Jet blue vs southwest?

[bocaj1431]

What is your preference between using Jet Blue or Southwest?

We have used Southwest before and usually like traveling with them but, last year they changed planes right before take off and it was an older version and the inside of the plane seemed to shake more (Could be my imagination). There was only one bathroom and more importantly there was no wi-fi. Wi-Fi is a must for us. My son has Autism and using the lap top is what enables him to travel. As soon as we found out , while up in the air, that there was no Wi-Fi, we had problems. (they advertise that all of their planes have wi-fi.) He became very anxious and fearful. He started to scream and cry. He was shaking and banging his head on the seat. Several times he attempted to get out of his seat, while the stay seated sign was on. I felt so bad for my son and the other flyers who had to deal with this for about an hour, until I finally got him to snap out f it. It was so bad I was fearful we were going to have to land and be removed from the plane. I never want to repeat that experience again!

The flight attendants were great but I wish they would of let everyone know upon boarding. I would have chosen not to take that flight. I thought this might be a rare occurrence but I read previously, on the DIS, that this was becoming more frequent. I am not sure if it has to do with their taking over that other airline. Can't remember the name of the airline. Anyways, a friend of mine suggested Jet Blue and was wondering about other peoples experiences traveling with them. Also, do they have the "disability pass"? (not sure what is called for other airlines)

Thanks for any help.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Why exactly do you need wi-fi? Even if a plane has it, you can't count on it always working. You can check an airline's website to see if wi-fi is available. It is not widely available on JetBlue. Did you check your Southwest flight?

http://www.southwest.com/wifi/

I have no idea what you mean by a "disability pass." Are you asking about preboarding?

 

[emilyindisney]

Before I answer anything, I'll admit that I'm heavily biased towards JetBlue. They are the airline of choice! However, I will be flying a return flight from MCO on Southwest soon only because it was a much cheaper option.

To answer your wi-fi question- JetBlue doesn't currently offer wi-fi in all of their planes. They are in the process of beta testing a new wi-fi system that they are offering free on select, technology-enabled planes through June 2014. After that it will cost $9/hour on flights with what they call 'fly-fi' technology. The goal is that it will be widespread among their fleet though their website makes it sound as if that won't happen completely until somewhere in 2015.

That aside, I LOVE JetBlue! As a Connecticut resident, I find that their prices out of BDL are generally reasonable which is a big plus for me. They give complimentary snacks and soda during all their flights, and have personal television sets and headphones jacks during each flight. The one time I flew with them and the televisions didn't work, I received a credit of $15 per a person! They advertise having the most legroom in business class among US airlines which I agree with! Their seats are very comfortable IMO. They also offer an upgraded option with even more room, and early boarding.

I don't know if they have a 'disability pass' but if I recall right, they have early boarding for families with children (which doesn't apply to me so that's why I'm not 100 percent on this) which you may find helpful.

 

[suemom2kay]

Why exactly do you need wi-fi?

I have no idea what you mean by a "disability pass." Are you asking about preboarding?

OP already explained that wifi is important to her autistic child. Not sure OP was looking for questions rather than answers to her questions. If you have no idea what a disability pass is, perhaps this wasn't the best post for you to "answer."

 

[suemom2kay]

Regarding Wifi and Jetblue: no it is not offered as a PP stated. I do not have an autistic child so please forgive me if my suggestions are not useful. Is it possible to have some games downloaded to the computer or phone or ipod and let your son know ahead of time that wifi may or may not be available. Perhaps with alternatives this will help. Forgive me if my suggestion is naive.

As for Jetblue as PP has stated there are other entertainment options besides Wifi.

As for "disability pass." You can make them aware of needs during ticketing, when you checkin and then again in the gate.

http://www.jetblue.com/travel/special-needs/

Boarding details
JetBlue offers pre-boarding/silent boarding on all of our flights for customers needing assistance.
Silent Boarding must be requested at the gate prior to our general boarding announcements.
Silent Boarding includes boarding first and assistance with stowing belongings.
JetBlue’s procedure is as follows:
Silent Boarding —For those customers who have requested or identified as needing assistance in boarding. Customers must be present prior to the beginning of boarding to have this service. No announcement is made.

