Flying Jet Blue vs Southwest

[antngoof89]

We have an upcoming trip in May and are contemplating flying either Jet Blue or Southwest. Which one has been better with the posters here? We like the amenities that are offered as well as the idea of extra space. The only bad thing about it is the later flight times, but seeing as we're staying 7 days I don't know that the later flight time on arrival day is really going to make much of a difference.

Anyway, thoughts, opinions, etc?

[BrerGnat]

I like both equally. Jet Blue has tv's which is good for flights longer than 2 hours. However, Southwest is far more efficient overall and they have less problems with flight delays, mechanical issues, etc. from my personal experience.

I'd go with the one that offers the best prices and flight times. I tend to choose more based on flight times than price, myself.

[Lindsey310]

We have always been a fan of southwest, and actually wish it flew to the Caribbean. Haven't tried jet blue yet bc it is scheduled to come to providence in November.

[faline]

My last couple of trips (and my upcoming trip) have been on JetBlue. I like that I have an assigned seat and enjoy the individual television screens. Lately, we've found JetBlue to be less pricey than Southwest. However, JetBlue allows only 1 free checked bag per person which requires being a little more creative in packing.

Southwest has been fine. Typically, I've chosen Southwest for price only as I have never been a fan of their no assigned seat process. A plus is being able to bring 2 checked bags per person without additional charge.

A biggie for me is that both fly direct from where I live. On one trip, I flew Jet Blue down and Southwest back.

[antngoof89]

I like both equally. Jet Blue has tv's which is good for flights longer than 2 hours. However, Southwest is far more efficient overall and they have less problems with flight delays, mechanical issues, etc. from my personal experience.

I'd go with the one that offers the best prices and flight times. I tend to choose more based on flight times than price, myself.

Mechanical issues such as...? That's kind of intidimidating, honestly. Both of these fly direct from our area as well, but I'd prefer to not deal with likelihood of delays and especially no mechanical issues.

[faline]

Mechanical issues such as...? That's kind of intidimidating, honestly. Both of these fly direct from our area as well, but I'd prefer to not deal with likelihood of delays and especially no mechanical issues.

We've not run into mechanical issues with JetBlue. Last year, we flew JetBlue to and from Puerto Rico. The last time we had a delay on JetBlue, it was weather related - not mechanical.

[TiggeRia]

I have flown both and not had problems with either, but I think I tend to prefer Jet Blue. Their sheets seem so spacious compared to other airlines, I like being able to choose my seat, love the TV and the snack selections are pretty decent. I'm good with just being able to check one bag free....certainly beats 90% of the others. Plus I tend to find better prices on Jet Blue.

[faline]

Their sheets seem so spacious compared to other airlines,

Sheets? I feel left out - I've never gotten sheets on JetBlue!! Sorry - couldn't resist!!

[TiggeRia]

Sheets? I feel left out - I've never gotten sheets on JetBlue!! Sorry - couldn't resist!!

Sheets...seats....I had my wisdom teeth out this morning...apparently I'm still not functioning correctly!

[faline]

Sheets...seats....I had my wisdom teeth out this morning...apparently I'm still not functioning correctly!

Ouch!! Sorry about the wisdom teeth!! Between my clumsy fingers and certain, strange spell check functions, it's a wonder any of my posts make sense!!

[antngoof89]

Another question about Jet Blue... With Southwest if you book a ticket and find a better price you can cancel it for credits and rebook the ticket without any fees. Does Jet Blue operate the same way? I know their flight schedule is out WAY ahead of Southwest's.

[Dsnygirl]

Another question about Jet Blue... With Southwest if you book a ticket and find a better price you can cancel it for credits and rebook the ticket without any fees. Does Jet Blue operate the same way? I know their flight schedule is out WAY ahead of Southwest's.

My experience with Jet Blue has been that if you become aware that the flight you have purchased has dropped in cost, they will give you a monetary credit of the difference towards another flight (aka for a different trip completely) If you were to want to completely change flights b/c of a lower flight cost, you would have to pay a "flight change" fee of $100.... I don't believe you can get credits for a current flight and re-book for a different one.

