In yesterday’s announcement about airport lounges, JetBlue’s benefit cuts got short shrift in coverage. The airline’s elite members will no longer receive seating benefits or flight changes on basic economy fares, and they’re dropping the BLADE helicopter transfer partnership.
with the new JB Airport lounge announcement comes some changes to Mosaic benefits including the loss of MOS benefits for Blue Basic fares and discontinuation of BLADE Manhattan Helicopter transfer services. pic.twitter.com/mMvta1GmlH
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 19, 2024
JetBlue’s approach to righting its ship has been schizophrenic. They just made basic economy better, dropping carry-on bag restrictions, but now they’re restricting elite benefits on these fares. But they’re looking for any sort of revenue, anywhere they can find it, leading the industry in hiking checked bag fees for instance.
They’ve stopped chasing business customers, and shrinking even their pilot workforce yet are introducing airport lounges in support of transatlantic flying that’s losing money. (The way to square that circle is getting their credit card partner to pay.)
Ultimately JetBlue had a brand and franchise, but over the past 15 years they’ve made themselves into more of a smaller clone of their major competitors like American, Delta and United. They do have more legroom in regular coach like Southwest, and free wifi like Delta. They also have seat back entertainment screens like Delta and increasingly United.
They’re the smaller player and they’re deferring growth, their frequent flyer program isn’t as compelling for redemptions as United’s, isn’t as compelling for elite frequent flyers as Delta’s, and isn’t as compelling for either as American’s. And the federal government tanked their strategies to partner with American and to acquire Spirit.
Now they’re throwing all sorts of things at a wall to see what sticks. There are improvements and cutbacks but most of all attempts to squeeze more revenue. Here they expect their elites will buy up to higher fares… but hopefully not defect to competitors.
It’s like they WANT bankruptcy. First they make basic economy even more enticing for the Spirit/Allegiant customer who is searching for lowest cost and doesn’t care about the product, then they decide to screw their most loyal Mosaic customers by making their benefits on basic economy worthless.
I would’ve loved to be in that brainstorming session at B6 where somehow they thought this will help INCREASE revenue.
This is after JetBlue already screwed their Mosaic members by repeatedly giving Delta elites matches that gave them immediate free Mint upgrade certificates, meanwhile longtime Mosaic 1 & 2s get no upgrade benefits or even same-day discount at all.
There’s zero reason to earn Mosaic the hard way the past few years, and B6 are idiots for not realizing it. There’s almost guaranteed to be an elite match every year and in the meantime fly another airline with better service & on-time performance.
After United Airlines could not get me to Chicago O’Hare on time for my next flight, costing me a day’s worth of pay, and then lied by saying it was due to weather, costing me money for a room and food, I took a hard look at other options. I found that JetBlue had a nonstop flight between LAX and BUF. Sure, at times it was a bit more, but it did not have a connecting flight. I have been happy with that flight ever since. They did discontinue it but then they put it back. I will be flying to BUF on it in October but the return flight will connect at JFK. Hopefully it will be back in the spring because supposedly JetBlue was making money on it. I have been happier with JetBlue than with United or Delta. A long time ago, I enjoyed flying NWA from LAX to BUF connecting at DTW.
Yes if you want a dirt cheap fare you should be willing to accept some conditions like no free seat selection.
When do they liquidate?