JetBlue lawsuit: Airline sued over ‘surveillance pricing’ claims: Report
FILE - A JetBlue Airways jet sits on the tarmac June 19, 2001June 19, 2001 at the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International airport in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A class action lawsuit filed against JetBlue alleges the airline collected customers’ personal data to set ticket prices.
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit comes after the company responded to an X post published on April 18 where a passenger praised JetBlue but said the sudden and immense price hike on a plane ticket after one day was "crazy," according to a Reuters report.
The ticket price was allegedly increased by $230.
JetBlue responded to the passenger, suggesting they should clear their cache and cookies or book using incognito mode.
What they're saying:
The company told Reuters on Monday that its fares can change at any moment and the price is adjusted based on supply and demand.
"JetBlue does not use personal information or web browsing history to set individual pricing. Fares are determined by demand and seat availability, and all customers have access to the same fares on jetblue.com and our mobile app. The recent social media reply was simply a mistake from an individual customer service crewmember. The steps the crewmember suggested would not have changed the airfares available for purchase," JetBlue told FOX in an emailed statement.
What is ‘surveillance pricing?’
Big picture view:
The lawsuit, which was filed in a Brooklyn, New York, federal court on Wednesday, claimed JetBlue secretly uses "trackers" to conduct "surveillance pricing."
Surveillance pricing uses AI to determine how much a customer is willing to pay for an item. This can result in different prices for different people based on various metrics set by the stores.
In January, the FTC investigated "surveillance pricing" and found retailers were quietly using extensive personal data to set individualized prices that can change quickly based on factors like timing, shopper profile, or device, often with consumers being none the wiser.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by Reuters, the FTC website, and previous reporting by FOX 9 and FOX 2 Detroit. An emailed statement from JetBlue on April 23, 2026, was also added. This story was reported from San Jose.