JetBlue lets vacationers book early


JetBlue's new Highrise tailfin design is now flying (image from JetBlue)
JetBlue's new Highrise tailfin design is now flying (image from JetBlue)

JetBlue’s schedule is set to extend on Sunday, opening up another 9.5 weeks of flights. That’s pretty typical for the airline as it releases additional flights in blocks throughout the year rather than day-by-day. But this time around there’s something a little different in play. Travelers booking vacation packages get earlier access to the extended schedule.

The current JetBlue flight schedule runs only until October 2016, unless....
The current JetBlue flight schedule runs only until October 2016, unless….

That is not to say that I’d be racing out to book a vacation package right now. In fact, I nearly always recommend against booking this far in advance and also against booking packages, though for the latter there are several scenarios where they can help avoid certain advance-purchase ticketing restrictions to get lower fares, depending on the airline. Expecting the cheapest seats on a route to be available when the booking window opens usually leads to disappointment. But definitely take a look if there is a Christmas or New Years adventure in your plans.

Buy a JetBlue Vacation Package and 9 extra weeks of flight schedules are available to book
Buy a JetBlue Vacation Package and 9 extra weeks of flight schedules are available to book

But even though this is probably not a great booking  value opportunity it is an interesting move by JetBlue. There are absolutely travelers that stalk the schedule extension, waiting to try to secure flights ASAP when the opportunity presents itself. Getting some of these travelers to consider a vacation package (with much higher margins for the company) rather than just a flight booking isn’t such a bad idea. Especially when it is a relatively easy test to run.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.