mata2

I have a JetBlue reservation for next week (redeye from Portland OR to Boston) where my seat is not assigned since it was made through my business travel agent. When I logged on the see my seat was assigned yet, I noticed that only premimum extra rooms seats are open. Does this mean I will get a free upgrade or is there a possiblitiy that they JetBlue will re-seat someone else and stick me in a middle seat. I am a True Blue member but only joined a few months ago.

Thank you.

djs

You can always try selecting one now, chances are that it will tell you there is a charge but if it doesn't then you're free and clear (and if it does tell you there's a charge you can just back out and no changes will have been made).

If you wait unitl check-in time and the premium seats are still the only ones available then you will get one w/o additional charges.

From my own experience if I want an EML seat, I pay for it when I book my ticket. I'm sure others do the same thing. Your risk is that someone may re-think the middle seat they have and decide to spend the money on a EML seat in which case you could wind up in a middle seat.

sbm12

Minor correction here... If you do not have one and do not select one at check-in you'll likely be unassigned until at the airport. They generally do not start clearing folks into those seats for free until at the gate after they've had plenty of opportunities to sell the EML seats.

If the only non-EML seat open is a middle then that's what you'll get unless you also buy up.

There is some additional discussion about it in this recent thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/jetbl...groom-fee.html.

squatch

and DO NOT choose a EML seat during check in and think that you can EVER de-select it if there are no other seats available. i did that by accident and could not change it. neither could the phone agent i called (and suffered through a 45 minute interaction with). i was forced to stand in the LONG line at JFK monday morning to deal with it. the ticket agent then tried to make me pay the extra $35 for the seat even though i told her that i made a mistake and didn't want it.

i got assigned last row, middle.

when i got to the gate i asked if there were any non-middle seats available and was given an empty EML seat for no charge. that was the first good thing that happened to me with jet blue.

i've just started flying jet blue for my weekly commute to work and so far i am unimpressed with their checkin process, phone support, and ticket agents. i guess i'm just used to what i get at legacy carriers (which ain't really any better).

cynicAAl

I flew JB today and noticed that they renamed "Even More Legroom" to "Even More S P A C E". I asked the FA about the name change, and he said they were launching a new program designed to attract business travelers, and considering giving the EML EMS seats to frequent pax with status, and maybe even removing seats for a 2-2 config with free cocktails.

jj1987

JB hasn't released anything internally about this, I would say it's a rumor for now.

Even more space emphasizes that you get extra space in the overhead because you board quick, extra legroom, and get through security faster at many airports with priority screening.

That being said, it's no big secret that JB is attempting to capture more of the business market to fill in the holes created by having a lot of vacation customers.

sbm12

Yes, EMS/EML will be coming to "elites" at some point in the future. It is HIGHLY unlikely at this point that they change the seating config.

OhHim

Has anybody deciphered the rules on when gate agents can start assigning EMS/EML for free (or if they even have the ability to do this)?

Got to my gate with a "standby" boarding pass 40 minutes prior to my TPA-BOS flight (10 minutes prior to boarding), asked for my seat (kindly requesting if a window is possible) and was stuck with 24B this AM. When I did this last Thursday, ended up in 1D.

They tried to upsell of a bulkhead which definitely was not worth the $45 for a 3 hour flight due to the uncomfortable dividers, increased TV distance, unresponsive TV controls, and lack of floor leg space.

To add insult to injury:
- I wasn't too happy to see a bunch of non-revenue FAs and pilots sitting in EML seats in rows 1-5 when wandering up mid-flight.
- This was my 15th B6 flight this calendar quarter (enough to qualify for elite on Airtran alone) and their lack of loyalty programs for frequent travelers is a whole other story
- This was a "more expensive than usual" ticket (booked with under a week's notice - hence the lack of seat assignment)
- and of course, 24A and 24C were both 220lb+

Still, debating if I should just bite the bullet and do the one-stop direct on SWA (have a companion pass there) or Airtran (A+ elite earned independently of SWA's new status match program) instead when I encounter this scenario in the future.

jj1987

JetBlue gave you what you paid for when you booked the ticket. If JetBlue didn't give non revs the upgrade, you could basically check in for your flight, not choose a seat, and show up minutes before the plane took off (when only EML seats are open), guaranteeing EML seating for free.

I'm not saying that as a paying customer I can't see why you would want the upgrade (I can), but I do see some logic in giving those seats to non rev.

Often1

+1 - It's called protecting the brand. JB isn't making the mistake that legacy carriers made with free UG from Y to F (UDU, EUA, etc). If people think that they can get something for free, why pay for it. Better to make some employees happy than hand out freebies to pax who will think about paying for it.

nerd

Oh, it's now possible to pay $40 to upgrade from Y-->F on a legacy carrier?

Let's not confuse extra legroom with F.

Often1

No, but $50 will do it on US for its shorter-hauls.

JetBlueFA

It is the policy of the company to assign EML seats only if other seats aren't available. Revenue Stand by customers are assigned seats starting in the rear of the aircraft and moving forward.

Those other crewmembers may not have been non-rev's they could have been positioning to work another flight. A deadhead could have been built into their pairing hence why they were seated in the EML section.

nerd

But this applies to revenue pax, not B6 employees, or am I missing something?

If there are 2 seats left on the plane, one EML, and a middle seat in the last row, and 2 people waiting for a seat assignment (one a paying customer, one an employee) who gets stuck in the middle?

Spent_All_My_Miles

Does anyone happen to know, when B6 must assign EMS seats to pax because only those seats are left, how they go about doing so?

I just took a flight where a day before, the vast majority of EMS seats were available. I picked an exit row, partly for the legroom, partly for the decent chance at an open middle (every non-EMS seat was taken); $25 for 3.5 hours was a good deal.

It turned out that most EMS seats were occupied. I had my open seat, but wondering if there's a way to maximize the chances of that.