Greetings from Austin! We’re wrapping up a fun but exhausting day at the ATX Jetsetter household as we celebrated ATX Jr.’s birthday today. We had roughly 50 farm animals in the backyard as part of a petting zoo and I am exhausted. With that being said, here’s the weekly recap for the week ended May 31, 2025.
JetBlue and United Announce Partnership
United Airlines and JetBlue have announced the details behind their new partnership, named Blue Skies. This partnership has been coming for some time with rumors of it dating back to January. Ultimately, this seems like a better deal for JetBlue than United as the former gets access to the latter’s large pool of elites that can now earn and redeem miles with JetBlue.
United on the other hand is getting access to New York’s JFK Airport, something that CEO Scott Kirby has wanted to do for some time, though not with a meaningful number of slots. Ultimately this all has to be approved by the regulators but I see this as a precursor to a merger or closer tie up in the future.
JetBlue has struggled financially, but it operates the bulk of its flights on the competitive and highly restricted East Coast. That is definitely something that could be of interest to United along with JetBlue’s presence in South Florida.
Southwest Airlines Starts Charging for Checked Bags
Southwest Airlines has started charging for checked bags on flights booked on or after May 28, 2025. While pricing is in line with what we find on other U.S. carriers, this represents a major change for the airline who has championed free bags for decades.
This change is one of the final remaining steps in the Dallas based carrier’s transformation plan which has seen it overhaul its Rapid Rewards program, cut corporate staff, and add assigned seating. It will be interesting to see what these changes do to the carrier’s bottom line in the short and long terms.
Hyatt Launches Yet Another Hotel Brand
Hyatt Hotels has introduced a new brand under its select-service, Essentials portfolio. Unscripted by Hyatt is designed to entice conversion properties by allowing them to tap into Hyatt’s distribution network while maintaining their own identity. I can’t quite figure out where this brand will sit so I’m interested to see what properties join the brand.
Etihad Airways is Giving Away Five Million Miles to One Eager Traveler
Etihad is offering 5 million Etihad Guest miles to the first person to fly to all 15 of the carrier’s new destinations for 2025. With some routes yet to begin service, the winner will likely come down to who can consolidate all of their flying as close as possible to the date of the final flight.
If you’re crazy enough to attempt this challenge, my hat is off to you and please document the adventure for those of us who will be watching from the house.
American Express Temporarily Closes its San Francisco Centurion Lounge
American Express has closed the Centurion Lounge in Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) due to ongoing construction projects. The Centurion Lounge will temporarily relocate to the old Alaska Lounge space in Terminal 2 during construction. The primary lounge in Terminal 3 is expected to reopen in late 2027 after construction has been completed.
Summary
With the holiday last week it was a short week and a slow week at ATX Jetsetter as we were in full blown party prep mode. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the May 31, 2025 weekly recap!