Southwest vs. JetBlue

Marshay

I'm Goofy for Mickey.
Joined
Jan 28, 2007
Messages
13,479
We always take SW airlines from Dulles to MCO but right now SW is over $200 more for July 2010. I may book Jet Blu but I've never taken them before.

For those who have flown both airlines, what are the differences, esp:

1) baggage fees
2) assigned seats
3) "extras" like snacks, beverage, tv screens

Thanks!
 
I would book Jet Blue in a heartbeat over SW if I ever saw a fare that beat SW!! I rarely find either of their fares beat Air Tran tho so we've only ever used them once. They have lots of leg room, TV's in the seatbacks and you can actually select your seat like a real grownup airline!:thumbsup2 I don't know about the baggage fees as it's been a long time since we've used them (ie before everyone started charging to check bags). We now try to go in mostly carry-ons.
 
I would book Jet Blue in a heartbeat over SW if I ever saw a fare that beat SW!! I rarely find either of their fares beat Air Tran tho so we've only ever used them once. They have lots of leg room, TV's in the seatbacks and you can actually select your seat like a real grownup airline!:thumbsup2 I don't know about the baggage fees as it's been a long time since we've used them (ie before everyone started charging to check bags). We now try to go in mostly carry-ons.

Oh, thanks for the info...I'll have to look up info on the baggage.

For some reason I thought JetBlu was an "inferior" air carrier to Southwest...being able to select seats would be great as my DD will turn 5 on this trip and no longer eligible for advanced family-seating.
 
We always take SW airlines from Dulles to MCO but right now SW is over $200 more for July 2010. I may book Jet Blu but I've never taken them before.

For those who have flown both airlines, what are the differences, esp:

1) baggage fees
2) assigned seats
3) "extras" like snacks, beverage, tv screens

Thanks!

We always fly SW but like you, we found flights on JetBlue for a lot less $ in July (maybe we will be there the same time!). We booked the flights & were able to choose our seats at the time of booking. I like that better than getting online 24 hours before SW flights. I found that we would get one checked bag each at no charge. We never bring more than one bag per person, so that won't be a problem. I believe they charge $50 per extra bag, if you need it. I have never flown JetBlue, so I can't comment on "extras".
 

We fly Jet Blue because we like the fact that everyone has their own TV screen with their own channel changer. Not only is it nice to watch the TV, but the flight seems calmer because everyone else has headphones on and is watching TV also.
 
Well, I *like* being able to TRULY choose my seat, as in, walk onto the plane and choose it, then sit down. Not fake choosing, where you HOPE they don't have an equipment change or a floop in the computers, etc etc, where your chosen seat is given away. :)

I'm only 5'3" so I know nothing about leg room. It just doesn't affect me.

When we flew JB, we experience mysterious rudeness from two employees...the FA on one flight, and the lady who checked us in on the other flight.

And my TV screen was broken.

So my experience has shown me that SW is better.


Though actually I prefer the Virgin America experience. But they charge for even the first bag, only have something like 10 airports, and of course most importantly don't yet fly to MCO. :)
 
Oh, thanks for the info...I'll have to look up info on the baggage.

First bag free. Snacks (chips, cookies etc.) and sodas free.

I like Southwest but JetBlue has a leg up with the seatback TVs and they also fly out of my local airport instead of me having to drive 95 miles each way to MHT.

Refund/credit policy on Southwest can't be beat however.
 
I flown both SW and JetBlue and while I like SW, I love Jet Blue! 1 free checked bag per ticketed passenger and the ability to choose seats when you book. No worrying about EBCI or the need to check in at a certain time. Plus free in-flight entertainment.

The fare went down twice after we booked our trip to MCO and the difference was credited to my TrueBlue account.
 
We always fly SW but like you, we found flights on JetBlue for a lot less $ in July (maybe we will be there the same time!). We booked the flights & were able to choose our seats at the time of booking. I like that better than getting online 24 hours before SW flights. I found that we would get one checked bag each at no charge. We never bring more than one bag per person, so that won't be a problem. I believe they charge $50 per extra bag, if you need it. I have never flown JetBlue, so I can't comment on "extras".

