Wireless onboard - only on JetBlue!
12/06 10:30am

On Tuesday, December 11, we'll send BetaBlue, our Airbus A320 tail number 651, on its inaugural flight from JFK to SFO. BetaBlue is an industry-first-offering free email and instant messaging services to Customers while in flight-and part of an in-flight wireless system trial JetBlue is conducting with our partners on the project, Yahoo!, RIM (makers of the BlackBerry) and LiveTV. Customers onboard BetaBlue can use their Wi-Fi enabled devices to email and IM friends and family on the ground. The service is free and available exclusively on JetBlue!


The BetaBlue trial will last approximately six to twelve months. Upon completion of the trial, we'll evaluate the results and determine how to use these services on additional aircraft. In the meantime, let's all be proud that JetBlue is yet again engaging in industry-leading practices with the goal of providing a great experience for our Customers!

Thats great.Now lets charge a nominal fee for this service and generate some extra revenue. As a JetBlue pilot I am personally tired of this company giving the house away. Lets start charging a minimum fee for our WiFi at JFK and lets get rid of those crappy free headsets and charge $2 for the upgrade ones we use. I am tired of the crap we give away. Just go to any Hudsons store at any airport, including JFK, and watch passengers throw money away on newspapers, magazines etc. We as a company carry millions of people per year, we have a damn good product so why don't we expliot that and help our bottomline.

Simple economics.

Because once you start nickle-and-diming people, you damage your company's brand reputation and then suddenly JetBlue will have less of a competitive advantage over competitors.

If JetBlue offers wifi for free, that differentiates itself from competitors and would help attract people from other airlines, resulting in greater demand for JetBlue's services, which may lead to higher margins reflected in airfare prices.

I think there already -is- greater demand for B6 services, and does lead to higher ticket revenue for B6 over Delta, for example, on the NYC-Fla. routes.

Where did this press release come from?

I respect your opinion however I completely disagree. I am simply stating that we should charge a nominal fee for all the things we otherwise give away. Asking for someone to cough up $2 for better headphones or $2 to use WiFi at JFK is most definitely not going to break the bank. Hell for what most airlines charge, you can hardly drive the equivalent distance at a lower cost. As an employee I am sick and tired of hearing about weak revenue. These services should not be free. They should be used to help the bottomline and generate much needed revenue. I have not flown on VA but I believe that they are charging for additional service items. Likewise Frontier charges $5 for their live TV.

I do believe this has to be B6's strategy, but I think it is a little early. One day we'll see B6 charging for tv, headsets, internet, etc. Patience, my friend. You don't want to start charging and drive people away. It needs to be done very carefully.

I wouldn't mind a nominal fee for wireless as long as payment is easy. Don't make me fill out a page full of info like a T-Mobile Hotspot. Although if they can offer satellite TV for free than why not internet? Jetblue's product is so superior to most domestic airlines that I'm willing to pay a significant premium to fly them. But what you hear is most passengers pick the airline almost exclusively on the ticket price.

Correct. That is why charging for these things make sense. It's just icing on the cake for B6.

Time will tell. I just know that someone somewhere after Dec 11th is going to call JetBlue and look for a refund or coupon because they were unable to receive or send texts on their JFK-FLL flight. It is all about expectations.

the only thing about wifi...is that B6 needs power outlets on the aircraft. On transcons flights most people's batteries won't last that long.

Just to be clear -- whether or not JetBlue uses Wifi in the aircraft, this is a VERY limited offering. Only Yahoo services, not generic internet access.

Given my experience with B6's abysmal WiFi, at JFK, I don't have much confidence in this initiative.

Go downstairs at gates 1-6, beside the toilets, and talk directly to the jetblue IT people. I live in JFK and have never once had a Wifi problem!!! You live in Cal so I don't believe you are in JFK that often. A quick review of your previous posts suggests that you just like to be heard.

Agreed. I'm completely underwhelmed by the announcement. I can understand that they might want to limit the sites you can visit during the beta test due to bandwidth and obscenity issues, but for heaven's sake there are at least three major email services (Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail) and four major Instant Messenger services (AOL, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, Google Talk)...

Is Yahoo really paying JetBlue enough money to block all of Yahoo's competitors, to justify making the product virtually useless to the customers?

IMHO this is "partnering" gone way too far.