jetBlackAndBlue

Whenever an airline has some highly-publicized transportation fiasco, the usual playbook involves first denying that it ever happened, then blaming someone else like air traffic control or the airport authority, and only then issuing a weak apology and a vaguely-worded future commitment to customer service. Proving once again that it's not your typical airline, jetBlue threw out the usual playbook and decided to put its money where its mouth is.

First of all, it is important to note that jetBlue is calling its customer service plan by the exact term that the other airlines are terribly afraid of hearing Congress say - a "Customer Bill of Rights." The last time such murmurs were heard from Congress, airlines assembled customer commitments which were long on phrases such as "reasonable efforts" and "within our control" and failed to specify exactly what would happen if the airline failed to live up. By contrast, jetBlue has told customers exactly what they'd be getting in compensation based on the length and type of delay. And, in a further gesture of goodwill, they applied the Bill of Rights retroactively to last week's fiasco and will be sending compensation out automatically, with no need to apply to submit a claim. My theory is that airline passengers recognize delays as an inevitable part of air travel. It's not the delays that they really mind -- it's the consistent lack of information and false excuses and run-arounds that drives people nuts.

I love jetBlue. If it weren't for the frequent flier perks and the vast international network I can access through United, I would fly jetBlue all the time. They have already shown themselves to be above the nickel-and-diming nonsense of other domestic airlines (both legacy and low-cost) through perks like free snacks, free satellite television, minimal ticket change fees, and friendly flight attendants. All told, every time I've flown jetBlue, it seems like a slightly less stressful experience. The Customer Bill of Rights will cost the airline a lot of money and will likely open the door to all sorts of nitpicking when people try to claim compensation (as with all airlines, compensation is not due for delays caused by factors out of jetBlue's control, such as weather and ATC, and I can foresee people arguing vehemently when jetBlue claims it wasn't their fault). But jetBlue has proven once again that it puts customers first -- that it is willing to be straightforward and honest with its passengers, even if it hurts the bottom line in the short run. In the long run, though, I'm sure it will help.