JetBlue quits flight pass deal

by Tom Johansmeyer on
You can’t jet as much as you want any more, as discounter JetBlue has suspended its “All You Can Jet” promotion. The deal offered fliers unlimited flights for a month for only $599.

To JetBlue’s surprise (but nobody else’s), the program was quite successful. The airline is taking advantage of the “while supplies last” comment in the promotion. Since the airline ran out of passes, it won’t keep the deal alive until Friday.

JetBlue does cite the realistic concern about seat availability: if too many people have passes, it could become impossible to accommodate everyone who’s entitled. Of course, the world is silent on whether oversized passengers need to buy two monthly passes, based on the growing airline trend regarding growing fliers.

JetBlue offers unlimited travel for $599

by Katie Hammel on

Got a lot of flying to do in September? If so, JetBlue has the deal for you.

Book an All-You-Can-Jet Pass and you can fly anywhere that JetBlue goes, as many times as you want from September 8 to October 8, for one low price. Saint Lucia one week, Seattle the next, all for just $599 (plus taxes for international destinations and Puerto Rico – domestic taxes are covered). Depending on which of JetBlue’s 56 domestic and international destinations your travels will take you to, the Pass could easily earn its price in two or three trips.

But, as ABC News points out, you should compare the cost of buying each trip a la carte versus going with the Pass; if you’ll be flying the cheaper routes, you’d have to fly a whole lot to make the Pass a good deal. Do the math before you commit.

Flights must be booked three days in advance and you may only book one flight per day. There are no blackout dates. If you’ve already bought tickets to fly on JetBlue during the month, you can pay the difference to upgrade to the Pass.

Passes will be on sale through Friday, August 21st “while supplies last”. There’s no word on how many Passes are available, so act fast or you might miss out.

jetBlue announces non stop service from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale

by Scott Carmichael on

In a way, airlines are like kids on their first week of school.

When one kid shows up with a Dawson’s Creek Trapper Keeper, all the other kids head out to the local school supply store to get their own (bonus points if you get that reference).

Kids compete with school supplies and cool backpacks, airlines compete with fares and route networks.

Earlier today, Grant reported some great news from Virgin America – the announcement of their new Los Angeles and San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale route (forgive the giddiness, but anytime Virgin America expands its route network, I smile a little more, secretly hoping they’ll be heading to Chicago soon).

The day isn’t even over, and the next airline has decided they want to play along. Starting November 17th, jetBlue will be flying the San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale route as well.

The airline will be flying one flight each way every day. The San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale flight departs SFO at 11:30 pm and arrives the next morning at 7:30 am. The other way around departs Fort Lauderdale at 7:15 pm and arrives at 10:35 pm. Pretty convenient schedules if you ask me. In fact, with a little creativity, you’ll be able to fly up and down for a day on the beach in under 24 hours. Fort Lauderdale also means passengers can transfer to another jetBlue flight and head towards the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

A flight on jetBlue means free live satellite TV, free drinks and snacks and of course their $40 “Even More Legroom” upgrade option. The service on the overnight flight even includes their “Shut-Eye” service, featuring earplugs, an eyeshade and a hot towel service when you wake up.

JetBlue, United jump on Twitter for cheap tix

by Tom Johansmeyer on

JetBlue and United Airlines are pushing the first taste of cheap fares out on Twitter. They hope to use what USA Today calls the “uber-trendy form of messaging” to push seats on flights that may have vacant seats prior to wheels-up. After deals appear, they don’t always stick around long. JetBlue’s first “Cheep” (a variation on “tweet”) offered a $9 one-way fare from JFK to Nantucket. The model that’s emerging puts JetBlue’s fare tweets out on Monday mornings and offers around eight hours to act on them.

United Airlines has had its “twares” in action since May, and the element of surprise is a factor. The discounts can be released without warning, and there’s no discernable schedule. The deals can live for as little as two hours, forcing Twitter-using travelers to act fast.

Airline cancellation fees worse than baggage fees

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Airlines rely on you to have minor and major personal crises. Everything from changed meeting dates to family emergencies generate around $2 billion in change and cancellation fees a year, according to the Department of Transportation. That’s pretty much twice the amount the airlines pull in from extra bag fees – a measure that’s already been lauded by the Wall Street set for its impact on the airlines’ finances. For American Airlines parent AMR, for example, change and cancellation penalties came to $116 million for the first quarter of the year, while baggage fees amounted to $108 million.

These penalties, lamented almost universally by passengers, upped airline passenger revenue by 3.2 percent in the United States. As usual, business travelers get screwed most (probably because they travel most. They paid the bulk of $527.6 million in first quarter change fees.

Even with fewer people climbing onto planes this year, increases in penalty amounts have led to a net gain in revenue for airlines from this type of fee. A number of the larger airlines upped their change fees from $100 to $150. JetBlue moved it from $40 to $100 – and saw first quarter fees surge 29 percent, from $25 million to $32.2 million, relative to the first quarter of 2008.

These change fees are actually pretty important. With the money they bring in, airlines can offer discounts elsewhere, financed by the extra income. And, they make it more attractive for passengers to buy full-fare tickets, that way they have a bit more flexibility. The more expensive tickets benefit the passenger … and of course, the airline.