Jet Blue - buying seat assignments?

[ClapYourHands]

So Jet Blue has been a go-to for our last few trip to MCO, but it looks like their lowest fares have gone to the pay-for-seat-assignmnet model. I'm bummed because I liked that this was always included before.

Has anyone flow JB since the change took place? If so, can I book now without a seat assignment, and book one later if I decide I want to choose our seats? Will the price be the same or greater at that point? Can I wait until the 24 hour check in to see what we get at that point, and then buy if I don't like it?

And, yes, I know the only way to be guaranteed a particular seat is to buy it. I've been on enough of these threads to know asking this kind of question is like a beacon to those who are certain I'm happy to disrupt the plans of people around me with my entitled cheapness.

 

[nkereina]

With the Blue Basic fare, its my understanding that you can select a seat for free at 24 hours in advance. If you don't like the options, the only thing left to pay for at that point would be an upgrade to one of the "even more legroom" seats if there are any left. But you'd be rolling the dice as to whether any are available. If you book now without paying for a seat assignment, I believe you can call at any point prior to the 24 hour mark to pay for the seat selection and I don't think the price changes at all. But again, if you're going to pay for a seat assignment, its better to do it early for the most options.

Will you be checking a bag? Typically, at least the flights I've looked at, the next fare class up includes a seat assignment and a checked bag at no additional cost. If you are checking bag, you may want to add up the price of the Blue Basic fare + seat + bag fee against the price of the next fare class up from the Blue Basic.

 

[ClapYourHands]

With the Blue Basic fare, its my understanding that you can select a seat for free at 24 hours in advance. If you don't like the options, the only thing left to pay for at that point would be an upgrade to one of the "even more legroom" seats if there are any left. But you'd be rolling the dice as to whether any are available. If you book now without paying for a seat assignment, I believe you can call at any point prior to the 24 hour mark to pay for the seat selection and I don't think the price changes at all. But again, if you're going to pay for a seat assignment, its better to do it early for the most options.

Will you be checking a bag? Typically, at least the flights I've looked at, the next fare class up includes a seat assignment and a checked bag at no additional cost. If you are checking bag, you may want to add up the price of the Blue Basic fare + seat + bag fee against the price of the next fare class up from the Blue Basic.

Thanks. Lots of seats left at this point, but I'll monitor the situation to see if it looks like we'd likely be separated.

No checked bag. I'll have one carryon for me and DD to share. We could probably manage with only the underseat personal items. It's Orlando in May - not much fabric to the clothes we're taking.

 

[kylenne]

Thanks. Lots of seats left at this point, but I'll monitor the situation to see if it looks like we'd likely be separated.

No checked bag. I'll have one carryon for me and DD to share. We could probably manage with only the underseat personal items. It's Orlando in May - not much fabric to the clothes we're taking.

B6 is my domestic airline of choice but I haven't flown since the new fare structure came in play. You may be ok with the seat selection up to the last minute, but it really depends on your route. I fly out of JFK and those planes are always packed full to MCO.

 

[Jimsig]

Typically, at least the flights I've looked at, the next fare class up includes a seat assignment and a checked bag at no additional cost. If you are checking bag, you may want to add up the price of the Blue Basic fare + seat + bag fee against the price of the next fare class up from the Blue Basic.

If n the new fare structure if you book a JetBlue Blue Basic, Blue, and Blue Extra fare class you pay for bags. If you have a flight that also has Blue Plus you get one bag and a flight that you book Mint you get 2 bags. However they may be phasing out Blue Plus as for example flights this summer from BOS to MCO and BOS to LAX they only offer Blue Basic, Blue, and Blue Extra.

 

[kylenne]

If n the new fare structure if you book a JetBlue Blue Basic, Blue, and Blue Extra fare class you pay for bags. If you have a flight that also has Blue Plus you get one bag and a flight that you book Mint you get 2 bags. However they may be phasing out Blue Plus as for example flights this summer from BOS to MCO and BOS to LAX they only offer Blue Basic, Blue, and Blue Extra.

Blue Plus is not being completely phased out. It’s available on certain international routes, almost entirely in Latin America, and that seems to be the plan going forward.

JetBlue Plus cardholders still get the first bag checked for free even with Blue Basic.

 

[Jimsig]

Blue Plus is not being completely phased out. It’s available on certain international routes, almost entirely in Latin America, and that seems to be the plan going forward.

JetBlue Plus cardholders still get the first bag checked for free even with Blue Basic.

Woops, I had a line in my post about having free bags with the JB Plus card but deleted it by mistake.


