This sounds unusually like a sponsored ad to me...?

32 users found this review helpful.

wtf was that? jetblue has actually started to suck over the years, and become more like every other airline. If you had run this article 5 years ago, I would have agreed.

Didn't get a chance to try JetBlue before they significantly reduced their direct flights to & from PDX & NYC.... bummed.

I get that this can't be the "your product sucks" website all the time, but I gotta say this is kinda strange.

ben - how far in advance did you purchase your ticket to get an actually decent rate?

and if JB were such a fab airline, don't you think they'd waive the $40.00 fee simply because you missed your boarding time?

I enjoyed 36 channels of real cable

Well, not real cable. Unless there was a huge cable coming out of your plane.

@yank368: I've never flown JetBlue, and if I had a good experience, I'd be pleasantly surprised as well, given the sometimes crappy experiences I've had with other airlines. It makes sense why Ben would be a fan of JetBlue. If you have been steeped in crappy experiences, one good one is all the difference.

My experience with JetBlue was a mixed bag. 3 hour delay due to a mechanical problem, then a lack of a crew on a 2.5 hour flight from Boston to Bermuda. They were pretty good about keeping us up to date, brought out drinks and snacks, and there is something like a $100 credit for that length of a delay, but still, 100% their fault for not having a crew available. Problem with a smaller operation, less able to adapt to a problem.

@bostonhockey:

Airlines usually charge a fee for rebooking and then the difference of the new ticket. Its a kind gesture to just charge him $40 to get on a later flight.

Although I flied Jetblue only twice, I'm very impressed both time. I can't recommend them enough.

@yank368: I've flown JetBlue a total of several dozen times since 2007 (I honestly lost track after the first 20 or 30... had a long-distance relationship for a while) and have a flight history with them going back to 2004, and I don't find that quality loss to be true. In fact, the new T5 terminal at JFK is fantastic. The only really consistently negative experience I have / had with them is with getting backed up and delayed at JFK, which admittedly is almost constant, but has everything to do with JFK and with New York airspace and much less to do with airlines in general.

@bostonhockey: 9 days before my flight.

I love JetBlue... easily my most preferred airline. I only wish they flew more places.

I have the exact same experience with Southwest every time I fly. Not surprising, since the founders of JetBlue used to be executives at Southwest. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery :)

I've flown Jetblue also, and one of the differences between Jetblue and Southwest is that, in the 3 times over 10+ years where I've been late to check in or missed a flight, I have never been charged a fee by Southwest to get on the next flight.

Southwest also allows me to cancel and rebook with zero penalty (Jetblue charges $75), to transfer my unused flight credit into another person's name, does not charge me for pillows and blankets or other things. And they charge pretty much the same as Jetblue.

Not saying Jetblue is a bad airline by any means -- they are definitely my second choice next to Southwest -- but if we're going to start talking about wonderful airlines, I think Southwest is still ahead of the competition :)

@bostonhockey: They let him on a flight that would have cost $500 more for only $40. They took the time to help him out.

I just used Southwest a couple weekends ago and it was a similar experience. It seemed that everyone was friendly and helpful.

There was a lot of friendly humor thrown out there by the attendants and even the pilots.

I figured that it would be more of a cattle call with our $50 open seating tickets, but it was actually done very professionally.

@yank368: They've definitely tightened up the rules and have become more expensive and nickle-and-diming, but here and there they still come through with a solid for you, and compared to the other airlines, flying with them is almost pleasurable.

Can't believe it was your first time, though gone are the days that they'll break rules and, say, change the name on a ticket, which they did for me once.

@downwithmonstercable: Or he really had an excellent experience. Just because Consumerist *normally* highlights negative experiences in consumerism does not mean that the editors necessarily *have* to follow suit highlighting those negative stories (especially against airlines). Good experiences and good companies deserve accolades too.

Personally, I'm with Ben. I don't have an "above and beyond" story to highlight like he does (well, this comes rather close to that categorization), but I've always appreciated JetBlue and how they use levity and professionalism all the same. (On my last flight 2 weeks ago, the flight attendant used the opportunity in NYC to talk about his distaste of the Red Sox. In NYC, that stuff is funny!)

@TCama: "real" cable still uses satellites... there's a large bank of local satellites owned by the cable company, which receive the signals, which are then transmitted to your house over coax

The rebooking fee bothers me, too. In August, I missed a connection in ATL on DL (last connection of the day) due to a short (30 min) connection and because I didn't run to the other terminal. I reached the gate literally minutes after the flight took off.

I went to the customer service desk in the middle of the terminal. The staff there were excellent - they promptly rebooked me on the next flight in the morning in Y (I was on a L fare, they "upgraded" me to full-fare Y), and put me up in a hotel. For free. Without any questions being asked.

I've claimed DL as my airline for good.

It's still 6 months to April... is this Anti-Fools Day?

I have to say that this is a strange post for Consumerist. More like a plug. Almost any airline has a good day from time-to-time. Most of the time they stink. The price of oil has come way down, yet the airlines still act like they're starving for cash. Almost every airline now charges to check any number of bags because they know that the ridiculous TSA rules are forcing most people to check at least one. WooHoo! free money for the airlines. Traveling by plane has sucked for many years now and the airlines aren't doing anything to make it better.

@TCama: Technically, it was cable just like the cable in homes.

Cable began as CATV, community antenna TV, where one antenna on a hill fed TV over cable to homes that otherwise would not get a signal.

On a plane, one satellite antenna feeds all the seat TVs. Same concept as the original CATV.

