mishugana

I'm an AA platinum I cruise out of Sju a lot next year I'm flying mar 8 -15 next year AA was 318 RT jet blue is 476 RT I'm paying 568.80 RT upgraded to the front cabin returning?

TWA Fan 1

I don't think jetBlue was ever a true LCC. With the recent run-up in fuel costs, they have repositioned themselves as a premium economy carrier.

Looking at the comparison above, keep in mind that AA charges $15 for the first bag, so if you have at least one bag, you would need to add $30 roundtrip to the AA fare (although AA would still be considerably cheaper).

But since you "upgraded" to the more spacious seats, you have to agree that you got at least the leg room of first class for a fraction of the cost. Another way of looking at it, is you're getting lot more for your $568 on jetBlue than you would have out of the $318 on AA.

Also, there are many cases where jetBlue is less expensive than AA.

sbm12

It is impossible to use a single route on a single date to decide if a carrier is cheaper than another. Much like the reputation Southwest earned as the cheapest option when it is not necessarily the case, JetBlue has given that impression to some folks some of the time.

But JetBlue actually had their highest average fare ever in the last quarter - ~$140. So they are definitely trending towards more expensive.

It is always prudent to compare prices for the flights/dates that you want to travel on and buy accordingly. There is never going to be a carrier that is always cheaper than the competition all the time.

mishugana

I dont pay the check bag fees for 2 reasons i never check bags and the other reason is that im a million mile flyer on AA which makes me elite thus no bag fees

TWA Fan 1

Fair enough.

Then again, you will be flying in far greater comfort in the 38" seat-pitch section of jetBlue, versus the standard 31" to 33" seat pitch of AA's economy class, so I think it's fair to say that you're getting an outstanding value out of jetBlue.

After all, you had the option of buying the cheaper ticket on AA and you didn't.

dbuckho

Even WN fares come in line with a lot of other carriers on a lot of routes/dates once the cheap seats are sold. I have been watching B6 and VX (Virgin America) a lot for WAS and NYC fares from LAX the past year - the trend for both seems to be a fare sale (or in VX's case, a discount code) a little closer to date of travel - but higher fares this far out. The old way used to be cheap seats available on the date flights went on sale and more expensive later - not sure if the recent trend is due to high oil prices or if they discovered something in yield management.

That said, I have a rare B6 segment next week MSY-JFK. AA was matching the $106 one-way fare, but it required a visit to DFW vs. the B6 non-stop. DL also flies non-stop, but was much more expensive. I think I know which airline was driving the low fare - so I would still say B6 plays a little in the LCC game.

sbm12

Only if you pay an extra $10-30 each way. Otherwise you're still at 32"-34" pitch.

DanJ

Lower costs for an airline doesn't always translate to lower costs for the passengers.

TWA Fan 1

Indeed. However, since the OP is flying to SJU, he would have been in 34" seat pitch on an A320 and for $60 rt he was able to get himself the same legroom as in AA FC (although clearly B6's "premium" section is not FC).

Still, even with the additional fee, the value of B6's premium seats is outstanding.

El Boocho

That was my thought too. I always thought LCC refered to the airline cost structure, not the price of the tickets. US Airways calls themselves a LCC (although I don't think they really are) and certainly is not known for being inexpensive.

nerd

Yeah - it is funny how people confuse low costwith low fare.

JetBlueFA

As others have stated OUR costs are low and not our fares, as many have eluded to. We've kind of repositioned ourselves as a premium economy type carrier. While we don't offer the first class seating, or a well structured frequent flier program but we try to provide more for your dollar. While we have a second bag fee we still offer free tv, free radio, and free snacks/drinks. We've tried to stay as true to our core brand as possible. However if you want to upgrade into the EML or watch a movie that is going to cost you a little extra (unless there are some delays then you might get it for free). The movies are no longer free on the Caribbean or Mexican flights because of a change in studios. Before we had only signed with Fox studios and could only show their movies. A few months ago we changed that and signed agreements with all of the studios which gives us access to a wide selection of movies, but costs more, hence the change.

There are still really good deals out there if you just do a little digging. Trust me I just bought two European tickets and got a very good deal on them...except for the taxes