So it seems as if JB now charges for bags on all domestic routes

I'm curious to know how much it is to pay for just a seat assignment with Blue Basic, I have searched the website and have not found it. I have the JB Plus card so bags are not and issue. My feeling is it either changes depending on length of flight etc, like they do with the "Even More" seats or it's the difference in fare between Basic and Blue.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I'm curious to know how much it is to pay for just a seat assignment with Blue Basic, I have searched the website and have not found it. I have the JB Plus card so bags are not and issue. My feeling is it either changes depending on length of flight etc, like they do with the "Even More" seats or it's the difference in fare between Basic and Blue.

You can find it if you go through the booking process. After you enter your information but before payment info, you will go through a series of add-on steps. There is a diagram of the plane and when you click on a seat, it will tell you how much it is to buy it. The further back you go in the plane, the lower the cost of the assignment. I assume they change with the route, but have only booked one flight, so I don’t know.

It was not the difference in fare between Basic and Blue. The seat assignments were $5-$14 each, and the upgrade cost was $25. While the paid seat assignment is the thing I like least, it's not the only difference, and I wouldn't expect it to make up the whole difference in price. The restrictions on Basic include boarding last (even if you're a Mosaic member), so finding overhead storage might be a challenge. The flight is also final sale; with Blue, one can modify for a fee, but with Basic, you just forfeit the whole cost if you can't make it. The Basic fare nets a lower point value, which isn't an issue for me because I fly so infrequently, but more frequent flyers might think twice about giving up their points.

 

[Anthony1971]

The Blue Basic does not include a seat assignment --you can pay for fairly cheap however it is the last to board which means if the overhead space is taken you will than need to check a carry on bag and pay for it being checked. You can have a bag that fits under your seat with no issues. For the Up-fee you actually are a seat assignment guaranteed carryon space and the regular boarding. If you have a carryon your best bet is to pay for the blue or get the JetBlue plus card which has a 99.00 a year fee but gives you free checked bags and other benefits as well as miles.

 

[nkereina]

The Blue Basic does not include a seat assignment

I believe you can select a seat for free at the 24 hour mark with a Blue Basic fare if a person doesn't want to pay the fee for it. You'd be taking your chances with availability, but its probably better than having the airline assign it for you.

 

[ClapYourHands]

The Blue Basic does not include a seat assignment --you can pay for fairly cheap however it is the last to board which means if the overhead space is taken you will than need to check a carry on bag and pay for it being checked. You can have a bag that fits under your seat with no issues. For the Up-fee you actually are a seat assignment guaranteed carryon space and the regular boarding. If you have a carryon your best bet is to pay for the blue or get the JetBlue plus card which has a 99.00 a year fee but gives you free checked bags and other benefits as well as miles.

If you have only one carry-on, and simply run out of overhead bin space, the standard procedure is to gate check it. It might be a pain, but it's not an added expense. Even before the creation of Blue Basic, there were fees for checked bags. On full flights, agents ask for volunteers to gate check bags for free before boarding starts - makes boarding and getting out of there much more efficient for everyone. Since I'm going to be gate checking DD's stroller anyway, it's no big deal to gate check my suitcase, too.

I have not flown JB since the new pricing structure entered in, but on previous flights, families with small children were allowed courtesy boarding before general boarding. The website still lists courtesy boarding, and does not clarify if it's for all families with small children or if it excludes Blue Basic. If DD and I board last, it won't be a big deal, but with a preschooler in a stroller, I probably have a decent shot of getting on in time to secure overhead bin space.

Since I only travel on JB once a year or so, it doesn't make sense to invest $99/year in a credit card for checked bags.

 

[Jimsig]

I have not flown JB since the new pricing structure entered in, but on previous flights, families with small children were allowed courtesy boarding before general boarding. The website still lists courtesy boarding, and does not clarify if it's for all families with small children or if it excludes Blue Basic. If DD and I board last, it won't be a big deal, but with a preschooler in a stroller, I probably have a decent shot of getting on in time to secure overhead bin space.

Since I only travel on JB once a year or so, it doesn't make sense to invest $99/year in a credit card for checked bags.

Even though I no longer have a small child I just tweeted JB. I asked if you purchased a Basic fare and paid for the assigned seats if you still got courtesy boarding with a small child say with a stroller. There response was "Yes, we do offer courtesy boarding for families."

Even if you fly once a year the $99 fee is worth if at least 2 people are checking one bag each . With bag fees at $30 each person/each way it's a $20 savings right off the bat. Another bonus is that in-flight purchases get a 50% credit. Also you get 5000 True Blue points each year (to buy 5000 points is currently $160). You also get bonus points on top of what they give you just for buying a ticket for using the credit card when you purchase tickets. Add those things up and it's not a bad deal. We travel about once a year as well, there are 3 of us so it's more then worth it.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Even though I no longer have a small child I just tweeted JB. I asked if you purchased a Basic fare and paid for the assigned seats if you still got courtesy boarding with a small child say with a stroller. There response was "Yes, we do offer courtesy boarding for families."

Thank you so much for checking on that for me! I really appreciate it!

