What to Know About Blue Sky: The United Airlines & JetBlue Collaboration Program

On May 29, 2025, JetBlue and United Airlines announced the beginning of a new strategic partnership called Blue Sky. Through this program, members of the JetBlue TrueBlue and United MileagePlus programs can receive reciprocal benefits with both airlines, including the ability to earn and use points and miles on either airline’s flights.

Elite status members with either program will have most of their benefits honored on both airlines. So, if you have United Premier Gold status, you can expect to receive elite status benefits whenever flying on JetBlue.

Additionally, both United and JetBlue will also now market the other airline’s flights through their own website, allowing customers to access a larger route network when booking through the United or JetBlue website (including award bookings).

These are just a few of the benefits offered by this new collaboration program between United Airlines and JetBlue. In this article, we’ll detail everything you need to know about the Blue Sky partnership program and explain how you can take advantage of its features.

Blue Sky Benefits Overview

Before we dive into each of the different aspects of the Blue Sky collaboration program, here’s a general list of the benefits offered by this program:

• Travelers can earn either (not both) MileagePlus miles or TrueBlue points on flights with either airline.
• MileagePlus miles can now be redeemed for flights on JetBlue, and TrueBlue points can be redeemed for United-operated flights.
• Cash flights from both airlines will now be marketed on the other airline’s website.
• Most (but not all) MileagePlus Premier and TrueBlue Mosaic elite status benefits will be honored when flying on the other airline.
• JetBlue will provide United access to slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for up to seven daily round-trip flights out of JFK Terminal 6 (starting as early as 2027).
• JetBlue and United will exchange eight flight timings at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
• United is leveraging JetBlue’s Paisly platform technology for its website and app’s “travel extras” booking component (including hotels, rental cars, cruises and travel insurance).

While the main features of the Blue Sky collaboration program are listed above, some additional details are worth mentioning. In the following sections, we’re going to look at each of these features in greater depth.

Earning Points and Miles on United and JetBlue

One of the main features of the Blue Sky partnership is the ability to earn points or miles on both airlines. For instance, if you’re booking a JetBlue-operated flight through the JetBlue website, you can choose to earn United MileagePlus miles for that flight. To do so, you’ll need to select the MileagePlus program as your preferred frequent flyer program when completing your flight booking online or when checking in for your flight. If you wish to earn JetBlue TrueBlue points on flights with either JetBlue or United, you’ll need to select TrueBlue as your preferred frequent flyer program.

When earning points or miles through either program, the rewards you earn are based on the price of your fare. The following table includes how many points or miles you can earn on the other airline’s flights, depending on your membership status:

Mosaic 1 and 2 in the JetBlue TrueBlue program earns 8X points on United flights. For example, if a United flight costs $400, you would earn 2,000 TrueBlue points without Mosaic status and 3,200 if you had Mosaic 1 or 2 status.

JetBlue TrueBlue members can also earn tiles (which are used to earn TrueBlue perks and Mosaic status) for booking United-operated flights. On the other hand, United MileagePlus members currently do not earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) or Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) on JetBlue flights credited to their MileagePlus account.

Redeeming Points and Miles on United and JetBlue

In addition to earning points or miles on flights with both airlines, you can also now redeem MileagePlus miles and TrueBlue points for award flights operated by either airline. The process of doing so is simple.

If you want to book an award flight through JetBlue TrueBlue, you can simply click the “Use TrueBlue points” checkbox when searching for flights through the JetBlue website. Then, any available United award flights will appear in the results. Unfortunately, you cannot use the Cash + Points option to purchase United-operated flights.

Likewise, if you want to book an award flight with United miles, you can click the “Book with miles” checkbox, and any available JetBlue award flights will be displayed in the results. You cannot use the Money + Miles option to purchase JetBlue-operated flights.

It’s also worth noting that you can’t use TrueBlue points or United miles to book mixed connecting itineraries that include JetBlue‑operated and United‑operated flights on the same one‑way trip. If your one-way journey requires both airlines, you must book separate awards.

Booking Flights with Cash Through United and JetBlue Websites and Apps

Another feature of the Blue Sky partnership is that cash flights from each of these two airlines will now be marketed on the other airline’s website and app. So, if you search for flights through either airline’s website or app, any available cash flights operated by the other airline will appear in the search results.

