Put down the phone: You can now chat with JetBlue for assistance
You can now forget JetBlue's hold music. Starting today, users of JetBlue's iOS app can now chat with the airline instead of picking up the phone.
JetBlue quietly released Version 4.10 of the airline's app to the iOS App Store. As part of the release notes, JetBlue notes that "JetBlue is available on chat! You can now connect with a JetBlue crewmember through our in-app chat for assistance—tap 'More', then 'Help' to get started."
When I saw the news, I immediately updated my JetBlue app and took the feature for a spin. It took a bit of digging to find the chat functionality, but once at the Help page, the top option is now "Chat with us." I needed to enable push notifications for chat messages, but once complete, I was chatting with the airline.
Android phone users don't (yet) get the same love from JetBlue. An airline spokesperson confirmed that the in-app chat functionality is coming to Android in early November. In the meantime, Android users are instructed to text JetBlue.
When starting a chat, there's an automated message asking what you need help with and will connect you with a crewmember. After writing that I needed help with canceling a flight, I was instantly connected with an agent and within minutes had my reservation canceled.
I was quite impressed with the feature, especially the speed of the response. I can imagine that this will be useful in situations when you don't have time to get on the phone. This could also be a great alternative to waiting on hold during times of severe weather. (And if you need help getting in touch with other airlines, we've got a guide for that).
The one missing feature that I'd like to see is a status bar telling me how many customers are waiting for a chat agent. Otherwise, I thought the execution was great -- I got push notifications when the agent responded to my message and the chat history saved when leaving the app. Note that when using the chat functionality you can't complete transactions that require payment details.
It's great when airlines innovate in customer-friendly ways, so I'm hopeful that other airlines will take note and consider adding a similar feature. In the meantime, put down your AirPods, forget 1-800-JETBLUE and update the JetBlue app. There's a chat representative waiting to help you.
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