JetBlue TrueBlue - JetBlue to remove 6 seats from 320s

Taking the JetBlue Experience to New Heights –

New A320 Cabin Configuration will Give Customers More Inches of Legroom Than Any Other Airlines’ Coach Cabin

Customers will enjoy at least 36-inch pitch in first 11 rows on A320 fleet,
and at least 34-inch pitch for all other seats

NEW YORK (Dec. 14, 2006) – JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announces it will remove a row of seats from its Airbus 320 fleet and reconfigure the cabin with at least 36-inch pitch in rows 1-11, and at least 34-inch pitch in rows 12-25. Aircraft modifications on the low-cost, high-value airline are expected to be complete by March 2007.

“The best experience in the skies just got a little better,” said JetBlue Founder and CEO David Neeleman. “Our customers love flying us because they get more value for their dollar, from 36 channels of free DIRECTV programming, to unlimited snacks, and now, more inches of legroom than any other U.S. airlines’ coach cabin. Whether you are flying for business or leisure, that extra legroom will help make your travel as good as the destination.”

JetBlue estimates a net savings of $30 million over five years by removing six seats from the A320 fleet, as a result of reducing the inflight crewmember team to three, and by reducing the weight of the aircraft by approximately 904 pounds, which will lower the fuel burn. That figure includes lost revenue opportunities as a result of selling six fewer seats per A320 flight. The figure does not include any revenue improvement that may result from the enhanced JetBlue Experience.

JetBlue already offers customers industry-leading pitch – the distance between two rows of seats. On the Airbus 320 fleet, post-conversion, JetBlue will offer at least 36-inch pitch in rows 1-11, and 34-inch pitch in rows 12-25. On its EMBRAER 190 fleet, JetBlue offers 32- and 33-inch pitch – and no middle seats. All JetBlue aircraft feature individual seat-back televisions with 36 channels of free DIRECTV® programming, and the EMBRAER 190 fleet also offers more than 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio. XM Radio is being installed on all A320 aircraft.

In the six years since its launch, JetBlue Airways has focused on creating a new airline category -- an airline that offers value, service and style. Based out of New York City, the low-cost carrier currently serves 48 destinations with up to 470 flights daily. Onboard JetBlue, customers enjoy roomy leather seats and 36 channels of free DIRECTV(r) programming (a), the most live TV available on any airline. On flights longer than two hours, a selection of first-run movies and bonus features from FOX InFlight(tm) is also available. JetBlue offers customers generous brand name snacks and beverages, including freshly brewed Dunkin' Donuts(r) coffee, and delicious wines selected by the airline's Low Fare Sommelier, Josh Wesson from Best Cellars(r). On overnight flights from the West, the airline now offers Shut-Eye Service(tm), with a comfort kit designed exclusively for JetBlue by Bliss Spa and other special amenities including a "good morning" hot towel service. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com/?source=pr.

# # #

(a) DIRECTV(r) service is not available on flights outside the continental United States; however, where applicable FOX InFlight(tm) is offered complimentary on these routes. FOX InFlight(tm) is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. JetBlue's in-flight entertainment is powered by LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue.

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including without limitation, our extremely competitive industry; increases in fuel prices, maintenance costs and interest rates; our ability to implement our growth strategy including the integration of the EMBRAER 190 aircraft into our operations; our significant fixed obligations; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our culture as we grow; our reliance on high daily aircraft utilization; our dependence on the New York metropolitan market; increases in maintenance costs, fuel prices, insurance costs and interest rates, our dependence on the New York market; our reliance on automated systems and technology; our being subject to potential unionization; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers; changes in or additional government regulation; changes in our industry due to other airlines' financial condition; and external geopolitical events and conditions. Further information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to, the Company's 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

I don't get it. JetBlue has VERY high load factors. Deleting seats deletes revenue. One $300 ticket should cover the cost of one crew member, I'd think.

Didn't JetBlue pencil this out before it originally configured the A320s? Weren't the crew requirements the same then?

Something's missing in this picture. Can someone enlighten me?

