I was intrigued this week when I received an email about a JetBlue Mosaic Status Match and Challenge. You see, I made a decision recently that some frequent flyers would call crazy. I’m not going to go out of my way this year to chase super elite status with US Airways or American Airlines (and no, that doesn’t mean I’m considering switching to Delta or United.)
For those of you who read this site regularly, you know that I hold Chairman Status with US Airways and have for many, many years. I fly a lot. Recently all of my travel has been international – specifically to the AsiaPac region. For me, holding status with a domestic airline doesn’t really help me a ton with flying abroad. What I want is the ability to fly business class. If I’m flying in business class, airline lounge access is included, checked baggage is included, priority boarding is included,etc… so the typical perks associated with elite status aren’t as important.
So what is important? Miles that don’t expire. Being able to pool miles with other family members. A comfortable travel experience when I am on a domestic airline.
I began flying with JetBlue when they moved into the Charleston, SC market. There were a few reasons this became very convenient for me. First, JetBlue is a partner with Air China meaning I can book the entire trip in one transaction (with Air China) check my luggage all the way through. Flying direct to JFK is very easy and allows me to connect to dozens of international flights. Earning frequent flyer miles is straight forward. After just 4 flights I had enough miles to book a one-way ticket from Charleston to JFK.
This year I’ve decided to take a strategic approach to earning airline status/miles. When it makes sense, I’ll fly JetBlue – for domestic trips when it makes sense to connect via JFK or BOS, for international trips when I can connect via JFK or to give miles to family members so they can enjoy domestic travel. When wouldn’t it make sense for me to fly Jet Blue? I wouldn’t fly JetBlue if I was flying from Charleston to another southern city – flying to JFK or BOS to head back south doesn’t make much sense. In those cases, I’d stick with US Airways.
After reading about the JetBlue Mosaic Status Challenge I had the opportunity to speak with JetBlue’s director of loyalty and partnership, Kelly Roe. I asked Kelly some questions about the program, the challenge and the airline. Here’s what she had to say:
Q: Is the target audience for this JetBlue Mosaic Status Challenge business travelers who don’t want to stick with revenue based loyalty programs like the one Delta recently rolled out?
A: The business traveler is one big audience, however, we think the program is great for the casual business traveler who also likes to take leisure trips on JetBlue and the moderate traveler who may not meet the requirements of other loyalty programs.
Q. Some business travelers will say, “I don’t care about the new spending requirements because my company pays the bills.” What does JetBlue offer to those travelers?
A. JetBlue is one of the better loyalty programs available, TrueBlue members can earn 6 points on the dollar and Mosaic members can earn 9 points on the dollar. Our award start at 5k points – there are no blackout dates, allow for family pooling, and your points don’t expire. We want people to redeem, that’s what generates loyalty.
Q. I’m a US Airways Chairman and fly frequently with JetBlue from Charleston to New York. What is the benefit for someone like me, who flies 100k + miles per year vs the benefit for someone who flies 50K miles a year and might have mid-tier status with US Airways or another program?
A. The benefit is the same, your points never expire and you can pool them with family members.
Q. There are currently no redemption options with hotels (you can earn miles via hotel stays). Do you think JetBlue will ever partner with a hotel like Delta or United have?
A. No, I don’t foresee that happening in the near future. We want or members to be able to stay wherever they want and earn miles. There may be other opportunities for redemption in the future such as a possible redemption mall. We’re excited about the JetBlue Mosaic Status Challenge and the opportunity to expose people to the TrueBlue program.
How does the JetBlue Mosaic Status Match and Challenge Work?
Mosaic status match – Anyone with specified status in qualifying loyalty programs will automatically be eligible for TrueBlue Mosaic® through 2014 simply by signing up for the Challenge. (As of May 1 2014 this program has ended.)
TrueBlue Mosaic® Challenge – Anyone who flies enough to meet the Challenge earns Mosaic benefits for the remainder of 2014 and 2015.
Participants have 90 days to earn 3,750 base (qualifying) flight points to receive Mosaic status for the rest of 2014 through December 31, 2015. Base flight points equate to three points per $1 a customer earns on the base fare of their individual JetBlue flight.
What are the qualifying loyalty programs?
Eligible airline loyalty programs and statuses are: Delta® SkyMiles Medallion® Gold, Platinum or Diamond ; United® MileagePlus® Premier® Gold, Platinum or Premier1K®; American Airlines® AAdvantage Platinum® or Executive Platinum®; US Airways® Dividend Miles Preferred Gold, Platinum or Chairman; Southwest® Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or Companion Pass; and Alaska Airlines® Mileage PlanTM MVP® Gold or MVP® Gold 75k
What are some of the other benefits of Mosaic?
How do I sign up?
Visit www.jetblue.com/
I signed up for the challenge – have you?
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