Jet Blue Airlines

[houstonfella]

Cheers. A great airline on the cutting edge. We got it first.

[VicMan]

I may try it out someday if I'm going to NYC... It sounds like a cool airline!

[Trae]

Austin got it first, but they are pretty cheap. Right now, round trip to NYC is 78. I am going to NYC for Christmas, we already booked out ticket, and it was 117. Hopefully they get some out to Long Beach soon.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

I wish JetBlue lots of success, but i will stick with Continental. Much much much better perks at Continental

[Trae]

But where else can you get Satellite TV and Radio for only 117 a flight.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

But where else can you get Satellite TV and Radio for only 117 a flight.

I will stay with Continental with the first class seating, hot meals, complimentary booze, presidents clubs and non stop service to most destinations i frequent on spacious widebody jets. Not to mention a host of very nice flight attendants and staff in the presidents club that actually remember me when i travel. Thats pretty impressive. Will take that anyday over satelite tv ;)

[ssullivan]

I will stay with Continental with the first class seating, hot meals, complimentary booze, presidents clubs and non stop service to most destinations i frequent on spacious widebody jets. Not to mention a host of very nice flight attendants and staff in the presidents club that actually remember me when i travel. Thats pretty impressive. Will take that anyday over satelite tv ;)

I agree! But for occassional leisure travelers, elite status, first class upgrades, and lounge memberships aren't much of a selling point. But for those of us who are on an airplane several times a week, a full service carrier with outstanding customer service can make things a lot easier.

I've heard great things about JetBlue, but honestly, there aren't too many places they can get you in this country.

[jmancuso]

these guys are a bargin. i can fly to upstate NY for a little over 200 bucks.

[MarthaG]

I heard this week that Jet Blue is the "Southwest Airlines" of the Northeast. Anyone know if that is true? I was also told it was a great company. Are they flying out of Hobby or IAH?

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

They are flying out of Hobby. The product they offer is better than what Southwest offers. They just dont serve as many destinations, yet.

[PapillionWyngs]

Their prices are just TOO HIGH!

[houstonmacbro]

I will stay with Continental with the first class seating, hot meals, complimentary booze, presidents clubs and non stop service to most destinations i frequent on spacious widebody jets. Not to mention a host of very nice flight attendants and staff in the presidents club that actually remember me when i travel. Thats pretty impressive. Will take that anyday over satelite tv ;)

i'm with you on continental. when i fly (frequently to puerto rico) i try to always use them. miles are great and they fly non stop. plus they serve REAL food not peanuts.

but for short trips or when i want to save some money, jet blue sounds reasonable.

never flown southwest so don't have a lot to compare it to.

[webdude]

Continental is a joke if you travel regular and not first class. For regular class, jetblue wins both in cost and comfort, because their regular class is almost comparable to business class on other airplanes. I like blue better than southwest, but I take southwest more because it covers many of my destinations, but if blue is here, definitely will use it more.

[houstonmacbro]

well, i like continental. i almost always request an exit ramp, aisle seat which has a LOT of legroom. i don't seem to mind it. and i travel to PR about 4 times a year and their online ticketless check in is cool.

(**no i do not work for or own stock in continental**) just an average citizen.

[feufoma]

Continental is a joke if you travel regular and not first class. For regular class, jetblue wins both in cost and comfort, because their regular class is almost comparable to business class on other airplanes. I like blue better than southwest, but I take southwest more because it covers many of my destinations, but if blue is here, definitely will use it more.

That may be true but at this point Jetblue is only flying to New York from Houston. I only go there a couple of times a year. I'll have to check it out. It would be nice if Jetblue expanded its offerings from Houston.

[houstonmacbro]

yeah, like to puerto rico ... i can get there on jet blue, but have to fly through too many hops to get there...

not good!

[ssullivan]

Jet Blue does offer a MUCH better product than Southwest. However, if you look closely, they don't really market themselves as a discount carrier. They do have some good fare sales, but a lot of their flying is in very leisure travel heavy markets, such as NYC-Florida, where prices are already pretty low. Most of Jet Blue's marketing is geared toward their product -- primarily extra leg room and satellite TV. This is one area where they beat most of the competition. They do arguably offer one of the most comfortable domestic economy seats, with many seats offering up to 3" of additional pitch over the 31" industry standard. But unlike Southwest, who really pushes price and nothing else in their marketing (because price is the only thing Southwest really has going for it), Jet Blue is more product-driven. Hopefully they will be able to continue to grow and offer more destinations, but Jet Blue is still a very young company and has already had some growing pains.

never flown southwest so don't have a lot to compare it to.

You haven't missed anything. Imagine a Greyhound bus with wings that can go 500 MPH.

