J.D. Power and Associates has come out with their latest “North American Airline Satisfaction Study” - but you can call it a report card.

The “A” student among “traditional network” carriers was - Alaska Airlines. The tops in the “low cost airline” category was - JetBlue.

Both did well in things having to do with customer service, including the “flight crew experience” - but apparently the best-liked crews can be found at WestJet - and Alaska. Also scoring high in crew-attitude was Delta. See all the results here.

I’m curious. Which airline crews do you like best? And if there are some you don’t like - how come?

My regular readers know the answer to this riddle:

JetBlue recently offered a $14 flight from LA to NY. And not surprisingly, all 1,800 tickets were snapped up in a matter of hours. But it was fun while it lasted.

Yes, it was a stunt: to get the message out that cheap airfare is available - and that people sitting on that proverbial fence should get off - and get on board.

I get into this in some detail in my latest weekly column for ABCNews.com, so take a look.

TIP: Even if you’re not sure you want to fly this summer, set some email alerts for routes you MIGHT be interested in (and that’s easy - when you add cities in our search box -at left - click the little box that says “save this search” and you’ll get automatic alerts).

Hey - you never know when the next $14 flight will come along.

A 21 year old baggage handler for JetBlue was loading a plane at New York’s JFK when - apparently - he fell asleep.

He woke up in Boston.

Well actually, he came-to during the flight - and figured out quickly enough that he was in the air. According to the Boston Globe, he then phoned JetBlue and was apparently told there wasn’t much that could be done at that point. So, he was unloaded at Logan. No word on whether he had to ride the carousel along with the rest of the bags.

The good news is, the man was unharmed - JetBlue says its cargo bins are pressurized - but don’t use that as permission to try this at home.

*Not the bonuses some Southwest employees are getting, anyway

The current economic situation has created a bit of a marketing conundrum for the airlines. How do you get people to spend their hard-earned money on leisure travel when so many are concerned about their future financial security?

Well, two carriers have taken two very different approaches. One has chosen to “work” the trend and appeal to the idea of security, while the other has chosen to go against the grain by expanding service and targeting specific markets and travelers in “small-town America.”

JetBlue has launched a program that provides refunds for travelers who pay for airfare, but are then laid off from their jobs before the flight:

“JetBlue launched the program not because customers were asking for refunds, but because the airline has noticed that passengers are waiting to the last minute to buy tickets, a sign of nervousness about their finances.” (from Wall Street Journal)

We’ve seen similar moves made in other industries. The “Hyundai Assurance Program” allows you to “return your vehicle and walk away from your loan obligation” if you purchase a car and are then laid off.

While JetBlue, Hyundai, and others draw on people’s uneasiness about the future, Allegiant Air is going the other way. Based on their operating margin, Allegiant was the most profitable domestic carrier in 2008, and they’re going into 2009 with expansion on their minds. They’ve increased service to/from a range of smaller cities throughout the country:

“Maurice Gallagher Jr., Allegiant’s chief executive, says he’s convinced that despite the uncertain economy, small-town Americans will continue to buy the discretionary getaways that are Allegiant’s specialty. ‘We’re just not seeing the deterioration [in demand] that other people are seeing,’ he says.” (from Wall Street Journal)

So, what do folks in smaller towns like Peoria and Elmira, as well as big cities like Chicago and New York, want from their airlines? Financial security, or the promise of a quick getaway? Let us know which (if either) recession marketing plan appeals to you.

I told you these airfare wars can crop up at anytime, anyplace - and here’s proof:

JetBlue has dropped prices from LAX to Boston and New York — with one-way tickets for as little as $105. Then, Virgin America quickly matched that price on its Los Angeles to NY flights.

And guess what: these deals are good for the summer - yes, the time of year when it’s usually the most expensive to travel. According to the LA Times, JetBlue planned it this way - introducing these low fares to inaugurate its new services at LAX.

Now others are entering the fray: I checked and saw that United is offering airfare on June 17 that’s even lower than the others’ base price - a roundtrip ticket for just $231 roundtrip including all taxes and fees.

Maybe you thought you couldn’t travel this summer. Now, you can.

But book these fares quickly, they will NOT last long.

Today JetBlue began non-stop service from Orlando to Bogota, Columbia - with special airfares starting at $49 one-way.

That’s right. $49. Not including taxes, etc. of course, but still an incredible deal. You must book by Feb. 18.

There’s more: beginning Feb. 1, JetBlue begins non-stop flights from Orlando to Nassau, Bahamas, and beginning March 26, the airline will offer daily service to Costa Rica.

You may remember this case.

Back in August of 2006, an Iraqi-born U.S. resident was stopped from boarding a JetBlue flight in Oakland, CA because he was wearing a T-shirt with a phrase in English and Arabic. He was eventually allowed to board when he covered up the shirt’s message.

The message? “We Will Not Be Silent”.

And, he wasn’t. The man took the airline and the TSA agents involved to court, and, according to the Washington Post a settlement was reached last weekend, and the man got $240,000.

Representatives for JetBlue and the agents involved, according to the story, say they did nothing wrong — but agreed to the settlement to limit their legal costs.

I’m calling next year, the start of something new - The Era of Air Travel Uncertainty.

