JetBlue knows treating people well pays off in good-will

And yet, as we reported here in August, the new leadership coming aboard at JetBlue is poised to start imposing bag fees, squeezing legroom, adding other fees and, apparently, choosing to respond more to Wall Street than to those loyal customers, as reported by MarketWatch. Previous Gumbo newsclip "Will JetBlue Change Its Colors?" HERE

I'm hoping public pressure prevents this from happening.  I've never lived in a market that JetBlue served, but would like to fly them sometime.

I am very familiar with Southwest which has a very successful business model that includes offering folks slightly larger seats with more legroom, a free checked bag and non-cancellation fees (you get a credit that's good for one year, but no charges for having to change your flight).  And they usually are the most profitable airline in the USA.  Sometimes it pays to stand out and not be part of the crowd.

We can only hope...but a year ago this month, Southwest's CEO, Gary Kelly, put out a strong hint that if passengers seem to be accepting the baggage fees at other airlines as normal, that Southwest might well follow. At that time, Southwest and JetBlue were the last ones standing without fees, and if JetBlue does it...well, what are the odds? Here's the story from last year.

I still believe it PAYS to distinguish yourself from your competition.  I will be optimistic and hope I'm not wrong.  

But I fully understand the worry.