JetBlue TrueBlue - No Pillows And No Blankets On Red-eye

Just got back from a r/t to Nyc from California. Going and coming back there were no pillows and no blanket on board....I fount it very difficult to understand especially for the red-eye flight. When asked to hostess I was told "We are facing out pillows and blankets, soon we will offer them for sale".
Later on one of the hostess who denied a blanket to me gave a blanket to someone seated in the row in front of me. I do not really understand why, I was going to complain....
PLEASE BE AWARE TO BRING YOUR OWN PILLOWS AND BLANKETS...

Anyone else had the same experience ??

Yes, I've had the same experience on US and DL, too.

I believe DL is putting them back on the redeyes. And B6 is phasing them out and moving towards a paid option. They announced it a couple months ago.

Whatever the company chooses to do, I just really hope they sell these "bundles" in the GATE AREA at airports....NOT on the aircraft! After the fleet went on a diet due to fuel costs, it would be in their best interest to not start adding weight once again to the aircraft. They can stock up on these by the entrance to the jet bridge. It would only be needed mostly on transcons, maybe a few 3+ hour flights. Ideally, I would set this up with a moveable cart so that a jetBlue crewmember can easily move gate to gate before departure times to sell the items. Also, to eliminate confusion and hassle - equip them with the handheld CC readers like on the aircraft, no cash!

yes blankets and blow up pillows are so heavy :P

The pillow and blanket policy is being looked at. Some west coast cities have them in stock, some cities don't. Unfortunatly the inflight crew is at the mercy of the station. We usually ask for them, be rarely to we recieve them.

On JFK-LGB and BOS-MCO we are test selling our comfort pack. I just flew MCO-BOS and we had these kits onboard for testing. As I figured, we didn't sell any as the flight was only 2 hours. I bet they are selling pretty well on the transcon JFK-LGB and the redeye back. I bought one for myself, yes I actually slid my credit card and paid $5 for it. In my opinion it is well worth the $5 we are charging for it. It has a felt-type blow up neck pillow, the same blow up neck pillow you would buy at the store and a full body length fleece blanket.

I commute all the time and bought it mainly for the pillow and not so much the blanket, as I am warm by nature. I can see a good demand for these on the transcon flights but I don't think they will be a big seller on the 1-2hour flights.

The pillow and blanket policy is being looked at. Some west coast cities have them in stock, some cities don't. Unfortunatly the inflight crew is at the mercy of the station. We usually ask for them, be rarely to we recieve them.

On JFK-LGB and BOS-MCO we are test selling our comfort pack. I just flew MCO-BOS and we had these kits onboard for testing. As I figured, we didn't sell any as the flight was only 2 hours. I bet they are selling pretty well on the transcon JFK-LGB and the redeye back. I bought one for myself, yes I actually slid my credit card and paid $5 for it. In my opinion it is well worth the $5 we are charging for it. It has a felt-type blow up neck pillow, the same blow up neck pillow you would buy at the store and a full body length fleece blanket.

I commute all the time and bought it mainly for the pillow and not so much the blanket, as I am warm by nature. I can see a good demand for these on the transcon flights but I don't think they will be a big seller on the 1-2hour flights.

Even with them free, do you find a lot of people ask for them on the short hauls?

There are usually 1 or 2 who request them. I still cringe when people put their heads on them. With some of the things I've seen pillows go through, both on JetBlue and other carriers, I would never use airline pillows.

yes blankets and blow up pillows are so heavy :P

Although the individual blankets and pillows probably don't weight that much, the real savings is in the collective numbers. I'm completely making up numbers here, but lets say that it costs an additional $5 in fuel per flight to carry these items, multiply that by 100 flights a day and you're at $182,500 savings each year (my guess is that the $5 figure may be a bit high, and the 100 flights a day is probably low).

As consumers we demand low prices and have forced providers to cut costs (their costs) in order to bring the low prices we so desire. Every time we think we're being "nickled-and-dimed" we should take a moment to realize just how many nickles and dimes we're talking about.

that is exactly how the legacies got on the slippery slope of nickle and diming their customers - now another one is joining the party.

I have no problem with it - just what constituted the "humanity" that JBLU claimed that it EXCLUSIVELY put back into the air travel - sure it is not blanket, not earphone, not pillows, then what?

Although the individual blankets and pillows probably don't weight that much, the real savings is in the collective numbers. I'm completely making up numbers here, but lets say that it costs an additional $5 in fuel per flight to carry these items, multiply that by 100 flights a day and you're at $182,500 savings each year (my guess is that the $5 figure may be a bit high, and the 100 flights a day is probably low).

As consumers we demand low prices and have forced providers to cut costs (their costs) in order to bring the low prices we so desire. Every time we think we're being "nickled-and-dimed" we should take a moment to realize just how many nickles and dimes we're talking about.

