This is the one thing I am biased on. I always fly JetBlue. If I am paying for it I will fly JetBlue. They usually are the cheapest, b
ut with free WiFi and unlimited snacks and drinks, they are both the cheapest and best value. I first flew JetBlue in 2012 and have ever since been impressed with the service and value. Whenever someone asks for advice on cheap flights I go to JetBlue and then Sky Scanner to see what the options are.
JetBlue main “hubs” are Long Beach, JFK, Boston, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale. If you haven’t flown into LGB when wanting to go to LA you are missing out. It’s a clean fast and sharp looking airport that I have never had to wait more than 5 min to go through security. Plus LGB is much closer to Disneyland that LAX is.
They use a fleet of Airbus 320s and 321s and Embraer 190. The A321s are mainly used s transcon service and some have JetBlue’s Premium product called Mint, will fully lieflat seats and upgrades seats and entertainment. The 320s are the main fleet and the Embraer 190 are the “regional jets”.
JetBlue is known as the east coast airline. And they are the main airline out of Boston. And as such they fly to a lot of Caribbean destinations from both New York and Boston. Plus they have recently expanded their presence in Florida, making them a serious threat up and down the eastern seaboard.
JetBlue, also known in the industry as B6, touts the most leg room in coach. And once you fly them it will be hard to fly another airline. The seats are also wider by an inch per seat on the JetBlue Airbus 320 than on Deltas A320, and wider than any domestic 737 flown by a major airline.
They also aren't stingy when it comes to snacks. They give you the whole can of soda, and regularly stock their planes with unique and delicious snacks, like popcorners or terra blues chips. And you can regularly ask for 2 snacks, but they don’t limit you. Go ahead and ask for more. The flight attendants are usually happy to oblige and are usually some of the happiest people you will meet.
JetBlue entertainment is topnotch. Free gate to gate super-fast WiFi across the fleet allows you to stream Netflix or work when needed. JetBlue also doesn't oversell its seats, meaning when you buy a seat, its yours and they wont sell it again like all other domestic airlines. Plus JetBlue has flight attendants that are some of the best, being most friendliest and caring in the industry.
On the restyling of the fleet they are adding in seat power and 10” touch screens and going from the current 36 channels to 100 channels of Direct TV. They are also adding newer thinner and more comfortable seats with movable headrests, all clad in the signature JetBlue style. This restyling will take some time, finishing in 2019.
Not everything is as rosy to fly on JetBlue however. Unfortunately they charge for checked bags, $25 for the 1st up to 50lbs and $35 for the second. This effect can be negated by either bringing a carry on or if you check more than 4 bags a year, the JetBlue Plus Card by Barclays Card, which allows you and 3 travel companions on the same ticket to have 1 free checked bag. It comes with a 99$ annual fee, so get it only if you fly JetBlue more than 4 times r/t. I will be writing a review of that card soon.
JetBlue does have some of the worse on time performance in the domestic US, at 75%. I fly JetBlue at least 3 times a year and haven’t had any delay over 45 mins, however the average delay is just over an hour, which is substantial. I attribute the delay to the cleaning of the airplane between flights, and winter flights, but Southwest doesn’t have those issues and continues to rank among the highest in on time performance and number of flights, so clearly JetBlue has something to work on.
I always whole heartily recommend JetBlue, even with its shortcomings. Granted you need to fly into one of the hubs or use them as a vacation airline, but over all you can come out cheaper by flying on JetBlue than another domestic airline. Overall I feel less like cattle herded onto a flying tube and more like a person being treated like an actual human being.
I know this sounds like a sales pitch but I do not have any stock in JetBlue, immediate family that works for JetBlue, or any other vested interest.