I flew Delta 4 times in the recent weeks. Wouldn't say their service is spectacular, but I'd say it was worth what I paid. No troubles, nice people - the flights were all generally on time (and if late, the pilots made it up + more in the air).

No complaints!

@custommadescare: Southwest rocks when it comes to spunky aircrew!

@custommadescare: One of the best Southwest announcements:

"If you need a flotation device, there is a life vest under your seat. If that doesn't work, use your seat cushion as a flotation device. If that doesn't work, good luck."

That was a nonstop flight, not a direct flight.

@custommadescare: It used to be a game to try and get to the front of the A line, but things are much improved (especially for people who know to check-in online 24 hours ahead of time) now that they assign you a place in line. No more standing/sitting at the gate for an hour just so I can get the exit row aisle seat so I can stretch my legs.

Anyone else think he's just running stories like this as satire about the new blogger disclosure thing the FTC put into place?

Please, Ben, say it's satire.

I've ALWAYS enjoyed JetBlue, from their choice of snack foods, to the frequent pet Flyers Program, their mini-spa packs to use when you fly the red-eye to the East Coast, and letting my husband and I take ridiculous pictures in the cockpit. I've never EVER had a complaint with Jet Blue, and my husband and I fly to the East Coast at least twice a year. We always try to book JetBlue whenever we travel. Couldn't be happier with the airline.

I only ride on JetBlue, so I have nothing to compare, but at the same time, I always had good experience with Jetblue so no reason to use any other airline.

@hillsrovey: Wait... what? We used to have ONE nonstop flight (Redeye) PDX to JFK, and ONE nonstop return flight JFK to PDX... They killed it?

@downwithmonstercable:

Or just a really satisfied customer. While I've never had a difficulty arise to give JB a chance to fix, it's always been a comfortable and enjoyable flight. Sometimes traveling with my children, them being one of the first with in-flight entertainment on all flights definitely made my life easier.

One time while flying to Florida from NY (myself in the aisle seat) the gent next to me (in the center seat) turns out was the CEO. part way through the flight he excused himself to get up and a few minutes later he was the one going up and down the aisle handing out snacks. That impressed the hell out of me (on top of him taking a middle seat).

@custommadescare: Don't forget 2 free checked bags! I've always has awesome experiences with Southwest

jetBlue isn't bad; it's the most convenient way to fly to my hometown. One negative, that might actually be a blessing in disguise, is that they've started charging a hefty extra fee for exit row seats (more legroom). But it turns out I'm one of the only suckers willing to pay for them, so I usually have a whole row to myself.

and they are non-union and treat their crew like dirt.

No big deal about the 45 minute early arrival. Airlines are padding their arrival times because of the large number of possible delays.

@Tamar Weinberg: I don't know how you can declare an airline excellent from one flight. A quick search in the Consumerist archives says otherwise.

I flew them one time round trip from New Orleans to Boston. I was shocked about the free snacks (all you can eat), and I already knew about the free TV. My only complaint is that they don't have SkyMall catalogs on the planes. Sadly, that is a dealbreaker for me. I love looking through those things. There is so much stuff I'd never actually buy, but it makes the time go by quickly.

@m1k3g:
Troll much?

Jetblue has won my exclusive business for a while now. I'm not a frequent traveler by any means but when I do, I take Jetblue.

My favorite story (and the one that put things over the top for me) was the day I arrived to JFK after an hour-long battle with ridiculous traffic (and I only live about 15 mins from the airport) to find that I arrived at the check-in counter JUST past the deadline for them to accept checked luggage. The guy behind the counter (and oh how I wish I had his name) paused for a moment and said my bag would have to go on the next flight. But when I told him that I had a ground transportation connection to make at the airport and if I had to wait for my bag that long I'd end up stranded, he just nodded at me and said, "Hold on."

He picked up the phone and started to find out where the cart was that was bringing out the luggage to my plane, told it was already gone, but then spotted it making its way across the terminal. He proceeded to grab my nearly 50-lb bag and chase the motorized cart down. I watched him singlehandedly overtake the thing, stop the attendant driving it, explain what was going on, and made sure my bag got added to the mix and got on my flight.

I have *never* seen that kind of customer service, EVER. Especially since Jetblue wasn't responsible for the crazy traffic that made me late.

"A+++ Will Fly Again" is an understatement.

@Tamar Weinberg: Whoa simmer down now. Maybe I was too vague, but in reading this post it sounded vastly different than Ben's usual writings. ie, it sounded just like a sponsored ad. It was weird reading it. Not putting down his experience or saying anything wrong about Consumerist. It was just kind of a trip.

@MercuryPDX: And that one flight was ALWAYS delayed. My poor boyfriend (now husband) tried to come visit me for a week when I lived in Rochester, NY. THREE nights in a row the flight was 2+ hours late and they wouldn't let him on because he was going to miss his connection. 4th night was the same story, so I had them re-route him to Buffalo and I drove to get him. Never flew them again.

@downwithmonstercable: If you look 5 articles down from this one, giving endorsements while being compensated by that company is now illegal:

[consumerist.com]

Ben didnt you read Chris' post.. [consumerist.com]

ehm.. you owe me 10k (i cut you a deal)

@Eldritch: Exactly what I was thinking...

@GenXCub: Why?

In the last 2 years, airlines have taken on all the hateful gouge tactics from every other business on earth. I live in Seattle, and the same non-stop flight was paradise. I had a 2-year old and none of the boarding complications that the author did.

Jet Blue's service is _that good_. I'd bet that their repeat customer business alone beats the total business of most airlines their size.