That’s because travelers, and airline execs will have to be constantly scanning the financial pages to find out - is oil up or down? Is the economy still heading south or improving? But there are some things I believe we can count on:

1. European travel will get cheaper - we’re already seeing falling ticket prices, plus the dollar is getting stronger
2. Some U.S. cities will see lower airfares - examples are San Francisco, Denver and the Twin Cities - mainly due to competition (in the latter case, you can thank Southwest for its new service to Minneapolis)
3. Watch for air travel in Central America and South America to take-off - among other signs, JetBlue begins service with its new airline, Azul

No, it’s not all good - don’t watch for the airlines to drop fees anytime soon (if ever) - they simply bring in too much money. And at the moment, airfares are relatively high. But, note the examples above - there will be gain in all this pain - you can count on that.

See all the details in my latest weekly column on ABCNews.com.

Yesterday jetBlue reported a whopping 28% increase in passenger revenue per seat mile flown in September compared to last year.

How did they do this amidst the poor economy and fuel prices? (No, it wasn’t the pillow fee)

Well, for one thing, like most of the other domestic airlines they put less seats in the air in September, 11% less - which increased their load factor (average % of plane filled) for the month by slightly over 5% — which brought it up to 77%.

The obvious other reason for the revenue increase: higher prices for consumers.

If you line up these revenue increases with substantial operating savings on jet fuel (the spot price quoted yesterday — $2.50 a gallon — down from $4.32 on July 4^th), an airline can get healthy pretty quickly.

The big hurdle for most airlines now, especially those that depend on high paying business travelers is, how much will business travel budgets be cut in the wake of the economic downturn?

Everything, we hear, is back to normal now - though JetBlue’s terminal at JFK was evacuated briefly early today due to a suspicious package.

The package turned out to be two WWII replica grenades (non-working!) that were meant to be paper weights.

Call me crazy, but items like these strike me as the sort of thing you would not want in your possession at an airport.

Makes you wonder — whatever happened to good, old-fashioned common sense?

According to this week’s Economist, JetBlue’s recent eBay auction - the one I posted about the other day — was a success.

“On average, buyers paid 40% less for tickets sold at auction than they would have done at jetblue.com.” – The Economist

So JetBlue scores - after all, in this slow period, some of those tickets probably wouldn’t have sold at all.

But wait - the Economist said, “on average” - which means that some people may have paid more or close to what the current prices are — however I am not sure how they got the actual price as it could change during the day in the “yield” model and with price changes throughout the day every day.

It is amazing how the auction model brings out the best and worst in people.

JetBlue, meanwhile, must be basking in all the publicity. Which I appear to have added on to with this thread and my weekly ABCNews.com column.

My first thought was, this is a joke. But it’s not.

JetBlue is auctioning off “last minute” flights, getaway vacations and even “mystery destination” packages for those who wish to bid on them. And the bidding starts at “a nickel or a dime”.

Oddly enough, back in the heyday of the Internet bubble, there were several business plans for air travel auction companies –but none survived once that bubble burst.

Naturally, the airline is hoping the auction takes the bidding prices much higher than the “nickel and dime” minimum — but I’m sure they’ll be grateful for whatever they can get, even a nickel OR a dime — because otherwise these seat would probably fly empty and net them nothing during this relatively slow travel period.

Up for bidding are flights from Salt Lake to New York, Orlando to San Juan, Burbank to New York, and much more - see for yourself by clicking here. By the way, the usual taxes and fees will apply to these flights, apart from the cost of the winning bid.

Wonder if JetBlue was inspired by a certain vice-presidential candidate who said she put her state’s private jet up for auction on eBay? Or did the airline decide that this was a better marketing plan than giving the flights away on Wheel of Fortune?

Hey, it got me to write about it, so they must be on to something. JetBlue, meanwhile, tells me that if their customers like this, they may try it again.

Labor Day is coming, and it’s not too late to make plans.

Midwest Airlines has just announced they’re extending their Labor Day sale, and they have deals as low as $168+ roundtrip throughout the country. See the details here.

JetBlue has a special sale (and we have the Promo Code): Save 10% if 2 people travel together, 15% if there are 3 travelers and 20% off for 4. Click here for more.

Las Vegas has a deal too — at the Luxor hotel. Stay 2 nights and the 3^rd night is free — click here for more info, and the Promo Code.

And see more cheap airfare, on our Deals Blog — updated daily.

CNNMoney notes today that arrivals at New York City-area airports ranked tops for delays last month.

Shocking!

The best airport for timely arrivals? Salt Lake City.

JetBlue had the most dismal on-time ranking, and Southwest had the best.

Also, do not confuse these on-time stats with the”official” ones from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics that come out in arrears — these are provided by FlightStats who tracks them in real time from a variety of sources.

Want to grab a little shut-eye on your next JetBlue flight?

No problem! You can even have a fresh pillow and blanket, if you don’t mind paying $7 for this “Snooze Kit”. Yep, the latest airline fee.

But this isn’t the worst fee I’ve heard of: for one thing, it’s a new blanket and pillow, and supposedly “eco-friendly” to boot. According to the article I saw, the blanket and pillow “feature fabric technology, developed by CleanBrands LLC, that blocks pesky critters like dust mites, mold spores, pollen and pet dander.”

Added bonus: each “Snooze Kit” comes with a $5 coupon good at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

JetBlue’s CEO David Barger wants to show “solidarity” with his employees as they struggle through these tough economic times.

So he’s slashing his pay — in half.

Instead of making a base salary of $500,000, he will make $250,000.

Barger is not the first to cut his pay, and, it should be noted that this salary reduction is only effective through December of this year.

But as gestures go, it’s a heckuva good one.