JetBlue to cut legroom, add bag charge
JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it plans to cut legroom on its planes and charge baggage fees for the lowest-fare tickets.
JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it plans to cut legroom on its planes and charge baggage fees for the lowest-fare tickets.
That will leave Southwest Airlines as the only major U.S. carrier not to charge to check a bag.
New York-based JetBlue said at an investor day that the changes will increase profits more than $400 million a year in 2017.
JetBlue, which has nonstop flights between Philadelphia and Boston, said it would add 15 seats to its Airbus A320 planes in mid 2016, by cutting the space between seats, known as "seat pitch" by 1.6 inches. Jet Blue said its coach seats would still have more legroom than other major U.S. airlines.
Currently, JetBlue allows passengers to check one bag for free. Starting in the first half of 2015, the lowest-fare customers will no longer get a free checked bag, although flyers paying higher fares will.
JetBlue shares were up more than 4 percent to $13.26 in midday trading.
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