Lufthansa, JetBlue File Codeshare Request

Lufthansa and New York-based JetBlue Airways this week announced a codeshare agreement to connect the German airline's international network to 12 JetBlue destinations, including gateways in Boston and New York.

The carriers filed the request with the U.S. Department of Transportation on Sept. 1. Once authorized, the carriers will launch the codeshare on 12 JetBlue destinations in the United States and Puerto Rico and 180 European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian destinations served by Lufthansa. The carriers expect codeshare flights to be available for sale through both carriers' Web sites and travel agencies "on or about Oct. 8," the carriers note in a request they made to DOT.

"JetBlue respectfully asks that the department award the requested authority promptly to facilitate marketing and advance sales of these new codeshare service," the carriers said in the request.

The codeshare agreement is the next step in the evolving relationship between the two carriers, which began in late 2007 when Lufthansa agreed to take a 19 percent stake in the U.S.-based airline. Since then, the carriers have suggested evolving the relationship from a purely financial one to include more strategic components.