FCfree

I haven't had the opportunity to fly B6, but I have flown WN quite a few times. From what I read, B6 might be quite a bit better. I'd love to experience DirecTV. I keep hoping to fly F9 (Frontier) with their DirecTV service, but every time I book them, I seem to get the 737 instead of the A318/A319!

There is no doubt that when B6 or WN enters a market, the cost of flying in and out of that market decreases. Yes, that is tough on the majors. If you are paying for the ticket on your own dime, I would assume that you would love to see a decrease in costs. If your company is paying for the flight, you still *should* be happier, but if $100-$200 doesn't mean much to your company, then maybe not.

The fact that the LCC's are making money while the majors are losing money is a testomony to what *most* of the public wants. Sure, everyone wants first class seats and service at LCC prices. But, when presented with the trade-off, it appears that more people value price over service. Remember that 95% of the people need the best price they can get, 4% want better service and <1% can afford to charter their own private jet.

enjoystravel

I cannot think of hating JetBlue as they do not do anything I despise or passionately disapprove of. I believe they help customers get better value and show the majors that it is indeed possible to deliver more with less.

Also, Jetblue's fleet is too small to currently impact the majors. WN if any is the one that really affected the majors so far. In the future, I do believe that JetBlue will force the majors to restructure - even more than they have already done.

The majors were getting used to WN before B6 broke the stereotype of low cost carriers such as SouthWest or Ryan Air. JetBlue started with longhaul flts fairly early, assigned seating from day one, Live Satellite fed IFE, etc. etc.

Being a loyal FF family flying AA and other majors we flew B6 for the first time last year just to experience Jet Blue. It was a great experience - even before the improved legroom. The lighting and the brand new aircraft made you feel better. The legroom will only make it a better experience.

For domestic travel, where Jetblue flies I always compare with it before buying AA or UA. It keeps the majors on their toes.

I can see that Jetblue did very negatively affect the pilots at majors (pay, working conditions, etc.). On the other hand it is also offering new and upcoming pilots a chance to have a great career. The UAL 747 pilots and AA 777 ones are paying the price for better value to customers. I hope that FA and other staff at Jetblue are compensated comparably to the majors. Too soon to tell.

Jetblue is also not unionized yet - I am not sure if it is a plus or a minus. If staff are happy and satisfied and do not care for a union then it is a plus. If staff are being intimidated or "brainwashed" then that is a big minus. For now, I believe it is a plus.

Jetblue takes away the romance of first class travel - I am waiting for the Virgin Atlantics of this world to show that can be done without charging an arm and a leg.

Occupationalhazard

Not me. Ideally, B6 will force the majors to improve both their product and their pricing. (For pax, on B6 expectations=reality, on the majors, there's a gap...on DL we get an email every other month, it seems, from Icky Mascara informing us of the deletion of another bennie from the Medallion Program...always "at the request of Medallion members". Yeah. Right.)

Adapt or die.

O/W ticketing WROCKS! In Sept, I will fly an open jaw JFK-SYR, with BUF-JFK on the return. Easy and inexpensive on B6...would be a pain in the butt on the majors. And jet service b/w SYR and NYC? DL had that...once....for a month or two.

So it will be into SYR, for business, dinner at the Dinosaur and coffee at Freedom of Espresso, then off to BUF for a w/e with my buddy and his family. On a major, I'd have to pick or drive SYR-BUF and return. No thanks.

So now it's DL when I want to burn miles, or am headed overseas (*A sometimes).

Regards,

O/H

mywifeisincoach

B6 business model

By a new plane, go across the steet and sell it to a leasing company for more money, use the difference to pay the bills, lease the plane back and make no payments for a while. Enjoy them while they last folks. I would hate to get the seat with the non functioning direct tv.

NickP 1K

B6 is here for the long haul... Your message makes no sense as the buy a plane, lease it back to pay less for operating costs is what the MAJOR's have been doing for years.

DisgruntledGoat

Not having flown JetBlue (no ord/mdw service), I don't know what to expect. As an AA loyalist, I'd fly them to see what the hype is about and if I liked it for domestic, I'd consider it in addition to AA.