That's why we are test selling it and seeing the customer feedback. If we get a positive feed back from the customers then the comfort packs may go forward and you'll see them onboard instead of the "free" pillows and blankets. If customer feedback is negative and the testing doesn't go well then we may not sell the comfort packs. Remember, we could have just made the change in the policy and said tough luck to you the customers. We didn't though, we want your input on things like this. If you would rather have the free blankets and pillows then go to Speak Up at www.jetblue.com and let us know!

that is exactly how the legacies got on the slippery slope of nickle and diming their customers - now another one is joining the party.

I have no problem with it - just what constituted the "humanity" that JBLU claimed that it EXCLUSIVELY put back into the air travel - sure it is not blanket, not earphone, not pillows, then what?

FRIENDLY Crewmembers - For the most part at most other airlines, a very small percentage were friendly. At jetBlue, it's the other way around - a very small percentage is not friendly, helpful, professional, etc.

IFE - JetBlue innovated tremendously with Live TV, XM Radio, 3 Fox InFlight movies, etc.

Personal Tray Service - No carts clogging the aisle

Wider cabins

More legroom

No Sat. night stay

One-way fares

Reasonable fare cap

Ease of earning and redeeming points

Free snacks

etc. etc. etc.

On my flight back from Jfk I asked for a blanked as soon as I got on board and got the standard response "sorry we are phasing them out and none are available on board"...I asked the hostess to double check and she told me she was sure she had none on board...Then later on the same hostess gave a blanket to a a guest seating in the row in front on me...why ???
At least they could be consistent with this policy ??!!!

Charging for pillows and blanket, even on redeyes? Shades of Ryanair. What's next? Charging for water and soda?

So much for jetBlue's superior passenger experience.

jetBlue's entire model has really been based on the idea of a different experience, and once you try us, you'll be addicted. This is a disappointing development that flies in the face of their previous model. It will definitely upset passengers - especially those first-time customers that they want to woo with the jetBlue experience.

And the cost savings is quite modest. I thought that being penny-wise and pound-foolish was a sickness that afflicted only the legacies. Apparently, it is contagious.

I sure hope this isn't the beginning of a trend.

once you try us, you'll be addicted.

But once you're addicted you can't break the cycle :D

It will make it harder to get new addicts into the fold, though only if B6 is still a worse experience than the other options. As the other carriers reduce their service levels, B6 staying further ahead doesn't really do them any good. If you can get the same customers (and potentially incremental revenue from selling the pack) by being 10% better than the rest of the industry, spending extra money (and avoiding the incremental revenue) to be 20% better is wasted money.

I'm not saying that I like B6 going this direction, but I think that it isn't all that surprising that they are trending towards the other carriers.

But once you're addicted you can't break the cycle :D

It will make it harder to get new addicts into the fold, though only if B6 is still a worse experience than the other options. As the other carriers reduce their service levels, B6 staying further ahead doesn't really do them any good. If you can get the same customers (and potentially incremental revenue from selling the pack) by being 10% better than the rest of the industry, spending extra money (and avoiding the incremental revenue) to be 20% better is wasted money.

I'm not saying that I like B6 going this direction, but I think that it isn't all that surprising that they are trending towards the other carriers.

Well said.

Remember Jetblue wants to provide a BETTER experience at a BETTER value. The bar consistently moves in how better is defined relative to competition. We can probably all agree that the bar has been moving lower and lower in how we define better. How much does this change affect the core experience or value?

I agree that nickle and diming is a slippery slope and I don't see Jetblue taking that road. As a traveler, I come prepared for a flight with things I might need. My headphones when on Jetblue(which are apparently still free if you ask for them), my book or DVD player when not and always warm clothes and neck pillow regardless.

Curious how the enhanced cabin announcement will change the experience but it seems Jetblue has been very careful to not mess with it too much and expect them to do the same with whatever they have planned as they bring new groups of travelers into their mix.

Sorry, but just so I'm clear, are there pillows/blankets available on flights now or not? In particular, I am on the SJC-BOS redeye next week and I want to know whether I should plan on bringing my own. Or maybe I should just bring my own anyway since I've heard the airline-supplied stuff is not always that clean (is this still true?).

If you want to be certain of what you are getting, brining your own is the only option. Even if they were supposed to be stocked there's a chance that they wouldn't be.

As for the cleanliness issue, unless it is shrink-wrapped I wouldn't trust it too much. And there are plenty of pillows and blankets that are not on airplanes today.

Bring your own would be my suggestion. Yes those pillows and blankets aren't the cleanest items on the planet (a junk yard might be healthier). We still have them but whether the flight gets them or not is up to whether the station has them or not.