Hope this helps.

 

[DebbieB]

I would be leery of Jet Blue in the winter. They seem to melt down when there is bad weather, mainly because of their concentration of flights in the northeast, especially Boston & JFK.

 

[kandb]

We only fly JetBlue. We love them. Is there anyway you could download games or movies or whatever else your son will want to watch/play on his electrical device? Even if the plane says they have Wi-Fi you just can never count on it 100%, sometimes things go down in the planes. I get anxiety and I am not fond of flying but I plan beforehand for things to distract me. I guess what I am suggesting is to have a backup plan with your son. I am not too computer saavy but I know of friend of mine downloads stuff all the time on her I-pad before flying. Good luck.

 

[bocaj1431]

To answer your wi-fi question- JetBlue doesn't currently offer wi-fi in all of their planes. They are in the process of beta testing a new wi-fi system that they are offering free on select, technology-enabled planes through June 2014. After that it will cost $9/hour on flights with what they call 'fly-fi' technology. The goal is that it will be widespread among their fleet though their website makes it sound as if that won't happen completely until somewhere in 2015.

That aside, I LOVE JetBlue! As a Connecticut resident, I find that their prices out of BDL are generally reasonable which is a big plus for me. They give complimentary snacks and soda during all their flights, and have personal television sets and headphones jacks during each flight. The one time I flew with them and the televisions didn't work, I received a credit of $15 per a person! They advertise having the most legroom in business class among US airlines which I agree with! Their seats are very comfortable IMO. They also offer an upgraded option with even more room, and early boarding.

This is good to know. Thank you.

Regarding Wifi and Jetblue: no it is not offered as a PP stated. I do not have an autistic child so please forgive me if my suggestions are not useful. Is it possible to have some games downloaded to the computer or phone or ipod and let your son know ahead of time that wifi may or may not be available. Perhaps with alternatives this will help. Forgive me if my suggestion is naive.

As for Jetblue as PP has stated there are other entertainment options besides Wifi.

As for "disability pass." You can make them aware of needs during ticketing, when you checkin and then again in the gate.

http://www.jetblue.com/travel/special-needs/



Hope this helps.

This is very helpful. Maybe if I try to get him interested in some downloadable games now, they will be helpful for a second option.

And, yes that is what I meant for "Disability Pass.". Thank you!

I would be leery of Jet Blue in the winter. They seem to melt down when there is bad weather, mainly because of their concentration of flights in the northeast, especially Boston & JFK.

This is good to know. Thank you.

We only fly JetBlue. We love them. Is there anyway you could download games or movies or whatever else your son will want to watch/play on his electrical device? Even if the plane says they have Wi-Fi you just can never count on it 100%, sometimes things go down in the planes. I get anxiety and I am not fond of flying but I plan beforehand for things to distract me. I guess what I am suggesting is to have a backup plan with your son. I am not too computer saavy but I know of friend of mine downloads stuff all the time on her I-pad before flying. Good luck.

I think after reading all the responses, Jet Blue will be my choice and I will download many apps prior to the flight , just in case.

Thank you to all of you who responded!

 

[kaytieeldr]

OP already explained that wifi is important to her autistic child. Not sure OP was looking for questions rather than answers to her questions. If you have no idea what a disability pass is, perhaps this wasn't the best post for you to "answer."

Getting clarification enables responders to give correct answers. Asking questions is a great way to clarify. Works better than assuming what someone is asking.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP already explained that wifi is important to her autistic child. Not sure OP was looking for questions rather than answers to her questions. If you have no idea what a disability pass is, perhaps this wasn't the best post for you to "answer."