For instance, if you search for a flight from Miami (MIA) to New York (JFK) through the United website or app, then you’ll most likely see results for JetBlue-operated flights (since this is one of JetBlue’s most popular routes).

Reciprocal Elite Status Benefits on United and JetBlue

As previously mentioned, United Premier and JetBlue Mosaic elite status members will receive reciprocal elite status benefits when flying on the other airline. Elite status members in either program are entitled to priority check-in, boarding, security and baggage, in addition to access to preferred and extra legroom seats, free first checked bag and same day changes and switches when flying on either airline.

The following table includes the elite status benefits you’ll be entitled to on either airline at each status tier:

*This refers to EvenMore and extra legroom seats on JetBlue and Economy Plus seats on United.

Unfortunately, not all JetBlue Mosaic elite status benefits are available on United flights, and not all United Premier elite status benefits are available on JetBlue flights. For example, JetBlue Mosaic elite status members will not receive complimentary Premier Upgrades on United flights.

United and JetBlue Are Swapping Slots and Timings

Another aspect of the Blue Sky partnership is that JetBlue will be providing United Airlines with access to slots for up to seven daily round-trip flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Essentially, JetBlue is allowing United to use some of the takeoff and landing spots that it owns at JFK Terminal 6 to operate up to seven round-trip flights per day.

United and JetBlue are also swapping eight takeoff/landing timings at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). To clarify, airlines own specific time slots at each airport from which they operate, and United and JetBlue will be exchanging eight of these time slots to create schedules that improve the operations of both airlines.

Overall, these changes shouldn’t affect the passenger experience. However, United should now be able to run more flights out of JFK, and both airlines should be able to run more flights from EWR.

JetBlue’s Paisly Will Power United’s Non-Air Travel Offerings

JetBlue’s subsidiary Paisly, which has historically been an internal travel booking platform on the JetBlue website, will also be powering the non-air travel booking platform on the United Airlines website (including packages, hotels, rental cars, cruises, activities and insurance).

According to a JetBlue press release in 2025, Paisly has transitioned “from a single-brand travel platform to a full-service, tech-enabled managed travel services provider.” As part of this transformation, Paisly can now be implemented on non-JetBlue websites, including the United Airlines website.

FAQ

While we’ve already covered nearly everything you need to know about the Blue Sky partnership agreement, let’s briefly look at a few frequently asked questions.

Can I add both my TrueBlue and MileagePlus numbers to flights to earn rewards with both programs?

Unfortunately, you can’t add both your TrueBlue and MileagePlus numbers to a flight booking to earn rewards with both programs. On any flight with either JetBlue or United, you will need to choose only one program to earn rewards with.

Can I transfer points between JetBlue TrueBlue and United MileagePlus?

At this time, you cannot transfer points from JetBlue TrueBlue to United MileagePlus or vice versa, and you can’t pool points between the two programs.

What will happen to existing United car, hotel, cruise and package reservations?

Although United’s non-air travel booking portal will be transitioning to the Paisly platform, all existing car, hotel, cruise and package reservations will still be valid. If you need support or service for your booking, you can contact the provider (the contact information should be in your confirmation email).

The Bottom Line

In an airline industry that seems to be generating a lot of bad news these days (such as increasing airfares and shifts to dynamic award pricing), the Blue Sky partnership is something that travelers can smile about. This partnership is a net positive for members of both United MileagePlus and JetBlue TrueBlue.

TrueBlue points can now be redeemed for United-operated flights through the JetBlue website, and MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for JetBlue-operated flights through United’s website. Cash flights from both airlines are also now marketed on the other airline’s website. This change simply means that travelers now have more options for redeeming their MileagePlus miles and TrueBlue points.

Likewise, you can now earn TrueBlue points (as well as tiles toward earning Mosaic status) on United flights and earn MileagePlus miles (but not PQPs or PQFs) on JetBlue flights. This is a great option if you want to credit your flights on both airlines in one program and make the most of your rewards.

Perhaps the best feature of the Blue Sky collaboration is that you’ll now enjoy certain Mosaic elite status perks on United flights and certain Premier perks on JetBlue flights. This change is a wholesale improvement for elite status members in either program.