JetBlue changes: smaller seats, fee for first bag

[v]

A New Era Has Begun for JetBlue, and Travelers Will Hate It

Brad Tuttle @bradrtuttle Nov. 19, 2014

At JetBlue, legroom is disappearing and checked baggage will soon cost extra. In other words, the airline you fell in love with is following the playbook of airlines that everyone hates.

When word spread back in September that JetBlue CEO Dave Barger was stepping down from his post in early 2015, two interesting things happened: 1) The company stock soared, rising 5% immediately after the news; and 2) travelers who loved JetBlue for its customers-first policies began to panic.

As Fortune put it, equity analysts tended to view Barger “as being ‘overly concerned’ with passengers and their comfort, which they feel, has come at the expense of shareholders.” With Barger and his pesky, stubbornly customer-friendly policies out of the way, JetBlue—under the leadership of new CEO, former British Airways executive Robin Hayes—could hop on the pathway to higher and higher profits by implementing more fees and cost-cutting measures on par with other airlines.

Consequently, the change at the top was welcomed by investors and dreaded by flyers and travel advocates who loved JetBlue specifically because it didn’t engage in the very nickel-and-diming policies analysts were pushing for. Even before it was announced that Barger was out, Marketwatch foresaw the likelihood that JetBlue would soon begin “putting customers second,” while first and foremost pleasing investors by jacking up fees and cutting back on amenities. Frequent flyer expert Tim Winship described Barger’s departure as “the beginning of the end for JetBlue as we know it,” while noting the risks inherent in the airline’s likely policy shift:

Such changes would be wrenching for JetBlue loyalists, for whom the roomier seating and relative absence of nuisance fees have been key reasons to book JetBlue over the competition. Even the number-crunchers acknowledge that a remodeled JetBlue would jeopardize the considerable brand equity the airline has built up over the years.
Nonetheless, this week JetBlue announced that it is reducing average legroom and introducing a new fare structure that means passengers buying the lowest-price tickets will have to pay extra if they want to check luggage. The changes, which will be instituted starting in 2015, will leave Southwest Airlines as the only domestic carrier to grant free checked bags (two of them, in fact) for all passengers.

Shrinking legroom will come as a result of 15 more seats being added to JetBlue’s Airbus A320 planes. Even after squeezing in the new rows of seats, JetBlue’s average legroom will be 33.1 inches, which is still slightly more than what the typical passenger on Southwest or Virgin America can expect. The real heartbreaker to travelers is likely to be the new “Fare Families” structure, which consists of three bundled options that travelers must choose from when booking a flight. At the low end of the pricing spectrum, tickets do not include a checked bag. Passengers who pay higher fares are entitled to checked bags (one at the middle level, two at the high end), and also get bonus loyalty points.

Exact details on pricing and what specific amenities are and aren’t included in the various fares haven’t been released yet. JetBlue became immensely popular among travelers for perks including free snacks and free entertainment on seatback screens. Presumably, even at the low end JetBlue passengers will get more than the “Bare Fares” of Spirit Airlines, which include with almost nothing other than basic transportation—even water and seat reservations cost extra. But JetBlue’s moves certainly seem inspired by the example set by Spirit, which is widely known as one of the simultaneously most hated and most profitable airlines.

JetBlue’s changes are clearly aimed at pleasing investors—shares of the company stock jumped more than 4% on Wednesday, nearing a seven-year high—but Hayes, currently the airline’s president, still claimed that the company was focused on delivering “the best travel experience for our customers.” In a statement accompanying JetBlue’s press release, Hayes is also quoted saying that JetBlue remains different from the pack. “As we focus on executing this plan,” Hayes said, “JetBlue’s core mission to Inspire Humanity and its differentiated model of serving underserved customers remain unchanged.”

Travelers seem to feel quite differently about the matter. The very active traveler community at the Flyertalk forum has been bashing the changes because they remove what made JetBlue special and worth seeking out, and turn the carrier into just another (hated, annoying, nickel-and-diming) carrier. “Lovely. The ‘We’ll attract more customers by being exactly like every other airline’ move,” commented one Flyertalk member. “Charging for bags and a crappy FF [frequent flier] program? What a combo!” commented another. “Seriously though, they’ve completely lost their appeal.”

