Ah - I see. B6 charging the same change fee as everyone else is not reasonable, and the reason it's not reasonable is because, as you noted in the first post, it's unconscionable.

Gotcha.

Being just like everybody else is not what jetBlue is about. I would argue that they could make more ancillary revenue by charging a LOWER fee rather than one that DISCOURAGES people from booking and/or changing a ticket. I used the credit I got back from cancelling my OAK-LGB-OAK ticket to get a seat with more room on my transcon. So jetBlue got my money for both tickets and I was totally satisfied with the whole process. Every time I have had credit remaining from a cancelation or change it has ENCOURAGED me to buy a new jetBlue ticket. I am going from SFO-AUS-SFO all in the same day tomorrow---for no other reason than to fly on jetBlue. If I would have totally lost all of my money if I couldn't go, I would not have booked the ticket at all.

Virgin America: $40 change fee (last I checked)
JetBlue: $100 change fee

I completely agree, this is a terrible business move by JetBlue. Until now, JetBlue's fees have ALWAYS (AFAIK) trailed their competitors (lower change fees until yesterday, lower 2nd bag fee starting next month, no fees for food or entertainment).

In an effort to help beat this issue to a bloody pulp, $100 is WAY TO HIGH!!! Life happens and it sucks to have to pay $100 on a $200 or $250 fare (which they can turn around and sell the seats to someone else while holding onto my money until I come back, in most cases, at a late date to use it). I'm not saying JetBlue should have no change/cancellation fee but $25 or $50 is reasonable, not $100 (roughly 30 to 40% of value on some itineraries).

I have to agree the $100 change fee is way too high. But really what is the alternative? Raising fares? That can only go so high. They are looking at a $100M loss this year. As a former crewmember I hope that they can weather this storm. I have close friends who are still there. They are being smart now with sitting on cash and try to ride this out. Every business decision that is made now is magnified because they really have no choice but pay for fuel.

Consolidation will play out and there will be a LOT of opportunities for future growth, but right now cash is king and they will weather this storm.

Listen to nearly every earnings conference call and jetBlue executives have been saying for quarter after quarter, all we need is $10 more per passenger to make a profit. Fares have already gone up. They are collecting revenues by charging extra for the front seats. I have no problem with this. They have to make enough to cover the cost of the flight. Charging a high fee to change a ticket I change myself online has very little cost to jetBlue and I get NOTHING for it. If I want to take 10 bags, charge me all you like. It may still be cheaper than sending it by Fedex. If I want more legroom, I will happily pay the $20 and have already for every flight I have booked for myself and other co-workers. Charging a high fee to change or cancel a ticket when I am doing the work myself and am paying the fare difference is just not right.

Flying within the US just got much less attactive for me. All of my trips within the US are discretionary so this just makes travelling not worth it at all.

Thankfully with Emirates starting San Francisco service in a few months, I can get where I need to go without taking a domestic connection.

I'd rather pay $5 for DirectTV. I'm sure they'd make alot more money doing that then they will with the $60 extra for change fees. With everyone getting DirecTV (DL and now CO) there isn't going to be that much of a competitive advantage, they need to push more legroom, because its the only big difference they have (most people won't care too much that they have to pay $5 for TV).

Although to be fair, atleast their not like AA where they charge you $15 to change your seat

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...f.3a1026c.html

Why would a discretionary traveler be particularly concerned with or affected by change fees?

^ Correct.

Yeah, I have to assume that was hyperbole because it would be completely irrational not to travel because of a higher change fee.

I say we ALL write in to Speak Up about this. Whether they liste on not, they'll see hundreds of people unhappy and at least consider alternatives.

Why not charge the change fee based on one way or round trip? Why not based on distance of flight? Why not based on fare paid? Better yet, why not based on the time span of advanced purchase? ie. book 6 months out, $40 fee; 5 months out, $50, 4 months, $60, 3 months, $70, 2 months $80, 1 month $90, 2 weeks $100. Same-day confirmed change: $40 - $50 and allow free standby when available on a 2 flights prior and 2 flights after, as opposed to just 1 prior. Also, allow free standby on NONSTOP immediately prior, NOT connecting flight immediatlely prior - this happened to me in LAS and it is crazy. It would cost the company more to send me through another city!

Another thought: If one books a $59 ticket and needs to make a change to a new flight that is also priced at $59, they will be paying $159. However, if they just 'forget' about the original ticket, and rebook on the new flight, they will onyl be paying $118, a $41 savings! What's the incentive to pay the change fee? More importantly, jetBlue misses the opportunity to sell that seat on the original flight, because the customer refused to pay the $100 fee and bypass the system to just make a new booking.

I strongly agree: charge less when making the change online. I wonder if this will have any impact on the sales of refundable fares.

Weren't you one of the ones that criticized my scheme of how much B6 should pay for compensation? I think you called my numbers "random."

Aren't your ideas here just as "random"?

Did anyone notice that there is no discount for changing your tickets online? Guess that means I'll be calling, if they are going to charge me $100, I'm not going to do the work for them.

Random, no. An example to back up my suggestion on charging less to change when booking in advance, yes. You expect compensation for no TV on a flight to equal the average monthly cable bill at home, as pointed out by seat13c. This is TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

Well, as you said in the other thread. This is a business. It is not "name your own change fee."