Harlem

PS -
What JetBlue meant to say is this - while our new program is great in many respects for people who fly short distances we realize that those who fly long distances and those who convert AMEX points for flights will get screwed. So if you fly long distances and/or use AMEX points (and you've got 6th-grade math skills) we're sorry and good luck with your new airline.

nsx

It seems to me that the fare-based earning structure of TB2 is intended to award the most profitable customers, not the most loyal. That addresses a weakness of legacy FF programs: rewarding customers who rack up lots of miles on cheap fares.

JBLU421NYC

And from a strictly business standpoint, which jetBlue is, that makes sense.

To respond to the question about being able to redeem TB1 truepasses on JFK-SEA, I did that last year successfully. I am not sure if that is what SMB12 was getting at, but I was able to.

I will continue to fly jetBlue and keep my B6AX despite the new TB2 program, for me I fly because of the convenience and experience, and for the love of flying. In the current industry jetBlue is doing what all the other airlines are working to do, survive. That is certainly why interline agreements are popping up and jetBlue is rewarding its most profitable customers. 10 years later they still seem strong, just hope that the values that the airline was founded with didn't leave with the founder, though if there is one thing I know about the airline industry is that it is constantly evolving.

jraphs070

I've done lots of homework and know a good deal about other programs (and fly other carriers far, far more), and I have to say I just don't "get" TB2. I know the basic premise is to reward big spending and steer some loyalty their way - especially for last minute and higher cost purchases. As silly as it seems to be saying this, there's a lot of math!

But the worst part is that there's a lot of mystery about what I may be able to get from TB2. Other programs are much clearer on what I can aspire to, and how I can get there. Obviously some more than others. The charts make sense, and with a little bit of experience you learn how to find Saver-type inventories. But if I don't have a clear sense of what the TB2 points may be worth, it's not worth the effort.

Harlem

Couldn't agree more - they are trying to trick people with these "bonuses" etc. Particularly deceiving is the 250 Amex points = 200 Jetblue points. The only and I mean only reason to not have a 1 to 1 ratio is that they hope people go to Jetblue.com and see that a flight is 40,000 points and hope they forget that 40,000 TB2 points actually cost them 50,000 Amex points.
The more I study the program the more upsetting it becomes and the more I realize how terrible the ousting of the company's own founder was. I should have seen it coming though - anyone willing to kick a founder out of his company is certainly willing to go to any measure to make money. Including devising an awards system so complicated that it deceives people into thinking they are getting a better deal than they are.

sbm12

Sortof. That route in particular is one that was complained about a lot in terms of reward inventory not being available. JFK-AUA was, too. Now there are no capacity limitations but the earning levels are a bit lower. It is a trade-off. I'm not saying that those rewards were never available, but if they were only available when the seats were at $150 o/w then it is much different than saying "I used to be able to get them all the time and now I have to spend 25K points." If the tickets are more expensive to the point that reward inventory otherwise would not be available then the issue is not that TB2 points are less valuable; it is that TB1 inventory was less available.
The points are worth a penny. Start there and you should do pretty well in deciding if it is worth it to earn them or not.

loudfish

confusing and misleading at the same time..

Once a very loyal JetBlue customer..now I am leaving this airline which is made up of people who, when you seek help, give you black and white corporate responses and make it seem as they're reading off of a script. I am not sure what happened to the old JetBlue company I grew to appreciate but this new company is being run by people who are trying to squeeze as much profit from what they have instead of valuing the customer- which they once cared about.

This is the reason why customers, like myself, are seeing a trend of more and more people leaving JetBlue and seeking the service and assistance in a very competitive climate aka airline industry. How is SouthWest doing? Oh yeah they decided to make their business model simple!!!

Sorry JetBlue but you lost another customer through your robotic thought process and inability to understand your customer's needs. I hope you upper level managment people enjoy the profits while they last!

saltydog

I agree 100%! I am a weekly flyer out of Boston and Portland that has left Jetblue and went to Airtran/Southwest only because of better FF program. I would much rather fly Jetblue but cant justify it.

The kicker is I saw the $10 Jetblue fares this week and booked one to IAD. When I boarded they gave out cards to redeem online for points. So I got 1000 posted to my account and brought me over 5500. I could not find 1 flight to use it on in the next month, what a scam. This made me want to fly the other guys even more!

Hello Jetblue suits, are you listening, you messed up and TB2 is a joke!

sbm12

On what route(s)?

If you can find a fare somewhere around $49 you'll be able to cash in those 5,000 points just fine.

Dylane

I don't fly a whole lot, probably about 3 times a year on average, but the JFK-SEA is my predominant route that I've been flying for 4 or 5 years and it seemed like I was always able to redeem within a day or two of my ideal dates. The comparable cost was generally in the $150 - $200 range. I just tried to redeem my last old pass for this route though, and there were no direct flights available for redemption with a couple of weeks flexibility. I would be able to do a JFK-LGB-SEA flight using an old pass, which is actually a lot more expensive $323 vs $218 for the direct flight, so cost doesn't seem to be the only factor in this decision.

sbm12

Indeed, it isn't wholly price-based. But the price does relate to specific booking buckets and with the old awards the inventory was pegged to some fare bucket (though an internal one). It is possible that there is the lower fare bucket on SEA-LGB and LGB-JFK that, when combined in total cost, add up to the $323 number but still be in the lower fare buckets than the $218 number that the non-stop is.

PS- Welcome to FlyerTalk!!

Dylane

Thanks! I've lurked here a bit before and gotten some useful information in the past but never had anything to add before now.

I came here today mostly to see if I was crazy for thinking that TB2 was a much worse value than TB1. Obviously I know that it depends on the person and the type of traveling you do, but for me I went from earning a RT about once a year through a mix of travel and the Amex, to it taking ~2-3 years for me to get a RT transcontinental flight. At that level it just doesn't make sense to keep a card with an annual fee. I expect to still fly with B6, but will definitely shop around instead of just automatically booking with them like I do now.

bmg42000

If you do not fly that much you may be better off not worrying about the points and just go with the cheapest airline. If AA is a 100$ cheaper then B6 then choose the cheaper flight . If you do that 3x a year then the 300$ you save will get you a 'free' trip . Of course if B6 is cheap or in the ballpark by 20 or 30 $ then fly them for the extra comfort . Airline miles are getting 'devalued' all over the place (see the delta forum for the screaming ) so just go for the best (and cheapest) flights for you and do not worry about the miles. When you earn a free trip look at it as a bonus .

sbm12

Quite a smart move. At the lower travel levels loyalty can be a very costly exercise. The more you travel the more value it has, but that value still can come with a cost. Taking a step back from the points frenzy and being able to rationalize the cost of the points - or knowing enough to not pay extra for them - is a critical step in developing intelligent loyalty. The programs are banking on blind allegiance. That is good for them but rarely for you and me.

saltydog

But if 5000 points is only worth $49, that just says it all.

I book 4 roundtrips on Airtran or Southwest with their double points out of Boston I have a free roundtrip, no question. Any destination or day of the week any distance.

I book 4 on Jetblue with the triple miles, well it DEPENDS on the fair I paid. Then it DEPENDS on where I want to go, and DEPENDS on how many points the flight I want is. Different day is different points.

Frustrating!