So they are asking for JetBlue to give them special treatment? They booked 43 flights in 30 days. How about cutting their flights in half so that they are less likely to miss one?
I wonder what their backgrounds are that would make them good resource to interview JetBlue passengers and make them deserving of special treatment from JetBlue.
1. The letter did not need to be open at all. If you want to travel the country for 30 days without paying, more power to you but why not just send it to the jetBlue CEO directly?
2. The people behind this letter obviously think their idea is amazingly brilliant. Which it isn't. Everyone has interesting stories. You could go into a Dunkin' Donuts at 3AM and hear some pretty crazy stuff. No need to be at 30,000 feet.
3. These people probably WILL get free flights or some other special support from jetBlue because God forbid a publicly-traded company didn't listen to any and every simple Jack who asked for something on the internet.
Exactly. Why did they have to make it public? To put pressure on Jetblue?
I don't think this trip is a smart idea. 43 flights in 30 days? They'll be spending their time running to and from and around airports. I doubt they'll enjoy it.
I don't think they're asking for free flights. I think they are asking for the 'missed flight' penalty to be waived. Since they are trying to pack so many flights into 30 days, they understandably might miss a flight or two due to delays.
42 flights in 30 days does seem a bit much though. For many of those flights, they are just going to be sleeping through the flight anyways (and unable to talk to 'interesting people').
I'm not sure why, but I'll respond briefly to your three points.
1. It did not need to be open. But I am making a website documenting my journey. Sorry if someone thought it was interesting and posted it to this site where you were forced to read it.
2. We don't really think it's amazingly brilliant. It is remarkable, though, in that most people have never done anything like this. We just thought it would be an interesting way to spend a month and I personally hoped it would help me accomplish some goals: I want to become a better designer and a better writer. This journey will allow me to practice both of those things. I don't have any data, but I think the people on airplanes are more interesting than the people at Dunkin' Donuts.
3. We won't get free flights. We paid our 600 dollars and we are abiding by the rules. We just want to see if they will help us out if their planes are late or cancelled.
If it were another unscrupulous airline, I would be afraid that they would purposely be trying to recoup their upfront loss on the ticket by charging additional fees - like missed connections/rebooking fees. just a random thought...
Yeah, so they put up a website, why would the CEO of a large company want to meet with them?
I'm not saying he won't, but I don't see any value proposition mentioned on the site. If I were the CEO, I'd be thinking they're going to ask for even more after we have just exchanged 43 flights for $600? Talk about give an inch and they'll want a mile!
Hmm, how often does JetBlue make the top of HN? Isn't the whole offer a publicity stunt by JetBlue and aren't these folks with the website doing their part?
The question for the CEO is whether or not this would generate worthwhile publicity for JetBlue. For example, if Good Morning America brought their camera crew to the coffee shop, then it might be worth it.
But then again, if they offer these guys special favors which they document on their website, everyone who has the JetBlue pass will probably expect the same.
Because of this, I don't think that JetBlue will give them any special favors.
The funny bit is that rather than arranging this over the phone/email with a customer rep, they apparently need to discuss it over coffee with JetBlue's CEO. This is where the idea moves from Paul Theroux ("Great Railway Bazaar" etc) territory into Julia Allison land.
I'm a bit weary of seeing HN used as a platform for dcurtis' sophomoric attention antics. This should have been a side-channel communication with JetBlue; why would the CEO want to meet with dcurtis about this, and why would he be impressed with an impersonal open letter?
Most importantly, why do I care? As a pitch, the story isn't captivating or well written, and 30 days in airports sounds both depressing and boring -- I'd be surprised if you're capable of carrying out non-monosyllabic conversations after the first 5 days.
"Have a beer with a Fortune 500 CEO" is a pretty pitiful goal. Does he not even care which one?
I did not submit this article. And I am a part of this community as much as you are. People have voted this up, so there seems to be some interest here. The last thing I want is to be responsible for lowering the quality of content on HN.
Don't sweat the haters. If there's good feedback in here, use it. If there's not, forget it. Do your thing and have fun.
I always seem to meet interesting people when I travel, especially sitting next to them on the plane. I'm really looking forward to seeing how you incorporate the experiences with your obvious knack for slick designs. And I only noticed your site because of this experiment. So you have one additional fan exactly because you're courageous enough to try this and be open about it. Enjoy!
They made it an open letter because they wanted to get attention. I think it was very well done and I wish them the best. It sounds like it is going to be an incredible experience - reminds me of Taxi Cab Confessional but a little less Hokey. People have incredible stories and I bet within 30 days they're going to hear some amazing adventures. Best of luck guys.
I wonder what their backgrounds are that would make them good resource to interview JetBlue passengers and make them deserving of special treatment from JetBlue.