JetBlue Quietly Changed Compensation Rule Last Summer; People Just Finding Out Now

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When airlines make a change they think passengers will like, they shout it from the rooftops. Alaska Airlines’ free checked item? They’ve got a whole page devoted to it. Delta’s free Wi-Fi? They made sure every news outlet knew about it.

But when an airline makes a change they know won’t be popular, they do it very surreptitiously. That way people will only find out when they experience the change, or they read about it on social media. But without the likes of social media, online newspapers, etc. to announce it all at the same time, it kind of stays under the wire until someone experiences it. Even if it then makes it to social media, it’s still not as much of a splash.

Case in point…

When something goes wrong at a hotel or on a flight, some people immediately start thinking about compensation.

• Our flight had a long delay; how do I demand compensation? (#1 rule: don’t be an A-hole and “demand” anything. Be polite and reasonable)
• They ran out of the chicken meal; what should I ask for in compensation?
• The shower in our room wasn’t working. We told the front desk and they fixed it; here’s what we asked for our troubles

Because of this, some airlines have compensation amounts right on their website. Sometimes, it’s because the FAA requires it, but other times, it’s something the airline has made up themselves. For example, Alaska Airlines is the only major U.S. airline that will issue frequent flyer miles when a controllable cancellation or delay results in a passenger waiting for 3 hours or more from the scheduled departure time.

Anyway, for years, JetBlue offered compensation if a passenger’s inflight entertainment unit didn’t work. If someone complained about it on then-Twitter-now-X, JetBlue would take care of it.

In 2013, you’d get $15 of compensation in the form of a credit if your IFE didn’t work.

@KD Any time your TV doesn't work you're entitled to a $15 credit, just let us know! You can report it here: http://t.co/ztsjvUOABb

— JetBlue (@JetBlue) December 4, 2013

In 2016, they said you’re entitled to a credit, although they didn’t specify how much (it was still $15).

When your TV doesn't work, you're entitled to a credit. Please submit your flight details at: https://t.co/2sb0qWdbxl

— JetBlue (@JetBlue) July 18, 2016

Michael W. Travels said his whole party of four each got a $15 credit to the Travel Bank, back in 2017.

Heck, in 2018, this blogger was traveling in JetBlue Mint, and when their IFE didn’t work, they said they got a $100 JetBlue travel credit!

As recently as late 2022, another blogger said they were given a $15 credit for their inoperable IFE.

And then, starting with anything booked on or after July 1, 2023, all that changed. If your IFE didn’t work on JetBlue, you were suddenly no longer able to ask for $15 compensation. Here’s what JetBlue currently says on their website:

My seatback entertainment was malfunctioning during the flight. Do I get a partial refund?

• If your flight was booked prior to July 1, 2023, you are entitled to a $15 Travel credit upon request if you experience inoperable inflight entertainment: Wi-fi and DirectTV.

• See our Customer Bill of Rights for more information.

So essentially, too bad, so sad, go pound sand.

Again, JetBlue never announced this policy change…they just quietly stopped giving $15 credit for problems with their poor equipment. People generally find out when they have a problem with the IFE and send a message to the airline.

Nice. Real nice.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary