SAA and JetBlue announce codeshare agreement

JetBlue Airways and South African Airways have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement to connect the carriers' networks via New York's John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD). The agreement is pending US DOT regulatory approval and subject to receipt of foreign government operating authority.

The partnership – an expansion of an interline agreement first inked in 2010 – allows customers to purchase a single ticket combining SAA- and JetBlue-operated flights and enjoy day-of-travel conveniences such as one-stop check-in and baggage transfer.

JetBlue intends to place its B6 code on SAA-operated flights between the US and both Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dakar, Senegal, as well as on connecting flights to select destinations beyond Johannesburg, including Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

SAA offers daily direct flights between New York and Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, and a stopover daily flight between Washington and Johannesburg via Dakar's Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport.

SAA has had a similar arrangement in place with JetBlue since 2011, placing its SA code on JetBlue-operated flights from its US gateways to top destinations including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida.

Via its Johannesburg hub, SAA links the world to most cities and destinations across southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, including South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia.

JetBlue operates one of America's youngest airline fleets, with 187 Airbus A320 and EMBRAER 190 aircraft. At JFK Airport, JetBlue operates from its acclaimed Terminal 5, while SAA operates from the adjacent Terminal 4.

At Washington Dulles, both JetBlue and SAA are co-located in Concourse B.