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It will soon cost you money to check a bag on JetBlue if you buy the cheapest level of tickets.

JetBlue Airways Corp. said today 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.

JetBlue's move will leave Southwest as the only large U.S. airline that allows all passengers to check at least one bag for free. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has said the lack of bag fees has attracted enough additional passengers to more than offset money that would be raised by fees.

Never flown JetBlue, but lots of people rave about this airline. Southwest will be the next of the bargain airlines to follow suit. Personally, I'm sticking with legacy airlines like COPA & Avianca.

JetBlue is a good option domestically. Internationally, Avianca is better. Both have personal TV, but Avianca has free liquor and actual food whereas JetBlue only gives free soda and snacks. BTW, have you noticed Avianca cutting back in food?

Even with the reduced average legroom, they will still have more than most. Here is a comparison of narrow-body planes (inches):
JetBlue (current) 34.7
JetBlue (future) 33.1
Virgin 32.6
Alaska 31.9
WestJet 31.9
American 31.8
United 31.8
Frontier 31.6
US Airways 31.5
Hawaiian 31.4
Southwest 31.4
Delta 31.3
Spirit 28.3

Spirit is on the bottom of the list...no surprise there I'm surprised they haven't reduced it to 25". It wouldn't surprise me if they started charging to use the toilets.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Didn't some ultra-bargain airline in Ireland or the UK try this a few years ago and was told by courts/regulators it was illegal? Agree wholeheartedly about Spirit--its rotten reputation is richly deserved.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Ryanair...

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/Green/payi ... d=10355139

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/17/travel/ry ... g-schemes/

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

It is not about paying for the toilets. It is about a la carte.. pay for what YOU want. Everyone has different priorities.

But everybody has certain minimum priorities which Spirit finds a way to go below. If you shop price only, Spirit is what you get--being treated as living baggage. For the 2+ hours from FLL, I guess it's not that bad.
BTW "...pay for what YOU want..." What if I want a 4-course gourmet meal with Champagne on Spirit? Will I get what what I want? Paid for with the savings on the cattle-call airfare of course. Do you know what the word "disingenuous" means? HINT--it's damn close to "bullshit".

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Is JetBlue Becoming Just Another Airline?
George Hobica, November 19, 2014

JetBlue is about to make some of its customers, well, blue.

The airline has been profitable this year, but apparently that's not enough for Wall Street. In order to appease investors, the company announced today that it will follow a business model familiar to passengers on Frontier, American and other airlines: offering multiple airfare "bundles," one of which won't include a free checked bag, and cramming more passengers into its planes by installing those abominable "slimline" seats.

It's not the only recent policy change to dismay customers. Earlier this year, the airline changed its once-generous full refund policy (in the form of a travel credit) in the event of a fare drop after purchase.

From the JetBlue media release :
"Beginning in the first half of 2015, customers will be able to choose between three branded fare bundle options. The first of these will be designed for customers who do not plan to check a bag, while the latter two will offer one and two free checked bags, respectively, along with other attractive benefits, including additional TrueBlue points and increased flexibility.

This new merchandising platform will enable JetBlue to tailor its offering to individual customers' needs in a way that is simple and transparent."

That will leave only Southwest, for now, offering free checked bags.

This sounds similar to Frontier's pricing model, which offers its lowest fares if you pay for a checked and/or a carryon bag (Frontier used to offer three fare types, now reduced to two); American has a similar three-tiered model with its "choice" fares—in basic, essential, and plus flavors.

More seats, maybe not less legroom

Worse, perhaps, JetBlue is cramming 15 more seats into its Airbus 320's by installing those dreaded "slimline" seats that have less padding (or "give") in the bottom cushion, or at least that's how I experience them.

Again from the release, "the reconfigured cabin plan for the A320 will preserve JetBlue's product advantage and highly-rated customer experience while helping to generate higher returns. Using lighter, more comfortable seats, JetBlue will be able to increase the number seats on its planes while continuing to offer the most legroom in coach." Translation: the seat pitch (the distance between any one point on a seat and the same point on a seat in the adjacent row) is being reduced by one inch.

Even so, at 33 inches of pitch, JetBlue offers more space between seats than most airlines, which typically set rows 31 inches apart, and because the new seats will be slimmer there may be just as much knee room (actually more important than legroom) as before.

And before we get all outraged, JetBlue still offers free inflight TV and free WiFi. But there won't be more overhead bins for those extra passengers, that's for sure.

JetBlue reckons they'll gain an extra $450 million per year with these new initiatives. But it may lose what made it special in the first place. At least the Terra Blues chips will be free, for now.

What do you consider minimum priorites? I can guarantee you they might not be a priority for everyone.

By what you want.. I mean from their list of options.

Jazzbo, I am wondering, how many times have you flown on Spirit? And when was the last time?

8-10 times and 4 years ago, flying out of Atlantic City. Changing at FLL, natch.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Spirit when it first started, was good too..don't forget..

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Jaco is called little USA by all ticos

I have flown on Spirit 26 times, counting one time as from origin to destination, in the past 4 years plus three weeks. The last time was last week. I have not experienced what you describe. I have never paid extra for a seat, and almost every flight I have had either an aisle or window seat in the front half of the cabin. A few times I have had an exit row seat. I don't go to Medellin to enjoy the flight. As long as I get to where I am going close to the scheduled time, and am subjected to minimal discomforts, I am okay. My happiness occurs between the flights.