JetBlue Airways auctioning roundtrip flights, vacation packages on eBay

Perhaps for the first in the history of airline industry, the United States-based JetBlue Airways Corporation is auctioning off over 300 roundtrip flights and 6 vacation packages on eBay, the online auction and shopping website.

The opening bids for JetBue tickets on ebay are set between 5 cents and 10 cents.

The bids, which opened at between 5 cents and 10 cents on September 8, 2008, soon went higher as customers began making offers. The auction will be on through September 14, 2008.

The low-cost airline JetBlue Airways is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its home airport is John F Kennedy International Airport and it operates flights to over 50 destinations.

The roundtrip flights and vacation packages on auction are to over 20 destinations, including four mystery JetBlue Getaways Vacation packages to undisclosed locations, a statement from the company said.

The three-day, five-day and seven-day auctions include one-person and two-person roundtrip weekend flights in September 2008 from the US cities, including Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Fort Lauderdale and Southern California.

Each auction, the statement from JetBlue Airways said, will have a specific range of dates in which customers can travel. The travel dates, times and flight numbers will be posted when the customers bid.

The jetBue vacation packages in the auction include airfare and a four-night hotel stay for two at Marriott hotels in locations including Las Vegas and Nassau, Bahamas. The four mystery packages include two locations where passports are needed and two locations that do not require passports.

Taxes and fees, which are additional, will vary according to the particular route. And, taxes and fees will be disclosed in each listing. Bidders will need to have a PayPal account. Flights leave on Thursdays or Fridays and return on Sundays or Mondays. All travel must be completed by October 6, 2008.

Customers can access the JetBlue Airways auctions through the website http://www.jetblue.com/ebay

The website newsday.com quoted Robert W Mann Jr., an independent airline analyst and consultant in Port Washington, New York, as commenting on JetBlue Airways auctioning of fares and vacation deals: As far as I know, JetBlues auction is unique in the airline industry. Airlines have auctioned miles and other items to their frequent fliers, but this is the first time Ive seen airfare auctioned in this manner.

The JetBlue auction, Mann added, is a promotion designed to stimulate travel in the early fall, traditionally the slowest time of the year for airlines, but JetBlues auction is an interesting gambit. I expect here that they are auctioning tickets they cant sell at retail. This is a new form of distressed sales.

Earlier, individuals have auctioned off unused airline tickets on eBay. Also, airlines have sold tickets on eBay for charity or for unique events such as the first flight of Singapore Airlines A380 Superjumbo jet.