[BrerGnat]

Mechanical issues such as...? That's kind of intidimidating, honestly. Both of these fly direct from our area as well, but I'd prefer to not deal with likelihood of delays and especially no mechanical issues.

Mechanical issues are quite common with airplanes. Usually, it's nothing. A light might come on in the cockpit indicating a problem...the mechanics come out to check the plane, and most of the time, it ends up being an electrical malfunction. Sometimes, it ends up being a problem that takes the plane out of service, or a problem that takes an hour to fix, etc. No big deal, really. I have simply found that Southwest tends to really keep up to date on the maintenance of their planes and since most of their fleet is new-ish planes, they tend to have less of these kinds of issues.

Jet Blue, on two occasions that I've flown with them in the past, has been delayed due to "mechanical issues." I found out later that one of those times, it was not a mechanical issue, but rather a flight attendant was missing and hadn't shown up for her shift on our flight...since our flight was the first one out early in the morning, we had to wait on a replacement for her. 2 hour delay. Stuff happens. Stuff seems to happen LESS to Southwest, but I do prefer Jet Blue overall. I'm a sucker for a tv screen!

[#1donaldfan]

I love JetBlue....the seats are bigger, free tv, free checked bag, carry on and one computer bag...for one person that's a lot !! JetBlue pricing is not unlike most other airlines, you just have to shop around and find the good deals.......

[mydisneygirls]

I have flown both also and prefer JetBlue much more. I was able to get a fare of $95 pp each way this past trip. You just have to keep an eye on the price and it will generally drop way down about 3-4 weeks prior to your trip. I did not find this on Southwest...their fare never seemed to go down. A big plus for me is the tv's on JB....makes the flight "fly" by!!!

[DisneyFr33k]

I have flown both and have had to change my return flight for both. For Jetblue, they charged me a lot more than SW to do so. SW changed flights without charge then. Not sure the rules now, however. Either way, I find SW more friendly and we can check more luggage w/o cost.

[BugeyedMuggy]

2011 we flew JB 4 times to Disney. Of the 8 flights 6 were delayed as much as 1 to 3.5 hrs. One flight my DD and her BF went SW down and had to wait 3.5 hrs in Orlando airport for us. We had not even left Ct and they were landed in FL already. The small TV's and alittle more leg room (which the leg room is an added cost) was not worth the delays. We have flown SW 3 trips this year and not one was delayed. We can also adjust our flights for free and get credit when the flight comes down. As long as the 2 airlines are about the same price we will stick with SW.

[antngoof89]

2011 we flew JB 4 times to Disney. Of the 8 flights 6 were delayed as much as 1 to 3.5 hrs. One flight my DD and her BF went SW down and had to wait 3.5 hrs in Orlando airport for us. We had not even left Ct and they were landed in FL already. The small TV's and alittle more leg room (which the leg room is an added cost) was not worth the delays. We have flown SW 3 trips this year and not one was delayed. We can also adjust our flights for free and get credit when the flight comes down. As long as the 2 airlines are about the same price we will stick with SW.

That's frightening to have that large of a delay! I flew Southwest in May and was delayed 2 hours, so I have experienced that delay before and it was awful! The prices are very similar in the airlines, but the novelty of a television on a flight is extremely intriguing to us. Everyone has been great help! Thanks!

[MargaretMessler]

For me, it's all about who has the best price and best flight time options. I would PREFER two free bags to one, but I can pack everything I need to check in one bag if I need to.

In researching my upcoming trips in 2013 I have found better prices AND better flight times on Southwest than JetBlue. I fly out of Hartford, and I prefer to get there early on my first day and return late afternoon.

[bruin1344]

Flying out of Boston, I prefer JetBlue over Southwest since JetBlue has more nonstops flights to Orlando and rates seem to be cheaper than Southwest. The TV on JetBlue is a major positive.