jetBlue finally unveils their ff program call TrueBlue.

Credits are earned for flight distances. As I read it, you only need 5 round trips when booked online for a free ticket anywherethey fly! including the carribean! Seems reasoable when it takes 35K to carriebean on the majors - and to earn 35k is a lot more than 5 rts.

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[This message has been edited by jtmnyc00 (edited 06-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by jtmnyc00 (edited 06-13-2002).]

Only 5 round trips? Hardly... Point values are assinged for each flight, you'll earn 2, 4, or 6 points each way, and it appears that connections are only counted as one "flight".

examples from the website:

JFK-BUF = 2 points
JFK-MSY = 4 points
ROC-FLL = 4 points (looks like a connection gets penalized)
JFK-OAK = 6 points
BTV-LGB = 6 points (again, connection penalty)

Booking online earns double points, you need a total of 100, so someone who flies between JFK and BUF frequently will need to fly 13 round trips to earn one free, if they book online.

In all honesty, I think we all expected better on this one, especially with the connection penalty. Southwest's program, with a credit is a credit, no matter the flight length, still works better.

here's a helpful link to more info...

http://www.jetblue.com/trueblue/



[This message has been edited by duxfan (edited 06-13-2002).]

http://www.jetblue.com/trueblue/FF_About.aspx

Please also see:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/000026.html


Book your flight online at www.jetblue.com and we'll double your points.*

*Valid through 12/31/02


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Please also see:

No points for Jet Blue

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/007064.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 06-18-2002).]

If I had a very successful airline startup and could design a frequent flyer program from scratch it would not resemble what jetBlue has put together here. They seemed to have plucked certain attributes from Southwest, some from the majors, some from the air and some from right out of their bunghole. A few interesting ones:

- points expire after one year
- no stopovers
- non transferrable
- restricted availability
- credit vs. miles system
- paperless

I'm just commenting here because I haven't been anywhere near jetBlue. But it seems they had a grand opportunity here, most likely squandered.

I guess Alamo didn't trademark the name when they used it for their short-lived frequent renter program (or mabe JetBlue bought it from them) ??

Those of you who don't like the JetBlue FF program, I would like to know your ideas of a good program for JetBlue. Personally, I think it sounds great.

No bonus for connections? WN does the same thing, and I've never heard anyone complain about WN "penalizing" you for connections. You pay the same base fare whether or not you connect, so providing the same FF award makes sense to me.

Expires in 12 months? Same with WN. I think that's good, because it prevents this huge buildup of miles that we have on the majors.

Shoot, you even get retroactive credit, something WN does not do (must swipe card before boarding, or no WN credit).

Here's my idea:

I't always bothered me that FF rewards are based on segments or distance tavelled instead of amount of revenue that you created for the airline. Airlines recently started to give extra miles for flying first class, but that still does not justify thoes flying Y (full fare). I think I know why airlines don't give rewards based on how much was spent to buy the ticket and that is bec. Airlines need bussiness travellers for them to survive and if they start rewarding them based on how much their companies payed for their tickets they'd be in trouble. (BTW I recently noticed that AA has started some sort of program for companies to collect points for the tickets they buy for their emploeeys without taking away the regular miles the passenger receives for flying, I wonder how that program is doing)

So here goes my idea: considering the fact that JetBlue is a lowfare airline, their bussiness plan does not involve getting more money out of bussiness travelers than out of leisure travellers, and the difference between highest payed fare to lowest on any one of their flights is not all that much then I would set up a FF program that rewards travellers based on the amount of revenue the traveller produced for JetBlue and that would be the money they payed for their fare (before taxes of course bec. that dosen't go to the airline)
I think all travellers would appreciate such a program give the airline revenue get free tickets.

Just waiting for the jetblue credit card and to see what other partners they pick

That is exactly what the JetBlue FF program does. Longer flight ==> higher fare, and more points for longer distances.

That is incorrect. Connections are credits on WN. CLE-BWI connecting to BWI-RDU means your card would be swiped twice, 2 credits. A CLE-RDU flight with a stop, no change in BWI, 1 credit.

Lets look at the programs in a nearly equal light. I can book 4 roundtrips CLE-BWI online and have an award ticket after the 4th trip. I would need 13 roundtrips JFK-BUF to receive an award ticket.

BTW, WN does allow a "once a year" ability to get a retroactive credit if you forget your card.

I don't have a problem with the one year to earn, another to use policy, either. It limits the liability of the airline, and is smart business. Got a free ticket? Use it. I'm just as guilty about hoarding my miles.

However, had JetBlue wanted to attract higher yield business passenger, they would have figured out a way to better reflect fare paid in the program...

That's the way National runs their program.

I'm not an expert in either program, but it sounds like Southwest's program is at least as good as JetBlues, probably better.

Where's this fantastically new and innovative program all of the "experts" like Boyd were predicting?

d

From the Southwest web site

Well maybe generally but there's always specials and intoductury fares. Plus I didn't take a look at their fares but are the ratios right?

Only if you can accumulate enough points in one year to claim an award. If it would take you more, you would never get an award. At least with programs like AA, people who tow or three times a year can eventually get enough mile to claim an award.