JetBlue Makes Two Policy Changes, Adds More Fees

JetBlue has traditionally been known as one of the airlines that offers travelers a customer-friendly approach — especially when it comes to its fees and policies. On Wednesday, we learned of two changes the New York-based carrier has made to its rules, and they’re not for the better.

First, JetBlue has long offered customers a generous fare difference policy. In the past, if you purchased a ticket and the price dropped within 14 days, the carrier would issue you a credit for the difference. As of this week, however, JetBlue quietly changed that policy to a five-day period.

Effective December 4, 2017, the carrier is implementing the following fees, with the amount varying based on your fare option. Here’s the breakdown:

• Blue: $75
• Blue Plus: $75
• Blue Flex: $0

The change gives passengers much less time to monitor their flights, as well as less time for the cost of the fare to drop. If you’ve found a lower fare more than five days after purchasing, determining whether or not it’ll be worth it to change will depend on the fare difference and if it justifies the $75 fee (if you purchased a Blue or Blue Plus fare).

The second change JetBlue recently made comes by the way of its free same-day standby policy. In the past, the carrier has had a policy in place stating that if you arrived at the airport on the day of your ticketed departure, you could change to the next flight out or the flight right after your originally scheduled departure. The benefit has long been free. However, effective immediately, JetBlue is going to charge you $75 to change your flight on the same day.

Like the policy has always stated, you can’t change origin or destination airports and the new flight must be for the same day of travel. Keep in mind that you can make the same-day change either at home or from the airport — for the $75 fee. For Mosaic members, the same-day standby benefit will remain the same with no fee.

We reached out to JetBlue for comment but have yet to hear back.

Both of these changes are unfortunate for the customer. That being said, JetBlue still offers some of the more passenger-friendly travel policies, such as free in-flight snacks and beverages, free Wi-Fi and more.

from The Points Guy