150 seats onboard equals 3 flight attendants. The 320s will only be operating with 3 crew now which will equal to some hefty savings for the company. I was pulling for this. Many crewmembers aren't too happy about this decision but I am all for it.

E+ perhaps? Or are these seats selectable on any fare class?

I don't get it. JetBlue has VERY high load factors. Deleting seats deletes revenue. One $300 ticket should cover the cost of one crew member, I'd think.

Jetblue's load factors have been decreasing the last six months. So on very full flights it will cost (in terms of revenue) as much as the six lowest priced seats, and on not so full flights it shouldn't displace any revenue. However on every flight it will save one FA salary and 900 pounds. I am sure the airline did the math and found it to be revenue positive and as the press release says it does not figure any increase in revenue that should be associated with a better product.

Well, first off, I am assuming most crewmembers won't be that unhappy. And if its because they will have to actually work a bit harder in the cabin...well...if that bothers them...well....they could have it a lot worse. At least they have work. And if they are worried about fewer assignments, it would seem that the airline will still be growing, just not as fast. So if anything, this just means that the airline won't have to do as much significant new hiring.

The only thing that will be a bit frustrating from a customer service point of view is that the front of the plane will now both 1. gets much more legroom and 2. also gets to get off the plane first. At least currently, there is a tradeoff and its a good one. Quite honestly, I like that the front of the plane tends to be more families and less frequent travelers who tend to pick the front without regard to legroom. The back of the plane always seems better on B6. I guess that will now change.

I guess reconfiguring the front is a lot less expensive than reconfiguring the whole plane, but even so, removing 2 halves of a row in the back and maybe having it available as a suit closet or something would be a quicker fix?

I don't think the increased legroom will really make much of a difference to sales. As it is, people can't see the seatmap anyway so its definitely not making a difference now. :p

This will now make B6 no less immune to complaints from customers the seat you purchased isn't the one you wanted. (I always pick the back for the legroom, and would pick the front as my first choice if I was warned.

( Although I will reserve judgement since for all 4 of my next flights I already scored the exit row.) :)

One interesting question though: The 904 pound figure...is that the weight of the seats alone? It must be, because over 6 seats that averages 150 points. I cant imagine that the 150 pound figure is the average weight of a seated passenger, along with the seat itself, and the average luggage load. I would assume the average passenger, seat and luggage included, is a bit heaver, no?

The only thing that will be a bit frustrating from a customer service point of view is that the front of the plane will now both 1. gets much more legroom and 2. also gets to get off the plane first. At least currently, there is a tradeoff and its a good one. Quite honestly, I like that the front of the plane tends to be more families and less frequent travelers who tend to pick the front without regard to legroom. The back of the plane always seems better on B6. I guess that will now change.

Yes, that seems to be the main disadvantage of the new arrangement. Having the larger seats in back somewhat equalized the desirability of the front versus back seats. Now, the front seats will be automatically better.

It does mean that Jet Blue is moving slightly upmarket with effectively a premium economy class throughout its A320 fleet. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the marketplace -- airline customers historically complain about discomfort, but are not that willing to pay more for it.

I guess reconfiguring the front is a lot less expensive than reconfiguring the whole plane, but even so, removing 2 halves of a row in the back and maybe having it available as a suit closet or something would be a quicker fix?

They are probably constrained by the location of the middle exit doors -- the seats immediately in front of the exit doors cannot really be moved.

One interesting question though: The 904 pound figure...is that the weight of the seats alone? It must be, because over 6 seats that averages 150 points. I cant imagine that the 150 pound figure is the average weight of a seated passenger, along with the seat itself, and the average luggage load. I would assume the average passenger, seat and luggage included, is a bit heaver, no?

This thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=635015&page=2) has some information on assumed average passenger weights for aircraft loading and balance purposes. Could it be that the 904 pounds saved is the weight of the six seat plus the weight of the flight attendant?

The same effect [i.e. 1 FA Less] could have been achieved with virtually no loss of revenue by following Sprint, and introducing BluePlus, 3x2x2 in the Front with fares around 50% more.