We'll be at Boardwalk Villas July 11 - 20th! So it wasn't just my flight. I always thought SW was the cheapest but not this time...

We are a family of 4 (I may get a seat for my 1+ year old...still deciding), so being able to choose seats would be good and we can make it down on one bag per person. I assume you still get a carryon, too?

We fly Jet Blue because we like the fact that everyone has their own TV screen with their own channel changer. Not only is it nice to watch the TV, but the flight seems calmer because everyone else has headphones on and is watching TV also.

Yeah, I do miss the tvs on Southwest ... just gives you something else to do.

Well, I *like* being able to TRULY choose my seat, as in, walk onto the plane and choose it, then sit down. Not fake choosing, where you HOPE they don't have an equipment change or a floop in the computers, etc etc, where your chosen seat is given away. :)

I'm only 5'3" so I know nothing about leg room. It just doesn't affect me.

When we flew JB, we experience mysterious rudeness from two employees...the FA on one flight, and the lady who checked us in on the other flight.

And my TV screen was broken.

So my experience has shown me that SW is better.

Though actually I prefer the Virgin America experience. But they charge for even the first bag, only have something like 10 airports, and of course most importantly don't yet fly to MCO. :)

Sorry to hear about your experience on JB...but thanks for letting me know.

I do admit if you are in the first section A for SW then it's nice to be able to choose your seat!

First bag free. Snacks (chips, cookies etc.) and sodas free.

I like Southwest but JetBlue has a leg up with the seatback TVs and they also fly out of my local airport instead of me having to drive 95 miles each way to MHT.

Refund/credit policy on Southwest can't be beat however.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I have a $90 credit on SW but it expires 2 weeks PRIOR to our July trip...so I can't use it...
 
I flown both SW and JetBlue and while I like SW, I love Jet Blue! 1 free checked bag per ticketed passenger and the ability to choose seats when you book. No worrying about EBCI or the need to check in at a certain time. Plus free in-flight entertainment.

The fare went down twice after we booked our trip to MCO and the difference was credited to my TrueBlue account.

Oh, so JB has a credit, too? Is this similar to SW's policy where if you find the flight is cheaper, you just rebook on-line and automatically get the credit?
 
Uh. No. Newer, sure - but most assuredly not inferior!!!!

Marshay said:
Oh, thanks for the info...I'll have to look up info on the baggage.

For some reason I thought JetBlu was an "inferior" air carrier to Southwest...being able to select seats would be great as my DD will turn 5 on this trip and no longer eligible for advanced family-seating.
 
bumbershoot said:
When we flew JB, we experience mysterious rudeness from two employees...the FA on one flight, and the lady who checked us in on the other flight.

And my TV screen was broken.
And when you contacted JetBlue about these issues, their response was....?
 
Oh, so JB has a credit, too? Is this similar to SW's policy where if you find the flight is cheaper, you just rebook on-line and automatically get the credit?
No. You NEED to call. Also, note that issuing a credit actually requires the CSR to cancel your current flight and rebook it at the lower rate - so be sure your seat assignments are set before you get off the phone.
 
Uh. No. Newer, sure - but most assuredly not inferior!!!!

Great! I'm not sure how I missed this airline before...

No. You NEED to call. Also, note that issuing a credit actually requires the CSR to cancel your current flight and rebook it at the lower rate - so be sure your seat assignments are set before you get off the phone.

OK, got it. So you can get a credit but SW is certainly a lot easier. Got it!:thumbsup2
 
We'll be at Boardwalk Villas July 11 - 20th! So it wasn't just my flight. I always thought SW was the cheapest but not this time...

We are a family of 4 (I may get a seat for my 1+ year old...still deciding), so being able to choose seats would be good and we can make it down on one bag per person. I assume you still get a carryon, too?

We'll be at Buena Vista Palace on July 13th and then heading over to BLT on the 14th - 21st.

