American Airlines and JetBlue will end their partnership next week after losing antitrust case

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) —

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways will end their partnership in the Northeast next week, after a judge ruled that the deal violates antitrust law.

JetBlue said Friday that it will end codesharing – the practice of selling seats on each other’s flights – and reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits on July 21.

Customers who already bought a ticket through the partnership will have until that date to add their frequent-flyer number to the booking to get points in their account, the airline said.

A federal judge in Boston ruled in May that the airlines must disband their agreement, called the Northeast Alliance. The Justice Department sued to kill the deal, which began in early 2021 and is focused on flights in New York and Boston, saying it would limit comPetition and hurt consumers by driving up prices.

American plans to appeal the ruling, but JetBlue announced last week that it would not appeal and would instead turn its focus to saving its proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines. The Justice Department has also sued to block that deal, and a trial is scheduled for October.