Comments on: Birth of an alliance? JetBlue and AerLingus join forces http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/ Living the first class life -- at coach prices Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:34:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Coming soon?: Outsourced long-haul flights » Upgrade: Travel Better http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-17251 Coming soon?: Outsourced long-haul flights » Upgrade: Travel Better Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:23:48 +0000 http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-17251 [...] this isn’t the kind of thing that happens overnight. (Remember the jetBlue-Aer Lingus “alliance“?) Still, if Omni’s plans go forward, your local low cost carrier could soon be selling [...] […] this isn’t the kind of thing that happens overnight. (Remember the jetBlue-Aer Lingus “alliance“?) Still, if Omni’s plans go forward, your local low cost carrier could soon be selling […]

]]> By: The Global Traveller http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1442 The Global Traveller Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:46:13 +0000 http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1442 The Lufthansa/United codeshare across the Atlantic is a special case in that it is more than a regular codeshare. This is a revenue sharing arrangement (sometimes referred to as airshare) which means unlike normal codeshares there is no incentive for the airlines to compete with each other). So, not as good as normal codeshare you might say. On the upside, it means upgrade instruments can be used across the airlines - superceding normal rules about only being able to use on own metal. As for a low cost carrier alliance, there has been talk for years of Virgin Blue (Australia's low cost carrier) possibly joining/starting such an alliance. So far nothing has come from it. Alliances are quite expensive, at least in the traditional sense. Perhaps there will be a new budget version of an alliance without all the frills we get from the big three (One World, Sky Team and Star Alliance)? The Lufthansa/United codeshare across the Atlantic is a special case in that it is more than a regular codeshare. This is a revenue sharing arrangement (sometimes referred to as airshare) which means unlike normal codeshares there is no incentive for the airlines to compete with each other). So, not as good as normal codeshare you might say. On the upside, it means upgrade instruments can be used across the airlines - superceding normal rules about only being able to use on own metal.

As for a low cost carrier alliance, there has been talk for years of Virgin Blue (Australia’s low cost carrier) possibly joining/starting such an alliance. So far nothing has come from it. Alliances are quite expensive, at least in the traditional sense. Perhaps there will be a new budget version of an alliance without all the frills we get from the big three (One World, Sky Team and Star Alliance)?

]]> By: Oliver http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1433 Oliver Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:02:04 +0000 http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1433 Will Oasis be next in that new alliance? http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-01-10-oasis-coming-to-oakland_x.htm?csp=34 Would connect nicely JetBlue's Oakland flights. Will Oasis be next in that new alliance?

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-01-10-oasis-coming-to-oakland_x.htm?csp=34

Would connect nicely JetBlue’s Oakland flights.

]]> By: triangular gutters http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1404 triangular gutters Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:23:14 +0000 http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/06/birth-of-an-alliance-jetblue-and-aerlingus-join-forces/#comment-1404 In the Wonderland of travel governed by US Government contracting rules, codeshares do have a significant use. If you go read the Fly America Act, you'll find that any Federal employee or contractor is basically required to take a US-flagged carrier on the initial leg in or out of the country. But in flyertalk terms, it doesn't matter what metal you're on. There was a ruling issued that it's just the ticket stock that matters. Gotta be American paper. In case you're wondering, yes, this does lead to more money being spent. That's the whole point of the regulation, or else it would just say "take the cheapest flight". At one point I took a last minute IAD->FRA flight on LH. I was forced to buy the ticket as a UA codeshare, costing a grand more than buying the exact same coach seat on LH stock. But hey, it's an American company getting the money... I'm currently trying to get a ticket to a rather odd destination. Right now I have a DL ticket, but *A flights would be both cheaper and better. A foreign *A carrier has plenty of seats, and UA has a codeshare on this route. Unfortunately, the codeshare partner is being weird about releasing bucket availability to UA. And when the bucket does open up, nobody can book it; even united.com refuses to admit that the destination even exists, even though there's a UA flight number to it! In the Wonderland of travel governed by US Government contracting rules, codeshares do have a significant use. If you go read the Fly America Act, you’ll find that any Federal employee or contractor is basically required to take a US-flagged carrier on the initial leg in or out of the country.

But in flyertalk terms, it doesn’t matter what metal you’re on. There was a ruling issued that it’s just the ticket stock that matters. Gotta be American paper.

In case you’re wondering, yes, this does lead to more money being spent. That’s the whole point of the regulation, or else it would just say “take the cheapest flight”. At one point I took a last minute IAD->FRA flight on LH. I was forced to buy the ticket as a UA codeshare, costing a grand more than buying the exact same coach seat on LH stock. But hey, it’s an American company getting the money…

I’m currently trying to get a ticket to a rather odd destination. Right now I have a DL ticket, but *A flights would be both cheaper and better. A foreign *A carrier has plenty of seats, and UA has a codeshare on this route. Unfortunately, the codeshare partner is being weird about releasing bucket availability to UA. And when the bucket does open up, nobody can book it; even united.com refuses to admit that the destination even exists, even though there’s a UA flight number to it!

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