Picture this: It's New Year's Eve and I'm checking in at Jet Blue's fancy new T5 terminal at JFK. I've only got one piece of luggage to check 'cause that's all you can check for free on Jet Blue these days. The item mustn't weigh over 50 lbs. and its combined outer dimensions must be under 80". The box I put up on the scale weighed 43lbs. and was under that size.
"What's in the box?" asks the lady at the counter.
"A folding bike, some clothes, and some cheese." I say.
"That's $50." she says, blankly.
Obviously, the conversation didn't end there but eventually, despite threats of unchecking it and rechecking it again as a "metal sculpture," "velocipede," or "personal mobility device", I pulled out my credit card, paid the fee, and started making some phone calls. The phone calls went nowhere. "It's policy." is all got and it's true; Jet Blue, unlike other airlines, does not make any exception for small bicycles.
Delta and American Airlines both let passengers check bikes in boxes without the charge. The reasoning is clear: luggage handlers don't want to deal with a bike. A box? It might as well contain a cadaver or a lobster collection so long as it's easy to pick up and toss on a conveyor belt. Next time Jetblue asks what you have in the box, don't feel compelled to talk yourself into a surcharge.
Update: Jetblue responded to Carl's post by changing their policy.
Thanks for helping to bring this to our attention. We pride ourselves on our customer service and when we’re faced with a situation where policy doesn’t make sense in practice, we’re always ready to correct or clarify. On reading your article, and Carl’s post on BTA4Bikes.org I reached out to our Airports team to address the policy which lacked the definition needed to accommodate situations ‘outside the norm’ such as customers traveling with folding bikes.Our bicycle policy has now been updated to reflect that Customers traveling with a folding bikes in a bag that fits within the standard checked bag weights and dimensions (62 inches in overall dimensions and 50 pounds in weight — see our baggage requirements here) will not be charged the Bike fee and will be treated like any checked bag.
Thank you again for helping us keep JetBlue attentive to the needs of our customers.
Not a happy "Jetter." [BTA Blog]
I'm a happy Jetter.
(Photo: Vidiot)
I have been a loyal customer of DELTA since 1996 flying over a quarter million miles. I booked tickets with DELTA on March 17th knowing that I could have double or triple miles if I flew on a different airline. I stuck with DELTA then I see in the newspaper USA Today on March 23rd that DELTA had finally caught up to the other airlines in offering the double/triple miles but only if you booked after the 23rd. I wrote to DELTA to get them to honor my March 17th tickets (6 tickets) with over 9,000 miles all class B tickets, for the double miles. They did not notify any of the skymiles people that they were going to offer this promotion. If they had I would have waited to buy my tickets. I have been loyal to DELTA but I feel that they are not loyal to us. I did write to them but they said SO SORRY TOO BAD!!. I am changing airlines due to their attitude. I hate flying CATTLE class at least JET Blue has room for people.
Gloria April
The ones I know of are...
Alaska
Delta
Jet Blue
Southwest
Anyone know of others?
]]>They ran out of one of two type of meals and I could not eat the other because it was "cheese" related and breakfast was cheese.
Ended up not eating anything for the almost nine hour trip.
BA said they would ensure that they would have a better choice, but did not go out of there way to recompense me - not even a little.
Customer Service and BA had the same attitude - they are arrogant to do not care about customers. In the meantime, I ended up with no service - not a good airline to fly.
M
]]>You can probably ask Carl specific questions here:
]]>@chrisjames: During what decade in the 1900's did all that stuff happen? That sounds like about the same time all the flight attendants were still called "stewardesses" and people dressed up to fly on an airplane...
]]>We simply had our luggage delayed once. It wasn't lost at all, the airlines (I think it was United, but it's been a while) knew exactly where the bags were. There were three of us, and only two of five bags were delayed. We each received $300 to cover buying new stuff (even though two of us had our luggage), and an upgrade to first class for each of us on the return trip. The airlines also spent three days tracking us down at hotels trying to deliver the bags. We were moving frequently between hotels and they just kept showing up late. This one guy had to drive them all over the country for us.