Even if you fly once a year the $99 fee is worth if at least 2 people are checking one bag each . With bag fees at $30 each person/each way it's a $20 savings right off the bat. Another bonus is that in-flight purchases get a 50% credit. Also you get 5000 True Blue points each year (to buy 5000 points is currently $160). You also get bonus points on top of what they give you just for buying a ticket for using the credit card when you purchase tickets. Add those things up and it's not a bad deal. We travel about once a year as well, there are 3 of us so it's more then worth it.

It sounds like that makes sense for you to have the card. My family doesn't check bags if we can avoid it. If we're flying a route that uses a little plane that has very limited overhead storage, we'll check our bags. If it's on a plane that can accommodate roller bags, we carry them on. Saves time and worry.

I'm not loyal to any particular airline for my Orlando trips. The last two trips have been Jet Blue because the fares and times worked. This trip, I'm going down on Southwest because the fare is good, and Jet Blue's times were inconvenient. I'm returning on Jet Blue because although Southwest had a time I liked, the fare was strangely much higher. Someday, I'll get up the courage to try Frontier or Spirit.

 

[kylenne]

Thank you so much for checking on that for me! I really appreciate it!



It sounds like that makes sense for you to have the card. My family doesn't check bags if we can avoid it. If we're flying a route that uses a little plane that has very limited overhead storage, we'll check our bags. If it's on a plane that can accommodate roller bags, we carry them on. Saves time and worry.

I'm not loyal to any particular airline for my Orlando trips. The last two trips have been Jet Blue because the fares and times worked. This trip, I'm going down on Southwest because the fare is good, and Jet Blue's times were inconvenient. I'm returning on Jet Blue because although Southwest had a time I liked, the fare was strangely much higher. Someday, I'll get up the courage to try Frontier or Spirit.

Yeah, if you do carry on only and aren’t particularly married to JetBlue it doesn’t make much sense to have the card. For me it’s ideal since I fly several times a year and choose them whenever possible, plus I always check a bag (the liquids rule is why I can never do carry on only). Also NYC is their major hub and most of my domestic travel is to places they go. It’s been a great card for me since it’s so easy to rack up points. The sign up bonus alone paid for our May flights.

 

[tinkerhon]

I booked blue in November for.our July trip ( itinerary/confirmation just says "blue)
not sure if that is sa.e as basic blue - I was able to book with seat assignment s ,
doesn't look like there was an add fee - states no checked have included in price, but seat is
Bit confused - is the addl price for the seat loading into the fare. ? Was cheapest fare.I was when I booked

 

[ClapYourHands]

I booked blue in November for.our July trip ( itinerary/confirmation just says "blue)
not sure if that is sa.e as basic blue - I was able to book with seat assignment s ,
doesn't look like there was an add fee - states no checked have included in price, but seat is
Bit confused - is the addl price for the seat loading into the fare. ? Was cheapest fare.I was when I booked

The new price structure started in November for certain flights, and expanded from there. You probably booked right before the change went into effect. Prior to that time, ALL fares had the opportunity to select seats.

One of the reasons I’ve used Jet Blue in the past was for the lowest fare including seat assignments and free carryons. I personally find upcharges to be off-putting, and it feels like a tease to google a price, only to find that I can’t really take advantage of it because I’m flying with children.

It’s silly, I know, because if the search turned up a fare that was $10 higher and included advance seat assignments, I wouldn’t blink. But there’s a psychological barrier when I feel like I’m being forced to actively opt in to fees.

I also don’t believe for a minute that Blue Basic is actually going to be less expensive than the old lowest fare, Blue, used to be. It’s a tactic to make people pay more for the mid-level fare and get the same level of service that was formerly available on the lowest fare.

 

[tinkerhon]

The new price structure started in November for certain flights, and expanded from there. You probably booked right before the change went into effect. Prior to that time, ALL fares had the opportunity to select seats.

One of the reasons I’ve used Jet Blue in the past was for the lowest fare including seat assignments and free carryons. I personally find upcharges to be off-putting, and it feels like a tease to google a price, only to find that I can’t really take advantage of it because I’m flying with children.

It’s silly, I know, because if the search turned up a fare that was $10 higher and included advance seat assignments, I wouldn’t blink. But there’s a psychological barrier when I feel like I’m being forced to actively opt in to fees.

I also don’t believe for a minute that Blue Basic is actually going to be less expensive than the old lowest fare, Blue, used to be. It’s a tactic to make people pay more for the mid-level fare and get the same level of service that was formerly available on the lowest fare.

thanks so much for clarifying ! I was worried our seats would be taken away !

 

[ClapYourHands]

Data point: seat prices can change over time. When I first booked, the lowest price seat at the back was $5. Today the same seats are $7. The other seat assignments have also increased in price. Still cheaper than upgrading to Blue.