JetBlue adds frequent flyer rewards for incremental spending

JetBlue Airways It unveiled new perks for less-frequent travelers striving for elite status, and is the latest carrier to rethink its loyalty program to reflect changing travel habits.

The new system outlines more additional steps for earning perks, including choosing early boarding (except for basic economy ticket holders), priority security screening, alcoholic beverages on board, or additional frequent flyer points, each time earning Client 10 so-called “tiles.”

A customer earns one of those tiles for every $100 they spend on JetBlue and its travel booking platforms, or on flights operated by its partner in the Northeast US, American Airlines. Customers can also earn a tile by spending $1,000 on a JetBlue credit card.

The changes are part of JetBlue’s larger overhaul of the TrueBlue software, which the carrier announced on Wednesday.

Other changes include:

• JetBlue breaks down its mosaic state into four tiers, with benefits corresponding to each. To earn Level 1 of this program, travelers will need 50 coins, and this comes with benefits such as access to seats with extra legroom at check-in and same-day flight changes.
• At the higher level, after earning 250 coins, passengers can upgrade, if available, to a Business Class Mint cabin. They can also score four helicopter transfers on the Blade between Manhattan and JFK or Newark Liberty International Airport.
• JetBlue also offers perks when a customer moves up to a higher level of elite status such as pet fee waivers or a $99 credit card.

The new plan comes as airlines adjust their lucrative frequent flyer programs to tie them more closely to customer spending, including on rewards credit cards. Many carriers have raised the level of access to the mode. They are also changing travel habits, such as the increasing dominance of leisure travelers because traditional corporate travel has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

For example, American Airlines late last year raised the spending threshold required for customers to earn elite status. It also offered temporary benefits to frequent flyer program members who collect loyalty points but not enough for elite status, with perks such as earlier boarding and coupons for “preferred location seats,” which are closer to the front of the plane but do not have extra legroom.

And Delta Airlines It said in January it would start offering free Wi-Fi on its planes to passengers enrolled in the SkyMiles frequent flyer programme.

said Kyle Potter, executive editor of The traveler is thriftyA website for travel and airline deals. “There’s not a lot of incentive to stay loyal to this airline… unless you’re a traditional road warrior.

“JetBlue and other airlines are smart about offering those midpoints, to put something on hand, some reason to keep flying that airline even if getting to that big of a stature step isn’t possible,” he said.

JetBlue is in the middle of bidding to acquire budget budget carrier Spirit Airlines, but the Justice Department sued to block the deal earlier this year. If JetBlue prevails, the carrier plans to ditch the ultra-low-cost Spirit model and retrofit its aircraft in JetBlue style.