The Skies Are Turning Unfriendly
Filed under: Etc.
With the economy the way it is and fuel prices going through the roof, companies are having to cut corners where they can or face going under.
The latest airline to feel the heat is JetBlue Airways.
In order to save some money and make a little extra they've decided to try something new. Something that SUCKS!
All JetBlue customers will no longer be receiving free pillows and blankets. They also wont be recycling the same ol' blankets and pillows from now on.
Instead, JetBlue will now be offering an "eco-friendly" travel pillow and blanket.
But of course, they won't be free.
On flights longer than two hours, you'll be able to purchase the pair for $7. Oh, and as an incentive each kit will include a $5 coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond.
As of now, they will continue to offer free "Snooze Kits" on all overnight flights from the West. Those include an eyeshade and ear plugs.
JetBlue also has the option to allow customers to purchase "extra leg room" seats for an additional fee.
They are expected to collect about $40 millions for those sales.
As for its $15 fee for a second checked bag, that'll be an extra $20 million in revenue.
Even their ticket change fees have gone up, doubling to $100 if you want to change your flight.
What do U think about all the changes?
[Image via WENN.]
Yihaahh, Firstttt Biatchh
Sucks though!
OH GOD HARDER!
1st??? It hurts my feelings
At least you can still get a tv with each seat and free snacks. I never use the pillow anyway.. I still love Jetblue
I home sick today! I like to fly to vegas.
muerte a los fisteros
firstttttt
I think that it costs money to be a consumer and if the stuff you want costs more then you better be willing to work harder to get it. Cheap air travel is not a right.
JetBlue is not the first to do this…you should mention all the others who stopped that years ago - American, United, etc. They only 4 pillows on the flight so they don't have to announce a change like this.
I think I'm perfectly happy staying home, that's what.
what would you suggest, fat ass?
It is inevitable. We are slaves to oil…We will start having to pay.
Total crap. Just charge me $7 more on my ticket and make the damn plane on time.
It sucks but we got no choice…
Blahhh! It sucks…pretty soon i'll be spending my vacation time on my living room couch ;(
Maybe if people just brought their own damn inflatable pillows then there would be nothing to complain about. I never use those pillows or blankets, they are so skanky smelling.
you gotta do what you gotta do!
what does this have to do with hollywood gossip???
Let those that use a service pay for that service. If the airlines don't cover their costs then they are doomed.
Somewhere, in a boardroom over double lattes, someone is realizing that they can charge for using the toilet on a plane….
I'd rather have them cut corners in those areas then take it out on ticket prices. Just bring your own stuff or dress appropriately.
they don't want to do this to their customers, but how else are they going to survive? You have to blame the Bush administration for this.
OH NO! hardly worth crying about. a pillow?
I think the changes are good. Do what you have to do to keep the business afloat! And who cares about the blanket or pillow fees, just pay it and shut up!
sucks, but they gotta do what they gotta do. the rising fuel costs are affecting everything, even airplines.
I think I'll be traveling more by car, train, or bus. I need to get from North Carolina to California. Looks like it'll be my big adventure!
tickets are expensive enough as it is..
oh well we're all dealing with the shame shit
What do i think?!?!? I'm not gonna fly with them - thats what i think
simple as that. This is 2 much… what the heck is wrong with these airlines. How about.. when theres a delay they give us $7 back? … for the waiting and all that crap, or when they loose the luggage, what do they think about that? 
All they know is charge people extra, but when they make a mistake, they dont admit it, and im talking about all of them.
Fuck it, I guess I'll be relying on Greyhound, Amtrak, or hitchhiking to go wherever I need to go. I swear, one day they'll be charging you just to breathe the air.
Just another reason to fly an international carrier. Their fares are just as competitive and they offer all the little amenities (food!, drink, pillows, slippers, blankets, headsets, snacks, movies etc.) for free AND they don't charge to check in one or two suitcases. Why anyone flies the USA carriers (unless you have to for specific routes) is beyond me.
I think that that is okay because of our stupid prez. got us into this war!!!!!!!
Meh. This is standard in Canada and much of the rest of the world. Get of it, Perez. Americans aren't nearly as spoiled as you'd like to believe.
JetBlue ought to just shut it's doors now. This nickel and dime nonsense is just a precurser for the end. I wouldn't take a free ticket from them if you gave it to me.
blame bush.
Re: Thora – Thats what I'm saying!
