In response to Hurricane Irma JetBlue is offering inexpensive flights to Florida. First, the carrier capped the cost of these flights to evacuate residents and visitors out of harm’s way but now the carrier is trying to get Floridians home. With abundant, inexpensive flights to the sunshine state is it wrong to book them if you’re not a resident?
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The Offer
After Delta was ostracized by the media for “gouging” their customers to the tune of $3000+ for a flight out of Florida, JetBlue and some other carriers capped their flight costs to offer an affordable option for Floridians and visitors. Some carriers even flew their largest jets – Delta ended up sending a 747 into the state – to evacuate as many people as possible. Now the Irma has left the state (and destruction behind) it’s time for residents to come home and JetBlue has extended their offer of $99 one-way direct flights and $159 connecting flights.
For those with direct flights on Jet Blue, this could constitute a terrific savings to get home or for a Floridian vacation. Even connecting flights are typically higher than these offered prices from some east coast markets and most others outside the eastern seaboard. Here is an example search.
The Case For Booking
While JetBlue announced the flights as part of the campaign, and many media outlets suggested this was solely for evacuees on specific dates (through September 18th), the prices on offer suggest otherwise. Many of the flight prices are both cheaper than the promotional rate announced, but the sale also clearly extends well beyond the dates listed. This could be a way to fill planes when they would otherwise be empty by the airline to one of their most popular destinations. That reflects a lack of sold tickets. Flying these routes supports the airlines, the airports, and their employees when otherwise the airline could suffer dramatic losses due to fewer passengers and lower revenue.
Florida relies on tourism revenue, not just in Orlando but everywhere – from Destin to Key West. The state was devastated in some areas, hotels that are not hosting displaced guests or making repairs will likely see a drop in tourism revenue. The same applies for rental cars, restaurants, and retail. The government also relies on tourist spend to fund its operations and while it will get a large bill for damage to public property, it will take even longer to recuperate the costs without increased revenue.
I have mentioned before that my parents own a home in Florida, as does my mother-in-law. There may be repairs and maintenance that need to be done, and in those regards, my family is equipped to help. I’ll cover shortly why this is a hollow excuse for booking a ticket south.
More than anything else, this is an inexpensive deal for my family. While justified by the above reasons, I can also give my family a little reprieve from the pending winter onslaught we dread living in the Northeast.
The Case Against Booking
Residents need to return home, return to work, rebuild their lives. These fares, which mirror the previous humanitarian sale, are clearly to provide a public good, not to provide me a vacation. By taking up a seat (or three in our case) we are robbing those who need affordable transportation back to Florida, of a seat they could use to get home. Trees are down, power lines severed, streets flooded – for some flying is the only practical option to return to their homes and jobs, or sadly, what’s left of them.
Rental cars, food and supplies are already in limited supply. By visiting the state, we could utilize resources truly needed by Floridians, we could be literally taking food off their table when we have no such supply issues in the Northeast. Further, as supplies dwindle and prices rise, our purchases only increase the potential to raise prices for people who are simply trying to put back the pieces. That’s not a positive effect on the economy nor the people of Florida.
We have been told by friends and neighbors that both of our parent’s homes are fine and damage is unlikely, outside of clearing a fridge of rotten food as a result of the loss of power during the storm. We couldn’t pretend that our trip south was to inspect our family’s property – it wouldn’t be. Help that we provide would also be done by family and friends in the area if we don’t go.
We haven’t made a decision yet, what do you think? Would tourists booking one of these deals help or hurt? Does it have an impact one way or another?
I’m sure the trolls will show up to bash you for even asking the question, but I’ll try to answer this from a purely logical standpoint.
I guess the question is, is B6 officially restricting these fares to Florida residents or customers with billing addresses in FL? If not – I don’t see a moral dilemma necessarily (though I guess another question is if they should add such a restriction). I’d perhaps avoid booking dates for the next week or so to give everyone who really needs the fares to get home a chance to get home. But if B6 is offering these discounted fares through November, that seems like more than just a “residents only” return home fare. To me that makes the intent appear more like an intentional sale to encourage visitors to return as well.
On the other hand, putting aside any ethical dilemmas, I don’t know that now is a great time to try and vacation down there anyway. I think I told you my sister lives in Bonita. They still don’t have full power back at their place, and power outages still appear to be a significant problem in SW Florida especially. I’d imagine the general infrastructure issues (businesses closed due to damage or lack of power, rental cars probably in short supply, roads damaged, restaurants and stores actually open running at reduced capacity due to manpower shortages, etc.) would make a visit challenging. You probably wouldn’t enjoy your vacation very much until those issues get sorted out a little better.
Good to know about Bonita Springs, it sounds like there are some problems in Fort Myers proper still but it’s not so bad. Some of these fares extend into December though, which makes me think that they are not part of the relocation fares but just competitive prices to fill empty planes. I can’t say though. I wouldn’t cheat residents out of their entitled fares but if they are not so marked, I don’t know if I should feel bad about booking them. I am leaning towards snagging some but for a few months from now.
I think at this point we are past the point by which people who fled and now need to return will have booked these flights and done so. I suspect those who still haven’t returned are the kind of people who don’t need a cheap ticket to be able to afford to get home.
That aside the greater issue for me would be one of resources. Have the gas shortages been alleviated? What about all the other daily needs of Floridans? When the answer to those questions is yes (i.e. you will not be consuming resources in a region where there is a real scarcity of those resources for the residents) then if you want to go do it. Florida needs tourism to help get back on its feet and they need people spending money in the state in ways they normally do.
That being said you could make a good case for a one to two ay trip to check on your parents house and make sure the orating food in there fridge etc is cleaned out before it causes more problems. Speaking as someone who went to New Orleans Post Katrina to do recovery work the worst smell in all of creation is a fridge full of food that was sealed and left to rot.
I know even in parts of South Florida the power is still off (Broward county). Gas shortages and now grocery shortages are occuring as well. Grocery stores are still running off of generator.
Maybe give it two weeks to go down there and check up.