If the OP can explain why wi-fi is so important, it's possible others can think of alternatives. You cannot depend on the wi-fi working, even if it's supposed to be available on your flight. I don't understand why you need wi-fi when you can put games, music, movies, etc. on the computer. Perhaps there is something unique about wi-fi on a plane of which I am unaware. I am always interested in learning something new.

As for the "disability pass," there is no such thing. That is why I asked for clarification as to what the OP meant.

If you can only post criticisms, perhaps you shouldn't post at all.

 

[peaches0313]

Cyberspace: Just curious..why are you even on the boards? Seems you are only here to be rude and criticize, not help!

 

[suemom2kay]

If you can only post criticisms, perhaps you shouldn't post at all.

Perhaps you should heed your own advice Lost.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I prefer SWA if I have a change of plans I can change my ticket for free. They have newer airplanes with wifi. Just look at the flight you select with pricing the flight it will show wifi if its available.
And wifi is not 100% guaranteed so best to have a back up plan
They offer preboard to those needing it. You just need to ask for a pre board card.

Staff is very nice.

 

[bocaj1431]

If the OP can explain why wi-fi is so important, it's possible others can think of alternatives. You cannot depend on the wi-fi working, even if it's supposed to be available on your flight. I don't understand why you need wi-fi when you can put games, music, movies, etc. on the computer. Perhaps there is something unique about wi-fi on a plane of which I am unaware. I am always interested in learning something new.

As for the "disability pass," there is no such thing. That is why I asked for clarification as to what the OP meant.

If you can only post criticisms, perhaps you shouldn't post at all.

I think the words you chose to respond to my post are why you"re getting the comments you have recieved thus far. Maybe your intentions were for clarification but, It did not read thst way to me.

As I already stated, it is important due to my son's special needs. Not everything is downloadable on to the laptop. There are certain things my son watches over and over that help to distract him and keep his anxiety at a manageable level. These things are found on you tube and the internet.

I think I explained that I was unsure of the terminology for what I meant by "disability pass.". On SW, if you have special needs and you need assistance, they give you a blue pass. For us, they seat my son up front so that he is close to the flight attendants should there be a problem. They are kind enough to periodically check on him to reassure him everything is ok. He feels safer knowing they are there. There are other problems which I don't need to go into but, without their assistance flying would not be possible for us. It is just my son and I traveling together.

Thanks again to everyone for the info. . Hoping for a better flight this year, now that I know what to expect.

 

[monorailsilver]

I have never flown southwest but I would fly jet blue over and over again.

My kids love the TVs so if they are happy I am happy and it makes for a great flight. I can tell you they barely touch their iPods on the flight since they are watching movies or tv shows.

I would suggest getting the extra leg room seats but if money is an issue, just get them for the return flight home from Orlando. The security lines in Hartford are not bad but Orlando was a ZOO! I was so glad we did that fir the return in,y.

As far as wifi, I am curious and not in a mean way. What does he do on wifi that he can't do with out wifi? My kids play minecraft but it doesn't need wifi. Sometimes they use the wifi with their friends and other times with other unknowns which I detest. My oldest plays wheel of fortune (currently) with no wifi and candy crush can be played both ways for me. Define tally figure out what games he likes (assuming he is playing games) and look for alternative non wifi versions. And yes wifi can be spotty so even if there is wifi on the plan it can go out, just like I can be talking to someone and "are you there?" "Can you hear me?" Etc...because we went into an area that is spotty.

Good luck.

Oh and wifi in the parks, eats up the battery on the phone so when I was researching our August trip I noticed people were buying some battery back up system. I thought they were crazy until day 1 park day and my phone was at 50% and I barely touched it and my husbands was in the 80s and he hadn't used it at all. Next trip I will look into something like that.

 

[goofy4tink]

Cyberspace: Just curious..why are you even on the boards? Seems you are only here to be rude and criticize, not help!

Perhaps you should heed your own advice Lost.

