In my experience (as a
travel agent), Jet Blue does not change their schedules anywhere near as often as the Legacy airlines. However, they do like to cancel flights last minute if they aren't full and the notice you get is usually last minute and says you will get a full refund which I don't find very helpful. Other airlines usually secure a seat on another flight for you then send the notice and you can accept that change or not and then get a refund.
I imagine this won't be as much of an issue for a domestic flight though. I see it more on flights to the islands.
A few years ago, I headed to WDW on a Sunday night. My dh and dd were due to arrive on Monday night. My dh is a nut about checking (constantly) on flight status. So, they had a 3:00 flight out of Logan, connecting in NY at something like 5:45ish, then heading to MCO. Well, he checked the flight status before leaving home at noon...all was fine and in order. It takes him about 45 mins to get to Logan and he is always waaay early. Good thing, 'cause when they got there??? JB had just cancelled their flight. But, they told him they were fine..they had put he and our dd on the last flight of the day, at 6:45, again connecting in NY, and there wasn't another flight out of NY on JB that night, to MCO!! He told the rep that they had to connect in NY at 5:45...going to be hard to do on a 6:45 flight to NY!!! Well, long story short...they rushed, and I do mean rushed, dh and dd through security, and to the gate of a plane that was getting ready to depart!!!! They held that plane for them!!! My dh had my dd all ready to have to sit apart since it was so late, but as luck would have it, they were able to get two seats together. They boarded, the door was closed behind them, they sat down and that plane taxied out.
Not sure what they would have done if they had been 15 mins later arriving at Logan!!
I'd be fine with a couple hour change. It's the possibility of losing the nonstop that has me nervous. I have a daughter who gets ear pain on descent even with earplanes and decongestants and Nasonex so I really try to avoid extra legs when possible. If flights are consolidated and we lose our nonstop, how difficult is it to switch to a different nonstop? I know Air Tran will make the change at no cost; is JB like that as well, assuming there's availability on the flight I'm looking at?
When JB makes changes, do you lose seat assignments like I read happens on other airlines? I would imagine they do if it's a change in equipment or consolidation of flights but if it's just a time change does it happen. I HAVE to sit with my kids (DD13 is autistic and DD11 gets bad ear pain, though DH could take care of DD11 so even 2 sets of 2 seats would suffice but we HAVE to at least have that). On SWA I can make this happen by using EBCI but if it's possible that seat assignments are lost with flight changes on JB and I have to rebook them, what happens if there aren't seats together? I know I'm creating a situation in my head that hasn't happened but I'm the kind of person who needs to prepare for every scenario.
Thanks again everybody!
JB will let you make changes, for no charge, if the flight they put you on doesn't work for you. At least, that has been the case for me. I haven't had my flight cancelled and consolidated with another flight, with JB, for a very long time. I am waiting for that to happen for my Dec flight though...there are flights from Boston to Orlando at 6am, 7:10am and 8am...can't imagine all three will remain. I'm on the 7am, so figure that will be the one to get combined with another flight.