JetBlue’s Consumer-Friendly Feature (That Other Airlines Should Copy)

Poking around on JetBlue’s website the other day for ways to redeem some TrueBlue points for a (nearly) free flight, I saw something that floored me – something I’ve personally never seen from another airline before.

It wasn’t the attempts to upsell or add extras like bags or rental cars that we’re all too accustomed to from airlines. Could it be? An honest-to-God, consumer-friendly feature? 

JetBlue explicitly encourages travelers redeeming points for a roundtrip flight to book one-way flights separately instead. And there’s a very, very good reason to follow that advice.

Whether using a credit card or redeeming points, many travelers default to booking a roundtrip flight. But there’s a strong argument to split it and book two one-way flights separately, as JetBlue itself notes: “We recommend you break up any itineraries booked with points into one-way trips, so you can change or manage them easier later.”

With few exceptions, there’s virtually no downside to booking one-way award flights … and tons of upside:

• If you need to change or especially cancel one segment of a roundtrip, it’s often a major hassle to do that without messing up your entire reservation. Booking one-ways makes it much, much easier
• Within the U.S. and even down to Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond, the pricing for a one-way is often (but not always) exactly half of a roundtrip. That means you’re not losing money in the name of flexibility
  • For JetBlue, flights to Europe are an exception. You’re almost always far better off booking roundtrip for substantial savings.
• It leaves you open to booking your second segment through another airline, should a better deal pop up

Plus, JetBlue doesn’t charge award change or cancellation fees. That means you can cancel one (or even both) of your flights if need be and get your points back without paying a dime. 

So, really, why book these roundtrip flights from Boston (BOS) to New York City (JFK) for 10,200 points…

… when you could instead book each segment separately without paying any more points or taxes and fees, potentially sparing yourself some serious headaches down the road if your plans change?

It’s unclear when JetBlue added this disclosure – for all I know, it’s been around for ages – but it’s new to me. And it’s something I’ve personally never seen from another airline, at home or abroad.

You’ll only see JetBlue’s “Want to keep things flexible?” prompt after selecting both segments of a roundtrip search using TrueBlue points. Click “Start over to book one-way” and you can quickly alter and resubmit your search.

Let’s give credit where credit is due: This is an excellent feature, JetBlue. And it’s one other airlines could easily adopt, giving travelers a heads-up that booking one-ways separately – while a tad more work – might be in their best interest. 

And while it’s a good move, JetBlue probably isn’t simply doing this out of the goodness of their New York-based hearts. Odds are, the airline has dealt with enough convoluted customer requests trying to change one segment of a roundtrip award ticket that they realized they could save their staff substantial time by encouraging customers to book one-way flights separately.

I’m betting it works. It sure caught me off guard. 

Bottom Line

Bravo, JetBlue. 

JetBlue now explicitly warns travelers trying to book a roundtrip award ticket that they’d be better off booking one-ways separately – just in case plans change and they need to alter their trips. It’s a small yet incredibly consumer-friendly move that could save customers and customer support agents a ton of trouble.