This poster asked for clarification as to what the OP was looking for. He (I believe it's a he) asked why wi-fi was needed....only way to come up with alternatives if wi-fi isn't available. Don't see the issue with that question.
As to the whole 'disability pass'? Again, clarification was needed. I also would have asked what exactly the OP was looking for.

when people are truly rude here, they are dealt with. There has been no rudeness, at least not on lost*in*cyberspace's part. The response may have been short and to the point, but it wasn't rude.

 

[Lewisc]

He became very anxious and fearful. He started to scream and cry. He was shaking and banging his head on the seat. Several times he attempted to get out of his seat, while the stay seated sign was on. I felt so bad for my son and the other flyers who had to deal with this for about an hour, until I finally got him to snap out f it. It was so bad I was fearful we were going to have to land and be removed from the plane. I never want to repeat that experience again!

Wifii might not be working. Your device might break. Your battery may discharge prior to the end of the flight. You really need a plan "B". edited to add You indicated your child's meltdown was severe. So severe you were concerned about the plane making an unscheduled stop in order to deplane your family. I hope you were exaggerating. You need a viable plan B.

I think the words you chose to respond to my post are why you"re getting the comments you have recieved thus far. Maybe your intentions were for clarification but, It did not read thst way to me.

As I already stated, it is important due to my son's special needs. Not everything is downloadable on to the laptop. There are certain things my son watches over and over that help to distract him and keep his anxiety at a manageable level. These things are found on you tube and the internet.

Its frustrating when posters ask for help, don't post complete information in the OP and then get upset when posters ask for additional information. You didn't initially tell us why you need wifii.

There are a variety of was to D/L youtube videos for offline viewing. There are a variety of ways to D/L many internet based videos for offline viewing. There are "add-ons" for Firefox which make it easy. Limited satellite bandwidth on some planes might make it impossible to stream video. Some video applications could even be blocked.

You said you would have taken a later flight had you known wifii wasn't operational on your flight. Assume you were told at the gate. How would your son have reacted watching everyone else board the plane while you're attempting to get a reservation on a later flight? Granted a meltdown in the airport isn't a disruptive as a meltdown on the plane.

 

[bocaj1431]

Wifii might not be working. Your device might break. Your battery may discharge prior to the end of the flight. You really need a plan "B". edited to add You indicated your child's meltdown was severe. So severe you were concerned about the plane making an unscheduled stop in order to deplane your family. I hope you were exaggerating. You need a viable plan B.



Its very frustrating when posters ask for help, don't post complete information in the OP and then get upset when posters ask for additional information. You didn't initially tell us why you need wifii.

There are a variety of was to D/L youtube videos for offline viewing. There are a variety of ways to D/L many internet based videos for offline viewing. There are "add-ons" for Firefox which make it easy. Limited satellite bandwidth on some planes might make it impossible to stream video. Some video applications could even be blocked.

You said you would have taken a later flight had you known wifii wasn't operational on your flight. Assume you were told at the gate. How would your son have reacted watching everyone else board the plane while you're attempting to get a reservation on a later flight? Granted a meltdown in the airport isn't a disruptive as a meltdown on the plane.

WOW!

There were many people who were able to read my post and offer answers to my question. I was very appreciative of their responses answering my direct questions and also offering some great advice. Thus I believe my post was explanatory enough to those who were kind enough to offer a response.

As for your comment that "Its very frustrating when posters ask for help, don't post complete information in the OP and then get upset when posters ask for additional information." You might want to get your facts straight before you criticize someone.

First, I did not get upset that some one asked for additional info to my original question! There were other posters, who had questioned the way in which LOST IN CYBERSPACE responded to my OP. After LOST IN CYBERSPACE responded back to them, with what I thought were some unnecessary comments, I felt I should clarify the facts to "LIC".

Secondly, I NEVER asked for any help with wi-fi issues. if you read my post, I asked for peoples thoughts on SW VS Jet Blue. I did explain my reason for choosing to seek other choices than SW and while wi-fi was one of them it wasn't the only factor I listed. Several posters were kind enough to give an answer to my question of SW VS Jet Blue; and, in addition to that, offered some great suggestions with additional information that explained how flights work in relation to wi-fi. Therefore it was not necessary for "LIC" to know why I needed wi-fi.

