Is JetBlue worth $100/pp than American?

[Flafun888]

I'm an INfrequent flier who really hates flying to begin with, but desperately wants to do a particular CA cruise! I'm hoping to hear from experienced fliers who have flown AA and JetBlue in a standard COACH seat.

 

How much worse (if at all) is the AA experience compared to Jet Blue on a 6 hr cross country flight?

 

Do you think it's worth spending around $100/pp more (RT) to fly Jet Blue? (That's final cost, including 1 checked bag/pp.)

 

I got a great deal on 2 AA tics and did a 24hr hold. But then read a bunch of reviews on SeatGuru - people really seem miserable over AA's 738 craft's narrower and very uncomfortable seats, lack of footroom under seat (due to bulky entertainment equip) and bad inflight entertainment. Many said it was far worse than other airlines.

 

Both AA and JB are nonstop, roughly same schedule. Been watching JB, for past 2 months, hoping it'll go down, but no go. I'm about 92-93 days from departure at this point.

 

Any experiences would be welcome...I only have a few hours left on the AA hold. I like saving money, but not at the expense of a miserable flight. :confused:

[Gardyloo]

JetBlue has in-seat video, AA doesn't. Standard legroom on JetBlue (whose symbol, incidentally, is B6, not JB) is 2-3 inches more than on AA. However, you can select "Main Cabin Extra" (MCE) seats, which offer up to 6" more room, for an additional payment, which is almost certainly going to be less than the difference in fare you cited.

 

Coach is coach, it's not something to be treasured, only endured. If it's worth anything, AA's frequent flyer program is way better than JetBlue's, and a transcon round trip's worth of miles is nothing to sneeze at, so pick 'em.

 

What route are you flying?

[Flafun888]

What route are you flying?

 

Thanks for your quick reply...much appreciated.

MIA to SFO for American. (JetBlue is FLL), but I could do either airport.

[loma linda ca a & j]

we like jet blue

 

when we fly night flights from lax to ft laud or boston

we get the extra leg room seats - well worth the extra $$

[H20mac3]

I'm an INfrequent flier who really hates flying to begin with, but desperately wants to do a particular CA cruise! I'm hoping to hear from experienced fliers who have flown AA and JetBlue in a standard COACH seat.

 

How much worse (if at all) is the AA experience compared to Jet Blue on a 6 hr cross country flight?

 

Do you think it's worth spending around $100/pp more (RT) to fly Jet Blue? (That's final cost, including 1 checked bag/pp.)

 

I got a great deal on 2 AA tics and did a 24hr hold. But then read a bunch of reviews on SeatGuru - people really seem miserable over AA's 738 craft's narrower and very uncomfortable seats, lack of footroom under seat (due to bulky entertainment equip) and bad inflight entertainment. Many said it was far worse than other airlines.

 

Both AA and JB are nonstop, roughly same schedule. Been watching JB, for past 2 months, hoping it'll go down, but no go. I'm about 92-93 days from departure at this point.

 

Any experiences would be welcome...I only have a few hours left on the AA hold. I like saving money, but not at the expense of a miserable flight. :confused:

 

 

We fly JetBlue a lot and we pay for the extra legroom as my DH is quite tall. Even if height is not an issue and you really dislike flying I would suggest springing for comfort over savings. But that's just my opinion. Also since you are flying into SFO be aware that the airport is a good distance from San Francisco. If you are flying in the day of departure make sure you allow at least two hours to get from the airport to the cruise terminal. That will allow you time to collect your luggage, pick up your transportation and then deal with bay area traffic. Hopefully you will arrive a day or two early and enjoy the beautiful city by the bay! :) Have fun on your cruise!

[Gardyloo]

Thanks for your quick reply...much appreciated.

MIA to SFO for American. (JetBlue is FLL), but I could do either airport.

I would also give very strong consideration to Virgin America on that route.

[bouhunter]

Coach is coach, it's not something to be treasured, only endured.

 

In most cases that about sums it up:D

[Flafun888]

we like jet blue

 

when we fly night flights from lax to ft laud or boston

we get the extra leg room seats - well worth the extra $$

 

Thanks for responding and your input. I'm short, (but extra leg room is great for everyone.:D) I can't get through a 2 hr movie without constantly moving & fidgeting, so 6 hrs of air travel wedged up against strangers feels brutal to me.

 

(Don't get me wrong: it's a first world problem...thankful I can travel at all and don't want this to sound like a complaint. Just get a bit anxious on long flights.)

[Flafun888]

I would also give very strong consideration to Virgin America on that route.

 

Great suggestion...wish I could! Checked them first. They only have a 9am nonstop back out to FL - so won't work w/cruise schedule. I'm coming in 3 days early to enjoy that gorgeous city. So already spending a lot on SFO hotel. Would rather not stay an extra night after, when I can fly out disembarkation day at 2pm on other airlines.

