How, potentially, could Lufthansa’s purchase of a 19 percent stake in discount airline JetBlue affect your travel plans? Profoundly, perhaps.

While a prepared statement from JetBlue says, “With the conclusion of the financial transaction, Lufthansa and JetBlue will begin exploring innovative commercial arrangements designed to benefit both airlines and their customers,” it’s the precise nature of those “arrangements” that matters for flyers.

In an editorial in the widely respected airline industry trade journal Air Transport World , Perry Flint explores the possibility of a link between Lufthansa and JetBlue out of the latter’s New York Kennedy hub.

JetBlue commands 30 percent of the traffic out of Kennedy. Lufthansa’s key Star Alliance partner at the place, United Airlines, is a comparatively small player at JFK.

“JetBlue’s strong base at JFK makes it a logical partner [for Lufthansa],” writes Flint, who goes on to note the discount airline’s “superior” reputation for domestic service. That’s precisely the kind of reputation Lufthansa enjoys across the Atlantic.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out – for the airlines and flyers.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler