What do Jet Blue & Austrian Airlines now have in Common?  Lufthansa German Airlines.  The EU (European Union) Commission has given final approval for Lufthansa to purchase the balance of the stock of Austrian Airlines.  This allows Lufthansa to start integrating Austrian into the Lufthansa network as early as next month.

Lufthansa, who purchased 19% of JetBlue stock last year, is now seeking US regulatory approval to begin codesharing with Jet Blue flights.  New York's JFK airport, the Jet Blue hub with many landing and takeoff slots, is the largest city in the USA and a very valuable gateway for Lufthansa and other major carriers.  Jet Blue will be the key to providing connecting flights to Lufthansa jets from multiple US cities.