A few months back i was looking to book 2 trublue tixx from JFK-SEA. I thought I was traveling on off days but it turns out after a few calls and looking online that no reward tixx were available. So be it, I found Delta to be $250 cheaper so we booked them.

Last night I was playing around on the website and low and behold 2 trueblue tixx are available. I know that B6 claims no blackout dates but what the hell is going on here. I fly with them often and I have the Amex but this is all making me rethink this.

It's not a matter of blackout date but award seat inventory availability.

As with any airline (unfortunately), finding award seats is a game. Even if there are no blackout dates, there are 'capacity restrictions', limiting the number of free seats available on each plane. This number is particularly small on certain routes, certain days. Sometimes, it also seems, free seats are not released all at once, but in fits and starts, so the same flight might show no inventory one day, but then as the flight approaches, all of a sudden there are free seats for the taking. JetBlue is not alone in playing this game...you'll find the same difficulties with most other airlines. This is why some people opt for credit cards that give you generic miles, redeemable often on any airline for any available seat, or at least with fewer restrictions than airlines' own miles.

Does JetBlue have the equivalent of "standard awards" like on UA where you can pay extra but get a seat if they have one available (i.e. not capacity controlled)?

No they don't.

That's actually a really good idea. You should suggest that to them on theiwr website. Right now, a reward consists of 2 passes, each good for a one-way (1 pass = one-way, 2 passes = roundtrip). Maybe they could make it so that 2 passes = one-way unrestricted. Kind of like a 25,000 limited/50,000 unrestricted award on other airlines.

Don't take this as true fact but jumpseat talk can travel far and fast. I've heard from several sources that changes to the TrueBlue program may be coming. I personally haven't heard anything not any details and it is pure speculation at this point because the company has other things to focus on. If I can dig up some dirt i'll pass it along.

Dave and David where in JFK today holding a company meeting, I was going to stay but I had an extremely long day and just wanted to get home and sleep, I'll look over the video and see if anything exciting may be coming, other than an OPS revamp.

Not surprising at all.

Currently the program treats a 100 segment/yr traveller the same as a 10 segment/yr traveller. At some point (maybe a few years down the road) I think all the 36" seats will be held for frequent travellers or those willing to pay more like United's E+ and Northwest's CoachChoice program. Also, I think there will be offers such as double points or half price awards for frequent travellers to make the program more appealing to those that fly the most.

The bar has been set by the majority of the carriers out there and B6's TrueBlue program is pretty much on an island (a bad island, not a good island) relative to other frequent flier programs out there.

Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if B6 does away with the point system and goes with a miles based system.

The one good thing about TrueBlue was what seemed like increased award seat availability but that seems to have gone away.

I think that would be a good idea. The point system is pretty stupid if you ask me.

Although, JetBlue is not alone in using a points-based system, especially amongst low-cost carriers. Southwest and Airtran also issue points instead of miles, although on those carriers it's a flat system (a point a flight, for example), whereas JetBlue has this middle-of-the-road compromise, where they issue distance-based points, but it's really nothing like miles.

I think points versus miles is a matter of personal taste. The real importance is the assumed monetary value of a point or mile, how quick it is to earn them, and how difficult it is redeem them.

This is all about trying to differentiate from the main legacy carriers, but in my mind it is a stupid way of doing it. Miles gives you credit for the distance you actually fly, not some arbitrary categorical amount.

Something I can actually agree with you on. ^

I always read that the TrueBlue program is not as beneficial because you earn arbitrary points rather than miles. I earned my first TrueBlue Award in January this year. Looking at how I got the award, I am seeing the following:

10 flights were between JFK and BNA (4 points each)
4 flights between JFK and BUF (2 points each)
1 flight between BNA and ROC (4 points)
Plus all the online booking bonuses.

So that is 15 one way flights total. If I had gotten miles insteasd on the legacy airline I sometimes fly, that would be

10 * 889 miles between LGA and BNA (764 actual miles, 125 economy bonus)
4 * 500 miles between LGA and BUF (the actual flight is less than 500 miles)
Approx 1389 (889 + 500) between BNA and ROC

Add all those up and I earned approximately 12,279 miles, including their mile bonuses. That isn't enough for a free flight on any legacy. That's barely halfway to a free flight on a legacy, assuming its 25,000 for a free flight in continental USA.

Am I missing something? I feel better off with JetBlue in this scenario, although I haven't used my voucher yet (I tried, but didn't act quickly enough).

There point system seems a bit odd to me, I was thinking about going to this city in northern GA, the closest Jetblue cities were BNA and CLT. JFK-BNA is 4 points while JFK-CLT is 2. It seems like BNA is a fringe city for the medium points. Just like I was suprised to see that DEN-JFK yielded me 6 points. Apparantly DEN was a fringe city for their long points.

Perhaps there system is
Less than 750 miles = 2 points
750-1500 miles= 4 points
1500 or more miles= 6 points

I still think TrueBlue's biggest problem is that the points expire after a year, unless you have the AmEx, which isn't an economic way to earn points either.

Now, I'd fly JetBlue more often if I could save up those points for an eventual free flight. Now people say...Frequent Flier programs are to reward Frequent Fliers and I'm not one according to JetBlue.

In my case, the fact that these points go out the window just makes me choose Delta/AA/Northwest/UA knowing that I just have to fly them once every 18 months to keep my miles. RT from JFK-California is about 5000 miles, $50 value at a minimum. Making JetBlue flights (which are about the same price as Delta/AA) actually more expensive.

I fly transcon roundtrips 5 times a year... and I don't plan them all at once. I could get enough points eventually but it's a risk for me banking on flying the rest. If I could realistically get to that point it would make things much easier.

My proposition:

1) Eliminate the expiration (as long as you have activity for XX amount of months) like the legacies
1a) At least make it 2 a year expiration, or the longer the better.

2) Instead of making 2/4/6 points double by booking on the site, make it 4/8/12 regardless. The one time I did fly jetblue I had to call in, I got shafted because the web was acting funny. I called them and asked for the double credit and they said their system didnt show a downtime at the time of booking. I said that even if it was just my browser, what does it matter, I wished to book online but couldn't. They held firm and wouldn't budge. Avoid this problem, just double the points.

All in all, I liked Jetblue a lot when I have flown them, but the lack of a decent Frequent Flier program kills it for me. I'd easily pick Jetblue over AA and DL if I could just get value for the money.

PS - How good is availability on Jetblue Trueblue rewards? Are most days available or what?