Say it Ain't So! JetBlue to become just another airline

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

It will soon cost you money to check a bag on JetBlue if you buy the cheapest level of tickets. JetBlue Airways Corp. said Wednesday that it will create three ticket classes beginning in mid-2015, and only the top two include at least one free checked bag. JetBlue executives declined to give a price for the bag fee, but they said pricing would fluctuate with demand. The airline will also add 15 seats to its Airbus A320 planes, increasing capacity to 165 from 150, and reduce average legroom to 33 inches between rows from more than 34 inches. The retrofit of cabins will start in late 2016 and take two years, executives said. JetBlue expects that the new fare classes and bag fee will generate more than $200 million a year in operating income, and the extra seats will raise another $100 million a year. JetBlue announced the changes as it met with investors in New York. JetBlue has been under pressure from investors to boost revenue. In morning trading, shares of the New York-based airline jumped 27 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $12.99. Other big airlines have added fees on checked bags since 2008.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/trav...ickets-n251731

Next they'll stop loading from the back of the plane.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Jet Blue's spin:

http://blog.jetblue.com/index.php/20...m-robin-hayes/

November 19, 2014
A note from Robin Hayes

Since JetBlue’s first flight, we’ve never sat still. Our airline has morphed over the years in response to dramatic changes in our industry and the shifting needs of our Customers. We’ve added products like Even More , Mint, Fly-Fi, and grown our network internationally while providing a better experience at a great value.

Today we’re announcing a couple major initiatives for the future that will continue to evolve our product so we can maintain our competitive edge and deliver for our customers, our crewmembers, and our shareholders. One thing that’s not changing is our culture of service and our commitment to our customers.

Branded Fares – Beginning in the first half of 2015, customers will be able to choose between three fare bundle options that provide new choices and allow travelers to tailor each trip to their preferences. The first fare bundle will be designed for those customers who don’t traditionally check a bag; the latter two will offer one and two free checked bags, respectively, along with other attractive benefits, like additional TrueBlue points and increased flexibility. These new options will allow us to tailor our offerings to individual customers in a way that is simple and transparent. You will hear a lot more about the features of this plan over the next several months. We want to be sure customers understand how this approach works for them when we roll it out officially in mid-2015.
Cabin Refresh – Our customers love the look and feel of our new Airbus A321 jets. In fact, this aircraft is rated significantly higher than other aircraft in our satisfaction surveys. Beginning in mid-2016 we’ll retrofit our A320 aircraft – which are the workhorse of our fleet – with the same lighter and more comfortable seats found on our A321 along with the improved 100+ channels of DirecTV on beautiful 10” widescreen displays. These modern seats will enable us to increase the total number of seats on our planes – which helps us continue our low fare commitment – while still offering the most legroom in coach by a significant margin. The entire aircraft will be upgraded with power ports accessible at every seat along with new lighting, new lavatories, and more.
seatsThe JetBlue experience will keep getting better. In fact, we are very excited to announce today that customers can keep enjoying free access to Fly-Fi – the industry’s fastest connectivity product – thanks to new partnerships with Time Inc., Verizon, and the Wall Street Journal. All of our 140 Airbus A320/A321 jets are expected to have Fly-Fi by the first half of 2015, with EMBRAER 190 installations beginning thereafter. Another game-changing product, Mint — our refreshing new take on a premium experience –has been extremely well received on flights from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco. By the end of the first quarter all flights to both cities will feature Mint.



Robin Hayes
President, JetBlue Airways

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

I wonder if they will offer free bag checks with the Jetblue AMEX, like Delta does.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I wonder if they will offer free bag checks with the Jetblue AMEX, like Delta does.

A few airlines do offer free bags and priority boarding, but not as good as Delta, United has it as well, but it is only on certain cards. My old United card does not work

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Say it Ain't So! JetBlue to become just another airline

So unfortunate. Jet Blue many times is not the cheapest but because they were so inclusive they often were the better choice. Now they will just be like all the other crappy airlines.

Too bad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

that's the problem: most people don't evaluate "value." They just look at first-blush price. Fundamentally: People are stupid.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Please, please don't let Southwest follow this model.

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

I am a loyal JetBlue customer. Now I need to rethink this rebranding/repricing/ reseating announcement. This totally surprised me.

However if you were reading this Fortune article from September this was a predictable move. Thank you Wall Street analysts.

http://fortune.com/2014/09/02/jetblu...t-wall-street/

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

I would wait until you see the fares. This might not be so bad. For example, British Airways came out with a cheaper fare category if you did not check luggage. Since I prefer to travel light and BA is one of the most generous in the air on carry on luggage, this has been great for me. I pay less for that fare than I would have for a fare that included a free checked bag I did not need. And since they compete with LCC's on one route I fly, I can often pay just a bit more than the LCC would charge and have the much better service of BA plus the AA miles I earn. All in all it is a good deal. So, I suggest you wait until the see the whole picture before making any decisions.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

dang! I wonder if it will cost them customers.