On Spirit and AirTran there are even some Premium fares that can be up to 200% more.

Americans "More Room through Coach" and before that "TWA Comfort" has shown that the majority of passengers are more interested in the fare than the seat pitch.

The same effect [i.e. 1 FA Less] could have been achieved with virtually no loss of revenue by following Sprint, and introducing BluePlus, 3x2x2 in the Front with fares around 50% more.

On Spirit and AirTran there are even some Premium fares that can be up to 200% more.

Americans "More Room through Coach" and before that "TWA Comfort" has shown that the majority of passengers are more interested in the fare than the seat pitch.

I do not disagree with you about a premium cabin. I do think that MRTC was launched at such an awkward time for the industry that the true benefits could not be realized.

E+ perhaps? Or are these seats selectable on any fare class?
Currently, a ticket in any fare class allows you to choose any available open seat, including the 34" in rows 13-26, the 32" in rows 1-10, and the 36"(?) in exit rows 11 and 12. Hopefully, this won't change.

Finally!!! I have been suggesting this move on FT for months now and I am so glad to finally see it happen! :)

This will definitely help out the westbound transcons during the winter as the jet streams will be less likely to require a fuel stop. The legroom will be outstanding throughout the airplane, even the 34" in the rear. No more rushing for an exit row seat. Also, with jetBlue now getting some Eos customers from that promo, I am sure they will only love the jetBlue experience even more!

Great move jetBlue!!!!! I guess the need for an A319 is eliminated.

uhh... didn't we like debate on the whole issue of removing a row of seats like a few months ago? like on operating cost and stuff like that? oh yeah! we did! At least now we know exactly what the result is.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=578214

:D

Now that we know jetBlue is for sure removing seats... now we need to come up with a way to figure out what planes have 6 less seats!

the new 36" seat pitch will be equal to or more legroom than the "first class" or "business class" cabins on these airlines:

Alaska Airlines (on select first class seats)
America West
Northwest (Most aircrafts on domestic routes, note that even some domesitic first class cabin have 34" pitch)
Spirit

And it came just 2 inch shy of the average 38" seat pitchm, theres even alot of first class seats thats 37" seat pitch....

as for the seat width, the avg first class seats on domestic planes are about 1 to 3 inches wider than the ones on jetBlue, however, unlike most first class seats, you can move the armrest on jetBlue's coach seats if theres no one sitting next to you this giving you more room to move around in.

very very very impressive stats :)

(as you can see, i'm very excited about this recent move)

One could also assume as UA, AA and DL have all announced improvements to their domestic F products but nothing for Y (and now UA has made it more expensive to get into E+), that perhaps B6 sees an opening to be the airline of choice for the Y business traveler who doesn't have the status to upgrade and will pay a reasonable coach fare. My guess is there will be fewer cheap seats on B6.

Let's remember, also, this is not the first time JetBlue has done this. Several years ago, they removed a row, reducing seating from 162 to 156 seats, and increasing legroom in the back half of the plane to the roomiest coach in the country (not including premium coach). Now with this change, every coach seat on JetBlue is as roomy or roomier than every standard coach seat on every other airline in the US. It'll be interesting to see if this is an effective marketing point and/or if the super-roomy 36" seats will be turned into a premium economy, a la United.

Where the reconfiguration thakes place is hampered by the location of the emergency exit row seats. Those seats cannot be moved. The reconfigurations will take place at an extremely quick pace, I believe that it will take 4 months accourding to the message crewmembers recieved. I'm generally pleased with the decision to reconfigure the aircraft. I think that it needed to be done to help out our bottom line. There are many crewmembers who are upset because we are now overstaffed by about 216 flight attendants. I know of many crewmembers who will take advantage of the programs that the company is offering so we shouldn't be displaced too much.

Removing those seats is definitely good news for B6 pax and in line with B6's strategy of something extra for Y pax.

I think we'll see a point where B6 begins reserving the 36" seats for frequent fliers first and maybe even charging extra for them. Similar to NW and UA with the ability to pay extra for choice seats, B6 will have this option available if they choose to implement. Personally I think its just a matter of time. With talk of the new reservations systems being implemented, certainly options to charge customers differently and allocate resources differently will be available.