Delta's airline policy included coverage for damaged luggage, though I never acted on it when they busted my bag's zipper. I had other bags delayed and the airport luggage counter jumped right on tracking them down. Luckily, they were in another area of the airport, but they still offered me compensation, which I didn't need. Credit cards sometimes have lost or delayed luggage clauses, where they'll pay up to some amount so long as you booked the ticket with the card. I know that's not airlines, but it's in the same spirit: responsibility.
It's all a big surprise, but I've gotten great service from a number of airlines that just want me to shut up and be happy, so they pay for mistakes, and they pay a lot. Luggage mistakes, that is. They couldn't care less about flight issues.
]]>The OP mentions his box was under the dimensions of 80 inches overall, yet the customer service person says a box with overall dimensionsof 62 inches will not be charged. Since I don't have a folding bike, neither of those 2 dimensions will work for me anyway, but I am curious as to the actual rule specifications. I know that they refunded his money, but I wonder if it's more because of the publicity and the 'trouble' he caused them. More to the point, what were his box's dimensions?
I guess the days of me bicycling to LaGuardia Airport, removing the saddle bags, lowering the seat, removing the pedals, and removing the handlebars & strapping them (I used cable ties) to the fork, and then handing them the bike are gone. Yeah, I knew it already. I was just feeling nostalgic. Granted I still paid Delta the excess baggage fee, but there was no box and I carried my saddle bags & handlebar bag and tool bag on the plane. The pedals went in there somewhere.
@Oregon: It's one of those things they charge for because they know they can. I once traveled with a Bicycle-sized box full of 50 pounds of random junk, and was charged a slight oversize fee. On the way back it was full of 20 lbs of bicycle, and was charged an oversize fee + a 50 dollar bike handling fee.
They don't charge for any rational reason. They charge because they know we will pay it. Also note that this does *not* mean that Jet Blue will not charge you for bikes in a box, as another poster interpreted. Rather, they will not charge you extra for a folding bike in a box that is the size of regular luggage. Full-sized boxed bikes (all of them need to be boxed) are still overcharged.
]]>As for the people who still don't "understand" why airlines are still charging fees despite cheaper gas prices -- well, it's because you have shown that you will *pay* them, and don't factor those charges into your ticket purchases. Businesses don't have any obligation to lower their prices because their costs have gone down. And to explain it in more detail, the airlines used the recession, travel slump, gas price shocks, etc. to implement policies that they could never do before because they were competitively locked into providing all these services for free. As soon as a few market players went bankrupt and folded, and one of them started the fee-for-services model, they all followed.
This is not going away. Until you stop buying tickets based on price alone. So I'm fairly sure it's going to be here for the long term...
]]>And then, of course, the box gets tipped on its side. And your luggage is underneath it.
]]>This is Florida, btw.
]]>@David Mays: if your objects get damaged while in their care, they can post a zillion signs saying 'not responsible' but that doesnt mean anything since you paid for your ticket, which implys by taking your baggage / boxes that care will be taken.
the sign is a lie.
]]>I got an exciting wake-up call yesterday morning. Carolyn, the Jet Blue customer service representative with whom I'd exchanged two emails about the airline's ridiculous baggage policy called to tell me that they were changing their policy and that the $50 I'd been charged had been reversed!"
I got an exciting wake-up call yesterday morning. Carolyn, the Jet Blue customer service representative with whom I'd exchanged two emails about the airline's ridiculous baggage policy called to tell me that they were changing their policy and that the $50 I'd been charged had been reversed!"
So the answer is YES, it was refunded.
]]>Great idea.
]]>@Trai_Dep:
Yep, I think Jet Blue did pretty good in this situation.
]]>But that's just it. They are NOT responsible for it. Their own policy says that sports equipment that is damaged in transit (even by them) is not their problem.
"Please note: Sporting goods/equipment will only be accepted for
transportation at the customer's own risk. JetBlue Airways will not be liable in the
event that the item is damaged, lost, or spoiled upon arrival."
