JetBlue’s passenger rights legacy

JetBlue’s corporate DNA has always been a 99 percent match with Southwest — the plucky low-fare carrier that zigs when everyone else zags. But now, in an Invaders-Of-The-Body-Snatchers-like turn, JetBlue seems to have become infected by an alien virus and is turning into a legacy carrier in front of our eyes.

Consider the evidence. First, the airline began charging for better blankets. Then it signaled that it would start setting aside better seats for higher-paying customers, creating a de-facto first class cabin.

JetBlue has also announced several codesharing partnerships, the latest of which is with Cape Air.

And now, the kicker.

This reminds me of the final scene of Invasion (the ’78 remake) when Donald Sutherland reveals himself as one of the aliens. In an incident eerily similar to American Airlines’ Austin fiasco, a Cancun-bound JetBlue flight was trapped on a tarmac in New York for eight hours yesterday.

Another JetBlue flight in Pittsburgh was stuck for five hours.

There’s a silver lining here that I’d like to point out before the credits roll. The JetBlue JFK incident is exactly what the nascent passenger rights movement needs in order to push its passenger bill of rights through Congress.

So thank you, JetBlue. You may have revealed yourself as a thinly-disguised legacy carrier, but you’ve done a great service for air travelers everywhere.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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