JetBlue To Change Ticket Options, Free Bag Check Goes Away
By Jim Donovan: If you travel on JetBlue, beginning next year you may need to shell out some extra money if you decide to check luggage at the last minute.
The airline said Wednesday that beginning in the first half of 2015, customers will choose from three bundled fare options. The first of these will be designed for customers who do not plan to check a bag, while the latter two will offer one and two free checked bags, respectively.
So if you buy the cheapest ticket which doesn't include checking luggage, and later decide to check a bag, you'll be hit with an extra fee. The airline has yet to say how much that fee will be. They said fewer than half of JetBlue passengers check a bag.
JetBlue's move will leave Southwest as the only large U.S. airline that allows all passengers to check at least one bag for free.
JetBlue also announced that it will also add 15 seats to its Airbus A320 planes, increasing capacity to 165 from 150, and reduce average legroom to 33 inches between rows from more than 34 inches. The retrofit of cabins will start in late 2016 and will take two years to complete.
