This just in: points accumulated in JetBlue’s TrueBlue frequent-flier program expire after one year (see point 4.4 in link). One year!
JetBlue awards up to 12 points per leg of travel and a free trip comes at 100 points. One would therefore have to make a minimum of five round-trip flights between the coasts, or as many as nine short-hop east coast trips, within a 12-month span to achieve a free flight.
Most airlines have expiration dates on their frequent flier miles of two to three years. I have been flying Virgin Atlantic occasionally and accumulating miles in their Flying Club program since 1999; the expiration period renews every time I fly. As a result, I am using a stash of Flying Club miles this summer. For years I’ve called Virgin Atlantic my favorite airline, and the mileage generosity is one small component.
For JetBlue to wipe out my flight history with them smacks of disinterest. Such a short expiration period is a “what have you done for me lately?” stance that doesn’t sit well with me. Mind you, I’m a JetBlue shareholder, and their conservatism (read stinginess) within TrueBlue is likely one of the reasons JBLU is one of the few airlines turning a profit.
But 12 months? On an airline packed with leisure travelers and with a rather truncated route map? Within my spectrum of travel habits, JetBlue may as well not have a program at all.