Basically, with less growth coming from new planes/routes, existing routes and pax will be utilized more for upselling and the extra space plays right into that. It may take years, but at some point JetBlue will have some sort of Business/First class that rivals with the competition. Its just too important not to have it.

^ to B6 for increased space.

All this talk about Economy Plus and Blue Plus really worries me. One of my favorite reasons to fly JetBlue is the level of equality among flyers - everyone has paid for or chosen to fly in coach. The product is significantly better than almost every other domestic coach product and the lack of different tiers makes everyone feel like they are on the same level as each other. Moreover, previously there was even equality depending where you sat on the plane: some chose less seat pitch for easier access on and off the plane while others chose more seat pitch in exchange for a longer deplaning.

My fear is that if JetBlue begins to charge a premium for these 36" pitch seats , they will simply be following every other airlines business model, turning from an airlines that views all of their passengers as equal (perhaps TrueBlue is the only small exception) to one where there are now tiers creating the expectation for those in the front to get better service and treatment to those in the rear. I've never minded paying an extra $25 to $50 for the experience of JetBlue but if suddenly I'm forced to pay extra to sit in the front vs the rear, I might just begin to fly with the lowest airline again.

All this talk about Economy Plus and Blue Plus really worries me. One of my favorite reasons to fly JetBlue is the level of equality among flyers - everyone has paid for or chosen to fly in coach. The product is significantly better than almost every other domestic coach product and the lack of different tiers makes everyone feel like they are on the same level as each other. Moreover, previously there was even equality depending where you sat on the plane: some chose less seat pitch for easier access on and off the plane while others chose more seat pitch in exchange for a longer deplaning.

My fear is that if JetBlue begins to charge a premium for these 36" pitch seats , they will simply be following every other airlines business model, turning from an airlines that views all of their passengers as equal (perhaps TrueBlue is the only small exception) to one where there are now tiers creating the expectation for those in the front to get better service and treatment to those in the rear. I've never minded paying an extra $25 to $50 for the experience of JetBlue but if suddenly I'm forced to pay extra to sit in the front vs the rear, I might just begin to fly with the lowest airline again.

Welcome to FT!

I agree with you, but all this talk about charging more for more legroom is nothing but speculation and rumors. If anything, I think jetBlue's overall fares might increase slightly (as in $10 per segment), but I am pretty sure jetBlue will remain true to its original strategy of treating everyone equal and better than other airlines.

I don't think you will see a premium product on JetBlue in any form. We have a great product and are working to make it better. LCCs have shown that there is money to be made in a single class layout. Plus several other carriers already have premium products so why do we want to be like them?

I'm wondering whether JetBlue customers worry that on-board service will decline with the airline going from 4 flight attendants to 3. I'd guess it will -- slightly -- but that folks will enjoy the extra legroom MORE than they'll miss the service.

From a cost-benefit standpoint, I think the logic of this move is unique to JetBlue. I honestly don't believe that "more room in coach" pays for itself in additional revenue. Heck, if AA couldn't make the numbers work, B6 wouldn't. But B6 HAD to go down from 162 to 156 in order to make its transcon ops work (they basically own the wrong plane for that service). And once you're at 156, I can see the logic of going to 150 and cutting the fa salary (with the minimal benefit of increasing legroom and, presumably, customer satisfaction).

I'd bet that if they could fly at 162, they'd scrap the legroom and add the flight attendant!

I'm wondering whether JetBlue customers worry that on-board service will decline with the airline going from 4 flight attendants to 3. I'd guess it will -- slightly -- but that folks will enjoy the extra legroom MORE than they'll miss the service.

One thing to note is that the in-cabin crew to passenger ratio is now equal on both types of aircraft, since the E190s seat 100 and have an in-flight crew of 2.

I have found my experiences with E190 crews to be, on average, more pleasant. Perhaps the smaller crew size instills a better line of communication and joint customer service effort.

