Jet Blue

As long as I am blogging about companies I love this morning, I thought I’d add a plug for Jet Blue.

I did a lot of flying over the holidays on traditional (ie dinosaur) airlines.

Today I am flying Jet Blue.

What a difference.

It starts with the booking experience.  You book online.  Everyone has a TrueBlue account where everything you need is.

Then there's the checkin experience.  Everybody is run through a kiosk that's quick, easy to use, and efficient.  If you have bags to check, you go to the counter.  But all they do is check your bags.  Again, its quick and efficient.

And the people are so nice.  What do they feed all their employees?  Everybody has a smile on their face and something nice to say.

Then there's the gate experience.  Free Wifi!  Power jacks everywhere.  Just like it should be.  They've got a little play area for kids in many of their terminals too.

And the food situation is dead on.  They don't charge you for bad food you won't eat.  They put high quality food establishments in their terminals and encourage everyone to buy some food for the flight.  I don't like to eat much when I fly so I usually just get a yogurt, a couple bananas, and maybe some bagel chips, and lots of water.  That sure beats a bad lasagna or chicken dish!

And then there's the cost.  $600 round trip to LA same day!  $200 round trip to LA with a couple weeks advance booking!

I love flying Jet Blue to LA.  The Long Beach terminal is so great.  You can land and be in a rental car headed somewhere in ten minutes.

If you want to know what's wrong and right with the airline business today, just fly Jet Blue.  They do it right.  Most everyone else does it wrong.

Comments

[Tom W.]

Fred, I could not agree with you more.
I love JetBlue - we fly it all the time at CW - particularly the NY-LA and NY-Seattle routes. Those are bears, of course - but they make the time go rather than lag - they treat customers like real people. Everyday coach in JB is better than business in most of the old school airlines. And that Long Beach terminal is a real throwback (the old-fashioned upstairs restaurant with a view of the "field" makes you feel like you're taking the Pan Am Clipper in 1935).
Can't wait for their new JFK terminal...

[JayR]

I absolutely agree. I'm flying to LA next week on JetBlue for $85 each way. I would fly them even at a higher fare than a "dinosaur" airline because of the extra legroom (a big consideration when you're 6'3") and the seatback entertainment. My only complaint is that I cannot use my CapitalOne miles for JetBlue travel. JetBlue is the only airline that you cannot redeem miles on, and I don't know why.

[AT]

I like LGB airport too ;-)

The only problem that you need to take a shuttle and spend a few more time to get to LA downtown.

[compelled to reply]

Best flight I ever had was a Long-Beach to JFK. Booked the day before the flight. I think it was $120.

The employees were insanely nice. Actually, whenever I think about service and employee quality, I think about them.

[richard leather]

And what of JetBlue's insisting on servicing its planes overseas, out of normal FAA inspection orbit, where inevitably a bomb will be placed in an obscure place on one (or more) of its planes? Russian roulette with a vengeance, for the sake of low cash costs at incredible risk to JetBluepassngers. I will never fly it again.

[James Roberts]

If your happy flying Jet Blue, I'm happy. Russian roulette is a delicate game only a few brave souls have the stomach for. It appears that you have that stomach. I only hope your loved ones have the insurance policy. You might want to check this link out before you spin the cylinder again with Jet Blue. http://www.kyw1060.com/news_story_detail.cfm?newsitemid=43464
Trust me on this one. Southwest, Continental, American, Air Wisconsin, and Alaska Airlines are the safest airlines in the u.s. If you have to pay a little more for those you will probably extended your pistol playing days.

[James Roberts]

Was reading the previous post about the "obscure" bomb. Not likely!
However,
Likely,
the fly by night repair shop will not pay Airbus for the latest manuals, or service bulletins,that detail items that could be dirt or sky for that airplane.
Then if they don't want to lose the work from El Salvador to a cheaper market, they have to extend (turn a blind eye)to parts that should be replaced but won't be.
I'm not trying to let the dance of the macabre sprinkle pixie dust over this rainbow but, in that spirit I would sell Jet Blue's insurance company on the short.

[Irene Cairns]

Used Jet Blue for the first time on Jan 17th from Boston to Orlando and back on Jan 26 Orlando to Boston, it was great, will always use Jet Blue....We were a little late getting into Boston due to the snow, however the crew was really great, and offered us each a $25. credit for our waiting for the gate to open in Boston...

[mc boyer]

what is all the hoop la about jetblue? i have flown them twice (or at least attempted to) and had nothing but young, arrogant employees with no class or culture. one attempt was i missed my flight by 5 minutes in slc because of taxi cab delays, I approached the ticket counter, and the agent , without even looking at me, pointed and said, "delta is in the next terminal"....deltas flight left approx 9 hrs later, and i was given an upgrade to business elite, now that is flying...and these airbuses? whats the story with these planes (foreign made)... isnt this the time we should be using boeings? MADE IN AMERICA

[Barbara LeGrand]

Recently flew Jet Blue. Great experience. The prevailing impression-really nice people. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the ride.

[Rich Leather]

Well. I hate to say I told you so but, yesterday we all saw the JB plane on CNN scrapping down the runway. Did you hear the A320 pilot discribing the action say that a service bulletin had been issued by Airbus to correct that problem? Why hadn't this plane had the SB the last time it was in their repair center in El Salvador?
Update: next day after CNN show another JB plane has mechanical problems and makes emergency landing in NY.

[matt Karras]

Why did Jet Blue loose 65,000,000 last QUARTER if it is such a great airline? Maybe if they increased their fares and stopped giving away their product they would make money instead of looseing it! Not long before they become like the rest of them!

[scott]

I use to love Jet Blue....But they have stranded us here in NY for 4 days with no way of telling us when we are going to fly home. We are out of money and living in the airport for the next 2 days. They will not bring in more flights and will not put us on a nother airline, they say we may be able to get on a flight on Sunday, but a nother winter storm is hitting NY Sunday...
How can you just do nothing and not even refund our money that they have had for over a month. We will never fly Jet Blue again and recommend everyone else does the same.