JetBlue Blog

Weather in the Northeast is unpredictable at best. Spring weather can include frost and winter-like temperatures in the morning, cool, relaxing breezes in the afternoon, followed by April showers in the evening. To accommodate the ever-changing thermometer, we now have the perfect solution for those traveling from T5 to warmer climates.

Are you traveling to Grandma’s for Easter or your parent’s for Passover? Does the forecast for April showers call for you to wear your jacket to the airport, but you don’t want to be weighed down with your jacket while vacationing in a warmer climate. Now you can check your coat at the airport. JetBlue has partnered with CoatChex to offer a new-age coat check option for customers traveling through T5.  CoatChex answers the age-old question – Should I take my coat with me?

After years of checking coats the “old-fashioned” way, CoatChex Founder Derek Pacque came up with a new-age way of doing things – ticketless technology for coat checking. This innovative technology provides peace-of -mind through mobile checking and smart tags which capture transactions very quickly, accurately and in real-time. Customers input their phone number and initials into a digital kiosk. Next, the application takes a picture of the guest and their belongings and electronically checks in their item(s), enhancing efficiency and security and eliminating the need for a paper ticket. When customers pick up their coats, they simply input the last 4 digits if their phone number, the staff confirms via a photo match and the coat ID code appears instructing the staff which coat/items to retrieve.

CoatChex is only available at JetBlue’s T5 and its kiosk is currently located in the main marketplace in the terminal. CoatChex will have a centrally located kiosk starting in the Fall to accommodate even more coats and items.

Pricing starts at $2 per day or $10 for one week. To check your coat, visit the kiosk at T5 in JFK Airport or visit http://coatchex.com for more information.

On April 1^st, JetBlue’s Seventh Annual “One Thing That’s Green” campaign launched nation-wide. Throughout the year, and especially during earth month, we are committed to greening our planet. This year, JetBlue is taking a different approach to green.  We are asking our customers to tell us where we should build a green space in 2014 by visiting www.onethingthatsgreencityvote.com

It is our belief if we all do one small thing that’s green it will make one big difference in our environment.  This year we are getting involved from coast to coast in our, One Thing That’s Green mission by serving neighborhoods throughout the country from Seattle to Boston, New York to Long Beach, California, our crewmembers are taking the initiative of greening it up! With the help of customers, crewmembers we will plant trees, cleanup beaches, beautify parks and plant flowers. These events continue to help JetBlue inspire humanity in the cities we serve.

In Boston we are happy to be teaming up with the Charles River Watershed Association for the annual 15^th Annual Earth Day Charles River Clean up on April 26^th.  JetBlue will also be volunteering at the closing celebration at the Hatch Shell with games, entertainment and prizes.

Our Salt Lake City reservations team will be participating in,  One Thing That’s Green with Bend in the River on April 19^th. Crewmembers will be cleaning up the neighborhood park, planting trees, pulling weeds, and fertilizing the land.

And all the way on the west coast, our Long Beach crewmembers will be spruced up the El Dorado Nature Center on April 5^th.

Here at home we will also take on the initiative. Who doesn’t love to have a beautiful backyard, as New York’s hometown airline we are proud to participate in our 7^th annual tree planting with the New York Restoration project in Woodside, Queens. We invite customers and crewmembers to join as we get our backyard ready for summer as we plant trees and beautify our green spaces. If you want to help make our garden look beautiful don’t miss your chance to volunteer.

JetBlue is also getting greener in our airports. By composting food scraps instead of throwing them away, we are reusing the good parts and  avoiding the bad – the greenhouse gas emissions like methane that come from putting food into landfills.

We are looking forward to get the ball rolling and are always looking for more locations to inspire humanity. By visiting www.onethingthatsgreencityvote.com, you can tell us where JetBlue can add greenery to the scenery

Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry.

As we shake off the cold of winter, truly one for the record books, we wondered if it was merely the winter of our discontent, or if there was something more fundamental happening with our climate. This matters to us because shifts in the weather or the climate can have significant impact on how we run our airline.

One great example is the polar vortex that descended through North America in January 2014, bringing frigid polar air throughout regions in Canada and the United States. Besides forcing us to stay indoors, the polar vortex significantly changed wind patterns, requiring airlines to plan new flight routes and even some unplanned stops along the way to load more fuel.

