Sep

Place Your Bids: JetBlue Now Auctioning Off Tickets on eBay

Posted by admin Published in Air Travel

This dawn JetBlue announced that it’s opened a storefront on eBay and has already started auctioning off tickets and vacation packages to some of its 50 destinations. Early bidding has been strong, despite a technical glitch that shut down the store earlier nowadays.

JetBlue will use its new store to run seven-day auctions for more than 300 one- and two-person round trip flights from cities including Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Fort Lauderdale, and expanded Beach, with all bids starting at five cents. The JetBlue auctions work like any others on eBay: winners are sent an bill listing the total amount due (the winning tender plus relevant taxes and fees), thereupon sign into their PayPal explanation to settle up with the airline and supply passenger info. Within 72 hours
JetBlue sends an mail confirming the itinerary. That’s it.

It’s mighty to know that early in the game precisely how much money shoppers will actually save buying through eBay. that afternoon the high tender on a flight from Chicago O’Hare to lengthy Beach was $202.50, versus $300 when booked direct on the JetBlue website. But with a full six days left to go in the auction, it’s anyone’s guess how much higher the bidding will go.

Forrester Research

analyst Henry Harteveldt told Wired.com that opening the eBay store is a good move for JetBlue. “It’s a way for the airline to bolster its direct sales, and it’s different from a traditional fare sale in that other airlines can’t simply match it. From that standpoint it’s a very smart concept.”

And although JetBlue is putting only positive routes and flights up for auction, Harteveldt says that the view is more than a publicity stunt. “It allows the airline to sell additional stock during a period that is typically soft for leisure travel,” he says, adding that JetBlue’s decision to go the eBay route might additionally sign a more widespread softness in demand for air travel.

Hartveldt says that while some hotels and car rental companies in Europe are plus selling stock on eBay, it is too soon to tell whether the JetBlue store is the beginning of a trend that will be copied by other US airlines. “They’ll all be watching it very closely,” Harteveldt says. “And whether it’s working for JetBlue, you can bet that others will be interested.”

Photo by Flickr user NCavillones

Original post by Dave Demerjian