In a twist, American partners with JetBlue in bid for New York and Boston

In a twist, American partners with JetBlue in bid for New York and Boston

A JetBlue Airways Embraer 190 passenger jet taxis on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Robert Alexander | Getty Images

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways are teaming up “” again.

The airlines, which ended a similar partnership in 2014, on Thursday unveiled a new alliance that will allow them to sell seats on each other's planes, giving them more market share in the New York area, JetBlue's home, and Boston, a longtime battleground among carriers. That could give them a better shot at fending off competitors like rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Travelers can also earn and burn frequent flyer miles with flights on either carrier.

"JetBlue has always had great, great brand strength in New York and Boston, which American for years, we struggled to be relevant in those two markets," Vasu Raja, chief revenue officer of Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines, told CNBC. "By contrast, American has immense relevance for customers across the Midwest, the Southeast ... and even a big global reach too." 

The airlines discussed the partnership, which is subject to regulator review, before the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to billions in losses and threatened tens of thousands of jobs across the industry, said Scott Laurence, JetBlue's head of revenue