Pilots raise alarm over secretive partnership and automation investments.
A JetBlue E190 in Boston (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
JetBlue pilots – represented by the Air Line Pilots Association – are voicing serious concerns over the airline’s recently reported partnership with United, a move they claim was negotiated behind closed doors without union consultation or transparency.
The deal, characterized by airline leadership as a “domestic partnership,” has raised significant fears about job security and the future direction of the airline.
“Instead of transparency, however, we have secrecy. Instead of consultation, exclusion,” said Capt. Wayne Scales, JetBlue MEC chairman, in a message to pilots viewed by AirlineGeeks.
Addressing the venture during the Q1 earnings call, JetBlue President Marty St. George expressed optimism about what the partnership meant for customers but stopped short of confirming it.
A Reuters report later stated that this deal was with United after JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance with American was blocked by a federal judge in 2023. Now, American is suing JetBlue for over $1 million in unpaid fees.
“That wasn’t just a talking point. That was a message,” Scales emphasized. “We are not part of their plan.”
A JetBlue A320 in Marana, Arizona. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
The pilots’ concerns are rooted in contractual protections outlined in CBA Section 1, which includes a prohibition on entering into commercial agreements without addressing pilot job security. According to Scales, management has neither approached the union nor acknowledged these concerns, leaving pilots in the dark about how this partnership might reshape the airline and impact their careers.
JetBlue’s investment strategy compounded these fears, particularly its financial commitment to Beacon AI, a company developing artificial intelligence co-pilots and autonomous flight systems.
In the April 2025 issue of FLYING Magazine, Stephen Snyder, managing director of JetBlue Ventures, stated: “The aviation industry has already successfully transitioned from four-person flight crews to two, and we see a clear path toward single-pilot or fully autonomous operations with the right technology.”
The pilots’ union views this investment as “a direct attack on our profession” and “an attempt to reduce — and eventually eliminate — pilot jobs.”
“This is not a company operating with the best interests of its pilots in mind—at all,” Scales wrote. “This is a company planning a future without its pilots.”
In response to these developments, the union is actively engaging with ALPA National, including attorneys and professional staff, to challenge what they see as “very real threats” posed by both the domestic partnership and automation investments. They added that excluding pilots from these decisions constitutes “a betrayal of the pilots they claim to value.”
“This isn’t just a negotiation – it’s a fight for our future,” concluded Scales in his message to pilots. “We see what management is doing. We know what’s at stake. And we will not be silent, sidelined, or replaced.”
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