The flight attendant group isn't upset about the removal of seats. The major problem that is really upsetting the majority is the fact that those who paid their dues on reserve are now going to be back on reserve again. Hopefully the group and management can come to some sort of agreement to stem the tide.

I honestly hope the inflight service doesn't change on the bus. I think you may see a major shift if flying in and out of JFK. I know that JFK was quickly gaining a reputation and they may well get one now. I think the smaller bases may not change much.

Time will tell how well this works out.

The flight attendant group isn't upset about the removal of seats. The major problem that is really upsetting the majority is the fact that those who paid their dues on reserve are now going to be back on reserve again. Hopefully the group and management can come to some sort of agreement to stem the tide.


Well, keep in mind that ORD and SWF are starting soon. That's what? 10 flights per day? I know it doesn't fully cover the lost shifts but it helps. Also, rumors in the last few months have mentioned STL and MKE as coming up. Any word on those stations?

I think you may see a major shift if flying in and out of JFK. I know that JFK was quickly gaining a reputation and they may well get one now. I think the smaller bases may not change much.

In terms of what?

In terms of what?

Attitudes of the flight attendant crew, sorry I didn't say that in the original post

Well, keep in mind that ORD and SWF are starting soon. That's what? 10 flights per day? I know it doesn't fully cover the lost shifts but it helps. Also, rumors in the last few months have mentioned STL and MKE as coming up. Any word on those stations?

Well are currently going to be overstaffed by 265. David said that be believes they have the right programs to curtail that and would not force any current lineholders to go back on reserve (biggest thing). They want to offer extended absence programs to crewmembers in blocks of 3 months, 6 months, and up to a year. Maybe somebody has been wanting to go back to school, or look into another career or whatever. Flight benefits and medical (reduced cost) would continue during the leave. So the believe they can get the necessary 265 pretty easily and I think they can as well. We are still planning on hiring new flight attendants through next year, albeit a greatly reduced number (350 or so is what I've been told)

By Decemeber '07 the number displace flight attendants will be down to 50, so it's a quick turn around.

One interesting question though: The 904 pound figure...is that the weight of the seats alone? It must be, because over 6 seats that averages 150 points. I cant imagine that the 150 pound figure is the average weight of a seated passenger, along with the seat itself, and the average luggage load. I would assume the average passenger, seat and luggage included, is a bit heaver, no?

It wouldn't make sense to include the weight of 6 passengers in the figure, that would assume that all 6 seats of the seats to be removed were full every flight. If that was the case, (100% full every flight), they probably wouldn't be removing the seats.

It might use some weighted figure for passenger weight reduction. Assume 200/per pax, and on average 1.2 of those seats are used, so save 240.

My fear is that if JetBlue begins to charge a premium for these 36" pitch seats , they will simply be following every other airlines business model, turning from an airlines that views all of their passengers as equal (perhaps TrueBlue is the only small exception) to one where there are now tiers creating the expectation for those in the front to get better service and treatment to those in the rear. I've never minded paying an extra $25 to $50 for the experience of JetBlue but if suddenly I'm forced to pay extra to sit in the front vs the rear, I might just begin to fly with the lowest airline again.


Rest assured, there already is talk of charging more for these 36" seats, possibly even more for blocking the middle seat for a quasi-first class experience

Sorry for jumping in on this conversation late, but overall I think it's a good move. The extra room up front will be nice, especially on the transcons. I have always liked flying in the back, and I'll probably still pick seats back there. But, it will be nice to have the extra room when I do fly up front.

With the load factors down (I've had a middle seat open every flight I've taken the past few months), I don't think there will be a lot of revenue loss. For the flights expected to sell out, the fare buckets can probably be adjusted to make up for losing the last 6 seats. This should help improve load factors and helps slightly with slowing capacity growth.

My only concern is the impact on the FA team. Overall, they are such a great group that I hope the change doesn't affect their attitude. I am glad to hear JetBlueFA support the change and I hope more agree. The in-flight service gets a bit tougher on full A320 flights on short routes, but it's the same pax:crew ratio as on the E190, so I don't think that will be a problem.

