Mimi Imferst

Well said.

Remember Jetblue wants to provide a BETTER experience at a BETTER value. The bar consistently moves in how better is defined relative to competition. We can probably all agree that the bar has been moving lower and lower in how we define better. How much does this change affect the core experience or value?

I agree that nickle and diming is a slippery slope and I don't see Jetblue taking that road. As a traveler, I come prepared for a flight with things I might need. My headphones when on Jetblue(which are apparently still free if you ask for them), my book or DVD player when not and always warm clothes and neck pillow regardless.

Curious how the enhanced cabin announcement will change the experience but it seems Jetblue has been very careful to not mess with it too much and expect them to do the same with whatever they have planned as they bring new groups of travelers into their mix.

newbs

Sorry, but just so I'm clear, are there pillows/blankets available on flights now or not? In particular, I am on the SJC-BOS redeye next week and I want to know whether I should plan on bringing my own. Or maybe I should just bring my own anyway since I've heard the airline-supplied stuff is not always that clean (is this still true?).

sbm12

If you want to be certain of what you are getting, brining your own is the only option. Even if they were supposed to be stocked there's a chance that they wouldn't be.

As for the cleanliness issue, unless it is shrink-wrapped I wouldn't trust it too much. And there are plenty of pillows and blankets that are not on airplanes today.

JetBlueFA

Bring your own would be my suggestion. Yes those pillows and blankets aren't the cleanest items on the planet (a junk yard might be healthier). We still have them but whether the flight gets them or not is up to whether the station has them or not.

built

Jetblue's service is heading downhill fast. Just my humble opinion.

They have become (are becoming) just another airline.

Mimi Imferst

Could you add some evidence to back up your opinion?

Since you've posted your opinion in this thread I'll assume that it at least partially relates to the idea that Jetblue is testing selling a pillow/blanket for sale that, if successful, would eliminate these items on all Jetblue flights.

I, too, believe that service is changing. And I offer that maybe it has to. Competition in the domestic US market is stronger than it has ever been and each airline is falling over itself finding ways to stay profitable in the current climate. The operations, service and otherwise, of domestic US carriers is the leanest that it has ever been due to the high focus placed on price by consumers.

After 3 years of expansion-related losses Jetblue has made a few changes to reduce cost and increase revenue, lest we forget Jetblue is a publicly traded company and has to appease stockholders as well as consumers. They have raised some of their fees for special services which still beat or equal the legacy carriers. They have managed, however, to leave the overall product alone or increase its value. You can still watch your personal TV w/o charge, eat/drink whatever and howmuchever you choose and have even more legroom than before for your comfort.

Every city still clamors for Jetblue to serve them, why? Could it be because they realize the value Jetblue brings is head and shoulders above the competition? To restate an earlier post; Jetblue remains, at its current service level, a better value than competition. As others reduce service levels and costs, Jetblue HAS to as well to be able to compete. It's a business. The experience you had in 2003 has changed, yes, but has it fallen more than the experience you'd have had on any other carrier? And has the core experience changed?

Your post would have been more to the heart of the matter if it read like this: "Airline service is heading downhill fast. Jetblue still manages to provide a better experience at a better value than "just another airline" ".

built

Don't tell me what I SHOULD have written. Regardless your intent to put words in my mouth, my original assertion stands.

Jetblue entered the industry promising to differentiate itself from the legacy carriers. With every service meltdown; every service reduction; every service inconsistency, Jetblue IS, in fact, becoming just another airline.

I predict continued deterioration in levels of service, including, but not limited to:

1. Elimination of free snacks.
2. Charging for TV (aside from the Premium channels)
3. Creation of a premium cabin, further reducing service levels in the main cabin in order to achieve product differentiation.
4. Reduction/elimination of soft amenities, ie spa kits, pillows/blankets (already in progress).
5. Increasingly restless and unhappy employees, as growth slows and stops, with promotional/advanced opportunities slowing as well. Witness the deplorable state of passenger services in Terminal 6 at JFK. I have run into an increasing number of grumpy agents and flight attendants lately, with agents seemingly at the breaking point, and flight attendants cutting corners on service.