But was the polar vortex an anomaly or a harbinger of things to come?

Let’s start with what we know:

A polar vortex is a permanent jet stream that circles the North or South Pole. The northern jet stream acts like a fence, keeping low-pressure and very cold air up in the Arctic, where everyone who doesn’t own stock in a parka company, wants it, and high-pressure warm air around populated mid-latitude regions. Jet streams form when two masses of air meet that are at contrasting temperatures, causing the wind to flow along their boundary as a result of the pressure difference. The strength of the jet stream therefore depends on the size of the temperature difference between the pole and landmass – the closer the temperatures between the Arctic and the United States, for example, the closer the air pressures – which weakens the polar vortex.

And now the bad news:

The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet as its sunlight-reflecting sea ice melts. With less temperature difference, and less pressure difference, the jet stream begins to slow and wobble, allowing the previously contained polar air to spill southward. This brings cold air, which we prefer to live in the Arctic, down towards North America.

Good for parka companies. Not good for airlines and the customers they serve.

So what are we doing about it?

JetBlue is taking a comprehensive approach to the challenges climate change poses to our airline, starting with ensuring our customers remain well-served. We are investing in new aircraft that have longer range, in order to reduce the number of fuel stops made necessary by changing winds. Our dispatchers and pilots collaborate on the most efficient routing, as well.

But the real solution lies in reducing our chances of encountering extreme weather, not just for our creature comfort but to contribute our part to the sustainability effort. Burning less fuel (by using more efficient aircraft and evolved operational practices), offsetting the carbon footprint of all JetBlue crewmember business travel, and making it easy for our customers to do the same are some of the ways we are trying to make a difference.

It’s our belief that the little things matter, whether it’s the experience you have on board or the little choices we make every day that can either help or hurt the environment.

You may have already guessed, but a lot of our crewmembers have been passionate aviation enthusiasts all their lives. That passion is something we love to encourage in the next generation of our industry. We recently launched the JetBlue Foundation to encourage STEM and aviation education, and on April 2, we provided a special charter flight experience to 75 high school and college aviation students for a trip to the Sun-N-Fun Show and Expo in Lakeland, Florida.   Top students from several aviation schools with dream of becoming pilots, technicians, air traffic controllers, and future aviation leaders were invited  to this expo to further encourage their interests and reward their hard work as they pursue careers in aviation.  Students from 10 schools in New York and Florida participated in the event, including three of the schools that were recipients of the first round of grants from the JetBlue Foundation.

At Sun & Fun, event attendees were able to board JetBlue’s aircraft to tour the flight deck, talk to our crew, get to know more about JetBlue, and how to pursue a career in aviation. Waiting for attendees on board, were individuals from all levels of our Gateway Pilot training program, JetBlue crewmembers as well as our CEO Dave Barger and our Chief People Officer and JetBlue Foundation President, Joanna Geraghty.

As an added bonus for attendees, parked right in the pavilion was a plane built by students from Circle Christian School. The plane is not just a source of pride for the students in the school’s Eagle’s Nest Orlando Project, but also 15 JetBlue pilots, JetBlue University instructors, and technicians who helped these students build the plane as part of a mentorship program.

JetBlue is on a mission to inspire humanity, and partnering with Sun-N-Fun, and their mission to preserve and enhance the future of flight through world-class events that inspire and educate people of all ages, is a perfect fit. We can’t wait to see what this energized next generation of aviation professionals will add to this industry we hold so dear.

Anyone born on April 1^st will tell you they’ve spent their fair share of time as the butt of bad jokes. Fortunately, when it comes to birthdays, JetBlue doesn’t fool around. If today’s your birthday and you’re flying JetBlue, you can receive a JetBlue credit equal to the amount of the fare you paid for your flight today.

“Everyone’s birthday should feel like a personal holiday, even if it’s on an actual holiday. So on a day like April Fool’s, a birthday is still nothing to joke about,” said Roger Johnson, JetBlue Director of Market Planning, “That’s why we’re making sure that our birthday travelers today get a present, not pranked.”