One other side benefit may be in the hiring process. From my own experience, it's easier to keep up high standards (and we know JetBlue has very high standards) when you have fewer positions to hire for.

Bill

Rest assured, there already is talk of charging more for these 36" seats, possibly even more for blocking the middle seat for a quasi-first class experience

Rest assured there is not talk of charging more for the 36" seats. There is talk of blocking those seats for last minute assignments and last minute bookings (these customers are the ones that are going to be paying $399 fares. I don't think they would block all those seats, possibly the first 3 rows or so but the other ones would be open for assignment. I'll have to rewatch the video to make sure what I heard was correct.

I wonder if the different seat configurations will show up when choosing a seat after booking. Hopefully, it will, so that you can pick the front on a redone bird, while the back on an old one. Also, if one picks say, row 12 on an old map, will this be converted to row 11 upon checkin, or will you lose the exit row seat?

I'm not sure how they are going to address that issue. If I find out anything that I don't see posted in here i'll try and get it in here quick. We can reconfigure 2 aircraft a night so I suspect we can get them done when they layover in JFK, BOS, LGB, and FLL. So that would be 8 aircraft a night.

I hope this isn't a stupid qusetion but I was just thinking how it is worked out. Once the row of 6 seats is removed from each existing A320, does that mean Airbus can deliver new planes to jetBlue with only 24 rows, and then jetBlue can install the 25th row on the new plane (the one that was removed from the old plane)?? Or, maybe...can jetBlue hold let's say the first 23 rows removed and then Airbus can deliver a new plane to jetBlue with only the 2 exit rows installed, therefore jetBlue needs to install the rest of the rows?

Sorry if this is confusing but to sum it up I don't think jetBlue would want to scrap the seats!! If they are not re-using them in new A320's or saving some as spare parts which I imagine they would, maybe they can sell them to fans on eBay or even add them to a new jetBlue experience "on the ground" type thing so people can see what its all about??

So my question is...does anyone know what is happening with the removed seats???

36 inches is a great pitch, and will benefit everyone.


The only thing I am wondering is will the attitude of the F/A's change?

At 156 seats the ratio of F/A to passenger is 1 to 39

With the new 150 seats the ratio is 1 to 50

It is only an additional 11 passengers but that is more work for the f/a's and they may be a little bit more uptight because I know some are already stressed as it is.

The main reason the flight attendant group is upset is because we where worried line holders would be forced back on reserve. Also we recieved an email about a week ago that stated this was not a done deal yet and they where still sifting through all of the options. Many at the business meeting told management that they don't need to pussyfoot around. Just tell us what is going on. Also management has stated that no line holders would be forced back onto reserve. That may change but that is the main reason for the uproar from the inflight group.

All this talk about Economy Plus and Blue Plus really worries me. One of my favorite reasons to fly JetBlue is the level of equality among flyers - everyone has paid for or chosen to fly in coach.


Welcome.

My attitude towards this is that if everyone paid the same fare then equality is fine, however, why should someone on a $399 fare not get something a little more than the person on the $99 fare? (yes I realize flxibility is the biggest benefit of full fare tickets)

I think what jetblueFA points out later in this thread is spot on. A few rows at the front should be reserved for full fare pax. (this is something that I just cannot understand about the recent UA changes to E+ acess)

Too often those of us that have to make last minute business trips end up stuck paying the most and in middle seats if that is all that is left. Holding back some premium seats for full fares only could easily sway a last minute flyer to give jetblue the high revenue fare over the competition.

Too often those of us that have to make last minute business trips end up stuck paying the most and in middle seats if that is all that is left. Holding back some premium seats for full fares only could easily sway a last minute flyer to give jetblue the high revenue fare over the competition.

Yes, that's what I was thinking when I read the post mentioning the possibility of blocking some of those seats until shortly before the flight (so that people paying the top prices can at least get a decent seat).

On the other hand, even the back seats with 34" seat pitch and individual TVs are still quite premium compared to most other US domestic economy class seats (including United's Economy Plus seats).

