In October, Amber and I flew to and from New York on JetBlue and I was impressed enough to write here, "This trip was the first time I've flown on JetBlue. It is not the last time I will fly on JetBlue. I am considering never flying to any city in the future if I cannot fly there on JetBlue." Well, maybe not.
According to Tim Wu, JetBlue decided in November "…that it would follow United, Delta, and the other major carriers by cramming more seats into economy, shrinking leg room, and charging a range of new fees for things like bags and WiFi."
That's quite distressing, especially to a guy like me who's 6'3" and needs to stretch out and be able to flex the knee he had replaced a few years ago. In November, I flew to Miami where, alas, JetBlue does not venture. I flew American and had to pay $80 extra each way to get enough leg room for my leg. My publisher is reimbursing me for expenses but that won't be the case with every flight I take in the future. (And if I take Amber and we want to sit together, I'll have to pay the extra dough for her so she can sit in the same section even though she doesn't need the extra inches of leg space.)
As Mr. Wu points out, the airlines are making bazillions by charging for extra legroom, early boarding and other "extras" to make flying less of a miserable experience. Thus, they have every incentive to make flying a miserable experience. You won't pay for extras if you can be happy without them.
The day's going to come when you'll have to pay an additional fee to sit in the section where the flight attendants don't come by, slap you silly, pour the hot coffee in your lap and make snide remarks about your appearance. They may even start charging for those seat cushions which in the case of a water landing can be used as flotation devices and at some point, your ticket seller may ask you, "Now, would you like to upgrade to a plane with two wings and a trained pilot?"
UPDATE: It has since been pointed out to me that the Tim Wu article to which I linked above is from 2014…so JetBlue hasn't started doing all those bad things yet. But they might. It certainly is the way other airlines operate.