When JetBlue Airways Corp. imposed a new bag-check fee and additional seats on planes, investors were pleased but many travellers weren't that amused.
Shares of JetBlue jumped today, its highest since 2006, however rants on social media including Twitter and other blogs increased after JetBlue announced the changes, removing it as one of the carriers in the United States not charging for passengers; luggage.
"We're very excited about what we're doing in the cabins," Marty St. George, senior vice president for commercial, said in an interview, citing changes that include more power ports and live-TV choices. "We see this as an upgrade. Maybe we're naive, but I was very surprised to get blasted like we did. I think this is a very good story."
JetBlue is putting out efforts to increase its revenue after lagging behind other competitors in revenue from an industry benchmark, "each seat flown per mile."
The New York-based airline also failed to reach target for return on investment during the past years, and has been falling behind other airlines by letting passengers alight one bag for free and also not taking advantage of new slimmer seats for planes.
Passengers will have to adjust to slimmer seats starting in 2016 because as many as 130 of JetBlue's Airbus A320 commercial planes will be overhauled to fit slimmer seats, increasing the passenger count by 15 per plane.
The lighter-weight seats use less padding than traditional seats and are contoured differently causing passengers to have lesser leg room, according to Bloomberg.
JetBlue said its seat pitch, or distance from one seat back to another in coach class on A320s will drop to 33.1 inches from about 34.7 inches (88 centimeters) now. That compares to a 33-inch pitch on JetBlue's A321s and the industry standard of 30 to 31 inches.
"JetBlue has become yet another flying bus ... bad move. #jetbluenomore," one customer tweeted, echoing others on the airline's Twitter page. "@JetBlue more fees, less legroom not what customers want."
