JetBlue is dropping hot food for economy-class flyers on transatlantic flights
JetBlue is rolling out new menus for transatlantic flights, and there’s one surprising feature on them: there will be no hot meals for flyers in economy class.
On just about all airlines, even passengers in the cheap seats on an ocean crossing could count on at least one hot meal, albeit one with sometimes questionable appeal. Now, JetBlue economy menus come with this chilling note: “All items served chilled.”
Chilled Frittatas?
A frittata with roasted zucchini and tomatoes sounds tasty for breakfast, but do you really want a cold frittata? A lunch/dinner menu offers a choice of Chicken Grain Bowl (cold) or Ginger Garlic Tofu (cold). Another lets flyers choose between Pesto Pasta Salad (cold) and Mushrooms & Lentils (cold). Sounds delicious, right?
Is Jet Blue Bucking the Trend in Better CX?
I’ve predicted that, based on moves by various airlines, that customer experience might be how airlines seek a competitive edge. United Airlines, for example, just announced that it would upgrade WiFi on all of its planes to Starlink service, and offer it at no charge to all customers. In a recent interview, Customer Management Practice president Mario Matulich called CX an “interesting competitive battleground.”
A Smelly Alternative?
While nobody expects gourmet meals in economy, flyers do expect sustenance on a flight that lasts eight or nine hours. Some of JetBlue’s chilled choices seem truly unpalatable, and I expect some flyers will feel the need to bring their own food on board.
Passengers bringing food onto airplanes creates customer experience problems beyond the mere inconvenience of purchasing and carrying potentially messy bags or boxes. One survey of 3,000 travelers found their third biggest annoyance was other passengers bringing smelly food onto airplanes. That’s bad enough on a short flight, but would be even worse on flights that might stretch to ten hours.
For an airline that used to pride itself on service, JetBlue’s cold food seems out of step with its heritage and with the industry as a whole.
Low Prices Can Trump Service
For many flyers, ticket price is the most important variable. The survival of low-cost airlines that offer objectively terrible service proves this to be true. If JetBlue’s prices for crossing the Atlantic in economy are low enough, no doubt many passengers will complain about the food but choose JetBlue anyway.