I have traveled w/a little one on my lap before. The flight is 3 hours for us & it was fine. Think about if your 1+ year old would want to sit in their own seat or on your lap. I knew mine would want to be on my lap or my DH's, so I saved the money. My sister always bought her little ones a seat because they loved sitting there & then my sister could relax on the plane.

Yes, you can bring a carry on on JetBlue.

Have a great vacation!
 
We'll be at Buena Vista Palace on July 13th and then heading over to BLT on the 14th - 21st.

I have traveled w/a little one on my lap before. The flight is 3 hours for us & it was fine. Think about if your 1+ year old would want to sit in their own seat or on your lap. I knew mine would want to be on my lap or my DH's, so I saved the money. My sister always bought her little ones a seat because they loved sitting there & then my sister could relax on the plane.

Yes, you can bring a carry on on JetBlue.

Have a great vacation!

Well, we'll definitely look for you! We do the lime green Mickey Heads (LGMH) on our stroller and bags in the park, so if you see them, say hello!

We just came back from 5 days at BLT in November -- you're going to :love: it!
 
And when you contacted JetBlue about these issues, their response was....?

We didn't. Too focused on the travel. And strange to explain. Here let me give it a try, see if you get the frustration and weirdness without getting bogged down. I'll give YOU background that I wouldn't give them. But some of the background info would have been given. But with my talking/writing (exact same) style, too many details would have been given no matter how hard I tried to pare it down.


We were on a flight. Hubby was in the aisle seat. Hubby seems to inspire grumpy FAs b/c he's a big guy and they think he'll just be a slob. They don't know how much he contorts himself so he doesn't even impact ME, let alone other people. He had problems with a Jazz FA, contacted them, hasn't heard back at all, and she was doing wrong things beyond her attitude (sat a child and her mother in the exit row, I talked about that here).

Anyway, he was busy contorting himself and trying to not get hit with the cart every time it came by (they seem to think smashing his elbow is better than a head's up "move your arm sir" or "coming through" when they are coming from behind, and this is his experience on ALL airlines that still use carts), and it was the end of the flight. They announced for seatbacks to go up. He didn't do it immediately. I reminded him. He had his finger on the button, actively pressing it...the FA came by, swatted his hand from the button, pushed the button with one hand and SLAMMED the seatback up. And walked away.


Next one. Checking in at the counter. The ticket person is kind enough to do our stroller check tag thing there, instead of making us do it at the gate. I'm thanking her for her kindness. As I'm using polite words to thank her, she starts some rapid-fire instructions, cutting across MY words. I don't understand her. She's talking fast, but quietly. And she's even shorter than I am, and her words are getting "caught" in the desk, not coming over the desk to me. I'm on my tiptoes already to see her b/c I'm shrimpy and the counter is high.

So I interrupt my interrupted self to ask her what she is saying, and in the meantime she's already worked herself up enough to being fully annoyed with me, comes out over the bag scales, and puts the stroller tag on herself. Seems she was saying that she needed to see me put the tag on for it to be OK to do the tag there instead of at the gate. This literally took, oh, 30 seconds, and in this time frame she got herself worked up into a near lather.


The seatback thing...we talked about it our whole vacation. The stroller tag thing was just SO weird that we barely talked about it other than to say "why did she get so annoyed so fast? didn't she hear me *thanking* her for her kindness?"

Oh, and there was NO ONE behind us, no one at all, b/c we were checking in a good 2 hours early, as we like to do. I even looked, to see if there was an explanation for her urgency, and there was not a soul. Perhaps she had to pee.



In addition! Having worked amazon customer service, and knowing what a CS person can do for a disgruntled customer...we didn't WANT anything they could give us.

If they could have gotten the FA and ticket agent to come to our houses and apologize after hearing us out about what they had done that was wrong, that would be great. Are they going to do that? NO.