Re: Kimberella – good, we don't want your ugly ass out and about
The $100 change fee has been in place for a while now and its total bullshit. I had booked a flight from Boston to LA and had to switch one filght by a day. I got whacked $100…then I had to cancel altogether. Wacked ANOTHER $100! They would not listen to reason and insisted on taking both fees. So JetBlue charged me $200 to fly NOWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: Hey!! – Fuck you assholes for blaming Bush for every little fucking thing that's wrong in the world! I hope he goes to war with Iran before he leaves office, let that niggar monkey fix that shit!
Re: haha – You're right 'HaHa' , infact i woke up late the other day because i forgot to set my alarm and i just blamed the Bush administration.
As a flight attendant, I think the idea of selling pillows and blankets is quite great. If you have seen the pillows they are the nice ones that go around your neck, and the blankets are nice as well. I worked for an airline where these items were free, and what gets on those pillows and passed around from one flight to the next is GROSS!!! jetBlue is still a class act airline.
I think its absolutely necessary and justified. I think that the airline industry and just trying its best to survive, while longer term solutions are figured out. The airline industry ( to be successful) relies entirely on the concept that fuel would be cheap. In these days and age fuel will no longer be cheap. So rather than raising prices on tickets astronomically, they're trying to find other ways to make the difference. I remember reading that the price of the ticket represented something around 15 % of the cost for fuel. Now its more like 56 % and going up. The airline industry would rather you pay for the fuel, and they'll charge you other fees to make up the difference. Suffice to say people should think of travel by air as a luxury not a necessity.
I fly everymonth.. this is just getting ridiculous.. whats next a Coin slot for the bathroom use?.. flying is not the same anymore.. ALL USA airlines are horrible..
What about United Airlines charging 15 bucks for any first checked bag then 25 bucks for every bag after that? Lame!
this doesn't really bother me. I take my own Lug Napsack pillow and blankey. I have cootiephobia I don't wanna use a pillow or blanket when I don't know where it's been.
These changes make complete sense when you actually THINK about the situation.
Re: Hey!! – 'Hey' didn't muslim terrorists get us into this war?
I just flew Jet Blue from LA to DC!!
At least they still give snacks and juice.
I still adore Jet Blue.
i would must rather pay $7 for the convenience of an un-used eco friendly blanket, than wrap myself up in or lay my head on a used one.
While it will suck that we are no longer receiving things for free, really, why do we expect JetBlue to give us a free blanket and pillow. You can bring one on the plane, and I always have something to drape over my legs. I don't really sleep, so have no use for the pillow. And to be honest, the fact that they are keeping the Snooze Kit shows they aren't cutting all corners. But that being said, why should an airline provide you earplugs and a sleep mask? You can buy them for like $5 yourself. Plus, with the extra bag costs, that really sucks for me, because I pack heavy, but weight equals increased fuel use, and the truth is that we all have to make accommodations. You could always drive or stay home.
WHO CARES!! You love Obama, yet you bitch about the price of fuel. WAKE THE FRICK UP~ ! No offshore, alaska, etc . drilling ='s high gas prices ='s higher airfare. AND there should be a financial penalty for overpacking. It is bad for the environment as it causes the use of more fuel. PLEASE, you hypocrits make no sense, you drive SUVs and fly around the country - yet you say you will vote for OBAMA. PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME!
when will we have to pay to use the toilet?
JetBlue did away with pillows and blankets over a year ago. I fly JetBlue all the time and those bitches tell me no every time I ask.
If these charges help Jet Blue survive the soaring fuel prices, bring them on. People who need their "blankie" can pay. Jet Blue is one of the few airlines that cares about their passengers.
JetBlue has completely jumped the shark. As someone who flies them about once a month I am now switching to Virgin America. I could begin to describe all my woes on JetBlue over the past few months but it would take several pages. Two months ago, my BF and I were stuck on the Tarmac for 5 hours - no food, no water — the flight attendants acted pissed off and angry to all the passengers. We were literally kidnapped because if the plane went back to the gate, they would have been forced to let the flight attendants (who were doing 16-hour days) go home. Two weeks ago, our JetBlue flight from Seattle to NYC was canceled. We ended up having to pay almost $1000 on Continental to get home because JetBlue was just going to leave us stranded. What used to be one of the best airlines around has now become one of the worst. Also, because of fuel prices, JetBlue has taken to only filling up their tanks half-way — so if the flight takes longer in the air than what they estimated at take-off, you'll have to do an "emergency landing" at some remote airport to refuel. This happened to me both times on a trip from NYC to San Francisco, adding hours to our travel time. I would not recommend JetBlue to anyone.