Credit for our birthday travelers’ April 1, 2014 JetBlue flight will be deposited into a JetBlue Travel Bank for any qualifying customers. JetBlue travel credits are good towards any JetBlue flight within 1 year. So if your birthday is April 1, and you’re flying JetBlue today on a flight booked on or before March 31, 2014, follow these steps to receive your JetBlue credit:

E-mail aprilnofools@jetblue.com by April 8, 2014 with:

• Your name
• JetBlue confirmation number for your April 1 flight and
• Your TrueBlue account number to request your JetBlue Travel Bank credit
  • No TrueBlue number? No worries, you can sign up for a TrueBlue account for free at http://jetblue.com/trueblue

Customers will be contacted within two weeks of email submission, and advised of any eligible credit.

On Monday, March 31, 2014 JetBlue flight 876 from Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) returned to Kingston after a report of a smoke odor. JetBlue will ensure customer needs are met.

Update 9:20 p.m. EDT
Initial reports indicate four customers have been taken to local medical facilities for evaluation.

UPDATE 11:00 p.m. EDT
Two additional customers opted for further medical evaluation.

Yesterday JetBlue welcomed our newest concessionaire Dylan’s Candy Bar to Terminal 5, with a Grand Opening Celebration and a Ribbon cutting ceremony! New York native Dylan Lauren CEO and Founder of Dylan’s Candy Bar celebrated her new store opening with giveaways and a special book signing event. As New York’s Hometown Airline it’s always great to celebrate hometown success, both JetBlue and Dylan’s Candy bar started in New York City.

Dylan Lauren merged the worlds of art fashion and pop culture with candy, and has created a candy bar that has innovated the way we see candy today.  Her mission to awaken the creative spirit and inner child in everyone was demonstrated yesterday as the customers filled the store in excitement gathering all their favorite childhood candies. With over 7,000 different edible treats there is something that will fill anyone’s sweet tooth. Next time you’re in terminal 5 make sure you grab your favorite sweets at Dylan’s.

With TrueBlue, loyalty really does get rewarded! In light of recent changes to other carriers’ frequent flier programs, we wanted to prove that membership truly has its benefits. This week, we issued the Mosaic Challenge offering an opportunity for travelers to earn Mosaic even faster. Are you a member of another airline loyalty program? You may automatically qualify for Mosaic status!

Now through April18, 2014, TrueBlue members can sign up for the Mosaic Challenge or status match:

• Mosaicstatus match – Anyone with specified status in qualifying loyalty programs (a) will automatically be eligible for TrueBlue Mosaic^®  through 2014 simply by signing up for the Challenge. All that is required is proof of current status.
• TrueBlue Mosaic^® Challenge – Anyone who flies enough to meet the Challenge earns Mosaic benefits for the remainder of 2014 and 2015 (a). Customers who complete the challenge, where participants have 90 days to earn 3,750 base (qualifying) flight points, will receive Mosaic status for the rest of 2014 through December 31, 2015 (a).

*Base flight points equate to three points per $1 a customer earns on the base fare of their individual JetBlue flight.

For information and instructions on the Mosaic Challenge or to automatically qualify for Mosaic status match, visit jetblue.com/mosaicchallenge.

TrueBlue Mosaic provides JetBlue’s most frequent fliers with more points, benefits and exclusive offers from valuable partners. To qualify for Mosaic, TrueBlue members must purchase and fly 30 JetBlue flight segments plus earn 12,000 base flight points or earn 15,000 base flight points within the calendar year (b). Mosaic benefits include extra bonus points for every eligible $1 spent, bonus points for qualification, and second bag always flies free (c). For a full list of Mosaic benefits, visit  trueblue.jetblue.com/web/trueblue/mosaic.

