Gas is 1.40 now here in North Jersey. Why are all the BS Fee's that the airlines started implementing to offset the cost of fuel still around? I HATE FLYING. When I travel to Boston/DC for work I strictly stick with Acela

When people ask questions like "what's in the box" and I don't think it's any of their business, I like to respond with a standard answer "adult toys".

Could be tools, a bike or whatever. They're all toys, to me. The bottom line is it's none of their business what's in the box, unless it's a prohibited item.

Would you give details about what's in your checked luggage? If not, why would you give details about what's in a box you're checking? If they want to know, they'll see it on the x-ray anyway.

I think the safe answer would be "nothing that's prohibited in a checked package".

And according to another site, JetBlue has already revised their policy, thanked the customer for bringing it to the corporate office's attention, and refunded him the charge.

http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/08/jetblue-responds-folded-bikes-can-now-fly-free/

I got stranded by JetBlue during their Feb '07 "Meltdown", but their customer service tends to be pretty fantastic in general, and they use call centers staffed by real people in the US (at least last 6 times I called to get the difference between the original and now lower cost of my flights refunded back to me as credits).

I usually answer that question with "Your Mom"

@G_Money21: I heard on NPR a couple months ago that some of the airlines are/were still paying through the nose for fuel because they had "locked in" their fuel costs previously. Which was a great idea when they were on the rise, but now, not so much.

Should have just told her that your suitcase ripped and you had to pack your clothes in a box.

I recently flew Air Canada's discount flyer Jazz and I have to say the experience was pretty damn good: cheap flight, two carry-ons and two pieces of checked luggage up to 50lbs and large in size. Flight took off on time, they served free beverages (twice on a 1.5 hr. flight) and the seats had plenty of room... I had a similarly good experience with WestJet (another discount Canadian airline).

Having flown for years on American carriers (when I lived there) I can honestly say that volume business doesn't necessarily translate into competitively-derived advantages.

One thing: when going thru airport security and you tell them you have a portable hard drive in your carry on, they act like it's some kind of alien technology... why is that???

@David Mays: When asked stuff like this, I simply respond "some personal items". That way, it can be clothes, books, whatever. I agree with you that it's no one's business as long as it's not a prohibited item.

@mariospants:

They don't work at TSA because they're brilliant; they work there because the DMV wasn't hiring that day.

That's unbelievable.

...

You took cheese with you?

When asked "what's in the box" in the future he could say "bicycle parts." It's true!

@nicemarmot617: No, you don't.

Good response from JetBlue. It was a screwy policy and they fixed it, so I hope people will cut them some slack as a result.

But wait there is more. Travel to Europe with bike, the one way charge is now $200.00. Even if it is your second bag,in a hard travel case. Early last year second bag was allowed if it did not exceed the weight restrictions.

Also as a traveler who has traveled with bike many times by air, Each airline has its own set of rules (there is a whole web site just for bike travelers on planes,trains and buses) and as we all know from dealing with the airlines that each airline uses a rule/fee making formula that we mortals will never understand.

Am I mistaken or is the title to this story completely off? They actually changed their policy and you can now check a bike for free in a box.

When flying, bikes are always referred to as "camping gear." Always.

@David Mays: i hate to disagree with you,(personally i agree). when a company is carrying your stuff, they are responsible for it. it's pretty important that they know what is in it.

@David Mays:

What's in the box? = Boxes.

What's in the bag? = Bags

What's in the folder? = Folders

What's in the envelope? = Envelopes

@Propaniac: might still be a decent idea since the prices seem to be going back up.

Yay! Can't ask for more from a company.
Evaluate a complaint fairly, and if wrong, admit it and change policy accordingly.
It seems so simple, yet why is it so uncommon? Props to JetBlue!

@wallspray: The correct title should be "Don't Tell Jetblue The Box You're Checking Contains A Foldable Bike Or It'll Cost $50, Assuming You Are A Time Traveling Jetblue Customer Who Has A Flight To Catch In The Past"

@wallspray: I second your motion for a title change, since JetBlue responded so quickly and fairly. If nothing else, for archival purposes. Perhaps it will also make other firms consider doing the right thing if Consumerist quickly edits stories to reflect heroic* corporate behavior?

* Yeah, it's a sad world we live in when common-sense = heroic. Humor me.

@LoadStar: I always fly with cheese...you don't?

I hate arbitrary rules like that!

NJ Transit trains have a similar stupid rule.
You can carry whatever bulky baggage you can carry lug onto the train (I have seen people carrying giant television sets).
Often times there will be travelers carrying lots of heavy bags from the airport.

Anyway, if you happen to have a bike, or part of bike, you're not allowed on the train during peak hours!

I took the wheels off my bike and bungied them to the frame, and the stupid conductor wouldn't let me take it on!
This was at Penn Station, and there was a pharmacy upstairs, so I went, purchased a box of contractor bags, and concealed my bike in several layers of opaque plastic.

Then I didn't get a second look on the next train!

A time before that, I chained my bike to a seat and pretended it wasn't mine.
The conductor yelled at me at my stop and threatened to summon the cops, but he had nothing.

Do you think they would charge you for part of your bike?
What if you had the tires, and your companion had the frame?

So did they refund his $50?

@mariospants: You're lucky they found people who can tell the difference between a laptop and a typewriter to fill those security jobs. Just take off your shoes and be glad they don't ask you if you want fries with that.

For stories with updates in the original article, could you put a time stamp with the update so people reading later have an idea of how quickly the company responded/new details come in?

