Jetblue or Southwest???

[robnoxious]

Hello. I am at the booking a flight stage in my planning from BUF to MCO. Both JetBlue and Southwest have direct flights, round trip. Jet blue works out to be about $280 more for a family of 4. The flight times are slightly better, both airlines have free checked luggage. I am just wondering if JetBlue is worth the extra $$$.

Any opinions would be AWESOME!

 

[KGK]

Not for me.... Safety, comfort, flight times, baggage all the same? Why pay more? JetBlue has built in TVs (which I can tell you from experience don't always work). But 280 to watch TV on a flight? No way.

 

[ancestry]

I *love* Jet Blue, they are by far my favorite airline. However I usually go with the one that is the cheapest and most convenient especially if it is a several hundred dollar difference.

Fortunately I have three airports to choose from but two of the three require me to take the cost of parking and travel into my overall cost. Most of the time Jet Blue wins the battle but occasionally Southwest wins especially if I have a large group of people traveling with me (like I have this coming May).

$280 is a large difference in my opinion. I would choose Southwest in this case even as much as I love Jet Blue.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It would be worth it to us. $280 for a family of 4 works out to an extra $35 each way, per person.

The TV's on JetBlue are a godsend for our family of flying-averse individuals. And of all the flights we have taken (7 flights x 3 people, so 21 different seats) only once has a TV not been working. On that occasion, we were given a credit on a future flight for the inconvenience without even having to ask.

We also much prefer being able to select our seat in advance on JetBlue, rather than the open seating policy on Southwest. If you purchase EBCI with Southwest, that will negate a portion of your savings.

You get a free checked bag per person on JetBlue, a credit toward a future flight if your fare decreases before your travel date, and free snacks onboard.

We enjoy the JetBlue experience enough that its worth it to us to pay a little more. Our flights are the first part of our "vacation", so we want them to be as enjoyable as possible.

 

[Disneylover99]

I like that you can change your flight with SW without paying a fee. I'm not sure what Jet Blue's policy is on this.

 

[HoosierDisneyDad]

JetBlue is my favorite airline, but I'd save the $ 280 and go with Southwest. I can't justify paying that much for the benefits of flying JetBlue (live tv, better snacks, slightly more room, and being able to select seats beforehand).

 

[Badamon]

We always go for the best fare. We're flying SW in February, but have flown others, too. We don't fly frequently enough to take advantage of miles (however, I'm considering the SW credit card). OP I think said flying from Buffalo so not a super long flight I don't think. Grab a good book and keep the $ for spending on vacation!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Southwest - that's a big savings.

Who cares about the tvs on JetBlue? Half the time I have flown JetBlue, the tvs didn't work. Anyway, don't people bring their own entertainment these days? That's what iPads, Kindles, cell phones, books, etc. are for,

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

JetBlue is my favorite airline, but I'd save the $ 280 and go with Southwest. I can't justify paying that much for the benefits of flying JetBlue (live tv, better snacks, slightly more room, and being able to select seats beforehand).

JetBlue has slightly wider seats and more legroom than Southwest, except on the Embraer E-190.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Who cares about the tvs on JetBlue? Half the time I have flown JetBlue, the tvs didn't work. Anyway, don't people bring their own entertainment these days? That's what iPads, Kindles, cell phones, books, etc. are for,

We care about the TV's .

The less tech items we have to drag with us on vacation, the better. Less to get broken, accidentally left behind, weigh us down, etc.

Southwests open seating policy would be enough to turn me away from that airline, and the lack of TV's on board seals the deal.

To each their own, though.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

To each their own, though.

Absolutely.

If you are a frequent flyer though, you learn to bring your own entertainment. I've been on too many flights with malfunctioning or subpar entertainment systems (blurry overhead screens, crazy color balance). I have my iPad Air (weighs 1 pound), loaded up with movies, tv shows and books and my Bose headphones. That plus a book, and I'm good to go, not only on the plane, but waiting in the airport. I had a 6 hour flight delay recently at SEA, and was able to catch up on one of my favorite tv shows. I never depend on my airline for entertainment.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Absolutely.

If you are a frequent flyer though, you learn to bring your own entertainment. I've been on too many flights with malfunctioning or subpar entertainment systems (blurry overhead screens, crazy color balance). I have my iPad Air (weighs 1 pound), loaded up with movies, tv shows and books and my Bose headphones. That plus a book, and I'm good to go, not only on the plane, but waiting in the airport. I had a 6 hour flight delay recently at SEA, and was able to catch up on one of my favorite tv shows. I never depend on my airline for entertainment.

Completely agree. Would never rely on a carrier to provide entertainment - I always end up with the broken one. (But then you are a very knowledgeable traveler.)

All things being equal - I would chose Southwest over Jetblue every time - simply BECAUSE of the unassigned seating. I like being able to avoid the chatty people I see in the gate area, or the children from hell, or the crying babies. Would rather opt to sit next to someone else on business.

Which I cannot do on Jetblue.

