JetBlue Airways Corp., bowing to rising competitive pressures, began offering a no-frills option Tuesday in the first revamp of its fare categories since they were introduced in 2015.
Customers buying a reduced Blue Basic fare won’t get a refund if they have to cancel, can’t make changes to the reservation and will have to board last — standards that match other airlines for the category. There are no extra fees for a carry-on bag and one personal item.
JetBlue is feeling pressure from ultra-discounters such as Spirit Airlines Inc. and Frontier Airlines, as well as from larger carriers like Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. that adopted the reduced, no-extras basic fares several years ago to keep from losing customers to less-expensive rivals.
“Over the last few years, it’s become very clear this no-frills basic economy segment has become a larger and larger set of customers,” Dave Clark, JetBlue’s vice president of sales and revenue management, said in an interview. “Not having that offering, we couldn’t compete effectively.”
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