New JB Policy? Can't move into exit row / extra legroom seats
Flew yesterday IAD-BOS and back today. Bought both tickets last minute and flights were short and empty. I often buy an "Extra Leg Room" seat for longer flights, but $25 for an hour long flight didn't seem worthwhile. Last night I was in the row behind the exit and when the door closed the row was empty so I moved up one row. No problem.
This afternoon, same deal. Flight was maybe 20% full and all 12 exit row seats were empty. Once the final passenger had boarded and sat down, I moved up a couple rows to an exit row seat. Couple minutes later a FA asked if I'd just boarded and I said, "No, I just moved up a couple of rows" at which point she told me -- in the midst of a nearly empty plane with 12 empty exit row seats, that if I wanted to sit in that seat she'd have to swipe my credit card and charge me $25. I like JetBlue. Up until today I'd always felt like they (along with perhaps Southwest) were the last airlines that didn't aggressively embrace annoying policies designed seemingly to alienate customers. Now I'm not so sure they still belong in that category. For the record, I can actually understand if, say, the exit and window were occupied by passengers who'd paid for "Extra Legroom", and someone moved into the middle seat, the FA should politely ask them to pay or move, but when my sitting there had no impact on any other passenger, was this the right call? Curious what others think. For me, my next trip to Boston will be back to the US Air Shuttle. --Jason |
If there is a product that costs x and you take it for free, isn't that stealing? Sure, it doesn't "hurt" any of the passengers except those that stupidly paid the x even though they didn't have to.
Look at this from their perspective. Shouldn't they get their money back since they could have just moved up like you did? |
Originally Posted by magiciansampras
(Post 12316779)
If there is a product that costs x and you take it for free, isn't that stealing? Sure, it doesn't "hurt" any of the passengers except those that stupidly paid the x even though they didn't have to.
Look at this from their perspective. Shouldn't they get their money back since they could have just moved up like you did? A different way to look at it: the $25 is the price one pays to reserve the extra legroom in advance. i.e. if it's important to you, like it is for me on the long flights, I'd pay for it. If you buy your ticket 21 days in advance for $100 and I buy mine the day of for $400, are you stealing the $300 in value? No, because you did not choose to purchase the flexibility I purchased to make last minute travel plans. And in this case, $25 would have bought me guaranteed space. Whenever my company contemplates a policy that would make us less "friendly" to our customers, I like to compare how the new policy will stack up against our competitors. So is there any other airline out there that won't allow you to move to an exit row seat when the plane doors close and that row is empty? Even if they only offer them to their elite passengers? Have you ever been told you couldn't sit in a seat because it was only available to an elite member? Or is JetBlue the "least customer friendly" on this dimension? I'm not aware of anyone else doing this. |
Originally Posted by jbsjbs
(Post 12316891)
So is there any other airline out there that won't allow you to move to an exit row seat when the plane doors close and that row is empty? Even if they only offer them to their elite passengers? Have you ever been told you couldn't sit in a seat because it was only available to an elite member? Or is JetBlue the "least customer friendly" on this dimension? I'm not aware of anyone else doing this.
This is a very customer friendly policy for those customer who pay up for exit rows and get a free seat next to them, because the airline prevents self-upgraders. |
Originally Posted by mgm321
(Post 12316925)
United. No self upgrading to E+, including exit rows. And as a United FF I'm very happy they don't allow self upgrading to E+.
This is a very customer friendly policy for those customer who pay up for exit rows and get a free seat next to them, because the airline prevents self-upgraders. And maybe someone could argue that leaving it up to the FA discretion is too difficult, but it doesn't take a physicist to determine that the lone passenger among the block of 12 seats (me) was not impinging on the space of any paying customers. Economy Plus is actually a cabin class on United which I'd consider to fall under the same logic as not being able to "self-upgrade" to business class just because there are seats open. An exit row is not a cabin class, but obviously it is something they're trying to squeeze some extra revenue out of. Interestingly, on the flight the night before the FA actually got on the PA and said we were all welcome to move around and spread out, and he didn't say, "Except for the Extra Legroom seats" so it's apparently already a policy they administer arbitrarily. |
Originally Posted by jbsjbs
(Post 12316973)
Economy Plus is actually a cabin class on United which I'd consider to fall under the same logic as not being able to "self-upgrade" to business class just because there are seats open. An exit row is not a cabin class, but obviously it is something they're trying to squeeze some extra revenue out of.