once again, a bunch of uneducated and irrational dolts write comments on here.
if we want to have any COMPETITIVELY priced airlines at all, they have to charge fees like this. their fuel costs have doubled in the last 2 years, yet competition is keeping ticket prices down. since they haven't recovered their costs, their pricing model has to change to be more modular. pillows, blankets, and checked items used to be paid for by everyone, including those that didn't use them.
now, they want to be as competitive as possible on upfront ticket prices and only charge those WHO USE THE FEATURES.
it's just like auto pricing - you pay for the base level car, then add on features you want.
stop acting like they're killing the consumer - they're doing it to stay in business. if they all go under, prices go WAY UP because of lack of competition.
it's a fact of life. deal with it
Good thing I don't travel. Sucks for business people.
Guess I wont be Flying anymore ! Driving Might still be cheaper , atleast I can bring my own pillow an water !
I am a Canadian travel agent, and it is unfortunately a new reality. In Canada, we have two major airlines (WestJet and Air Canada). WestJet is thriving in this time of stress, actually. Air Canada is cutting jobs, charging for extra luggage, extra fuel surcharges in the base fare… They are also cutting back some of their regular routes within Canada and to the States. And WestJet is swooping to save the day. Gotta love WestJet…
With the States, it's getting bad. US Airways is charging for ALL checked luggage now… and the same with fuel surcharges, etc. Many other airlines are having to compensate for the rising fuel prices just as US Airways is. Their fares are skyrocketing, as well as the extra services…that used be considered a given when travelling. I recently read an article stating that some airlines are now even charging for WATER! I suppose it's going to be the survival of the fittest…
As much as it is a pleasure to experience the world, it's getting very pricey. Perhaps for us consumers and avid travellers, it will also be survival of the fittest.
Took Amtrak the other day for a short trip. It was great. No long line for TSA, no unfriendly airport security personnel, no extra charge for second luggage, or leg room.. With all the time wasted to get to the airport to check in 1 to 2 hrs ahead of time and waiting for luggage, the total time for the trip comes out to about the same. Americans should switch their travelling habit and air fares will come down again once they see that they're flying empty with all these extra charges.
Don't care.
I'm willing to pay for extras. And I like it when airlines cut the price down (allegiant) when I don't want the extras (like a checked bag).
If I want a pillow, I'll bring my own or pony up the seven bucks.
So what, slut??
I think it's a good idea. The blankets & pillows aren't really necessary anyway.
They always fall on the floor! I always bring my own neck pillow which straps round the seat. SO much more comfy! Don't be such a baby, girlie boy!
Funny, they didn't have to do this during the Clinton Adminstration … but this country had a real President back then. Dimwitted Bush voters have to reflect the blame of their stupidity somewhat … say, didn't those W. loving clowns blame Clinton for everything they didn't like
kinda worried, tbh.
I think that is retarted! and as for JETBLUE YOU SUCK!
All the airlines are making cuts and charging for extras!! My husband, daughter and I just had a flawless flight on Jet Blue last month. I just love that each seat has it's own TV!! And they have great free snacks. They had trouble with the TV's BEFORE takeoff so they gave the whole plane access to the in-flight movies for free. Personally, I would fly them all the time!
Attention everyone,
My family and I took a 6 hour red-eye flight last weekend from San Diego to Philadelphia via USAirways. We chose them because they were the only carrier with enough seats available on the flight. Here are some things we were NOT informed of when we purchased our tickets:
–the air conditioning on the flight was nearly non-existent (we were all soaked in sweat)
–there was no running water in the bathrooms
–the phones and dvd players were taken out of all of the seats
–on a cross-country red-eye, all you are offered is ONE tiny glass of WARM water
–there is NO FOOD, not even for purchase.
It was, by far, the very worst flight of all of our lives. This is not including the fact that the electricity went on and off periodically during the flight, and luggage was misplaced as well. Trust me, the extra $$$ for a better airline is worth it!!!! USAirways needs to save everyone the trouble and just fold. If their business plan is to continue to strip planes of necessaries such as water and air, they are CLEARLY going nowhere!!!!
I bring my own pillow, but I'd rather pay $7 than use those recycled ones. GROSS! The $15 second bag fee isn't as bad as other airlines. I think with American it's $25. Southwest is still a good value if you don't mind being herded.