To play devil's advocate for a second, EML is really an extraneous add-on, not generally considered a "core" part of a ticket as baggage and food used to be. So, I'm not sure that is quite as critical to announce changes in EML fees. I'm actually rather surprised that jetBlue has never tried variable EML pricing based on demand, much as tickets themselves are priced. Considering that they have kept it as a fixed fee, perhaps they should have announced the changes somewhere though.

Also, the prices of EML are still rather cheap considering that the legroom rivals that of business class on some other domestic airline flights, and are somewhat lower than the equivalent prices for United's Economy Plus:

› Chicago to Detroit: $14
› San Francisco to Las Vegas: $24
› Denver to Seattle: $49
› No long-haul examples on website

or on Virgin America's Main Cabin Select (edited...I got my facts wrong the first time):

Up to $400 in advance (refundable ticket)
or same day as flight:
Long Haul Flights (such as New York to San Francisco) — $100
Medium Haul Flights (such as Los Angeles to Seattle) — $50
Short Haul Flights (such as San Francisco to Las Vegas) — $25

(Virgin America throws in a few extra perks, like priority check-in and food, which can add extra value, and free first bag, which is already free for all jetBlue passengers)

And, some airlines now charge up to $30 just to choose a window or aisle seat with NO extra legroom.

Also, all airlines are adding fees now, discovering that they can 'trick' customers into paying more by charging them less upfront and then tacking on fees. Upping EML fees is one of the least obnoxious ways of doing this, because it doesn't add a fee to a "core" service like food or baggage or making/changing a reservation.

Ok, devil's advocacy over. Raising fees does suck, and doing so without notice is bad business practice. And I think it's a strong argument that if you're going to raise a fee, you should justify it by adding a service (for example, in the case of a bag fee, a delivery guarantee). But all the airlines are hurting, they're all doing this, and jetBlue has been no worse than any of the others. (Then again, if all the airlines are doing questionable things, does that make any one airline's questionable decisions less bad?)