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As airlines try wringing every last nickel from passengers, word comes out now that JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) will begin charging for blankets and pillows.

The airline that prided itself on comfy seats, television for each passenger and a glib, flippant employee style of service announced that the move would allow passengers to take home a blanket and pillow set plus receive a $5 coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond, an online retailer our reviewer panned for being “amateurish” with shipping costs starting at $5.95 and a limited selection.

Oops.

We don’t have the answers on how airlines can stay solvent given current economic pressures, but we’re willing to bet that if passengers are turning up their nose at a $7 sandwich that a $7 pillow is not an effective way to cut costs.  Doing away with the blankets seems a sound idea.  Maybe JetBlue, which flies relatively short legs — all under 6 hours — can ignore settling consumers in for a long nap.

Posted under Travel

JetBlue topped the 15th annual Airline Quality Rankings for the second straight year, an example of the rankings achieved by low cost “no frills” carriers. Four of the five top spots in this year’s survey, announced this week, went to newer airlines that may not offer as many amenities or destinations as traditional “legacy” carriers.

The research is based on weighting elements such as on-time arrivals, baggage handling, customer complaints and denied boardings. Research teams at Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha conduct the study.

The study also found that overall quality diminshed throughout the industry, and only four carriers (Air Tran, Atlantic Southeast, JetBlue and United) improved their scores from 2003.

The authors have published their entire study complete with statistics, charts and graphs in a PDF file on the web. The overall rankings for those consumers who don’t want to delve into the details are:

JetBlue
AirTran
Southwest
United
Alaska
America West
Northwest
American
Continental
ATA
Delta
US Airways
American Eagle
SkyWest
COMAIR
Atlantic Southeast

Posted under Customer Service