Wondering what airlines will charge you for next? Try pillows and blankets.
JetBlue Airways said Monday that it would sell a pillow and blanket set for $7 on flights of two hours or more. The set, which passengers can take home, includes a 10-by-12 inch pillow and a fleece blanket, which fit into a carrying case.
The kits also come with a $5 coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond.
Now that it has begun selling the kit, JetBlue has done away with the pillows and blankets it used to distribute.
“Replacing our old, recycled pillows and blankets with this state-of-the-art, high-quality take-home kit is an eco-conscious, health-conscious and customer-conscious decision,” Brett Muney, JetBlue’s general manager for product development, said in a statement.
“We are constantly seeking ways to enhance the in-flight experience for our customers,” Mr. Muney said, and the travel kit “delivers on that promise.”
Many major airlines got rid of pillows and blankets on domestic flights in 2005, when the industry was hit by a wave of bankruptcy filings. They are still offered by Southwest and Continental in the United States, and most airlines provide them on overseas flights.
JetBlue’s move to selling pillows and blankets has been long in the making. In 2006, David Neeleman, the airline’s founder and former chief executive, said JetBlue was thinking about selling them in an effort to catch up to other carriers in finding ways to produce revenue.
Airlines have faced record prices for jet fuel in 2008, prompting them to charge passengers for a variety of features that used to be free. Last week, US Airways began charging travelers for coffee, tea, water and soft drinks, while several airlines now charge to check their bags.
Airlines say the moves already have produced hundreds of millions of dollars in “ancillary revenue” and predict more such steps lie ahead.
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