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JetBlue: Elevating Kindness

Posted: March 16, 2015, 11:10 a.m.
by Esther Workman.

Check in. Get to the airport an hour early. Check your bags. Go through security. Go through security again. Walk to the gate. Wait at the gate. Wait longer because your flight is delayed. Board the plane. Sit on the runway. Take off.

Considering all the things that can go wrong, air travel is often more trouble than it’s worth. Especially when you’re short on time and patience.

JetBlue is hoping to change your idea of air travel from a nightmare to a dream — just for being nice. The airline’s new “Flying it Forward” campaign is all about repaying kindness with first-class convenience.

Last December, Platform published a blog unveiling JetBlue’s “Flying it Forward” campaign. I’m here to tell you how it has taken off, pun intended.

It all started when JetBlue flew Tameka Lawson to a conference in New York City so that she could represent her nonprofit free of charge. The only requirement was that Lawson pass the free flight onto another deserving individual.

Lawson, in turn, passed the flight onto Teena Katz, who was injured in a subway accident that left her disabled. She then passed the flight to an American artist, so he would have the opportunity to paint murals nationwide. JetBlue also flew a man to Haiti to help build a library, and a woman to her family reunion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQMmp6ZWdaY

But this is not the first time JetBlue has given its passengers more than ginger ale and pretzels.

In 2012, JetBlue surprised an engaged couple with a basket full of treats and handwritten congratulations upon news of their impending nuptials. In 2013, it helped orchestrate an on-board proposal. In 2014, the airline surprised Dominican Republican immigrants with flights home to see their families.

So this question remains: What does JetBlue hope to gain from these overwhelming acts of kindness?

Nothing. The airline isn’t publicizing these acts outright.

JetBlue Communications Manager Morgan Johnston told the Huffington Post, “It would be disingenuous to do so.”

JetBlue is helping those in need just because it’s the right thing to do.

It’s a simple matter of brand loyalty — PR 101, if I may. Companies that reward customers for their loyalty will see that loyalty returned. No discount or in-flight movie required.

At JetBlue, the sky is most definitely not the limit. Kindness extends far beyond 39,000 feet.

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