[Flafun888]

Even if height is not an issue and you really dislike flying I would suggest springing for comfort over savings. But that's just my opinion. Also since you are flying into SFO be aware that the airport is a good distance from San Francisco. If you are flying in the day of departure make sure you allow at least two hours to get from the airport to the cruise terminal. That will allow you time to collect your luggage, pick up your transportation and then deal with bay area traffic. Hopefully you will arrive a day or two early and enjoy the beautiful city by the bay! :) Have fun on your cruise!

 

Appreciate your suggestions - so far, everyone seems in agreement re: what I was wondering: is there a real difference between the two airlines? It sounds like most people feel there is. Thanks for warning re: SFO distance. Yes...coming in a few days early and probably doing uber to hotel and to pier. Thank you!

Edited July 10, 2015 by Flafun888

[kenish]

Great that you're doing your homework. A lot is changing at B6 and AA, so many comments and reviews may be accurate but outdated.

 

B6 isadding more rows of seats in the back of the bus to provide extra-legroom seats up front. Their 1-3" better legroom is disappearing. But, you can purchase seats with extra legroom on both airlines. For seat width, A320's have a wider cabin, allowing for 1" wider seats than single-aisle Boeings (737 / 757). JetBlue only flies A320's....AA flies a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, but only Boeings on your route.

 

AA is upgrading and retrofitting video systems on their 738's. Right now, it could be overhead monitors, seatback monitors with "canned" content, or VoD (video on demand). It's a roll of the dice how the individual plane on your flight will be equipped. JetBlue is live content (DirecTV feed).

 

JetBlue started charging for a 1st checked bag a few weeks ago. It's $20 in advance or $25 at the airport. First bag is still free in the more expensive "Blue Plus" fare bundle.

 

To your original question, I'd personally go on AA and spend the $100 towards a Main Cabin Extra seat. If something goes amok, there are far more options getting to the ship on AA than B6. Final thought- have you considered connecting through LAX on AA? The fare may be cheaper than a nonstop, more flights= more ideal schedule, and since LAX-MIA is a "backbone" route for AA there are A321s, 777s, and 767s on some flights. You may also save by flying out of OAK or SJC to a connecting city....worth checking.

Edited July 10, 2015 by kenish

[toberman]

I would also give very strong consideration to Virgin America on that route.

 

Great suggestion...wish I could! Checked them first. They only have a 9am nonstop back out to FL - so won't work w/cruise schedule.

 

Have you looked at one-way fares on each airline? Maybe Virgin to SFO and either AA or JetBlue back?

Edited July 10, 2015 by toberman

[Flafun888]

Have you looked at one-way fares on each airline? Maybe Virgin to SFO and either AA or JetBlue back?

 

There are some good ones...like you said - combo of Virgin up and JetBlue back. But I'm always a bit wary of hacker fares, in case I need to change the tic...it's often double the penalty cost. Thanks for responding!

Edited July 10, 2015 by Flafun888

[Gardyloo]

But I'm always a bit wary of hacker fares, in case I need to change the tic...it's often double the penalty cost. Thanks for responding!

Not sure what you mean by "hacker" fares, but on many routes such as MIA/FLL-SFO, nowadays the one-way fares are basically 1/2 the round trip fare. VX out and AA/B6 back will likely be very close to a round trip on any of the above. Yes, changes would incur change fees on any/either tickets, depending on the T&Cs of the fare bucket.

[Flafun888]

Great that you're doing your homework. A lot is changing at B6 and AA, so many comments and reviews may be accurate but outdated.

 

B6 isadding more rows of seats in the back of the bus to provide extra-legroom seats up front. Their 1-3" better legroom is disappearing. But, you can purchase seats with extra legroom on both airlines. For seat width, A320's have a wider cabin, allowing for 1" wider seats than single-aisle Boeings (737 / 757). JetBlue only flies A320's....AA flies a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, but only Boeings on your route.

 

AA is upgrading and retrofitting video systems on their 738's. Right now, it could be overhead monitors, seatback monitors with "canned" content, or VoD (video on demand). It's a roll of the dice how the individual plane on your flight will be equipped. JetBlue is live content (DirecTV feed).

 

JetBlue started charging for a 1st checked bag a few weeks ago. It's $20 in advance or $25 at the airport. First bag is still free in the more expensive "Blue Plus" fare bundle.

 

To your original question, I'd personally go on AA and spend the $100 towards a Main Cabin Extra seat. If something goes amok, there are far more options getting to the ship on AA than B6. Final thought- have you considered connecting through LAX on AA? The fare may be cheaper than a nonstop, more flights= more ideal schedule, and since LAX-MIA is a "backbone" route for AA there are A321s, 777s, and 767s on some flights. You may also save by flying out of OAK or SJC to a connecting city....worth checking.

 

All the above is great info...thank you. Didn't think about AA as a stronger alternative if things go wrong. I'm arriving 3 days before sailing, but still a valid point - perhaps more so on the return flight.

 

To your point, there are actually quite a few connecting flights - more choices and much cheaper. Unfortunately that limitation is all me...I wish I was more easygoing, but I am so uncomfortable on longer flights and connections make a long travel day feel even more drawn out. So trying to stick w/ nonstops.

 

Again thank you for taking time to share so much detail: much appreciated!