 

[LSchrow]

You get a free checked bag per person on JetBlue, a credit toward a future flight if your fare decreases before your travel date, and free snacks onboard.

with SWA, you get 2 checked bags free, you can also rebook to get a credit if fares decrease (as with JB, with restrictions), and free snacks.

the biggest differences are that SWA has open seating (within groups), & no inflight TVs.
personally, we like SWA for several reasons:
- we need 2 bags per person for 11-14 days (we always have one checked bag going, and 2 coming home). JB charges $40 for the 2nd bag.
- their ontime record (not sure how JB's is)
- when we book with RR points (which we often do), the points are returned to our acct, without restrictions or time constraints, if we need to cancel or opt for a lower fare.
since we prefer the exit row seats (and check-in from our cels 24 hours prior), seat assignments don't matter to us.
AND SWA is the only airline to fly direct to MCO out of ISP - we LOVE the quiet, uncrowded, laid-back of Islip airport.

we prefer reading or sleeping over TV anyway

 

[DVC-Don]

For $280 I'd go Southwest, although if I'd prefer a non-stop over a direct flight if they have it. I hate sitting on the plane while some passengers get off and others get on. As for the TV's I usually watch a movie that I have on my iPad.

 

[formill]

Our last flight with southwest also included free "tv" via the internet and we could also see where the plane was how fast it was going on our laptops.(could pay $8 and have full internet) Worked great- not many channels though. We have flown both Jet Blue and Southwest and would pick Southwest for that kind of savings.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

with SWA, you get 2 checked bags free, you can also rebook to get a credit if fares decrease (as with JB, with restrictions), and free snacks.

the biggest differences are that SWA has open seating (within groups), & no inflight TVs.
personally, we like SWA for several reasons:
- we need 2 bags per person for 11-14 days (we always have one checked bag going, and 2 coming home). JB charges $40 for the 2nd bag.
- their ontime record (not sure how JB's is)
- when we book with RR points (which we often do), the points are returned to our acct, without restrictions or time constraints, if we need to cancel or opt for a lower fare.
since we prefer the exit row seats (and check-in from our cels 24 hours prior), seat assignments don't matter to us.
AND SWA is the only airline to fly direct to MCO out of ISP - we LOVE the quiet, uncrowded, laid-back of Islip airport.

we prefer reading or sleeping over TV anyway

Yep, I am aware of all those differences. And the 2nd checked bag is probably necessary for some folks (particularly those staying onsite at Disney who won't have as easy access to laundry facilities), but with our timeshare, that's not an issue. We have no need to pack six large bags and three carry-ons for 3 people, even with the amount of shopping we do while we're there.

I am not "relying" on the airline to provide entertainment but I sure do enjoy the inflight entertainment that JB does provide to their passengers. In all of our flights, one TV has had one problem, one time. If we find ourselves in a position where we have no TV's for any reason, then we can keep each other company . Its no biggie....we like each other, and can handle some impromptu conversation while in the air if need be. And I'd rather hedge my bets on the JetBlue TV's providing me with something to keep my mind off the flight than worrying constantly about breaking/leaving behind an expensive electronic that I won't even bother with once at our destination. I realize others will (and have) disagreed with that, but the OP asked a question and I was responding for me and my family.

The open seating on Southwest is the other real kicker for me. I know some folks are OK with it. I know some even like it. But regardless of all of that...it is definitely NOT for us. I want to know I have DH on one side of me and DS on the other. I want to know where I'll be sitting in the plane (the front). I don't want to have to worry about boarding groups or saving seats or people expecting other people to move to accommodate their family group.

We also love JetBlue's reward points policy, that allows us to combine all points for one family into one pot and allow us to use them for anyone within the family group. That way, when DS is done college and no longer travelling with us, we can use his points for our couples trips.

We, personally, don't always choose our flights based on price alone. We want convenient times. We want non-stop. We don't want to worry about extras (seat selection fees, snack charges, baggage fees, etc.) and JetBlue ticks all those boxes. Then we get those onboard TV's, and it makes it the best experience for our family. So its worth paying more, in our opinion. Its no different, really, then those who choose to stay onsite at Disney.....those folks are paying an exorbitant premium vs. similar accommodations at an offsite property. But there are things about Disney hotels that make it worth it for them. It personally doesn't justify the cost difference for us, but I can understand that it holds an appeal for others.

 

[robnoxious]

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and opinions. We decided to book with Jet Blue and have already done it. The peace of mind of having pre-assigned seats and tv's was worth it for us. Being Canadian, I cannot tell you how cheap it is compared to what we would be paying flying out of here.

Cheers!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and opinions. We decided to book with Jet Blue and have already done it. The peace of mind of having pre-assigned seats and tv's was worth it for us. Being Canadian, I cannot tell you how cheap it is compared to what we would be paying flying out of here.

Cheers!

I am glad you got some good prices with JetBlue. For our August trip, it is currently only a hair cheaper for us to fly from SYR via JetBlue than from Toronto on WestJet, Air Canada or Air Transat. And believe it or not, JB is more expensive from Buffalo than our Toronto options are . I was ready to book when prices were released last Sunday, but have held off in the hopes that costs will decline at least somewhat. I am not used to see this high of pricing from JetBlue, as they have been MUCH cheaper than our Canadian carriers in the past.