Airport Technology

Weekly Newsletter

11 August 2023

Weekly Newsletter

Air Serbia and JetBlue reveal new codeshare agreement

The agreement extends the airlines' interline partnership, which has been in place since 2016.

US-based low-cost airline JetBlue has revealed a new codeshare agreement with Serbian flag carrier Air Serbia.

The agreement extends and formalises the airlines' previous relationship.

Under the partnership, both companies will distribute their marketing codes ensuring flights are available to passengers of both airlines and appear on respective websites.

Air Serbia’s "JU" airline code is set to provide routes to more than 25 North American destinations through the JetBlue network.

JetBlue placed its “B6” airline code on Air Serbia-operated non-stop flights from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG).

Air Serbia CEO Jiri Marek highlighted how this partnership will expand travel opportunities in the Balkan regions.

Marek said: "We are very pleased with the future collaboration with JetBlue and believe that this significantly enhances the travel possibilities between the United States and destinations within the Air Serbia network, especially those in the broader Balkan region,”

JetBlue passengers will benefit from the simplicity of utilizing a single booking to continue their travel to European nations covered by Air Serbia.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes highlighted how the new agreement extended the previous relationship between the companies.

Hayes said: "We continuously look to expand our partnerships to offer more options to our customers. Air Serbia has been a successful interline partner since 2016 and we see great potential with this new codeshare.

“We welcome customers from Air Serbia aboard our flights, so they can experience our low fares and great service.”

JetBlue reportedly intends to add its "B6" code to more flights connecting Belgrade with other locations in Europe.

Demand for upscale and luxurious products has been rising steadily in the travel and tourism sector

The theme of premiumization, and the upscale and luxury markets, now have the opportunity to thrive in an industry that has had to rapidly change to meet new changes in traveler demands. The increased need for privacy, a greater focus on health and wellbeing, a desire to tick off ‘bucket list’ experiences, unintentional saving of money, the tendency to take longer trips, the focus on eco-tourism, and an increase in millionaires means the theme of premiumization will continue to grow in importance. The travel industry will experience a surge in demand for higher-end and customized offerings as experiential consumption keeps growing. For many, ‘premium’ means a variety of things. However, it refers to first-rate service, extreme comfort, and one-of-a-kind experiences in travel and tourism. Premiumization is closely linked to luxury travel. While premiumization attracts only a small number of global travelers, it is important for companies as it is a valuable revenue stream that is unlikely to be impacted by external factors like economic downturns. Personalization is key in premium offerings, the shift from focusing solely on premium products to an emphasis on delivering exclusive and personalized offerings is apparent. Therefore, smart destinations can help tocreate hyper-personalized services and products. Leveraging the Internet of Things, destinations can curate offerings based on gathering real-time data on guest preferences and behaviors. This enables the industry to transcend typical offerings and remain competitive.