JetBlue courts business travelers with new refundable fares

Acknowledging that its previous fare rules didn’t meet the requirements of many business travelers, JetBlue Airways has finally come out with a new category of refundable fares. “While the nonrefundable fares we offer are already very flexible, we recognize that there are some business and leisure travelers who need even greater flexibility when they fly,” said a JetBlue spokesman. The new Refundable Fares let purchasers make unlimited changes to their reservations – including name changes – or choose to take a full refund any time before departure. “If a customer is unable to notify JetBlue of a change to their reservation before the flight departs, any unused funds are converted to a JetBlue credit valid for one year from the date it is issued,” the company said. “The credit is fee-free and fully transferable.” The airline’s nonrefundable fares permit cancellations for a $50 charge ($40 if the cancellation is made online), with the remaining money put into a transferable JetBlue credit. The new refundable fares can be booked at www.Jetblue.com, by phone, or through any other sales channel used by JetBlue. To promote the new fares, through February 13 JetBlue is offering quadruple points in its TrueBlue loyalty program to persons who book nonrefundable fares online, or triple points for booking through other channels. According to the trade newspaper Travel Weekly, the new refundable fares are generally $50 to $100 higher than the highest nonrefundable fares, and can cost more than twice as much as the lowest nonrefundable fares in a given market.