|
Originally Posted by jbsjbs
(Post 12316973)
Economy Plus is actually a cabin class on United which I'd consider to fall under the same logic as not being able to "self-upgrade" to business class just because there are seats open. An exit row is not a cabin class, but obviously it is something they're trying to squeeze some extra revenue out of.
|
Originally Posted by mgm321
(Post 12317064)
You are arguing semantics. If JB made a web page calling the seats the "Exit Row Cabin Class" would that make a difference to you? United is just being more sophisticated in its revenue squeezing model. It evolved over time and started out pretty similar to what JB has now: Even More Legroom
Originally Posted by jbsjbs
(Post 12316891)
Yeah, I understand their logic, though in this case it wasn't worth the $25 before the flight, and it wasn't worth $25 on board. Their pricing is pretty foolish ($25 for an hour's worth of 4" of legroom) thus all their premium seats were empty).
|
Why are we feeding the trolls?
I've said it before and it bears repeating: people shouldn't be allowed to post until they have a certain minimum number of posts. |
Originally Posted by Spent_All_My_Miles
(Post 12317444)
Why are we feeding the trolls?
I've said it before and it bears repeating: people shouldn't be allowed to post until they have a certain minimum number of posts. |
This thread asks a simple and pertinent question politely and reasonably. That's not trolling behavior. Let's be equally polite and measured with responses.
FWIW, I agree that this is JetBlue's decision to make. I could understand their going either way, but as in other areas, the decision needs to be consistently applied once it is made. Inconsistency will drive customers much more crazy than will a policy they disagree with. |
Yes it was the right call. It is a product that they charge for and if you don't pay for it I don't see why you feel entitled to the seat for free. If you paid to play 9 holes and the back 9 at a golf course is empty do you think you should be allowed to play it for free? What about an empty luxury suite at a hotel when you paid for a standard room?
I wouldn't pay the $25 either for a 90 minute flight but I wouldn't feel entitled to help myself either. Would you have paid $10? That is the normal fee for a BOSIAD flight, I guess you happened to book the one flight in each direction (IADBOS 304 & BOSIAD 307) that is $25. |
Originally Posted by Spent_All_My_Miles
(Post 12317444)
Why are we feeding the trolls?
I've said it before and it bears repeating: people shouldn't be allowed to post until they have a certain minimum number of posts. In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional or disciplinary response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[2] I appreciate the variety of input and thoughts on the topic. Clearly I'm in the minority of opinions of people posting here, and by virtue of the fact that nobody was spending $25 for the seats I'm in the overwhelming majority of passenger opinion as to how they price the resource. --Jason |
Originally Posted by mgm321
(Post 12317064)
You are arguing semantics. If JB made a web page calling the seats the "Exit Row Cabin Class" would that make a difference to you? United is just being more sophisticated in its revenue squeezing model. It evolved over time and started out pretty similar to what JB has now: Even More Legroom
I am, absolutely, making a distinction between "geographically distinct" forward and rear cabins of a plane, and the exit row which someone might be in front of or behind. If they're going to introduce that as a new distinction they ought to have mentioned it on the prior night's flight when they invited people to move around the cabin and spread out. --Jason |
Originally Posted by Igotmybigboypantson
(Post 12317881)
If you paid to play 9 holes and the back 9 at a golf course is empty do you think you should be allowed to play it for free?
What about an empty luxury suite at a hotel when you paid for a standard room? I wouldn't pay the $25 either for a 90 minute flight but I wouldn't feel entitled to help myself either. Would you have paid $10? That is the normal fee for a BOSIAD flight, I guess you happened to book the one flight in each direction (IADBOS 304 & BOSIAD 307) that is $25. --Jason |
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 3:25 am. |
This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.