As Jetblue continues to look under rocks to save money, it will have no choice but to take some of the same steps the legacy carriers have already taken. With no major revenue premium between Jetblue and the legacies, there is no incentive for Jetblue to continue to exceed expectations.

Already Jetblue's product is becoming tired, when compared to the new kid on the block, Virgin America.

The creation of a premium cabin is especially worrisome, as even though it could produce a revenue premium, other carriers (ie People Express, Laker, Air Florida) have shown that when a low-cost niche carrier abandons its initial business model, there are substantial risks.

My original assertion stands, in my humble opinion, and as somebody who has watched the decline from a passenger's standpoint, and who predicts a continued decline, I feel very comfortable in my opinion.

sbm12

Yup! It is happening because it is no longer new just as much as because of the changes they're implementing. As the novelty rubs off it becomes very obvious that the base service provided by any airline is a seat that moves a few hundred miles per hour through the air. That's the basic service that you're buying. Everything else is gravy.

I don't see 1 or 2. I do see number 3, though I'm not sure what reduction in the main cabin will happen versus additional service in the "F" cabin, such as free booze. Number 4 is already done. Number 5 will happen with any organization as it becomes older and larger. It stinks, and hopefully B6 can curb it some, but that's the way companies grow. Some of the legacies do a better job than others of keeping the employees happy, which translates into better service, but that's one of those things that every company in a service industry has to deal with.

Are you speaking to the Y or F product? I assume you are talking about the Y product, as the F product isn't something that you think B6 should pursue. The VX Y product is missing a few inches of pitch relative to B6. They both have TVs in the seat-back, and though the service is different, I think that it would be hard to claim one is significantly better than the other. I'm not sure that the snack service is all that different, and that's easy enough to address with my own food from home or the airport (especially JFK T6). Where else is VX better? Mood lighting? I can't imagine choosing a carrier for that reason alone.

JetBlueFA

Currently 80% of our revenue comes from the lesiure traveler. Mom and dad and the kids looking for the best deal to Disney land. A company can't survive on the lesiure traveler alone. We need more premium traffic, who travels often for business and is willing to pay the higher fares. Unfortunatly we need to find out what that business traffic wants and how we can provide it while not reducing the service in the rest of the aircraft. Airlines are fighting for the business traffic because that is where the revenue is. If we don't find some way to gain some of that traffic (projects in motion) we WILL go the way of People Express. Unfortunatly, in today's market, $89 just doesn't pay the bills and we are figuring that out and that's what got us into this position in the first place. Look at WN, even they are changing the way they do business to win that important business traveler.

Every airline is struggling to adapt to the current market (possible recession, fuel prices, consolidation)

Mimi Imferst

I wasn't intending to do either of these things. Just trying to defend my favorite airline. I welcome your opinion.

I agree that service(assuming customer service) can be inconsistent depending on the crew(hasn't it always been that way?), however, service meltdowns(assuming operations) of which I can only think of one, has in the end improved reliability and brought forth a passenger-centric and industry-first Bill Of Rights.

Mostly agree with sbm12's comments above although "soft amenities" are all still available at this time. From headsets to refreshing towels after redeye flights to sleep kits and, if not more than 50% of the time pillows and blankets, too. Also, if you don't like T6 take a guided tour of Delta's ops at JFK for comparison. Either way, neither will hold a candle to T5 opening at the end of the year.

Except that Jetblue is probably keen on winning new customers from other airline's loyalty programs and encouraging the next generation to start their loyalty flying with them. Also, their unbelievable brand recognition hinges upon their ability to continue offering a better experience at a better value.

Maybe, let me know when they serve half the number of cities that Jetblue does. There is still plenty of time to catch that horse, and we don't even know if it can run yet.

Premium cabin worries me as well. Perfect world: nothing changes besides extra space and the additional revenue actually supports the cabin experience and level of service.