El Al signs agreement with JetBlue Airways; To provide connecting options on US-bound flights

El Al and JetBlue on Thursday signed an agreement to provide connecting options for customers flying between the United States and Israel.


Starting in October, passengers will be able to purchase a single ticket for travel on flights of both carriers in one transaction and have connecting service between Ben-Gurion Airport and 61 JetBlue flight destinations in North America from New York’s JFK International Airport.

The agreement was signed after four months of negotiations. JetBlue CEO David Barger arrived in Israel on Thursday together with a team of executives to sign the contract.

El AL CEO Eliezer Shkedy said the new agreement would provide El Al passengers with a unique product.

“The agreement allows us to reach places that we haven’t been able to get to in the past and offers simpler and more-frequent connections through JFK Airport,” he said. “The fact that we are the fifth airline to sign such an agreement with JetBlue, after companies such as Lufthansa and American Airlines, shows that we are on the same level as the industry leaders.”

Barger and Shkedy said the agreement would enable the companies to offer competitive prices.

“Customers will enjoy the convenience of purchasing and traveling on a single ticket,” El Al manager of alliances Stanley Morias said. “On the day of travel, customers will benefit from a simplified, one-stop, check-in and easy connections at JFK Airport, where the two airlines operate out of neighboring terminals. At the airport, customers will receive boarding cards for both carriers’ flights upon check-in, and their baggage will be checked to their final destination.”