[Flafun888]

Not sure what you mean by "hacker" fares, but on many routes such as MIA/FLL-SFO, nowadays the one-way fares are basically 1/2 the round trip fare. VX out and AA/B6 back will likely be very close to a round trip on any of the above. Yes, changes would incur change fees on any/either tickets, depending on the T&Cs of the fare bucket.

 

I think they call 2 diff 1 way flights using diff airlines "hacker" rates: at least that's how Kayak refers to them. Probably not true across the board, but I've priced a few hacker fares and really saw change fees escalate when 2 diff airlines were involved.

[Gardyloo]

I think they call 2 diff 1 way flights using diff airlines "hacker" rates: at least that's how Kayak refers to them. Probably not true across the board, but I've priced a few hacker fares and really saw change fees escalate when 2 diff airlines were involved.

Just buy tickets directly from the airlines, not through some third party. They're just two one-way tickets, common as dirt.

[Globaliser]

I think they call 2 diff 1 way flights using diff airlines "hacker" rates: at least that's how Kayak refers to them. Probably not true across the board, but I've priced a few hacker fares and really saw change fees escalate when 2 diff airlines were involved.

To the extent that "hacker" suggests that you're doing something dodgy, that's just Kayak marketing rubbish, designed to make you think you're getting some clever deal that nobody other than Kayak can provide. As I say, that's rubbish. Buying two one-way tickets is absolutely standard practice. Sometimes, someone might even buy a one-way ticket and not buy the one-way ticket in the other direction until after they've reached the destination. (I've had to do that myself.) So there's nothing resembling a hack doing this.

 

However, you're right about change fees. Many change fees are charged per person per transaction, so that if you have a round-trip ticket and you change both dates at once, you're only charged one change fee. If you buy two one-way tickets, then you'd have to pay two change fees (one for each ticket). So you do have to weigh up the risk of this - but as always, do not overestimate the risk when you consider the benefits that you might get from doing it.

[TruckerDave]

Appreciate your suggestions - so far, everyone seems in agreement re: what I was wondering: is there a real difference between the two airlines? It sounds like most people feel there is. Thanks for warning re: SFO distance. Yes...coming in a few days early and probably doing uber to hotel and to pier. Thank you!

 

 

Depending on where you are staying you can just hop the BART to downtown. Then jump on the "F" line to take you to the Fishermans warf area. Really easy, cheap and you won't be the only tourist dragging a suitcase on the BART.

[Flafun888]

Appreciate everyone's comments & suggestions! Yup...the 1 way tics are no big deal - Kayak just calls them "hackers". But AA and JetBlue RTs are still the best schedule wise. Just hoping that JetBlue fare comes down: we're flying out wed and back sat, which I thought were some of the lowest fare days. (Mid Oct...no holiday weekend.) Yet looking at $500/pp for the prime flight times I want. (Not counting baggage fees - thanks for your new policy change JetBlue:mad:.)

 

I'm about 90 days out, so thinking I have a couple of weeks to watch the fares before I need to nail down.

[nolatravelgirl]

You have yet to clarify why you are so hung up on Jet Blue and think that they hung the moon. There is nothing OMG fabulous about Jet Blue that would ever make me pay $100 per person more for it.

[Zach1213]

You have yet to clarify why you are so hung up on Jet Blue and think that they hung the moon. There is nothing OMG fabulous about Jet Blue that would ever make me pay $100 per person more for it.

 

Or $50 for that matter.

[Flafun888]

Nah...trust me...don't think they're significantly better by any means. But the comments on the particular AA 738 flight I was looking at seatguru.com were extra negative...many experienced coach flyers said those particular aircraft seats were the most uncomfortable they've been on. And these were people who fly coach all the time. When I checked seatguru for this particular JetBlue flight I was eyeing, I didn't see that. Lots of comments sure, but much fewer angry/dissatisfied people. So figured maybe JB was the lesser of two evils? That's all.

 

Long story short: sat tight and waited. Caught a price drop on JB that put it in same range as AA - a few bucks over. Airport's a bit closer for family who'll be dropping off/picking us up - easier for them. So just went for it.

I really appreciate everyone's input - thank you for taking the time to post.:D

[kenish]

When I checked seatguru for this particular JetBlue flight I was eyeing, I didn't see that. Lots of comments sure, but much fewer angry/dissatisfied people. So figured maybe JB was the lesser of two evils? That's all.

 

Glad you're ticketed. FYI, JetBlue began converting cabins to the denser seating in March by using new, thinner, "slimline" seats. Since the conversion program will probably take a year or more, many of the older Seatguru comments don't apply to the new cabin...and the newest comments might be the old or new seats. Hopefully the new seats are comfortable, but pointing out that Seatguru comments could be outdated. You may get the old or new cabin, easiest way is to find out how many rows are on your specific flight.

[Flafun888]

You may get the old or new cabin, easiest way is to find out how many rows are on your specific flight.

 

Since I already bought the tics at this point either way, think I'll avoid finding out and just hope for the best :D (And pack a benadryl or two.)