Passengers turn to eBay for online ticket auctions

A growing number of passengers are turning to eBay auctions when purchasing airplane tickets and a recent move by US discount carrier JetBlue may further strengthen this already existing trend. JetBlue might help shake up the commercial airline industry putting seats on its flights up for auction on eBay starting this autumn. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, eBay is auctioning off 300 tickets in the coming weeks and months, partly in an effort to weather the current economic storm and a projected decline in passenger traffic figures.

The most interesting aspect of these auctions is that JetBlue has set the initial bid for some of these tickets at just five cents. It is, however, well worth remembering that all JetBlue tickets on eBay are exclusively for weekend travel from now until the end of October. The discount carrier argued that this was a first in the airline industry, since no other carrier had ever put so many tickets up for sale on eBay. While in many ways JetBlue’s current approach is a pilot project, the carrier may rely on eBay even more in the future if this approach proves successful. The goal is to sell more seats on routes that are less popular and on flights that tend to have a low load factor. As such, passengers should keep in mind that tickets for many of the busiest and most popular routes will still have to be purchased through more traditional channels.

www.jetblue.com

Thank you to Peter Pae of the Los Angeles Times for the initial report.