JetBlue & TAP Air Portugal Partnership Ending: Ugh

Intro

As I was checking my emails during our medical diversion in Bermuda today, I came across an interesting notification from JetBlue: their partnership is ending. Let’s break this down, as this is actually quite annoying for consumers. 

The Details 

As of September 30th, those looking to earn or redeem JetBlue points while flying on TAP Air Portugal will not be able to do so. According to JetBlue, this is the following official statement: 

We wanted to let you know that our loyalty partnership with TAP Air Portugal will be coming to an end. Our codeshare partnership will continue and this will not impact codeshare bookings. The last day you can book TAP Air Portugal flights to earn or redeem TrueBlue points will be 9/30/25. The deadline to travel and submit any requests for retroactive TrueBlue points must also be completed on or before 9/30/25. Please note, this partnership termination will not impact any cash bookings made on TAP Air Portugal. We apologize for any inconvenience.

To break this down into simple terms: 

• You will still be able to book LAX-JFK-LIS on cash 

• You will not be able to book LAX-JFK-LIS on points…

Why This Is A Shame

Looking at this from an outside lens, a lot of people might not see this as that much of an issue. However, JetBlue had some pretty reasonable award rates and availability to places Aeroplan doesn’t have access to. 

As an example, you could fly from Lisbon to Chicago for 59,000 TrueBlue Miles, a very decent redemption, and cheaper than what you would find anywhere else. 

This is a huge shame: honestly...

However, where the serious redemption comes into play is on flights to Caracas. Award space to Caracas is extremely tough to find, but through JetBlue, there was plenty of space to CCS in Business Class on TAP. I know it doesn’t affect most people (as going to Venezuela isn’t on the bucket list at the moment), but it’s a sweet spot, considering UA/AC doesn’t show the airport “CCS”. 

Final Thoughts

As of September 30th, those looking to earn and redeem miles for JetBlue when flying on TAP (and vice-versa) will not be able to. This is a real shame, and I am curious about the reasoning to this. With some good redemption rates around, this is one I was personally looking forward to using. 

What do you think about this?