JetBlue is struggling and trying to execute a turnaround. They earned just $25 million in the second quarter. It should be their strongest quarter. They have underperformed for 15 years. Their CEO is gone, and they’ve been bringing back some veteran talent. Right now JetBlue is offering to match status of competitor airline customers and you can even keep the status by spending on their credit card.
Their new plan involves shrinking unprofitable flying – gutting Los Angeles and making cuts to transatlantic flying, as well as eliminating routes and cities. They have already announced they’re pulling out of 15 cities entirely. They’ve also deferred delivery of 44 Airbus planes.
The revised focus is leisure and visiting friends and relatives traffic, plus cross country flying from their strongest cities of New York JFK and Boston as well as Florida. They will continue their Puerto Rico and Caribbean flying. But they are no longer chasing corporate travel. And they’ve aggressively raised checked bag fees, leading the industry. They’re going to add a domestic first class, but that’s years away.
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. Carl Icahn is breathing down their neck.
They may not be among the more reliable carriers (they’re among the least!) but they’re plucky and they’re aggressively courting competitors’ best customers with a public status match program. The program is too complicated, but it will appeal to some in New York, Boston, South Florida and even elsewhere.
- They will match to their first and second tiers of elite, but not their third
- New status lasts three months
- Your spending during that time will determine your status after that (up to top tier)
They say you may have to wait up to 4 weeks to hear back on your match request, which is pure incompetence if reflective of reality.
To request a match you need:
- screenshot of your frequent flyer program profile showing your full name and status
- for requests to match to mid-tier, screenshot or photo of your most recent boarding pass or flight confirmation email showing your status (you can’t just have status, you need to actually have used it)
- your TrueBlue account number
They will match status from Alaska, American, Delta and United – but not Southwest, Spirit or Frontier.
To keep or upgrade status:
- Earn 10 qualifying points for first tier
- Earn 25 qualifying points for second tier
- Earn 40 qualifying points for top tier
You earn a point for every $100 in JetBlue spend and every $1,000 in co-brand credit card spend. You can extend or upgrade status using a mix or even all credit card spend.
Super fudge on them not matching SW. I sat and spent as much if not more to get companion and A. It should qualify in some shape or form. Jet Blue thinking they’re all that…. Comparing southwest with the spirit, which they’re doing in my head, is BS. Another reason to forget about them. Or I’m just salty.
Why would anyone want to take B6 up on this? Absolutely no benefit unless Florida and Puerto Rico are your main destinations. JetBlue has an abysmal on time performance, a shrinking route map, inconsistent service, and is essentially a leisure airline. Hard no.
Why would anyone take B6 up on this? Shrinking route network, increasingly focused on Florida and San Juan, and beach markets. Chronic delays. No thanks.
I have flights on JetBlue coming up in October. They are being covered by the points I got for signing up for their branded credit card and paying the yearly fee. I will see if the gamble will pay off. The first flight is nonstop but the return has a short layover. I have had the best domestic flights I have had in quite a while, while flying on JetBlue over the last few years.
Are you really that lazy and in a rush and anti-proofreading that you just cant bring yourself to ensure that you write “United” correctly in the title of something you’re publishing?
I live in Charlotte and at one time JetBlue had compelling fares and routes to JFK and BOS. Then they eliminated CLT-JFK and now backing out completely from CLT. They are as dead to me as Alaska (which I would like to fly and goes to both CHS and RDU but not CLT).
Does low level first tier provide any benefits that the credit card does not?
When does this expire?
Given the tumultuous year that B6 has had , they should also focus on retaining their own elites . They should consider giving their current top tier travelers an extension for 2025 or a soft landing by dropping them by only 1 level for 2025
I’m taking them up on this. Way better experience with them than Delta in BOS.
Will gladly give my business to them for this match.
That “power move” leaving Long Beach in protest of them not authorizing an international terminal looks worse every day. They completely destroyed their west coast operation with that move, even if it was in slow motion. They basically owned that airport and had profitable routes with full flights all over the place as their western hub. Now they’ve got nothing. Dumbasses
Look — I actually like JetBlue and fly them decently often (Mosaic 3 here), but this is a really hard sell for anyone not in Boston or NYC. Even then, the routes have been paired back so much that it’s really hard to take the offer seriously as the route network just isn’t large enough for most frequent fliers.
I Agree With Maxie, Take Care Of Your Mosaic Customer’s, They Didn’t Earn Mosaic From Being Matched…
B6 can try to lure flyers all the want but unlikely that DL / UA or AA will move unless all you do is fly BOS to FL or NYC to FL. B6 network is generally week and leisure focused and doesn’t over key and growing business markets well like TX, CO or AZ.
Just got the match. Thanks Gary!
Do we know if the 3 month period starts from when you get the confirmation email or when your account gets updated to mosaic?
anyone know the cutoff date for this? not traveling for a bit on Jetblue so figured I should wait
@GaryLeff – I’m a disappointed AA EP in South FLorida and have had positive experiences on JetBlue, so I went through the process and just got the email that I’m now Mosaic 2. Only took them about 12 hours to approve me, so I’m glad it wasn’t 4 weeks since I have a few NYC trips coming up and will likely fly JetBlue.
I’d consider flying JB again if they brought back the NYC-Oakland direct service. Otherwise, I’m sticking with ANY of their competitors who fly NYC-SFO for less money.