JetBlue vs. American Airlines: If you've got two options of flights on the same route, roughly the same time and at a similar time, which one do you choose? If you're between JetBlue Airways versus American Airlines, you've got a tough decision to make as both are solid airlines.

But think beyond the short term of this flight and consider each airlines' loyalty program and points-earning, as this flight could pave a future of elite status n that airline.

Given that, let's compare each airlines' route networks, credit cards, loyalty programs and more to help you decide which of these two airlines is right for you — and which flight you should book now.

Where they’re based and where they fly

Winner: American Airlines

While both airlines travel within the U.S. and internationally, American's network is far more extensive. Not only does American fly to more places than JetBlue, but it is also a member of the Oneworld alliance, which offers even more destinations.

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue flies to more than 100 cities within the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. It also flies to London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Within the U.S., JetBlue's route network can lead to odd routings. For example, traveling from Nashville, Tennessee to Miami — which should be a short trip — typically requires a layover in New York or Boston.

JetBlue's hubs include:

Boston.

New York-John F. Kennedy.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Los Angeles.

Orlando, Florida.

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Although JetBlue is not in an alliance, it partners with a handful of airlines to earn and redeem points and (in some cases) reciprocate benefits. These partners include Aer Lingus, Emirates Airlines, Porter, Qatar Airways and more.

American Airlines

American is one of the largest airlines in the world. Its flight network offers more than 350 destinations in 50 countries for travelers to choose from. Additionally, as part of the Oneworld alliance, the airline and its partners serve as many as 1,000 destinations in more than 170 territories.

The top airport hubs served by American Airlines include:

Atlanta.

Boston.

Charlotte, North Carolina.

Chicago-O’Hare.

Dallas-Fort Worth.

Los Angeles.

Miami.

New York-John F. Kennedy.

New York-LaGuardia.

Philadelphia.

Phoenix.

Raleigh, North Carolina.

San Antonio.

San Francisco.

Washington, D.C.

Travel credit card availability

Winner: American Airlines

American Airlines is our choice for the best travel credit card availability. It offers credit cards from both Citibank and Barclays and has a premium credit card option that includes airport lounge access when flying American or its partners.

JetBlue credit cards

JetBlue offers two personal and one business card from Barclays. Each card offers a welcome bonus with a low minimum spending requirement. The cards include benefits like a 50% discount on inflight purchases, no foreign transaction fees and bonus points on JetBlue purchases.

JetBlue Card ($0 annual fee): Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

JetBlue Plus Card ($99 annual fee): Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.

JetBlue Business Card ($99 annual fee): Earn up to 60,000 bonus points! Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus points when a purchase is made on an employee card in the first 90 days.

American Airlines credit cards

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® versus the JetBlue Plus Card is a good comparison because they both have a similar annual fee — $0 intro for the first year, then $99 and $99, respectively. However, since the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® waives the fee the first year, you can try its benefits before committing to an annual fee.

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® ($0 annual fee): Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® ($0 intro for the first year, then $99 annual fee): Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® ($99 annual fee): Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ($595 annual fee): Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® ($0 intro for the first year, then $99 annual fee): Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.

Airline loyalty programs

Winner: American Airlines

When it comes to comparing JetBlue versus American's loyalty programs, AAdvantage beats out TrueBlue. With AAdvantage, you can redeem miles for flights on American Airlines and its Oneworld partners, whereas JetBlue's options are limited to JetBlue and a smaller handful of partners.

JetBlue TrueBlue

With JetBlue TrueBlue, members earn points by flying, spending on a JetBlue credit card and participating in eligible partner activities. You can pool points with up to seven family members and friends to quickly earn points toward booking your next flight.

Points can be redeemed for a relatively fixed value. NerdWallet values JetBlue points at 1.5 cents each. TrueBlue points never expire and they can be redeemed at any time for any available seat.

JetBlue expanded its Mosaic elite status program to four tiers in 2023: Mosaic 1, Mosaic 2, Mosaic 3 and Mosaic 4. The expansion from two to four tiers adds more benefits for Mosaic members who wouldn’t have reached Mosaic+ status on the old tiered system. JetBlue also introduced Perks You Pick, which allows members to select perks like early boarding or priority screening even before reaching Mosaic 1 status.

One of the biggest and best perks — reserved for JetBlue's biggest spenders and best customers — is a credit for four complimentary seats on BLADE Airport helicopter transfers between Manhattan and JFK or EWR.