(a) TrueBlue Mosaic® Challenge Terms:   You must apply for the TrueBlue Mosaic Challenge (“Challenge”) by April 18, 2014 (11:59 PM EST) by emailing mosaicchallenge@jetblue.com with your valid and current TrueBlue number in the body of the email. If you are currently enrolled in one of the eligible airline loyalty programs with the specified eligible status, your email also must include proof of your current enrollment and status.  Eligible airline loyalty programs and statuses are:  Delta® SkyMiles Medallion® Gold, Platinum or Diamond ; United® MileagePlus® Premier® Gold, Platinum or Premier1K®; American Airlines® AAdvantage Platinum® or Executive Platinum®; US Airways® Dividend Miles Preferred Gold, Platinum or Chairman; Southwest® Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or Companion Pass; and Alaska Airlines® Mileage Plan^TM MVP® Gold or MVP® Gold 75k.  Travelers showing valid enrollment and status with an eligible loyalty program will qualify for TrueBlue Mosaic status for the remainder of 2014; other participants must complete the Challenge in order to enjoy Mosaic status for the remainder of 2014; all participants must complete the Challenge in order to enjoy Mosaic status for 2015 (1/1/15 – 12/31/15).  Mosaic status and benefits will not be effective until JetBlue notifies you via email of your Mosaic status; no retroactive Mosaic status or benefits will be granted.  JetBlue will have the right to deny any application or to refuse entry into the Challenge or to deny Mosaic status to anyone, in JetBlue’s sole discretion.  In order to successfully complete the Challenge, accepted participants must earn 3,750 base flight TrueBlue points within the 90-day period specified by JetBlue, in its sole discretion.  Base flight TrueBlue points are the 3 points per $1 that TrueBlue members earn on the base fare of their individual JetBlue flight.  JetBlue flights are flights operated by JetBlue and purchased with a JetBlue flight number.  All other bonus points, partner points, booking bonuses or any other points will not count towards the 3,750 point requirement.  You must enter your TrueBlue number at the time of booking a JetBlue flight in order to earn TrueBlue points towards the Challenge. The amount of base flight points earned by a Challenge participant will be solely determined by JetBlue and its tallying.  JetBlue will be the sole and official timekeeper that will determine, in its sole discretion, when the 90-day Challenge period for a participant begins and ends.  Whether or not a Challenge participant has completed the Challenge and earned TrueBlue Mosaic will be solely determined by JetBlue.  JetBlue shall not be obligated to review any records or other documents or information from Challenge participants or to consider any arguments by Challenge participants.  JetBlue shall have the right to disqualify from the Challenge any participant JetBlue deems, in its sole discretion, has violated the terms of the Challenge or engaged in any type of fraud, misrepresentation or improper conduct.  JetBlue may, in its sole discretion and for any reason, without notice or liability, modify or terminate the Challenge at any time.  All deadlines based on Eastern Standard Time. Additional restrictions apply.  See the TrueBlue Terms and Conditions for details.

(b)  JetBlue flights are flights operated by JetBlue and purchased under a JetBlue flight number.  Base flight points are the 3 points per $1 you earn on the base fare of your individual JetBlue flight purchase. A “segment” means any origin-destination pair; a one-way flight (whether non-stop or including a connection) is one segment, and a roundtrip flight (whether non-stop or including a connection) is two segments.  Award flights do not count towards Mosaic. Mosaic membership is good for one calendar year.  Additional restrictions apply.  See the TrueBlue Terms and Conditions for details

(c)  Free checked baggage subject to weight and size limits and exceptions for itineraries including flights marketed or operated by other airlines. 

They say it’s important to make a good first impression. So when we start service to a new city, we like to do something that shows our new neighbors a little about those things that drive us. At JetBlue we’re all about those relationships we build with our customers, and the communities we serve, after all, it’s those people that allow us to come to work every day! So, when we launched our newest Blue City last week, our corporate focus on youth and education, and our crewmembers’ passion for individual service with our  Community Connection program, came together for everyone to gain a great understanding, and leave one heck of an impression.

Detroit is a vibrant city with a rich musical and industrial history creating a truly unique culture. This culture has been tested in recent years with economic hardships though, so when we launched our service between Detroit and Boston last week, we called on our friends at First Book to help us give some much needed resources to Robert Burns Elementary School. See a little of the day in this video.

 On Friday, we flew more than 40 teens from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Clinic to Fort Myers, home of JetBlue Park. Not only did the teens have the chance to attend a Red Sox spring training game, had a meet and greet with Red Sox players and participated in their own batting practice.

For 10 years, Jimmy Fund Clinic teens have made the weekend trip to the Red Sox Spring training. Attendees ranged from  13 to 21, and traveled alongside twenty-one doctors and nurses from Dana-Farber Cancer institute and Boston Children’s Hospital Cancer and Blood center. Everyone had a great time!