In response to the wi-fi issue, MY SON HAS AUTISM. WHAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO YOU OR I DOES NOT MATTER TO HIS CONCRETE THINKING BRAIN!!!!! There are various items he watches and ways that he views them which are not downloadable options for OUR situation. More to the point what does it matter to you? I was not asking for help with this issue thus I can only assume yours' and "LIC's" NEED to question why my son cant go without wi-fi
was more an antagonistic post. If you are not offering helpful suggestions like others, than it really is not any of your business.

Lastly, if I said I would have rather been notified at the gate, Don't you think I had good reason to think it was a better alternative for us so, why do you need to question it further. How does that help me? Obviously, this is not the airlines fault or their responsibility. I just wished I had known because it would have been much easier for me.

By the way, I did not exaggerate what occurred on that plane. And your comment that you hoped that I had was accusatory not helpful!! That was only my second time flying on a plane. I did my best to prepare for our flight. I called SW and double checked on the wi-fi being offered. I had no idea that what occurred could happen. Is that my fault for not knowing that, yes but I do not need your comments as to not being prepared.

Thank you to everyone for the additional posts and suggestions.

 

[monorailsilver]

WOW!

There were many people who were able to read my post and offer answers to my question. I was very appreciative of their responses answering my direct questions and also offering some great advice. Thus I believe my post was explanatory enough to those who were kind enough to offer a response.

As for your comment that "Its very frustrating when posters ask for help, don't post complete information in the OP and then get upset when posters ask for additional information." You might want to get your facts straight before you criticize someone.

First, I did not get upset that some one asked for additional info to my original question! There were other posters, who had questioned the way in which LOST IN CYBERSPACE responded to my OP. After LOST IN CYBERSPACE responded back to them, with what I thought were some unnecessary comments, I felt I should clarify the facts to "LIC".

Secondly, I NEVER asked for any help with wi-fi issues. if you read my post, I asked for peoples thoughts on SW VS Jet Blue. I did explain my reason for choosing to seek other choices than SW and while wi-fi was one of them it wasn't the only factor I listed. Several posters were kind enough to give an answer to my question of SW VS Jet Blue; and, in addition to that, offered some great suggestions with additional information that explained how flights work in relation to wi-fi. Therefore it was not necessary for "LIC" to know why I needed wi-fi.

In response to the wi-fi issue, MY SON HAS AUTISM. WHAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO YOU OR I DOES NOT MATTER TO HIS CONCRETE THINKING BRAIN!!!!! There are various items he watches and ways that he views them which are not downloadable options for OUR situation. More to the point what does it matter to you? I was not asking for help with this issue thus I can only assume yours' and "LIC's" NEED to question why my son cant go without wi-fi
was more an antagonistic post. If you are not offering helpful suggestions like others, than it really is not any of your business.

Lastly, if I said I would have rather been notified at the gate, Don't you think I had good reason to think it was a better alternative for us so, why do you need to question it further. How does that help me? Obviously, this is not the airlines fault or their responsibility. I just wished I had known because it would have been much easier for me.

By the way, I did not exaggerate what occurred on that plane. And your comment that you hoped that I had was accusatory not helpful!! That was only my second time flying on a plane. I did my best to prepare for our flight. I called SW and double checked on the wi-fi being offered. I had no idea that what occurred could happen. Is that my fault for not knowing that, yes but I do not need your comments as to not being prepared.

Thank you to everyone for the additional posts and suggestions.

Can you book a connecting flight this way he won't be with out wifi for the 3 hour ish flight from bradley? Or can you make him watch/get his fill of wifi shows in the airport and not let him do any non wifi stuff until the plane?

And I think I read it wrong too. My understanding is that you needed wifi for the flight no questions asked it needed to have wifi.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm really sorry guys, but this is turning into a somewhat less than helpful thread. I'm closing it down before it goes any further off track.