Emirates allies with JetBlue for single-ticket US travel

Emirates and JetBlue have inked a deal allowing travellers to book a single ticket for journeys involving the two airlines, including single check-in and baggage transfer.

The partnership means Australian travellers can now fly from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbaner and Perth to New York (via Dubai) on Emirates and then on to one of JetBlue’s 62 US destinations.

Both of the Emirates legs, including the two daily flights from Dubai to New York, are on Emirates' three-class Airbus A380s including private First Class suites.

JetBlue then picks up the journey from its hub at New York’s JFK airport. The airline services 21 US states with a hevay focus on Boston, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. It also flies to 11 countries in North and Central America including Bermuda, Barbados and The Bahamas.

While JetBlue is very much a low-cost airline, it operates one of America’s youngest fleets with 157 Airbus and EMBRAER aircraft and claims to offer "the most legroom in coach of any (domestic) US airline”.

There's one catch: Emirates' Skyward frequent flyer points are not part of the deal. Passengers can only earn Skypoints points for the trip between Sydney and New York.

Emirates says it expects to announce through-fares soon, however prices are likely to simply be JetBlue’s low-cost fares bolted on top of Emirates' existing fares rather than a more complex formula.