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JetBlue Offered Passengers $10,000 to Bump Their Flight to Cancun, and No One Took It

News Airports + Flying
by Olivia Harden Apr 19, 2022

No one likes having their vacation delayed. Yet considering airlines are dealing with understaffing, unpredictable weather conditions, worn-out pilots and crew members, and a whole lot of pent up demand, it’s inevitable that there are going to be some delayed or canceled flights. One recent JetBlue flight was in a unique situation, though.

TikToker @riesjess has racked up over 10.3 million views of footage of her and the person who is sitting next to her looking extremely unhappy on their flight. She explains they’ve been sitting on the runway for 45 minutes as JetBlue employees pleaded for any passenger to give up their seat in exchange for $10,000. You read that right: $10,000, and no one would budge. And for the life of me, I do not understand why.

@riesjess its been 45 mins. #springbreak #cancun #mexico #jetblue ♬ original sound – riesjess

She explained a bit further in subsequent posts. JetBlue was desperate to get some crew members to Cancun to work after the flight they were supposed to be on was canceled. The $10,000 was available as flight credits and would only be available for use for one year. She even claims that at one point, the bidding even went up to $15,000. She said she wasn’t willing to take it because she was on a spring break trip with 30 of her friends, and no one wanted to be split up. Plus, in her opinion, JetBlue doesn’t fly to enough places to be worth it.

@riesjess Reply to @riesjess ♬ original sound – riesjess

It absolutely baffles me that this deal was not enticing to anyone on the flight. I would have jumped at the chance. JetBlue flies to 180 destinations not only in the US, but the Caribbean, Central and South America, Canada, and London. And while the airline doesn’t have a traditional business and first class, on some LAX, JFK, and London routes, there’s offer Mint, which features an all-suite experience with lie-flat seats, upscale dining, the largest TVs on any US airline, and an “exclusive Tuft & Needle sleep experience.” I recently flew from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, where Mint was offered, and I was envious walking down the aisle to my economy class seat. Imagine spending a summer after college flying around for free — especially with the inevitable price jump for flights this quarter.

The other risk you run is being involuntarily bumped from your flight. In this case, the airline has to shell out cash — anywhere from 200 to 400 percent of the price of your one-way ticket — but it wouldn’t nearly equal the value you’d get out of thousands of dollars in flight credits. To @riesjess, I say to each their own, but it seems like this inconvenience could have led to so many adventures.

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