JetBlue Charges $7 for Pillow

[Amish RakeFight]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080804/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_pillow_fees

JetBlue charging $7 for pillow, blanket kit
By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP, AP Business Writer1 hour, 20 minutes ago



JetBlue Airways Corp. said Monday it is now charging customers for pillows and blankets.

The carrier has done away with the recycled blankets and pillows used on its flights, and has started offering an "eco-friendly" travel blanket and pillow that can be purchased for $7 on flights longer than two hours. The pair come in a kit with a $5 coupon to home furnishings retailer Bed Bath & Beyond.

The carrier claims the pillow and blanket feature a fabric technology, developed by CleanBrands LLC, that blocks pesky critters like dust mites, mold spores, pollen and pet dander.

JetBlue already offers free "Snooze Kits" on overnight flights from the West that include an eyeshade and ear plugs.
But the blanket and pillow kit is the latest in a string of a la carte items the company says are providing a revenue boost to help offset the soaring price of jet fuel.

A JetBlue spokeswoman declined to predict how much the sale of these kits will bring in, saying that the company only provides revenue details for specific items in its quarterly earnings conference calls.

The carrier said last month it expects to collect about $40 million from customers buying seats with extra leg room this year. Its $15 fee for a second checked bag is expected to translate into about $20 million in additional revenue. A ticket change fee, which doubled to $100 in the second quarter, is part of a "basket of fee changes" expected to produce about $50 million in extra revenue in 2008.

Shares rose 22 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $5.48 in midday trading.

 

[chperplt]

Great idea!!!

I'll gladly pay $7 for a clean pillow that I get to keep.

 

[GuinessGuy]

When I first saw this proposed, I thought.....Elcheapo Airways (Spirit/Allegiant/Skybus). But when I saw one of the Blanket/Pillow Kits, I was plesantly surprised. Not a bad little setup for the money. $7 is cheap compared to those $25-$30 U-shaped pillows people buy in the Airport shops

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Don't forget you get a $5 Bed Bath and Beyond coupon too, which offsets the cost. If these $5 coupons are anything like the ones I receive in the mail from them, it requires a minimum purchase like $15- $20.

 

[chperplt]

Elcheapo Airways (Spirit/Allegiant/Skybus)

*Cough... PUTZ.... cough

 

[BEECH-SLAPPED]

Elcheapo Airways (Spirit/Allegiant/Skybus)

Such a fantastic grasp of the Spanish language. Clever too! Maybe they can put you in charge of writing those cute little sayings on the nose of your aircraft using the word "blue". How about this one:

"Blue eleven hours in JFK on the taxiway during a blizzard"

Relax! It's a joke.

- "ElCheapo" MD-80 pilot

 

[Beetle007]

I would rather pay $7 for a fresh clean blanket than one of those "free" recycled blankets you get from other airlines.

As they say..you get what you pay for.

 

[inline]

Why not go another step and have the pax load and unload the baggage. Layoff all the baggage handlers and save the companies more $.

 

[kwick]

Sounds like desperation before they close the doors.

Apparently the last chance cash infusion from Lufthansa is about spent. Sorry to hear they might be going down, the TV.s never worked very well, but a lot of nice people might be out of work.

Better cash in those ticket vouchers.

 

[chperplt]

Sounds like desperation before they close the doors.

Apparently the last chance cash infusion from Lufthansa is about spent. Sorry to hear they might be going down, the TV.s never worked very well, but a lot of nice people might be out of work.

Better cash in those ticket vouchers.

Someone needs to stop sniffing glue...