Is B6 going to expand and do intl routes, or at least Canada/Mexico/Carribean?

audio-nut

Me too, I would hate to have a seat an inch wider and with more pitch than DL, CO, US, UA(non e+), or AA (757 or A300). That would be terrible.

SkaterJasp

Theres more to jetBlue than DirecTV and any one that had flown jetBlue in the past, freqent or not, can tell you that.

mywifeisincoach

Of course my explanation was quite edited down, but there plan only works as long as they are buying aircraft. Southwest tried to put their numbers on the jetblue business plan, and it did not pan out. As in, they could not see how b6 was coming up with their numbers. You will see. Its all great now.

audio-nut

.

[This message has been edited by audio-nut (edited 09-05-2003).]

NickP 1K

Do you work for SWA?

Jet'Dillo

I can't say I actually HATE any particular airline that I haven't flown, but it does worry me that we're heading towards an "all-Greyhound, all the time" world for domestic air travel in the US. I fly a mix of transcon domestic and long-haul Int'l flights and I like the fact that I can do that on one carrier and take the miles/status that I've earned and use it to make life not suck when I have to go abroad.

Those who laugh "Haha! Well, *I* don't care 'cause it's only 2 hours and I'm not going to pay anymore than I have to and you're a self-important spoiled brat to do otherwise" probably have never had to look 14 hours in a metal tube straight in the face, or if they do it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing and never having been exposed to anything different, book it with the expectation that it will suck.

My "preferred carrier" since I was a kid has been UA and I've had elite status with them for years now, something I'm loathe to give up.

What bothers me about LCCs is what bothers me about some other things on a broader scale in this country. There is getting to be less and less of a middle ground and more and more of a binary distinction where you are either stuck riding with Ma and Pa Kettle or you whistle up your private jet to take you where you need to go.

What I've found most irritating about people who fly LCCs is the disproportionate number who seem intent on telling me how much they hope all the majors fail and how much my preferred carrier sucks rather than trying to convince me why their choice is better.

This comes across much more like a bunch of demons grabbing at me trying to drag me into the pit cackling "You'll be joining us in a WN cattle call soon enough" than somebody going "Jet'Dillo, go towards the light that is B6"

JD

SkaterJasp

We'll back in the days of TWA, I flew them alot and I got my free upgrades or paid a discounted price for a upgrade to first class... But back than it was worth it because first class was really first class with personalized service, great meals, and you got everything from hot towels to fresh baked cookies. It was not what it is like now on American's First Class which they basically destroyed the first class experience on 2-Class aircrafts on domestic flights. Now its basically wider seats and more leg room... the food is the same food you get in coach, that "Bistro Meal" and you don't get personalized service, and they don't even close the curtains that seperate the 2 cabins... It got to a point where its not worth flying First Class on American. That is why I switched over to jetBlue, though it is all coach class service, I get more, or at least I feel that I get more service, better snack options, and a way better inflight entertainment. I even paid more over american's lowest price just so I can fly on jetBlue. As for international flights, jetBlue doesn't fly international so I'm not going to compare because its 2 different things. What it comes down to, for me, is not the actual price, but what do I get for what I paid for... the value. jetBlue may not be the cheapest all the time, but they are a very good value if you compare it to the majors, especially if you compare it to American.

Occupationalhazard

Well, they fly to Puerto Rico now, and one would imagine that further expansion is in the pipeline.

As to "hype", don't get all excited; it's a better than average coach product, reasonably priced w/o disrguntled (uh...sorry) employees.

For short hops, it's nice....I get on the plane at JFK, tune into SportsCenter, and am in BUF/SYR before you know it.

O/H

Occupationalhazard

Obviously, there is a method to your madness, so why..

....do you give a sh*t about what anyone else thinks, based on their own (not your) flying pattern needs?

You shouldn't, and, believe me, it's Big Mojo....it's why people respect/fear (depending on whether they are Good or Evil)me at work.

Regards,

O/H