JetBlue Airways aircraft are pictured at the departure gates at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Fred Prouser | Reuters
JetBlue Airways gets rid of the ticket change fees for most of its tickets, but travelers who buy the cheapest fares should pack it in easily.
The New York-based airline said Tuesday that it will guarantee a safe fare for its standard fares to its Mint business class from July 20. But travelers who booked Blue Basic, the airline’s cheapest option, may not use overhead space, a policy United Airlines introduced when it began selling basic economy tickets without expertise in 2017.
If JetBlue fails to keep its promise, it will give travelers $ 25 credit. This is a relatively easy feat during the pandemic when few people travel, but finding overhead space was a “major pain point” for travelers on boarding, the carrier said.
Airline executives said these benefit options are meant to better compete with discount airlines Spirit Airlines and Frontier, which make up a large portion of their revenue from additional luggage and seat selection fees. However, they also said they want many travelers to avoid these limited fares and pay more for standard economy.
JetBlue says it wants to make the cheaper, restrictive fares cheaper.
“Currently, our Blue and Blue Basic offerings are very similar,” JetBlue and COO President Joanna Geraghty said in a statement to staff. “We need to better distinguish the two by making Blue the gold standard, while strategically focusing on lowering the price of Blue Basic.”