So they'd give us an apology, from someone who wasn't part of the situation. Yawn. Hubby and I know all the nuances of "I'm sorry for your negative experience" and we're not interested in hearing it. And the other thing they might have done is a credit towards a future flight. Except we're not planning on flying with them again. Would be just a touch more useful than the Jiffy Lube certificates my dad got me when JL nearly destroyed my car (needed a new rear axle b/c of them). It's *most likely* not going to be used. SW suited my purposes at the time much better. I should add...these flights were given to us by my brother, who gets scads of JB and SW credits. Any future flight on them would be free, if we're visiting them. And I still don't choose them.

I haven't experienced those things on other airlines. Hubby experienced problems on Jazz, and we won't *choose* to use them, though sometimes he'll have to b/c he doesn't book his work travel. I did experience those things with JB, and there are other carriers that are more pleasant, so I use all my words (saying "from my experience" and all that) to say why we prefer SW.



The stuff on hubby's more recent flight on Jazz...that involved safety issues, wrong communication, nasty looks and a VERY different attitude towards him than any other customer...hubby doesn't care who the apology is from, and he wants them to know, especially about the 11 year old and her mom in the exit row (since you guys alerted us to the problem with that one!).



And about the TV...no FAs came by at a slow enough speed for me to grab their attention, and I wasn't going to watch anything non-kid friendly since I was in between DH and DS, so I just watched what they watched. I wasn't going to hit the call button (not sure I've ever "called" a FA and I don't want to start now) about it.

But I mention it to others b/c if the ONLY thing in the decision between SW and JB is the TV screen...what are you going to do if your screen is broken?
 
I fly both regularly out of Dulles and always choose JB first. SW has some good prices and that is generally why I choose them sometimes (and the times). But as a rule JB is #1 for me. Both have free luggage, JB=1 piece each ($30 for 2nd piece), and SW=2 pieces each. IMPORTANT for us -- RAC at the resort. Presently SW does not partipate in this except at the values. THis is very important to us. We also like knowing our seat assignments prior to arriving. Since SW now offers the early bird service, we have to add that $10 fee to the cost of our tickets, so now they are not always the cheapest. We love, love the direct TV (remember to bring your headphones). Snacks, both offer a pretty good choice of snacks. SW FA are friendlier IMHO (not a deal breaker for me, for 2 hours, I don't need to make any life long friendships with the FAs). So while I still sometimes fly SW to MCO (Jan '10, Mar '10, April '10 already booked), I still fly JB whenever I get a good rate (Home from MCO, Jan '10, Mar '10, May '10). As for the credits, no one beats SW's flexibility, BUT your credits is tied to a year from the DAY you purchase your ticket, while JB will offer you a credit the day you call when the rate drops and the credit is good for a year from the day they make the adjustment,,,,a much better length of time to use the credit.

NOTE -- we flew JB last weekend and the young lady sitting with us in the aisle seat had a TV that did not work. The FA came by and gave her a coupon for a future flight discount. She never complained that her TV was not working, it was the FA who went around checking to make sure all of the TVs were in working order. A nice touch.
 
So you can get a credit but SW is certainly a lot easier.

The one thing I don't like about SW credit system compared to JB is that you have to keep track of the confirmation numbers and manually input them to use the credit. If you fly frequently and change flights here and there, it becomes a hassle. With JB it is all tied into your frequent flyer number and the credit is totalled from all your funds automatically.

That said, to get a credit on JetBlue it has to be the exact same flights and times, and you can't cancel and get full credit like on SW -- you'll pay a penalty for any changes.

If your plans are set in stone, JB is great. But if you want the flexibility to change dates or flight times without penalty, or you see that the fare suddenly went down $100 if you left at a different time, there is only Southwest. Both are great in their different ways.
 
bumbershoot said:
But I mention it to others b/c if the ONLY thing in the decision between SW and JB is the TV screen...what are you going to do if your screen is broken?
Well, I have lots of responses to your various experiences - but they'd all end with, "...and so I wouldn't be surprised at all if JetBlue issued you a voucher, sincet that's always been my experience" but it'd be pointless :teeth: since you refuse to fly them. But on this one - it happened on my last trip, and to the extent possible, they relocated passengers who requested it.
 















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