JetBlue Airways, New York‘s Hometown Airline™, and Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of Ireland, today announced an agreement for the Irish carrier to move its New York flight operations into JetBlue’s acclaimed Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in early 2013.

Aer Lingus will become the first foreign carrier to join JetBlue at Terminal 5, a move that will offer its travellers a premium airport experience whether they are traveling only with Aer Lingus between New York and Ireland or connecting to one of JetBlue’s many destinations across the Americas.

The Irish airline currently offers twice-daily service between JFK and Dublin and three weekly flights between JFK and Shannon, carrying nearly 400,000 customers through the airport last year. Aer Lingus and JetBlue have offered interline connections since 2008, affording travellers the benefits of one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in for travel on both carriers.

With the move to Terminal 5, the minimum connection time from European arrivals to U.S. departures will be reduced to just 60 minutes. Customers traveling to Ireland will enjoy connections as fast as 40 minutes.

Until its relocation in the first quarter of 2013, Aer Lingus will continue to operate from Terminal Four, a short ride away on JFK’s free and frequent AirTrain service.

Pre-clearance service in Ireland
JFK-bound Aer Lingus customers will clear U.S. Customs and Immigration formalities in Ireland, allowing them to get on their way quickly in New York without the need for queuing after a transatlantic journey. Customers traveling onward with JetBlue to other destinations in the Americas will particularly benefit from the pre-clearance service in Ireland to make fast, same-terminal connections at Terminal 5.

At JFK, JetBlue offers daily service to dozens of cities including Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Tickets for combined JetBlue-Aer Lingus travel may be booked online at www.aerlingus.com and www.jetblue.com.

Retail, dining and entertainment options
Completed by JetBlue in 2008, Terminal 5 is JFK’s newest terminal, and is regularly praised as one of the best airport experiences in both the United States and the World.  Aer Lingus customers will enjoy the many unique and exciting retail offerings, including a duty free store, and more than two dozen highly regarded dining establishments, featuring food and drink options that will appeal to a wide variety of international palates.

In addition to its shopping and dining appeal, Terminal 5 is also entertaining: the 635,000-square-foot showcase plays host to Live from T5, a regular concert series featuring a rotating roster of top talent, most recently Ireland’s own singing sensation, Julie Feeney.

To learn more about the new home for Aer Lingus in New York visit http://www.jetblue.com/travel/jfk.

Taking flight with JetBlue
The impressive airport experience at Terminal 5 continues in-flight, where JetBlue offers award-winning customer service, all-leather seating, unlimited free snacks and drinks, plus the most legroom in economy class (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch) as well as the most free live entertainment of any U.S. airline. JetBlue also operates one of America’s youngest and most fuel-efficient airline fleets, with 175 all-jet Airbus and EMBRAER aircraft.

“We are honored to be welcoming Aer Lingus, our first international airline partner, into our home at Terminal 5,” said JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger. “We’re certain that the hundreds of thousands of travellers passing through New York with Aer Lingus each year will truly enjoy doing so through JFK’s newest and most appealing terminal. Plus, for those customers connecting between our airlines to other destinations, this move is making the transit experience easier and more pleasurable than ever.”

Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller said, “We are delighted to announce our move to T5 at JFK. Aer Lingus and JetBlue have been working closely together for the past four years offering connections between our networks at New York and Boston. Both airlines share a dedication to our customers and enjoy reputations for providing great value service. Today’s announcement means that all Aer Lingus customers at JFK will now get to enjoy the unique T5 experience.”