jetblue

Tag Archives for jetblue.

The Government’s Case Against The JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger Is Absurd

by Gary Leff on March 8, 2023

Mar 08 2023

want to see Spirit Airlines continue as a standalone company. I think that is better for airfares and for diversity in business models. I also don’t think buying Spirit is a good idea for JetBlue. They are operationally challenged to begin with and the complexity of a merger and integration won’t make air travel better. JetBlue is massively overpaying.

As a result I’ve maintained that the JetBlue deal to acquire Spirit is bad for customers and bad for shareholders. However bad business decisions are not in themselves, illegal.

Flight Attendant Demands To Know Why Passenger Needs The Bathroom, Says Her Answer Is Harassment

by Gary Leff on February 22, 2023

Feb 22 2023

Right on the heels of that spicy flight attendant telling people they shouldn’t use the lavatory when they first board a plane, a JetBlue flight attendant confronts a passenger demanding to know why they could possibly need to use the lavatory since they’d spent a three hour delay in the terminal. And the crewmember even went so far as to claim airplane toilets don’t flush while the plane is on the ground.

JetBlue Goes On Offense As Feds Prepare To Sue To Stop Spirit Airlines Deal

by Gary Leff on February 2, 2023

Feb 02 2023

The federal government is preparing to sue to block JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit Airlines. They’re paying a 40% premium over what Frontier Airlines was offering. And they even have to pay a lot of the money if the deal doesn’t close.

JetBlue is ramping up the P.R. side of the fight releasing a video that tells their story about how growing their airline is good for consumers.

A JetBlue Passenger Stole A Gate Agent’s Phone Charger. How The Agent Responded Was Perfect.

by Gary Leff on January 29, 2023

Jan 29 2023

A passenger on a JetBlue flight stole a phone charger from an agent at the gate on Friday. They didn’t take the gate agent’s phone – just the charger.

The agent realized their charger was gone, boarded the flight, and announced at the flight isn’t going anywhere until the thief returns it. If the passenger doesn’t come forward, they’ll pull security tapes and figure out who it was anyway. It’s better to fess up!

American Airlines CEO Has Never Flown JetBlue Business Class, Knows Nothing About It

by Gary Leff on October 3, 2022

Oct 03 2022

With American Airlines CEO Robert Isom on the witness stand, government lawyers in the anti-trust trial trying to break up his airline’s partnership with JetBlue asked the executive about JetBlue’s “Mint” product – a lie flat business class that operates on certain domestic and short haul international routes (as well as on their transatlantic routes which are not part of the partnership).

Isom explained that he had know idea what Mint was, or what it entailed, never having flown it or paid attention to it, it seems.

Government Plays A Weak Hand, Shifts Focus To Boston In American-JetBlue Anti-Trust Trial

by Gary Leff on October 3, 2022

Oct 03 2022

Testimony continues this week in the federal government’s anti-trust trial to break up the American Airlines-JetBlue Northeast Alliance. The government shifted its focus Monday morning away from the partnership the two airlines have in New York, to their arrangement in Boston.

Recap Of Today’s Executive Testimony In The American Airlines-JetBlue Anti-Trust Trial

by Gary Leff on September 28, 2022

Sep 28 2022

Today’s testimony in the government’s anti-trust trial against the American Airlines-JetBlue Northeast Alliance has featured the CEO of JetBlue and the incoming Chief Operating Officer of Southwest Airlines, which prefers not to see stronger competitors (naturally).

It doesn’t seem like the government made any tangible progress demonstrating anti-competitive effects of the partnership, but the answers given on the stand by senior airline executives are interesting to parse.

Anti-Trust Trial To Break Up American Airlines-JetBlue Partnership Starts Today

by Gary Leff on September 27, 2022

Sep 27 2022

American Airlines and JetBlue entered into a partnership they refer to as the ‘Northeast Alliance.’ They have a frequent flyer partnership and they codeshare in and out of New York and Boston. American has moved some of its domestic flying to JetBlue, and JetBlue’s customers have made it possible for American to grow internationally out of New York. Now the government lawsuit to stop it starts today, even though the federal government had previously approved it.

JetBlue-Emirates End Partnership, Now We Know The Rest Of The Story (Etihad!)

by Gary Leff on September 9, 2022

Sep 09 2022

Emirates lost the ability to book redemptions on JetBlue in business class over the summer, suggesting something was up with their partnership. We learned in the past several days that the partnership is actually ending October 30th. But JetBlue isn’t going to be down a partner. Instead a new earning and redemption partnership is coming between JetBlue and Etihad. Etihad also partners with American Airlines and with Air Canada.

JetBlue Coupon Code: $25 Off One Way Trips / $50 Off Roundtrip, Book Today

by Gary Leff on August 3, 2022

Aug 03 2022

JetBlue is still losing money. They’ve set aside nearly $4 billion of their cash to buy Spirit Airlines (really, your cash given the taxpayer subsidies received during the pandemic). So they need more money. They’re trying to generate some with a legitimate fare sale.