The airline plans to reinvest the millions of dollars it will collect from bag fees into new seats and TVs, according to Marty St. George, JetBlue’s executive vice president of commercial products and planning.
“Some of these changes are going to help pay for what’s the biggest product upgrade JetBlue has had in the history of the company,” he told The Associated Press in advance of the announcement.
Under pressure from investors and Wall Street analysts, JetBlue has been slowly adopting the practices of other airlines. It has launched and then expanded a first class product called Mint. It has reduced legroom on some planes to fit more passengers. Now it is charging for bags, something other carriers started doing in 2008.
The New York-based airline still stands out in other ways. By the end of next year, it will offer free Internet on all its Airbus A320 and A321 jets. Passengers also get free access to more than 100 channels of live satellite TV and radio and JetBlue still has more legroom than its competition.