JetBlue scraps ticket exchange fees but prohibits access to the luggage area for the cheapest fares

JetBlue Airways is scrapping ticket change fees for most tickets, but travelers buying the cheapest fares should pack lightly.

The New York-based airline said Tuesday, starting July 20, that it will guarantee overhead luggage space for its standard coach fares up to and including its Mint business class. But travelers who have booked Blue Basic, the airline’s cheapest option, are not allowed to use the overhead luggage space, a policy United Airlines put in place when it began selling no-frills basic economy tickets in 2017.

If JetBlue fails to deliver on its promise, it will get travelers a $ 25 credit. That’s a relatively easy feat during the pandemic, when few people are traveling, but finding space above the head was a “major pain point” before travelers while boarding, the carrier said.

Airline drivers have said these no-frills options are designed to better compete with low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines and Frontier, which derive much of their revenue from additional bag and seat-selection fees. However, they have also said they want many travelers to avoid these most restrictive fares and pay more for standard economy.

JetBlue says it wants to make those cheaper, restrictive rates cheaper.

“Currently our Blue and Blue Basic offerings are very similar,” JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty said in a note to staff. “We need to better differentiate the two by making Blue the gold standard, while strategically focusing on lowering the price of Blue Basic.”