Increased pitch in several rows sells for a surcharge

JetBlue Airways, which has always been a one-class carrier, said that effective April 1, customers will be able to book seats in new “Even More Legroom” sections. JetBlue said it is reconfiguring all of its Airbus A320s to offer 38 inches of pitch in rows 2-5, and in the emergency exit rows (10 and 11). All other seat rows on the A320s will offer 34-inch pitch. The extra-legroom seats on all A320s – as well as the emergency exit row on JetBlue’s Embraer 190s – can now be booked for travel after April 1 through the airline’s web site or telephone reservations lines for “a small additional fee,”: the carrier said. “The price of a seat with Even More Legroom will vary according to the flight’s length and will start as low as $10 for short-haul flights,” a spokesperson said, adding that later this year the new extra-legroom seats will be available for last-minute purchase during online check-in or at airport service counters and kiosks. In a separate announcement, JetBlue said it has designated Orlando as its newest “focus city.” The airline said it is leasing up to 10 gates in Orlando International Airport’s Airside 1, where it will move all its flight operations. JetBlue currently operates domestic flights from Airside 2 at MCO, and international departures from Airside 4. JetBlue currently flies to 18 destinations non-stop from Orlando. In recent weeks, it began service to Cancun and to Santo Domingo from Orlando, and it just won tentative approval to launch Orlando-Bogota, Colombia flights. On May 1, JetBlue will begin Orlando-Austin flights, with continuing service to San Francisco and Long Beach. In June, JetBlue will open a new crew base at Orlando.