantage and TrueBlue members in the future. We don't have a timetable or details, so what should we expect?
I think we could see extra legroom economy seating on American and even more space on JetBlue, but policies would vary based on your status.
The other airline might give a free alcoholic drink to the Mosaic members and American Executive Platinum members.
I don't think we'll see first class or Mint upgrades, and I don't think American would offer first class without reciprocity.
I think the one potential upgrade perk that I could see would be some systemwide upgrades for Mosaic members, which would be intended to encourage them to fly American long haul, though there isn't much that JetBlue could offer.
Extra legroom seating will be a thing in the future.
American and JetBlue award redemptions.
The two airlines intend to roll out redemptions in November. The execution of this is difficult.
The cash cost of a ticket when redeemed directly reflects the cash cost in the award program.
American AAdvantage publishes an award chart but has different award levels, so award pricing doesn't reflect the cost of a ticket when paying cash
What should we expect? If you want to redeem American AAdvantage miles on JetBlue, award pricing will follow American's typical partner award chart with a major catch.
In other words.
The price of a JetBlue economy ticket will be 12,500 AAdvantage miles one-way within the United States.
A Mint ticket will cost a minimum of 50,000 AAdvantage miles one-way if it is priced based on the first column.
You will have to pay an additional 15,000 AAdvantage miles for one-way for many Mint routes, including segments from Boston, New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Palm Beach to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
It will not be possible to redeem AAdvantage miles for them because they are excluded from this alliance.
Economy awards will be in the P fare class, while business class awards will be in the I fare class.
65,000 AAdvantage miles for a one-way Mint ticket is not a great deal. I think there is more value in the economy than in Mint, and I am happy to see mileage redemptions coming.
Redemptions for the JetBlue Mint are going to cost a lot.
We don't know much about what redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue points on American will look like, but we should learn more soon.
American AAdvantage and JetBlue TrueBlue have perks that are similar to elite perks. When it comes to check-in, checked bags, security, and boarding, we are seeing a level of reciprocity. This is a great start and hopefully we will see more in the future.
There will be opportunities for award redemption in November. The Mint redemption rates aren't as good as I had hoped, but I'm happy to finally see this.
What do you think about the award redemptions between American and JetBlue?
Ben is the founder of OMAAT.
