JetBlue Expands Into Europe with TAP Portugal Partnership

JetBlue elites can now use their True Blue points to book journeys with TAP Air Portugal and earn miles on flights operated by the Portuguese flag carrier.

However, the reciprocity deal doesn’t extend to Mosaic benefits, so travelers can’t expect to receive perks such as free checked bags and priority boarding with TAP.

JetBlue Grows In Europe

Since it launched its first transatlantic flights to London (LHR and LGW) in 2021, JetBlue has become an increasingly popular way to reach Europe. However, when connecting to European flights, JetBlue loyalists haven’t been able to access loyalty benefits or earn or spend miles, as elites with legacy U.S. airlines can with international partners of their home carrier.

JetBlue isn’t (yet) part of an airline alliance, as its rivals are American Airlines (oneworld), Delta (SkyTeam), and United (Star Alliance). Instead, it has some codeshare partners and allows travelers to earn and redeem points on journeys with a handful of them—Cape Air, Etihad, Hawaiian Airlines, and Qatar Airways—none of them European.

That, however, is changing with JetBlue’s new deal with TAP Air Portugal, which includes reciprocal points earning and redeeming. And the redemption rates are very appealing.

Photo: Courtesy of JetBlue

TAP Portugal offers one-way award flights between the U.S. and Portugal for 19,000 TrueBlue points and business-class seats for 59,000 points, no matter if you’re departing from the East Coast or West Coast.

JetBlue doesn’t place any surcharges on these redemptions, so you’re just on the hook for taxes and mandatory fees.

Compared with other award flights between the U.S. and Portugal, these are very competitive rates. For example, to book an award flight between the East Coast and Portugal through United’s Mileage Plus plan, you’d need 44,000 miles for economy tickets and 80,000 miles for business-class fares.

Flying TAP Portugal is an underrated way to access Europe, with comparatively short flight times (6 hours and 45 minutes from New York to Lisbon), business class cabins with lie-flat beds, and access to TAP’s network through Europe and beyond.

TAP’s Footprint in the US

TAP Portugal operates between 49 and 52 flights weekly to the United States.

This summer, it will expand its network still further with three new seasonal routes:

Passengers can also use TrueBlue points to book flights through the rest of TAP’s network, although the rates aren’t quite as good. For instance, a one-way flight from Lisbon to Berlin (BER) would cost 19,000 in economy class and 49,000 in business class—nearly the same as a transatlantic flight.

You can also earn TrueBlue points on TAP Portugal flights at the following rates.

• TAP Booking Class True Blue Points, as 10 percent of miles flown
• Business Top Executive and Executive 150 percent
• Economy Plus and Classic 100 percent
• Economy Basic 50 percent
• Economy Discount 10 percent

In turn, members of TAP’s Miles&Go loyalty program can also earn and redeem miles on JetBlue-operated flights.

However, earning and redeeming points is as far as the reciprocity deal between JetBlue and TAP Portugal currently goes.

The airline uses 12 Airbus narrow-body planes on transatlantic routes to the U.S. East Coast and northern Brazil / Photo: Courtesy of TAP Air Portugal

“Mosaic perks apply to JetBlue-operated flights but do not extend to flights operated by our partner airlines,” JetBlue said.

Travelers could expect more reciprocity if JetBlue were to join an airline alliance. Recently, rumors have swirled that United might buy struggling JetBlue, bringing into the Star Alliance. What other airline is part of the Star Alliance? TAP Air Portugal.

This deal with TAP Air Portugal may hint that a partnership with United is on its way—or at least it’s what JetBlue might want.