@OwenCatherwood: this.

@batsy:

Yea he does.

Then he complains when somebody takes offense and bytch-slaps him down.

@mariospants:

Because most of the clerks lack common sense and have not been around the block enough to know the difference between a hard drive and a hard-on.

Way back when (well before 9/11) I was carrying an expensive micro-caliper in my carryon luggage. Had some other mechanical stuff in the luggage as well.

The X-Ray clerk just abou peed his pants because he thought I was carrying a weapon.

(yea, the clerk got bent out of shape. I was surrounded by armed guards, hand frisked and my luggage was striped searched)

The funny thing about the incident? I was about to depart on the last leg of my 8 stop trip. I had passed through every other security screening with the same gear and never had a problem beyond answering a few questions such as IDing the items in the bag based upon the shape described by the clerk. Big Whoop. And then I hit the wet-behind-his-ears clerk and all Hades starts to break loose.

@Jason Foster:

But that's just it. They are NOT responsible for it. Their own policy says that sports equipment that is damaged in transit (even by them) is not their problem.

"Please note: Sporting goods/equipment will only be accepted for
transportation at the customer's own risk. JetBlue Airways will not be liable in the
event that the item is damaged, lost, or spoiled upon arrival."

@Trai_Dep:

Yep, I think Jet Blue did pretty good in this situation.

@OwenCatherwood:

Great idea.

@boxjockey68: I prefer to shower first.

PROPS Jet Blue..... glad to hear that you guys are still interested in listening to their customers...kudos kudos kudos...

So did he get a refund then, or is the policy just changed from here on out? haha

@chadbailey: If you read the 2nd post he states

I got an exciting wake-up call yesterday morning. Carolyn, the Jet Blue customer service representative with whom I'd exchanged two emails about the airline's ridiculous baggage policy called to tell me that they were changing their policy and that the $50 I'd been charged had been reversed!"

So the answer is YES, it was refunded.

@Jordan Leventhal: I asked the same thing. If you read the 2nd post he states

I got an exciting wake-up call yesterday morning. Carolyn, the Jet Blue customer service representative with whom I'd exchanged two emails about the airline's ridiculous baggage policy called to tell me that they were changing their policy and that the $50 I'd been charged had been reversed!"

The one thing I found annoying was the new "Skywalk" from the parking lot to the terminal building. It feels like that half-moon walkway is a mile long. With the old one you just had to cross two roadways at ground level and you were there.
Other than that, it's very nice.

@David Mays: if your objects get damaged while in their care, they can post a zillion signs saying 'not responsible' but that doesnt mean anything since you paid for your ticket, which implys by taking your baggage / boxes that care will be taken.

the sign is a lie.

@G_Money21: Gas has gone back up to $2 here. It was $1.50 2 weeks ago.

This is Florida, btw.

Airlines can and should ask what's in the box. People sometimes check stuff they really oughtn't. They'll fill a cooler with ice and dead fish and stick it in a box because they know they're not allowed to check a cooler full of ice and dead fish.

And then, of course, the box gets tipped on its side. And your luggage is underneath it.

@JoshReflek: You say that, but have you ever actually tried to get an airline to take responsibility for lost or damaged items? It's a bitch and a half!

yet another reason why jetblue is climbing my top five airline list. a company that actually reads your complaints, thinks about them, and does something to fix the problem? brilliant!

good for Jetblue for recognizing and fixing this quickly.

As for the people who still don't "understand" why airlines are still charging fees despite cheaper gas prices -- well, it's because you have shown that you will *pay* them, and don't factor those charges into your ticket purchases. Businesses don't have any obligation to lower their prices because their costs have gone down. And to explain it in more detail, the airlines used the recession, travel slump, gas price shocks, etc. to implement policies that they could never do before because they were competitively locked into providing all these services for free. As soon as a few market players went bankrupt and folded, and one of them started the fee-for-services model, they all followed.

This is not going away. Until you stop buying tickets based on price alone. So I'm fairly sure it's going to be here for the long term...

@Oregon: It's one of those things they charge for because they know they can. I once traveled with a Bicycle-sized box full of 50 pounds of random junk, and was charged a slight oversize fee. On the way back it was full of 20 lbs of bicycle, and was charged an oversize fee + a 50 dollar bike handling fee.

They don't charge for any rational reason. They charge because they know we will pay it. Also note that this does *not* mean that Jet Blue will not charge you for bikes in a box, as another poster interpreted. Rather, they will not charge you extra for a folding bike in a box that is the size of regular luggage. Full-sized boxed bikes (all of them need to be boxed) are still overcharged.

The OP mentions his box was under the dimensions of 80 inches overall, yet the customer service person says a box with overall dimensionsof 62 inches will not be charged. Since I don't have a folding bike, neither of those 2 dimensions will work for me anyway, but I am curious as to the actual rule specifications. I know that they refunded his money, but I wonder if it's more because of the publicity and the 'trouble' he caused them. More to the point, what were his box's dimensions?

I guess the days of me bicycling to LaGuardia Airport, removing the saddle bags, lowering the seat, removing the pedals, and removing the handlebars & strapping them (I used cable ties) to the fork, and then handing them the bike are gone. Yeah, I knew it already. I was just feeling nostalgic. Granted I still paid Delta the excess baggage fee, but there was no box and I carried my saddle bags & handlebar bag and tool bag on the plane. The pedals went in there somewhere.

@chadbailey: Yay!

@OwenCatherwood:

[bikeportland.org]

[bikeportland.org]