JetBlue Airways today returns to global distribution systems with the announcement of new five-year, full-content agreements with both Sabre and Galileo.
Through the agreements, JetBlue will display published fares and inventory in both GDSs. In light of increasingly favorable economics offered to carriers by distributors, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman last month during the carrier's second-quarter earnings call said it was in the "final stages of negotiations" with several global distribution systems.
JetBlue early last year weaned itself off GDS dependence when it left Sabre in favor of direct channels
(BTNonline, Dec. 10, 2004). JetBlue in January 2000 began listing in Sabre, Galileo and Worldspan, one month before launching its first scheduled flight. Since that time, the airline reduced its GDS visibility by exiting Worldspan in November 2001 and Galileo in April 2002.