JetBlue and United’s Blue Sky partnership has been rolling out in stages, and one of the more interesting parts is now live: JetBlue Mosaic members can receive elite-style benefits when flying United.
That’s particularly relevant for us because my wife Sharon has JetBlue Mosaic 1 status for completing the JetBlue 25 for 25 promo.
So I wanted to figure out exactly what happens when she flies United. Does she need to link her JetBlue and United accounts? Which frequent flyer number should be on the reservation? And, more importantly, what benefits does Mosaic 1 actually get her?
JetBlue Mosaic Benefits On United
JetBlue and United now offer reciprocal elite benefits as part of their partnership.
For a Mosaic 1 member flying United, that includes:
- Priority check-in
- Priority security, where available
- Group 2 boarding
- One free checked bag
- Priority bag handling
- Preferred seats after booking
- Economy Plus seats at check-in, when available
- Same-day standby
That’s a pretty decent collection of benefits for having status with an entirely different airline.
Mosaic 2, 3 and 4 members receive essentially the same United benefits, although they board in Group 1 instead of Group 2.
And the partnership does work both ways. United MileagePlus members with eligible Premier status can also receive reciprocal benefits when flying JetBlue.
That’s worth mentioning, but for us, the more interesting question is what Sharon’s Mosaic status can do when we’re flying United.
You Don’t Link Your JetBlue And United Accounts
This was one of the first things I wondered about.
Despite the partnership, TrueBlue and MileagePlus remain separate programs. There’s no process to permanently connect your two accounts, and suddenly United recognizes your JetBlue status. Instead, you add the appropriate frequent flyer number to the reservation.
If Sharon wants her Mosaic benefits on a United flight, she needs to have her TrueBlue number attached to the reservation.
And that’s where this gets a little more interesting.
You Have To Choose Which Program You Want To Use
You can’t attach both a TrueBlue number and a MileagePlus number to the same ticket.
So if Sharon puts her TrueBlue number on the United reservation to receive her Mosaic benefits, she’s choosing TrueBlue for that trip rather than MileagePlus.
That can actually be worthwhile because JetBlue also allows TrueBlue members to earn points and tiles on eligible United flights booked through JetBlue.
Regular TrueBlue members earn 5 points per dollar on the pre-tax fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, while Mosaic 1 and Mosaic 2 members earn 8 points per dollar. Mosaic 3 earns 9 points per dollar, and Mosaic 4 earns 10 points per dollar.
Those United flights can therefore help someone continue working toward JetBlue status instead of earning MileagePlus miles.
There’s One Big Catch: You Have To Book Through JetBlue
This is probably the most important restriction about getting benefits when flying with United.
If Sharon wants to use her Mosaic benefits on a United flight, we need to book the flight through JetBlue and link her TrueBlue number to the reservation.
That means we can’t book the flight however we normally might and then simply add her TrueBlue number afterward.
For a cash ticket, we’d need to find and book the United-operated flight through jetblue.com or the JetBlue app.
If we’re using points, we’d also book through JetBlue and redeem TrueBlue points for the United flight.
That’s potentially a much bigger limitation for anyone who usually books United award flights through other programs.
For example, we couldn’t book the flight with United MileagePlus miles and then swap Sharon’s frequent flyer number to TrueBlue to get her Mosaic benefits. If you book a United flight with MileagePlus miles, your MileagePlus number has to remain on the reservation.
The same basic issue applies if we find a United award through a partner program such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles. We can still book United flights through those programs, of course, but Sharon’s JetBlue Mosaic benefits wouldn’t come along with the ticket.
Booking United Flights With TrueBlue Points
Fortunately, the actual process of using JetBlue points isn’t complicated.
When searching on jetblue.com, you select “Use TrueBlue points” just as you would when looking for a JetBlue award ticket. Eligible United-operated flights can then appear in the search results.
If we book one of those flights with TrueBlue points and Sharon’s TrueBlue account is attached to the reservation, she’ll receive her eligible Mosaic benefits on the United flight.
What United Flights Can You Actually Book Through JetBlue?
I took a quick look at JetBlue’s website to see what United award availability actually looks like.
At least from Orlando, the pattern was fairly obvious. I could find United flights to several of its major hubs, including Houston, Denver, Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and San Francisco. What I didn’t see were United flights to Newark or Boston.
That makes sense. JetBlue already flies those routes itself, so the United options seem most useful on routes where JetBlue doesn’t offer nonstop service.
This isn’t necessarily a hard rule, and availability can always change, but it gives us a better idea of how this partnership may work in practice.
For someone flying from Orlando, the biggest value may be using United to reach places JetBlue doesn’t serve nonstop while still earning TrueBlue points and, for Mosaic members, receiving some familiar elite benefits.
What About Everyone Else On The Reservation?
This is where the benefits aren’t as generous as they are with JetBlue.
Everyone traveling on the same itinerary with the Mosaic member receives:
- Priority check-in
- Priority security
- Priority boarding
- Same-day standby
The Mosaic member plus one eligible travel companion can receive a preferred seat. However, the free checked bag and priority bag handling apply only to the Mosaic member.
So if the two of us were flying United together, Sharon would get the free checked bag because of her Mosaic status, but I wouldn’t.
The Economy Plus benefit is also worth watching. Mosaic members can select available Economy Plus seats at check-in, but that benefit isn’t listed as extending to companions.
Final Thoughts
The JetBlue-United partnership makes Sharon’s Mosaic status considerably more useful, but it isn’t quite as simple as showing up for any United flight and getting the benefits.
To take advantage of the reciprocal perks, we’ll need to book eligible United flights through JetBlue and use Sharon’s TrueBlue number.
That also creates an interesting decision when we’re booking with points. Using TrueBlue points could mean getting her Mosaic benefits, while booking the same United flight through MileagePlus, Aeroplan, LifeMiles or another program could offer a better award price but leave those benefits behind.
So this gives us another option rather than an automatic best choice.
I’ll still compare award prices just like I normally would. But now, when a United flight is available through JetBlue, Sharon’s free checked bag, priority boarding, preferred seating, and possible Economy Plus seat at check-in give me another reason to consider booking it there.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
