JetBlue and Aer Lingus to merge booking

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- JetBlue Airways Corp. and Aer Lingus Group PLC plan to announce a partnership Friday linking their reservation and booking services on the Internet.

"This is totally new. It's electronically linking two carriers," said JetBlue Chief Executive Dave Barger.

Industry analysts say cooperation between two air carriers is a rare event, because the combined ticket revenue stream is expensive to manage, The Wall Street Journal reported.

It will be manageable between Aer Lingus and JetBlue, because both have Web-based systems, the report said. "The accounting of this is a cinch," said Edna Corneille, corporate affairs director at Aer Lingus.

By merging reservation systems, Aer Lingus can add 40 new target destinations to the seven U.S. cities it already serves. JetBlue, the 8th largest U.S. carrier with 550 flights a day, expects to attract more foreign business, the report said.