[713 To 214]

Jet Blue does offer a MUCH better product than Southwest. However, if you look closely, they don't really market themselves as a discount carrier. They do have some good fare sales, but a lot of their flying is in very leisure travel heavy markets, such as NYC-Florida, where prices are already pretty low. Most of Jet Blue's marketing is geared toward their product -- primarily extra leg room and satellite TV. This is one area where they beat most of the competition. They do arguably offer one of the most comfortable domestic economy seats, with many seats offering up to 3" of additional pitch over the 31" industry standard. But unlike Southwest, who really pushes price and nothing else in their marketing (because price is the only thing Southwest really has going for it), Jet Blue is more product-driven. Hopefully they will be able to continue to grow and offer more destinations, but Jet Blue is still a very young company and has already had some growing pains.

As a frequent flyer of Southwest, and a person who, just last week, flew JetBlue from Hobby to New York, I totally agree with your statement.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

The price of a barrel of oil campaign JetBlue had going was very clever. They did it to ignaugurate new service to HOU from JFK.

[Trae]

Their prices are just TOO HIGH!

Hey, are you crazy?

[dbigtex56]

I flew JetBlue (Hobby to Rochester NY, changing planes at JFK) last week. Seemed OK to me - free headsets, satellite TV on the seatbacks, snacks and drinks provided, and friendly service. The price was right, too.

[houstonfella]

At least we have JetBlue to compete in the Bayou City. Let's get more flights than from Hobby to NYC. How about from Hobby to San Francisco? Are they there yet?

[Trae]

We need one to Long Beach, California. I go out there a lot with my family, and we need a cheaper alternative.

[houstonfella]

We need one to Long Beach, California. I go out there a lot with my family, and we need a cheaper alternative.

JetBlue to anywhere California works for me. You betcha. I LUV California.

[cougarpad]

Just saw a report that Jet Blue is moving to IAH. This is a blow to Hobby. I know it is a small airport but would be nice to see some more diversification in airlines at Hobby. Hobby is closer to the central business centers of Houston than IAH but Southwest has a strangled hold at Hobby and first Frontier was pushed out financially and now Jet Blue.

 

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/jetblue-announces-new-winter-service-houston-relocation.html

[Nate99]

Does Southwest just outbid the other carriers when the slots come up, or is there some other backroom deal going on? 

[cougarpad]

12 minutes ago, Nate99 said:

Does Southwest just outbid the other carriers when the slots come up, or is there some other backroom deal going on? 

I'd like to know that too. I do know that United and South West have a stranglehold on the Houston airports and that is why Houston is one the most expensive cities to fly into. I know there is a masterplan to add another runway to Hobby. I would have liked to see Jet Blue build another terminal on the opposite side from the new international one at Hobby. Austin currently has the most Jet Blue routes in Texas.

 

It always has not made any sense to me that Houston is the 4th largest city in the US and doesn't have more direct routes from the major airline like New York, Chicago, and LA. Heck if Delta was smart they would make Ellington into a Hub for them with the new Spaceport there.

[Luminare]

5 hours ago, Nate99 said:

Does Southwest just outbid the other carriers when the slots come up, or is there some other backroom deal going on? 

 

5 hours ago, cougarpad said:

I'd like to know that too. I do know that United and South West have a stranglehold on the Houston airports and that is why Houston is one the most expensive cities to fly into. I know there is a masterplan to add another runway to Hobby. I would have liked to see Jet Blue build another terminal on the opposite side from the new international one at Hobby. Austin currently has the most Jet Blue routes in Texas.

 

It always has not made any sense to me that Houston is the 4th largest city in the US and doesn't have more direct routes from the major airline like New York, Chicago, and LA. Heck if Delta was smart they would make Ellington into a Hub for them with the new Spaceport there.

 

Its not really some conspiracy. Its just really hard to run an airline. In jetblues case, they are a budget airline that is more focused on reducing costs to fly and for the consumer than staking out territory to hold for an entire fleet. Though I could be wrong, but thats what I've always seen from, or heard about, jetblue. Southwest is completely opposite where they price flights for cheap, but its because they have a large regional stake and a large fleet to keep people moving. Below is good primer video that explains what determines routes for airlines:

 

 

EDIT: Also Southwest uses older jets which reduces costs. That helps too.

[mollusk]

Funny thing is, Southwest and United aren't that far apart on price any more.  I used to fly Southwest all the time within Texas, but now I drive unless the destination is a fair piece past I-35.  Austin and San Antonio are a wash at best, and the frequency to Dallas has been cut so much that it generally is, too (barring cancellations, which I had both directions the last time I tried to fly to Love).  Further afield, I was recently able to snag a first class round trip to SFO on United for chump change more than Southwest.

[KinkaidAlum]

My guess is Jet Blue struggled to survive at Hobby because Hobby is essentially the airport for Southwest while everyone else is up at IAH. Yeah, Delta serves Atlanta from HOU and American flies barbie jets to DFW but that's it.

 

JetBlue is a GREAT airline. I hope they find success at IAH. I travel to Boston (I lived there for 16 years)  a lot but one flight a day does not a good schedule make. Jet Blue's current schedule is one daily to Boston and one daily to New York JFK. That's it. Hope those go at least double daily and I'd love to see Long Beach and Fort Lauderdale added.