JetBlue's Latest Disconnect

I'm a frequent traveler and a former JetBlue (JBLU) shareholder. I still fly JetBlue regularly and generally like the company -- except for one irritating problem.

A few years ago, many investors wrote glowing articles about "The JetBlue Experience." The company's goal was to bring back humanity back to air travel.

In a way, JetBlue was like the Apple Inc. of the travel industry. When you heard the JetBlue name, you had high expectations. The JetBlue brand promised a great experience -- or at least a better experience than other airline brands could offer.

But JetBlue isn't delivering on that promise at the moment. One prime example: JetBlue's free WiFi service at New York's JFK International Airport is terrible. And from where I sit, the WiFi network signals bigger problems at JetBlue.

Consider the situation: The JetBlue terminal is filled with signs promoting the free service. But in recent months, the network has failed to keep pace with travelers' growing appetites for broadband. The result: Many road warriors--including me--frequently find JetBlue's free hot spots impossible to access.

Of course, JetBlue is in the travel business -- not the broadband business. But that's no excuse. JetBlue is promising and promoting free WiFi to travelers. And in recent months, WiFi has emerged as a mission-critical application for millions of travelers who check email from airports. By delivering an inferior customer experience, JetBlue is tarnishing its brand over and over again. It's "point, click, disappointment."

This isn't a one-time problem for JetBlue. During weather-related travel delays on July 30, hundreds of passengers (like me) struggled to access JetBlue's WiFi service in the JFK terminal. Dozens of travelers wandered around the Jet Blue terminal, asking each other how to access the flooded WiFi network. The situation was similar in February, when winter storms shut down JetBlue's JFK terminal, and stranded passengers complained about inconsistent or non-existent Internet service.

In JetBlue's defense, a spokesman says the company is taking steps to correct the performance issues. "When we began offering WiFi in our [JFK International] terminal, there was significantly less WiFi usage in general than there is today," wrote the spokesman in an email to me. "Our original system was not meant to handle the volume it sometimes now receives--at times there can be hundreds of customers accessing our signal. We are currently working on rolling out an enhanced WiFi network at JFK so we can provide an even better (and free) service to our customers."

Bravo. But the spokesman didn't describe how or when the enhancements would be completed.

Despite the current performance problems, the spokesman is quick to note that JetBlue is currently the only airline to offer free WiFi in the New York area, "and we believe our terminal at JFK is the only major terminal in the U.S. to have free WiFi."

Memo to JetBlue: The free service is worthless if it doesn't work right. Even worse, it tarnishes your brand each time a traveler can't get on the network.

JetBlue, it's time to get back to basics. Deliver a great experience in every service you offer. And if you can't keep that commitment in the broadband space, outsource the service to a third party -- fast.

Disclosure: None