* Plan will allow onward bookings on a single ticket
* Allow passengers to fly between Europe, U.S.
* Norwegian Air shares jump as much as 10%
(Adds quote, detail, updates share price)
By Victoria Klesty and Terje Solsvik
OSLO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Passengers with Norwegian Air
and New York's JetBlue Airways will be able to
fly between Europe and the United States and make connecting
flights on a single booking, under a planned partnership.
Norwegian Air and JetBlue said in a joint statement on
Thursday that if agreed the partnership would come into effect
in the middle of next year.
Norwegian, Europe's third-largest budget carrier, has shaken
up the market for transatlantic travel with cut-price fares that
challenge traditional carriers such as IAG's British
Airways, but its breakneck expansion left it with high debts and
in the red.
The partnership with JetBlue will connect JetBlue flights
from around 100 cities in the Americas to Norwegian's network in
New York, Boston and Fort Lauderdale, from which the carrier
serves more than 20 European destinations.
Shares in Norwegian Air, which is cutting costs to try and
return to profit, surged 10% on the news before giving up some
gains to trade up 4.1% by 1142 GMT, outperforming an Oslo
benchmark index up 0.6%.
Norwegian already has a European partnership with London
Gatwick-based easyJet, but until now lacked a U.S.
partner.
"Customers will have the possibility to book connecting
flights on both airlines' websites by combining the best of our
complementary and expansive networks," the airlines said.
JetBlue Airways Corp has said that it hopes to break into
the low-fare, transatlantic travel market.
"This new agreement ... seamlessly connects JetBlue's robust
network throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America with
... exciting European destinations," JetBlue Chief Executive
Robin Hayes said in the statement.
(Editing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Mark Potter and Susan
Fenton)
International Airlines (IAG)
easyJet (EZJ)