I wonder if the different seat configurations will show up when choosing a seat after booking. Hopefully, it will, so that you can pick the front on a redone bird, while the back on an old one.

Keep in mind though, even if you meant "at check-in" rather than "after booking", you still might face a plane swap due to delays/mechanical/etc.

I highly doubt that jetBlue has any idea which specific plane will be flying a route "at booking" time. Maybe they have a plan for the fleet's flight assignments 3 days in advance. Of course, maybe I am completely wrong on this....

I assume an easy way to check this wouyld be to call jetBlue up and ask which N#/tail# is assigned to be your flight. If they don't know that, then they don't even have an idea as to which plane you'll be on...

Keep in mind though, even if you meant "at check-in" rather than "after booking", you still might face a plane swap due to delays/mechanical/etc.

I highly doubt that jetBlue has any idea which specific plane will be flying a route "at booking" time. Maybe they have a plan for the fleet's flight assignments 3 days in advance. Of course, maybe I am completely wrong on this....

I assume an easy way to check this wouyld be to call jetBlue up and ask which N#/tail# is assigned to be your flight. If they don't know that, then they don't even have an idea as to which plane you'll be on...

Planes are assigned to routes a couple days out based on their location and the need for a particular aircraft. You are correct though, those assignments can and often do change because of mx, weather delays and all sorts of reasons so it's hard to tell which aircraft you'll be on until you are seated and buckled in.

As far as the tail number the company won't give out that information for security reasons. I can't go into why it is a security hazard but trust me it's there and you won't get the tail number from a reservations agent.

Hi Seatguru has not reflected JB's new seat configuration in its website. It is waiting for a majority of planes to be reconfigure before it gets updated. I'm flying on JB's A320 and have a choice of seats. How would you rate the following seats (#1 being the most desirable) given the new configuration:

(All window seats)
9A, 10A, 11A
9F, 10F, 12F

Hi Seatguru has not reflected JB's new seat configuration in its website. It is waiting for a majority of planes to be reconfigure before it gets updated. I'm flying on JB's A320 and have a choice of seats. How would you rate the following seats (#1 being the most desirable) given the new configuration:

(All window seats)
9A, 10A, 11A
9F, 10F, 12F

If you're flying before March, then there's a chance that you won't have a reconfigured plane, in which case, seatguru's map would be correct. However, as of last week or so, 75 out of 95 total planes have been reconfigured, so you'd probably have a good chance of being on one. If you're flying in March or beyond, supposedly, all the planes should be reconfigured.

That being said, it really depends on when you're flying.

Before March : Since you're not sure which plane you're getting, I'd try to sit in row 11, since that is an exit row on either plane. After that, it depends how risky you are. If you're risk-averse, you'd probably want to guarantee a 34" pitch by sitting in row 12. However, you could try to play some roulette with this, and try for row 10, which ~75% of the planes will give you 36+", and ~25% will give you 32". Finally, row 9 would give you 36" 75% of the time, and 32" 25% of the time.

After March: Row 10 or 11 would be an exit row, and give you 36+", row 9 would give you 36", and row 12 would give you 34".

As for seat A v. F, both sides of the plane are equally as roomy as the other. One thing to be aware of, though, is that the exit row window seats don't recline (I think per new FAA regulations). Depending on how long a flight you're taking, this could a factor as well.

Hi, that's very helpful. I forgot to mention that I'll be taking my flight in mid-April. Though Seatguru has not updated their system, JB has reflected the seat selection based on the new configuration. This makes sense now. Anyway, I selected 10F ('Most legroom, >36" of seat pitch'). I do have a 9A as a choice but I'll stick with 10F since I don't mind that it's not going to recline and it's an exit seat.

FYI
As of today, we have completed the seat modification on the entire fleet, a month ahead of schedule. All aircraft are reconfigured to 150 seats.

FYI
As of today, we have completed the seat modification on the entire fleet, a month ahead of schedule. All aircraft are reconfigured to 150 seats.

^ Great news! Thanks for that awesome update...guess I'll be enjoying the 36" pitch on all my upcoming flights, including next week.