Fare wars – would you rather fly on JetBlue or Virgin America LAX-BOS?
On Tuesday we talked about the Virgin America airfare sale, but today JetBlue announced its $105 one-way price to Boston and New York. JetBlue is celebrating the launch of its new service between Los Angeles and the East Coast (twice-daily service to JFK and BOS), which begins June 17. Virgin America, which launches its LAX-BOS service Feb. 12, matched the $105 fare without fanfare. (Tip: plug in the same dates as the JetBlue deal on the Virgin America site and you’ll see the $105 rate).
“With taxes and fees, a Southern California traveler will be able to fly nonstop to the East Coast for as low as $231 round trip this summer. It’s the lowest such price the industry has seen in recent memory for high-demand summer travel,” said Los Angeles Times staff writer Peter Pae in his article “JetBlue, Virgin America announce low fares from LAX to East Coast”
When the prices are that cheap, how do you choose which airline to fly on?
Here are some comparison points between flights from Los Angeles (LAX) and Boston (BOS) on the two airlines.
JetBlue
> Begins service between LAX and BOS June 17, 2009
> Sale fare = $105
> Plane = Airbus A320
> Legroom = 34 inches
> Food = JetBlue offers free snacks and nonalcoholic beverages
> Wireless = Customers on BetaBlue flights (you’ll get an e-mail letting you know if it’s a BetaBlue flight after you book) can use Wi-Fi enabled devices to send and receive e-mail messages from their accounts with e-mail providers including Yahoo! Mail, Microsoft Exchange, Gmail, Windows Live (Hotmail, MSN, Live) and AOL all for free. Users can also send and receive Yahoo! instant messages, and customers with Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry smart phones can access their BlackBerry accounts.
> Red-eye service = Overnight flights from Los Angeles and all Western U.S. destinations offer JetBlue’s complimentary Shut-Eye Service, featuring a Snooze Kit that includes earplugs and eyeshades, plus unlimited free snacks and beverages and a “good morning” hot towel service. Before arrival, customers will be treated to Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, fruit juice and bottled water.
> Entertainment = Thirty-six channels of DirectTV and 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio is available for free on all seats. First-run movies are also available for $5 each.
Virgin America
> Begins service between LAX and BOS on Feb. 12, 2009
> Sale fare = $109 (matched fare $105)
> Plane = Airbus A319
> Legroom = 32 inches
> Food = You can order food when you want it, from the screen at your seat. For a price of $7 to $9, choose from such offerings as hummus, veggies, and pita; a vegetarian chopped salad; a turkey and feta wrap or granola with mixed berries and milk.
> Wireless = All the LAX and SFO to BOS flights will have Wi-Fi. Bring your laptop, smart phone or iPod Touch and surf the Gogo service. It’s just like using Wi-Fi at an airport. Cost: $12.95
> Entertainment = The Red touch-screen entertainment system — at every seat in the main cabin — offers free live TV (18 channels), video games, 3,000 MP3s offerings, and music videos. For $7 customers in the main cabin can get 25 on-demand films, and premium TV like HBO and Showtime for $1.99.
Deals: Book your JetBlue sale fares through Feb. 11 for travel between June 17 and July 24, 2009. A 14-day advance purchase is required and travel must take place on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. Book your Virgin America sale fares by Feb. 8 for travel to be completed by April 1, 2009.
Contact: JetBlue, (800) 538-2583. Virgin America, (877) 359-8474.
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo: Enjoying the sunny day by Quinn, The Los Angeles Times Photo Contest, People; Your Scene]
8 Comments on “Fare wars – would you rather fly on JetBlue or Virgin America LAX-BOS?”
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February 4th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I personally like JetBlue more than VA because the seats are wider, there are free snacks, and on the red eye flight they give you a shut-eye kit, a warm towel in the morning and orange juice/water before the end of the flight.
February 4th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I was about to post this as my Facebook status to summon friends’ opinions: “Should I fly Virgin America or JetBlue?”
Same price, same TV amenity…One has mood lighting and IM capability.
Just comes down to service, on-time status & quality of the selection of food-for-purchase.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
JetBlue offers the most leg room in domestic coach and more connections to other destinations including the Caribbean, Mexico and South America.
February 6th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Too many restrictions - For JetBlue, the rates are only good for Tue, Wed, & Sat travels. And for VA, the rates are only good up to April 1 (which is better than having to travel on Tue, Wed, or Sat, I guess)
February 6th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Tough call on this one. I have flown them both on long haul legs and enjoyed them equally. Both JBLU and VA have pros and cons. In the end I would go with Virgin America. For several reasons. The first of which being the ability to order quality food (and snacks) on board. They also have the mood lighting, which believe it or not does make a difference. If this question was posed for short legs (1-2 hrs) then I would have to go back to the ‘thinking board’. In either case I think it is great that there is now increased competition on these routes as it should drop prices and the CONSUMER will benefit.
February 14th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Coustumer service. Is. # 1
April 16th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Airfares published here are NOT available on either airline!
April 16th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Hi Maria - These were February sales. If you subscribe to the airline’s email notification program, they’ll let you know as soon as a new sale becomes available.
Good luck.
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger