Trying out a new airline can be intimidating but ultimately necessary if it accommodates your flying priorities. That can be inflight amenities, comfort or finding the cheapest ticket. If you are looking into JetBlue, you are likely looking for an airline that offers lower-cost plane tickets. While it may seem that you’ve found a good option, is JetBlue a good airline?
JetBlue is a major American low-cost airline headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 1998 and began operations in 2000, making it a relatively new airline compared to legacy carriers. However, it’s built itself up to currently be the 6th largest airline in the US by passengers carried. Its founder David Neeleman is considered an industry pioneer who also founded Morris Air and co-founded WestJet airlines in Canada.
JetBlue operates over 1,000 flights daily to 100+ destinations in the US, Caribbean and Latin America, with international flights starting to increase. It has a fleet of over 250 Airbus and Embraer aircraft, mostly A320s and A321s. However, JetBlue has been ordering new energy-efficient Airbus A220 planes to replace the less-efficient Embraer aircraft, according to Chris Loh for Simple Flying. This is something the airline will seemingly continue to do.
JetBlue is known positively for having more legroom than other low-cost carriers, in-seat entertainment screens with live TV at every seat, and unlimited free snacks. The airline aims to offer an above-average flying experience for budget airline prices. However, passengers seem to be only getting that experience in certain areas.
Lee Huffman for NerdWallet reported the company’s ranking and analysis of the best American operated airlines. Nine airlines were ranked across seven categories with a five point rating scale. The categories were rewards rate, basic economy, elite status, fees, entertainment, pets and operations. JetBlue placed seventh out of the nine airlines overall.
Where JetBlue placed the highest in NerdWallets ranking is in entertainment. This accounts for things like wi-fi, movies, snacks and more available on the flight. JetBlue received a score of 4.9 out of 5 in this category and was second only to Delta. This reaffirms the positives the airline is already known for.
JetBlue’s next highest placements amongst the other nine airlines were at third place in three of the categories including fees (4.1 out of 5 score), reward rates (3.4 out of 5 score), and a tie with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines in basic economy (1.9 out of five score). The third place winners for the basic economy category rank significantly lower than Southwest Airlines in first with a 5 out of 5 and American Airlines in second with a 3.3 out of 5.
Where JetBlue fell short compared to the other airlines is in the categories of elite status (3.2 out of 5 score), operations (1.7 out of 5 score) and flying with a pet (1 out of 5 score). The airline ranked in sixth place, eighth place and tied for last place with United Airlines in these categories respectively.
Elite status refers to the benefits that are offered for those who have elite status with the airline from flying with them repeatedly and spending more. These benefits in NerdWallets ranking account for perks like champagne, extra leg room and more. This means JetBlue is considered below average in accommodating its biggest spenders.
Operations is arguably one of the most important categories. It analyzes the airline’s reliability and creates an operations score based on categories like on-time flights, last minute cancellations, lost luggage, delays and flight diversions. With all of this data added up, JetBlue’s 1.7 out of 5 score and second to last placement amongst other American operated airlines suggests that the airline is not one passenger can comfortably rely on.
Lastly, JetBlue scored the lowest in the pet category. Here NerdWallet measured the efficiency, cost and restrictions regarding traveling with a pet. JetBlue requires significantly more fees to travel with pets and there are quite a few more restrictions as well than the other eight airlines. Traveling with a pet is never easy, and this is clear in NerdWallets ranking as first place in this category is Alaska Airlines with a 5 out of 5 score, but the other airlines do not score higher than 3.1. However, JetBlue’s 1 out of 5 score indicates that it should probably be your last choice if you are flying with a pet.
JetBlue was given a 7 out of 7 star safety rating by AirlineRatings. This rating took into account these factors: fatal crashings in the past five years, pilot-related accidents, passing of major audits, and compliance to COVID-19 safety standards. JetBlue’s perfect score can bring passengers relief and the comfort that they are in good hands.
JetBlue is also not a part of any of the three major airline alliances. These include Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. Airline alliances are partnerships that airlines form with each other to share certain operations and provide customers reciprocal benefits across the alliance network. However, the airline has partnerships with several other airlines like American Airlines to provide benefits for their passengers.
Based on JetBlue’s ranking by NerdWallet and other factors, the airline is a fair choice amongst others. It excels in only a few areas and could use improvements in all of the others. However, its low cost and great safety record suggest that you may not want to rule it out if there are not better options available.
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