Because most of the clerks lack common sense and have not been around the block enough to know the difference between a hard drive and a hard-on.
Way back when (well before 9/11) I was carrying an expensive micro-caliper in my carryon luggage. Had some other mechanical stuff in the luggage as well.
The X-Ray clerk just abou peed his pants because he thought I was carrying a weapon.
(yea, the clerk got bent out of shape. I was surrounded by armed guards, hand frisked and my luggage was striped searched)
The funny thing about the incident? I was about to depart on the last leg of my 8 stop trip. I had passed through every other security screening with the same gear and never had a problem beyond answering a few questions such as IDing the items in the bag based upon the shape described by the clerk. Big Whoop. And then I hit the wet-behind-his-ears clerk and all Hades starts to break loose.
]]>@batsy:
Yea he does.
Then he complains when somebody takes offense and bytch-slaps him down.
]]>NJ Transit trains have a similar stupid rule.
You can carry whatever bulky baggage you can carry lug onto the train (I have seen people carrying giant television sets).
Often times there will be travelers carrying lots of heavy bags from the airport.
Anyway, if you happen to have a bike, or part of bike, you're not allowed on the train during peak hours!
I took the wheels off my bike and bungied them to the frame, and the stupid conductor wouldn't let me take it on!
This was at Penn Station, and there was a pharmacy upstairs, so I went, purchased a box of contractor bags, and concealed my bike in several layers of opaque plastic.
Then I didn't get a second look on the next train!
A time before that, I chained my bike to a seat and pretended it wasn't mine.
The conductor yelled at me at my stop and threatened to summon the cops, but he had nothing.
Do you think they would charge you for part of your bike?
What if you had the tires, and your companion had the frame?
* Yeah, it's a sad world we live in when common-sense = heroic. Humor me.
]]>What's in the box? = Boxes.
What's in the bag? = Bags
What's in the folder? = Folders
What's in the envelope? = Envelopes
]]>@David Mays: i hate to disagree with you,(personally i agree). when a company is carrying your stuff, they are responsible for it. it's pretty important that they know what is in it.
]]>But wait there is more. Travel to Europe with bike, the one way charge is now $200.00. Even if it is your second bag,in a hard travel case. Early last year second bag was allowed if it did not exceed the weight restrictions.
Also as a traveler who has traveled with bike many times by air, Each airline has its own set of rules (there is a whole web site just for bike travelers on planes,trains and buses) and as we all know from dealing with the airlines that each airline uses a rule/fee making formula that we mortals will never understand.
]]>...
You took cheese with you?
]]>They don't work at TSA because they're brilliant; they work there because the DMV wasn't hiring that day.
]]>I recently flew Air Canada's discount flyer Jazz and I have to say the experience was pretty damn good: cheap flight, two carry-ons and two pieces of checked luggage up to 50lbs and large in size. Flight took off on time, they served free beverages (twice on a 1.5 hr. flight) and the seats had plenty of room... I had a similarly good experience with WestJet (another discount Canadian airline).
Having flown for years on American carriers (when I lived there) I can honestly say that volume business doesn't necessarily translate into competitively-derived advantages.
One thing: when going thru airport security and you tell them you have a portable hard drive in your carry on, they act like it's some kind of alien technology... why is that???
]]>http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/08/jetblue-responds-folded-bikes-can-now-fly-free/
I got stranded by JetBlue during their Feb '07 "Meltdown", but their customer service tends to be pretty fantastic in general, and they use call centers staffed by real people in the US (at least last 6 times I called to get the difference between the original and now lower cost of my flights refunded back to me as credits).
]]>When people ask questions like "what's in the box" and I don't think it's any of their business, I like to respond with a standard answer "adult toys".
Could be tools, a bike or whatever. They're all toys, to me. The bottom line is it's none of their business what's in the box, unless it's a prohibited item.
Would you give details about what's in your checked luggage? If not, why would you give details about what's in a box you're checking? If they want to know, they'll see it on the x-ray anyway.
I think the safe answer would be "nothing that's prohibited in a checked package".
]]>