Lost Your Job? JetBlue Refunds Your Flight

Does the prospect of losing your job give you the fantods?

Relax, JetBlue (JBLU) now lets customers who get the ax receive a full refund for up to 9 reservations.

The conditions:
 

• Travel must be booked on flights between February 1st and June 1st.
  
  
• Job loss must occur on or after February 17th.
  
  
• Customers must request a refund at least 14 days prior to the first date of travel.
  
  
• The offer is good only for bookings originating in the US.
  
  
• The offer excludes group bookings, vacation packages and cruises.
  
  
• Purchases made with JetBlue Gift Cards or vouchers, TrueBlue Award Travel or travel certificates are not eligible.

Typically, JetBlue's fares are non-refundable, but the new program is an attempt to drum up bookings in the shaky job market. The International Air Transport Association expects the airline industry to lose about $2.5 billion in 2009, or about half of what the group's 230 members lost in 2008.

US carriers have been hit hard. Southwest (LUV) is the only major carrier to report a profit last year. Airlines reporting losses for 2008 include Alaska (ALK), Continental (CAL), US Airways (LCC), American (AMR), Delta (DAL), United (UAUA) and JetBlue.

JetBlue calls its new refund policy the Promise Program.

Boo!

Maybe a snappy slogan would help. Perhaps a variation on folk wisdom of the unemployed in the 1930s: "If we had some ham, we could have some ham and eggs - if we had some eggs."

If we had more passengers...