Travelers are advised to focus on nonstop itineraries since each flight segment is priced separately. A one-stop trip from Los Angeles to Seoul via San Francisco costs 81,800 JetBlue points plus $260.60 in fees—simply the sum of each nonstop segment’s price and taxes. By comparison, a nonstop San Francisco-Seoul itinerary costs 69,900 points plus $260.60.
Award pricing does not strictly follow distance-based rules even for nonstop flights and non-close-in bookings. For instance, a 1,023-mile route from Newark to Palm Beach costs 39,900 JetBlue points plus $5.60 in taxes and fees; meanwhile, the longer Newark-Anchorage route (3,370 miles) requires only 39,000 points plus $5.60.
Within the continental U.S., the lowest observed JetBlue redemption rate for United flights was 11,900 points (Houston-Austin). Outside the continental U.S., it was 15,900 points (Guam-Saipan).
Booking JetBlue-operated flights using United MileagePlus miles proved more challenging: availability was inconsistent even on routes where JetBlue operates nonstops. When available, these awards often required more miles than comparable United-operated options or partner awards such as Avianca’s.
For example: a JetBlue flight from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Medellin (Colombia) costs 20,000 United miles plus $20.60 in fees; an Avianca-operated flight on the same route requires just 17,500 miles plus $20.60.
JetBlue Mint transatlantic itineraries were not found bookable via MileagePlus during this search period; however Nick Ewen at TPG did locate a Mint seat from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles for 80,000 miles plus $5.60—a steep premium compared with economy pricing or connecting itineraries on United metal.
Based on collected data points:
- Short-haul routes like San Juan–Punta Cana (155 miles) or New York–Boston (187 miles): 15,000 miles
- Medium distances such as Palm Beach–New York (1,035 miles): 20,000 miles
- Longer domestic/international legs like New York–Aruba (1,951 miles): 30,000 miles
- Cross-country/transatlantic examples such as Fort Lauderdale–Los Angeles (2,343 miles): 35,000 miles; San Francisco–Boston (2,704), New York–London (3,451): up to 45,000 miles
While the Blue Sky alliance increases flexibility for frequent flyers by expanding earning and redemption opportunities across both airlines’ networks—and gives members more ways to use their rewards—the current award rates do not present significant value over existing options according to TPG’s analysis.
As noted in the article: "The new Blue Sky alliance is great for JetBlue and United members giving them more ways to earn and redeem their points and miles. However none of the award rates we found are compelling enough for me to want to transfer rewards to JetBlue TrueBlue or United MileagePlus." The report adds that travelers should compare all available options before redeeming their loyalty currency under this new partnership.
Alerts Sign-up