Jetblue's service is heading downhill fast. Just my humble opinion.

They have become (are becoming) just another airline.

Jetblue's service is heading downhill fast. Just my humble opinion.

They have become (are becoming) just another airline.

Could you add some evidence to back up your opinion?

Since you've posted your opinion in this thread I'll assume that it at least partially relates to the idea that Jetblue is testing selling a pillow/blanket for sale that, if successful, would eliminate these items on all Jetblue flights.

I, too, believe that service is changing. And I offer that maybe it has to. Competition in the domestic US market is stronger than it has ever been and each airline is falling over itself finding ways to stay profitable in the current climate. The operations, service and otherwise, of domestic US carriers is the leanest that it has ever been due to the high focus placed on price by consumers.

After 3 years of expansion-related losses Jetblue has made a few changes to reduce cost and increase revenue, lest we forget Jetblue is a publicly traded company and has to appease stockholders as well as consumers. They have raised some of their fees for special services which still beat or equal the legacy carriers. They have managed, however, to leave the overall product alone or increase its value. You can still watch your personal TV w/o charge, eat/drink whatever and howmuchever you choose and have even more legroom than before for your comfort.

Every city still clamors for Jetblue to serve them, why? Could it be because they realize the value Jetblue brings is head and shoulders above the competition? To restate an earlier post; Jetblue remains, at its current service level, a better value than competition. As others reduce service levels and costs, Jetblue HAS to as well to be able to compete. It's a business. The experience you had in 2003 has changed, yes, but has it fallen more than the experience you'd have had on any other carrier? And has the core experience changed?

Your post would have been more to the heart of the matter if it read like this: "Airline service is heading downhill fast. Jetblue still manages to provide a better experience at a better value than "just another airline" ". :)

Could you add some evidence to back up your opinion?

Since you've posted your opinion in this thread I'll assume that it at least partially relates to the idea that Jetblue is testing selling a pillow/blanket for sale that, if successful, would eliminate these items on all Jetblue flights.

I, too, believe that service is changing. And I offer that maybe it has to. Competition in the domestic US market is stronger than it has ever been and each airline is falling over itself finding ways to stay profitable in the current climate. The operations, service and otherwise, of domestic US carriers is the leanest that it has ever been due to the high focus placed on price by consumers.

After 3 years of expansion-related losses Jetblue has made a few changes to reduce cost and increase revenue, lest we forget Jetblue is a publicly traded company and has to appease stockholders as well as consumers. They have raised some of their fees for special services which still beat or equal the legacy carriers. They have managed, however, to leave the overall product alone or increase its value. You can still watch your personal TV w/o charge, eat/drink whatever and howmuchever you choose and have even more legroom than before for your comfort.

Every city still clamors for Jetblue to serve them, why? Could it be because they realize the value Jetblue brings is head and shoulders above the competition? To restate an earlier post; Jetblue remains, at its current service level, a better value than competition. As others reduce service levels and costs, Jetblue HAS to as well to be able to compete. It's a business. The experience you had in 2003 has changed, yes, but has it fallen more than the experience you'd have had on any other carrier? And has the core experience changed?

Your post would have been more to the heart of the matter if it read like this: "Airline service is heading downhill fast. Jetblue still manages to provide a better experience at a better value than "just another airline" ". :)

Don't tell me what I SHOULD have written. Regardless your intent to put words in my mouth, my original assertion stands.

Jetblue entered the industry promising to differentiate itself from the legacy carriers. With every service meltdown; every service reduction; every service inconsistency, Jetblue IS, in fact, becoming just another airline.

I predict continued deterioration in levels of service, including, but not limited to:

1. Elimination of free snacks.
2. Charging for TV (aside from the Premium channels)
3. Creation of a premium cabin, further reducing service levels in the main cabin in order to achieve product differentiation.
4. Reduction/elimination of soft amenities, ie spa kits, pillows/blankets (already in progress).
5. Increasingly restless and unhappy employees, as growth slows and stops, with promotional/advanced opportunities slowing as well. Witness the deplorable state of passenger services in Terminal 6 at JFK. I have run into an increasing number of grumpy agents and flight attendants lately, with agents seemingly at the breaking point, and flight attendants cutting corners on service.

As Jetblue continues to look under rocks to save money, it will have no choice but to take some of the same steps the legacy carriers have already taken. With no major revenue premium between Jetblue and the legacies, there is no incentive for Jetblue to continue to exceed expectations.

Already Jetblue's product is becoming tired, when compared to the new kid on the block, Virgin America.

The creation of a premium cabin is especially worrisome, as even though it could produce a revenue premium, other carriers (ie People Express, Laker, Air Florida) have shown that when a low-cost niche carrier abandons its initial business model, there are substantial risks.