Another highlighted how Southwest will soon be the only major domestic carrier including free checked bags with flights: “Now, especially if I have a bag, Southwest will be the way to go…and I hate Southwest.”

time.com/money/3595360/jetblue-fees-legroom-hate/

[LoveTrains]

NOOOOOOO.

Don't make me regret booking plane tickets on Jet blue and flying to Seattle instead of taking the train in March.

I personally hate checking bags (I don't have time for that), so what I liked about Jet Blue was that since bag check was free, most people would actually check a bag which means that there is actually room in the overhead for my rollie suitcase.

[v]

LoveTrains -- I HAVE to believe that if you booked before the new policy was implemented, you'll still get free bags. I'm sure you're fine.

[LoveTrains]

Nov 20, 2014 10:22:02 GMT -5 v said:

LoveTrains -- I HAVE to believe that if you booked before the new policy was implemented, you'll still get free bags. I'm sure you're fine.

I actually won't check a bag anyway because I hate checking. But I will carry on and I'll be annoyed if this is a ploy to get me to pay the $20 for "even more speed" for early boarding each way so that I can have access to overheads first.

[LoveTrains]

Oh wait, I get what you are saying. The thing is, I'm not flying until March so people might be booking with the new policy for my flight.

[v]

Nov 20, 2014 10:31:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Oh wait, I get what you are saying. The thing is, I'm not flying until March so people might be booking with the new policy for my flight.

Worst case scenario then is that you get gate checked and it adds another 20 minutes to your voyage. Wouldn't that still beat several days by train, convenience-wise?

[noodleoo]

I saw this on the news and was very sad. I usually try to fly Jetblue because they are so much more comfortable than other carriers. Air travel just keeps getting more expensive and more uncomfortable.

We just booked tix on Jetblue for March as well.  My H said the are retrofitting their older airplanes with more seats, but that won't happen until 2016.  So at least we get another year of legroom.  Isn't that one of their big advertising points?  That they have the most legroom in coach?

[LoveTrains]

Nov 20, 2014 10:38:34 GMT -5 v said:

Nov 20, 2014 10:31:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Oh wait, I get what you are saying. The thing is, I'm not flying until March so people might be booking with the new policy for my flight.

Worst case scenario then is that you get gate checked and it adds another 20 minutes to your voyage. Wouldn't that still beat several days by train, convenience-wise?

LOL. I love trains!

There is nothing better than being rocked to sleep in a private sleeper compartment while seeing the landscape glide by.

Now if I could afford one of those private pods on a cross country flight, now we are comparing. But there is no comparison between my obese ass stuffed into a coach seat vs a private compartment in terms of comfort. Even it takes 4 days instead of 6 hours. Those 6 hours are exceedingly uncomfortable and I want to die. 

[preppy]

I don't see anything about it in the article but I am assuming (hoping) that the first checked bag will still be free for Mosaic? I usually get the extra leg room seats anyway since I mostly fly for business but this makes me a little sad. I guess the extra inch won't ruin my life though since I am 5 feet tall, lol.

[vigurl]

Eh the 2-3x I fly per yr isn't enough to make me too upset by this. The way I see it I would rather pay 210 RT with tax and fees + 30 to take my carry on and get nothing to eat or drink in a diminished leg room cabin than pay 375 RT and get a free carry on, 6 more inches of leg room, free soda and free nuts.

[v]

Nov 20, 2014 15:24:18 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Eh the 2-3x I fly per yr isn't enough to make me too upset by this. The way I see it I would rather pay 210 RT with tax and fees + 30 to take my carry on and get nothing to eat or drink in a diminished leg room cabin than pay 375 RT and get a free carry on, 6 more inches of leg room, free soda and free nuts.

The funny part about this post is that JetBlue was born as a low-cost carrier!

My husband actually will pay a bit extra to fly JetBlue, but probably not anymore. We tend to carry on whether or not bags are free (though free bags sometimes come in handy), but the bigger seats do matter to him.

I do like JetBlue's snacks, but they are worth their face value to me. I know where to buy Terra Chips and animal crackers

[Susie]

I never fly JetBlue because they don't fly out of any airports convenient to me. But the overall trend sucks.

Southwest is one of our airlines. I occasionally fly with them, if connecting through BWI makes sense for where I am going (because all freaking Southwest flights go through BWI it seems). I wonder how long they will hold out on the free checked bags thing. I enjoy how comparatively empty the overhead bins are on Southwest flights as a result.