Program Mirrors Similar Campaign By British Low-Cost Airline

Call it a sign of the times. JetBlue Airways announced this week it will fully refund tickets for passengers who book travel on the low-cost carrier, but are then involuntarily laid off from their full-time jobs.

The Wall Street Journal reports JetBlue made the decision after the airline noticed customers were waiting until the last minute to purchase travel, due to concern for their personal finances.

Under terms of JetBlue's program, if the person listed on the itinerary also paid for the ticket personally, he or she may apply for a refund within 14 days before the scheduled departure time for the outbound flight.

That goes against prior JetBlue policy, in which all tickets were nonrefundable... and marks a decided shift in the mindset of the airline's customer base. Nevertheless, JetBlue maintains it hasn't noticed an increase in the number of passengers asking to cancel travel due to layoffs.

The idea of full refunds for people who lost their jobs isn't new; JetBlue notes British LLC FlyBe recently announced a similar program.

Outside the aviation sector, Korean automaker Hyundai announced a similar policy late last year for customers who finance the purchase of a new vehicle, but are then laid off -- allowing those customers to return the car without a repossession hitting their credit reports.

FMI: www.jetblue.com