My original assertion stands, in my humble opinion, and as somebody who has watched the decline from a passenger's standpoint, and who predicts a continued decline, I feel very comfortable in my opinion.

Jetblue IS, in fact, becoming just another airline.Yup! It is happening because it is no longer new just as much as because of the changes they're implementing. As the novelty rubs off it becomes very obvious that the base service provided by any airline is a seat that moves a few hundred miles per hour through the air. That's the basic service that you're buying. Everything else is gravy.

I predict continued deterioration in levels of service, including, but not limited to:

1. Elimination of free snacks.
2. Charging for TV (aside from the Premium channels)
3. Creation of a premium cabin, further reducing service levels in the main cabin in order to achieve product differentiation.
4. Reduction/elimination of soft amenities, ie spa kits, pillows/blankets (already in progress).
5. Increasingly restless and unhappy employees, as growth slows and stops, with promotional/advanced opportunities slowing as well. Witness the deplorable state of passenger services in Terminal 6 at JFK. I have run into an increasing number of grumpy agents and flight attendants lately, with agents seemingly at the breaking point, and flight attendants cutting corners on service.

I don't see 1 or 2. I do see number 3, though I'm not sure what reduction in the main cabin will happen versus additional service in the "F" cabin, such as free booze. Number 4 is already done. Number 5 will happen with any organization as it becomes older and larger. It stinks, and hopefully B6 can curb it some, but that's the way companies grow. Some of the legacies do a better job than others of keeping the employees happy, which translates into better service, but that's one of those things that every company in a service industry has to deal with.

Already Jetblue's product is becoming tired, when compared to the new kid on the block, Virgin America.
Are you speaking to the Y or F product? I assume you are talking about the Y product, as the F product isn't something that you think B6 should pursue. The VX Y product is missing a few inches of pitch relative to B6. They both have TVs in the seat-back, and though the service is different, I think that it would be hard to claim one is significantly better than the other. I'm not sure that the snack service is all that different, and that's easy enough to address with my own food from home or the airport (especially JFK T6). Where else is VX better? Mood lighting? I can't imagine choosing a carrier for that reason alone.

Currently 80% of our revenue comes from the lesiure traveler. Mom and dad and the kids looking for the best deal to Disney land. A company can't survive on the lesiure traveler alone. We need more premium traffic, who travels often for business and is willing to pay the higher fares. Unfortunatly we need to find out what that business traffic wants and how we can provide it while not reducing the service in the rest of the aircraft. Airlines are fighting for the business traffic because that is where the revenue is. If we don't find some way to gain some of that traffic (projects in motion) we WILL go the way of People Express. Unfortunatly, in today's market, $89 just doesn't pay the bills and we are figuring that out and that's what got us into this position in the first place. Look at WN, even they are changing the way they do business to win that important business traveler.

Every airline is struggling to adapt to the current market (possible recession, fuel prices, consolidation)

Don't tell me what I SHOULD have written. Regardless your intent to put words in my mouth, my original assertion stands.

I wasn't intending to do either of these things. Just trying to defend my favorite airline. I welcome your opinion.

With every service meltdown; every service reduction; every service inconsistency, Jetblue IS, in fact, becoming just another airline.

I agree that service(assuming customer service) can be inconsistent depending on the crew(hasn't it always been that way?), however, service meltdowns(assuming operations) of which I can only think of one, has in the end improved reliability and brought forth a passenger-centric and industry-first Bill Of Rights.

I predict continued deterioration in levels of service, including, but not limited to:

Mostly agree with sbm12's comments above although "soft amenities" are all still available at this time. From headsets to refreshing towels after redeye flights to sleep kits and, if not more than 50% of the time pillows and blankets, too. Also, if you don't like T6 take a guided tour of Delta's ops at JFK for comparison. Either way, neither will hold a candle to T5 opening at the end of the year.

With no major revenue premium between Jetblue and the legacies, there is no incentive for Jetblue to continue to exceed expectations.

Except that Jetblue is probably keen on winning new customers from other airline's loyalty programs and encouraging the next generation to start their loyalty flying with them. Also, their unbelievable brand recognition hinges upon their ability to continue offering a better experience at a better value.

Already Jetblue's product is becoming tired, when compared to the new kid on the block, Virgin America.

Maybe, let me know when they serve half the number of cities that Jetblue does. There is still plenty of time to catch that horse, and we don't even know if it can run yet.

The creation of a premium cabin is especially worrisome, as even though it could produce a revenue premium, other carriers (ie People Express, Laker, Air Florida) have shown that when a low-cost niche carrier abandons its initial business model, there are substantial risks.

Premium cabin worries me as well. Perfect world: nothing changes besides extra space and the additional revenue actually supports the cabin experience and level of service.