The opposite day, I used to be serving to a buddy e-book a JetBlue flight.
He requested me to assign him an extra-legroom seat, and once I bought to the seat choice display, I used to be floored.
JetBlue needed a whopping $149 for an extra-legroom seat — an “Even Extra House” seat, in JetBlue parlance — for a flight of lower than three hours from New York to West Palm Seaside.
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I have been a frequent JetBlue flyer for a few years, and this was the primary time I might seen such an costly buy-up for an Even Extra House seat on a flight from New York to Florida. The final time I helped this buddy a couple of months in the past, he paid round $65 for a similar seat on the identical route.
I took to X (previously Twitter) to ask if the $149 buy-up was a fluke, however JetBlue confirmed that it launched a dynamic pricing algorithm for Even Extra House seats.
I then searched 5 pattern JetBlue routes to see how the airline’s dynamic pricing algorithm stacks up in opposition to the competitors’s extra-legroom selections, and in lots of instances, the outcomes weren’t fairly.
Westchester to West Palm Seaside
| Airline | Aisle | Center | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | $50 | $50 | $50 |
| JetBlue | $129 | $126 | $129 |
That is the starkest instance that I might discover of JetBlue charging considerably greater than the competitors for an extra-legroom seat.
On flights between Westchester County Airport (HPN) and Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport (PBI), JetBlue was charging a whopping $79 greater than Delta Air Strains on the very same route.
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For years, JetBlue has had a monopoly on service from HPN to Florida, and the typical fares replicate that. Final 12 months, the airline’s route from Westchester to West Palm Seaside had a mean gross airfare of $203, Division of Transportation information exhibits. (In distinction, common JetBlue fares from John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport to West Palm Seaside have been $168.)
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HPN’s catchment space contains a few of the wealthiest communities within the New York suburbs, so JetBlue doubtless feels that it could possibly get away with charging a lot for an extra-legroom seat on this market.
LaGuardia to Orlando
| Airline | Aisle | Center | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | $110 | $110 | $110 |
| Frontier | $33 | $33 | $33 |
| JetBlue | $64 | $60 | $64 |
| Spirit | $65 | NA | $65 |
On this route, Delta was charging essentially the most for an extra-legroom seat, however the comparability is rather more nuanced than the easy $46 distinction between the Delta buy-up and the JetBlue one.
Moreover, on flights longer than 251 miles, Consolation+ vacationers can take pleasure in free beer and wine, and on flights longer than 500 miles, they’ll additionally take pleasure in free spirits.
In the meantime, on JetBlue, every can of wine will run you $11, and for those who’re seeking to begin your go to to Mickey Mouse with slightly buzz, the distinction between the Consolation+ and Even Extra House narrows.
New York to West Palm Seaside
| Airline | Aisle | Center | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | $120 | $120 | $120 |
| JetBlue | $149 | $144 | $149 |
| Spirit | $118 | $NA | $118 |
| United (from Newark) | $84 | $79 | $84 |
Here is one other instance the place JetBlue’s Even Extra House seats have been priced larger than the competitors.
This was the route I discussed within the introduction, however wanting on the distinction between Even Extra House and the competitors reveals some fascinating insights.
If confronted with the selection, I might fly Spirit Airways on this route. That is as a result of the airline’s most premium extra-legroom providing, referred to as Large Entrance Seat, is extra like a home first-class product than an Even Extra House seat.
Spirit’s Large Entrance Seats are organized in a 2-2 configuration and provide further legroom, further width and bigger tray tables. The one draw back is that the seats are pre-reclined, however I might nonetheless say {that a} Large Entrance Seat is extra comfy than an Even Extra House seat.
After all, we’ll have to attend and see what modifications with the pending merger between JetBlue and Spirit, however till then, I might be tempted to decide on Spirit over JetBlue — particularly with the latter charging $144 for an extra-legroom center seat.
New York to Boston
| Airline | Aisle | Center | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | $32 | $31 | $32 |
| Delta | $60 | $60 | $60 |
| JetBlue | $39 | $39 | $39 |
| United (from Newark) | $29 | $29 | $29 |
Even Extra House wasn’t at all times the priciest possibility on each route that I searched.
On this case, JetBlue’s extra-legroom providing was the second-most-expensive one after Delta’s Consolation+.
But it surely’s fascinating to see that American Airways and United Airways have been undercutting JetBlue’s buy-up on the quick flight between New York and Boston.
New York to Los Angeles
| Airline | Aisle | Center | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska (from Newark) | $84 | $84 | $84 |
| American | $74 | $67 | $70 |
| Delta | $250 | $250 | $250 |
| JetBlue | $159 | $153 | $159 |
| Spirit | $249 | NA | $249 |
| United (from Newark) | $159 | $152 | $159 |
New York to Los Angeles is without doubt one of the nation’s most closely contested aviation markets, so I used to be curious to see how six of the most important U.S. airways stacked up.
JetBlue was as soon as once more the second-most-expensive possibility after Delta, however the distinction between JetBlue’s pricing and Alaska Airways’ was fairly noteworthy.
Alaska manufacturers its extra-legroom seats as “Premium Class,” and these seats additionally embrace free booze on flights longer than 350 miles.
So not solely is Alaska’s pricing among the many lowest of the aggressive set, however the worth can be fairly good.
JetBlue’s response
After I seen how costly the Even Extra House seats have turn into, I reached out to JetBlue to ask about what occurred.
It confirmed the existence of a dynamic pricing algorithm based mostly on numerous elements, such because the route and demand, as you may see within the full assertion under.
JetBlue’s Even Extra House seats are a very talked-about alternative for a lot of prospects, who not solely benefit from as much as 7 inches of further legroom on board, but additionally get earlier boarding and overhead bin entry, in addition to entry to our Precedence Safety traces at choose airports. JetBlue’s Even Extra House pricing varies from flight to flight and is set based mostly on routes, demand, and different market elements. Even Extra House seating stays free for our most loyal Mosaic prospects and an non-obligatory enhancement to different JetBlue prospects’ journey expertise.
Backside line
With the introduction of a dynamic pricing algorithm for Even Extra House seats, JetBlue’s extra-legroom providing is now among the many most costly within the sky.
The buy-ups are pricier than ever earlier than, and that is with out JetBlue introducing any new perks, akin to free drinks, which you’d discover on Alaska and Delta.
Even Extra House does embrace precedence safety (a perk you will not discover on some other main U.S. competitor), however vacationers with Clear or TSA PreCheck in all probability will not worth this further profit all an excessive amount of.
If you happen to’re nonetheless set on flying in an Even Extra House seat, there are a couple of choices to decrease the price.
The primary is to take a detailed have a look at the seat map. As a part of the dynamic pricing mannequin, some seats are costlier than others. For example, on the Embraer E190 flying between New York and Boston, the bulkhead seats have been $42, however these in the midst of the airplane have been $39.
Alternatively, you may wish to wait till the check-in window opens. Some vacationers have reported that JetBlue reductions unsold Even Extra House seats because the flight approaches.
And eventually, JetBlue’s Mosaic members have entry to free Even Extra House seats at reserving or check-in, relying on the tier. If Even Extra House is one thing you worth, you could possibly at all times swipe your technique to Mosaic standing to take pleasure in free seats for you and your touring get together.
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