JetBlue adds fee for checked bags
The airline plans to reinvest the millions of dollars it will collect from bag fees into new seats and TVs, according to Marty St. George, JetBlue’s executive vice president of commercial products and planning.
“Some of these changes are going to help pay for what’s the biggest product upgrade JetBlue has had in the history of the company,” he said in advance of the announcement.
Under pressure from investors and Wall Street analysts, JetBlue has been slowly adopting the practices of other airlines.
[...] it is charging for bags, something other carriers started doing in 2008.
Passengers also get free access to more than 100 channels of live satellite TV and radio and JetBlue still has more legroom than its competition.
The most expensive tier is called Blue Flex and comes with two free checked bags and allows changes without penalty.
Online travel agencies like Orbitz, Priceline and Expedia, will — for the foreseeable future — sell only the cheapest fares, those that don’t include a checked bag.
Passengers will still have to pay at the airport for their checked bags, but St. George notes that about 75 percent of passengers book directly with JetBlue.