JetBlue has announced a change in its flight credit program that is less generous. According to The Daily Navigator, flight credits must now be utilized within 12 months, or they will expire.
One of the few advantages of the COVID-19 epidemic was that airlines provided credit for cancelled flights so that travellers could stay home and be safe, knowing they could utilize the credit at some unspecified future date. Several carriers reduced change costs, creating a better environment for travellers to decide how to travel best.
That is changing, with JetBlue adding a 12-month time to redeem the credits for a cancelled flight, beginning on the day the ticket was booked.
What about the credits you already have? Any ticket booked before March 8, 2023, voluntarily cancelled or exchanged for a lower-priced ticket, will roll over into a brand-new JetBlue travel credit, with the clock beginning to run on the 12 months the minute you get it.
Even if your credits are extremely old, they will be renewed for another year. Fortunately, you do not have to go within that window; you only need to reserve the ticket.
JetBlue also says the credits may only be used to purchase tickets, not baggage fees or priority boarding. You can, however, purchase tickets on behalf of another person.
According to the Daily Navigator, carriers such as Delta and Alaska are already limiting the usage of credits to 12 months. This might be part of a trend toward returning to pre-pandemic norms.
Something is already interesting with JetBlue’s suggested merger with Spirit Airlines, which may now be stopped by an anti-trust action brought by the US Department of Justice.
Booking a travel, a year in advance may not result in the cheapest rate either, or many people may not know where they’re going until the last minute.
Read all of JetBlue’s details here.
