JetBlue have come up with yet another fee. Their customers now have the option of paying to get through security checks quicker than others.
Just when you thought it was becoming impossible for airlines to come up with more ways of raking in extra cash on the basis of fees, the American market gets introduced to a class system at the security gates.
Hardly anybody enjoys waiting in line to be searched and have their bags opened in public just in case a bottle of water drops out, so JetBlue have come up with the idea of offering passengers the opportunity of skipping the queues to get the embarrassment over and done with quickly.
This would set you back $10 on a short flight and up to $65 for longer hauls. It is perhaps unsurprising that US airline companies raked in $5.7 billion in fees last year alone.
The new service is available at 14 US airports including JFK, Chicago and LA and is expected to become more widely available if it turns out to be a success. Luxuries such as extra legroom and early boarding have been available for a while so speedy security checks should really be no different.
The reason that this seems to be a rarity is that airlines have been offering this service to frequent fliers and business class passengers for some time. Only now it is available to everybody for a fee.
JetBlue argue that it is an offer and an option; meaning nobody is forcing anything upon anybody. The charges and fees which wind passengers up the most are those unavoidable ones, such as check-in charges and paying to use the toilet.