Read about other changes coming to the Mosaic program in spring 2023 here.

American Airlines AAdvantage

Members of the AAdvantage program earn miles by:

Flying on American.

Crediting partner flights to AAdvantage.

Spending on a co-branded credit card.

Shopping, dining and other partner activities.

Miles generally receive the most value when redeemed for flights on American or its partners. NerdWallet values AAdvantage miles at 1.7 cents each, but you can generally receive much higher value when redeeming for premium class international flights.

There are five primary levels of AAdvantage elite status, ranging from a basic member to AAdvantage Executive Platinum. At the very top is ConciergeKey, an invitation-only elite status that is reserved for its best customers.

But JetBlue isn't the only program to change its elite status program for 2023. As of March 2023, it's tougher to earn American Airlines Gold elite status. American has increased the number of Loyalty Points needed to earn Gold status, among a few other changes such as new Loyalty Point rewards. Big spenders will now earn even more miles (though basic economy fares will earn fewer miles).

Read about other changes to the AAdvantage loyalty program here.

Extra fees

Winner: American

Based on the NerdWallet analysis of airline fees, JetBlue has lower fees on average than American Airlines.

JetBlue Airlines

With JetBlue, a typical one-way fare has an average fee of $35, according to the NerdWallet airline fee study. This includes a checked bag, overhead carry-on bag and selected seat.

For flights within the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean, JetBlue charges $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second bag on most tickets. Fees for the first checked bag are waived with Blue Plus and Mint tickets, Mosaic members and travelers with an eligible JetBlue card.

American Airlines

On American Airlines, the NerdWallet airline fee study found that the typical one-way flight has fees of just $30, a $5 savings over JetBlue (which can add up for frequent flyers or families). American Airlines charges $30 for the first bag and $40 for the second bag in most destinations. The first checked bag is complimentary if you have:

An eligible AAdvantage Aviator or Citi AAdvantage credit card.

AAdvantage Gold or higher elite status.

Oneworld Ruby or higher status.

Confirmed Business and Premium Economy tickets.

In-flight experience

Winner: JetBlue

JetBlue is NerdWallet's choice as the best airline for onboard entertainment with a perfect 5.0 score.

When you compare American Airlines versus JetBlue economy seats and comfort, there is no competition. Flying with JetBlue gives travelers the most legroom of all domestic airlines, with 32 to 34 inches of seat pitch.

JetBlue Airlines

JetBlue offers one of the best in-flight experiences of any domestic airline. Whether you're chatting online with friends or catching up on work emails, JetBlue has free, high-speed Wi-Fi available at every seat from gate to gate on every plane. And unlike some airlines that require you to bring your own device, JetBlue has seatback devices for every passenger with movies, live TV from DirecTV, music from SiriusXM and more.

Plus, JetBlue offers Mint service for premium travelers on select coast-to-coast, Caribbean, and Latin America flights, plus all flights to and from London. Each Mint Suite offers a fully lie-flat seat, a sliding door for privacy and direct aisle access.

American Airlines

Compared to JetBlue's perfect five stars in the in-flight experience rankings, American came in with a paltry 3.9.

In economy, passengers have only 31 inches of seat pitch unless you elect for Main Cabin Extra or higher tickets. Although if you can spring for the good seats, the experience is a lot better. American's Flagship business and first class seats offer lie-flat seating on select transcontinental, Hawaii and international flights.

Happily, all passengers enjoy free entertainment by streaming free movies, TV shows and music. But you'll see to BYO-laptop or tablet, as there are no seat back screens. And if you want to access the internet, you'll need to pay to get connected, which starts at $10 (but usually costs far more, depending on the flight).

The bottom line

In the competition of JetBlue versus American Airlines, there’s a clear winner: American, which wins on almost every metric. But if being comfy in the air is important to you, then maybe JetBlue is worth it. The actual in-flight experience is just that good. But on all the other factors, like larger network, as well as ability to earn and redeem with its Oneworld partners, American comes out on top.

American has more credit card options to earn miles and receive benefits, including a premium card that has airport lounge access. AAdvantage members have the ability to maximize their rewards by redeeming for outsized value with international premium cabin tickets and Web Specials.

Sure, JetBlue may be the better option on some routes, but American offers more value overall with its rewards and can fly its members to far more destinations around the world.