Jet Blue's Offer for Layoff Victims

Call it recession marketing. Or maybe it's just doing the right thing. Either way, airline Jet Blue is getting on the "we care about you getting laid off" bandwagon.

On the heels of Hyundai's "Assurance program" (where the car maker claimed customers could return a car if they lost their job in the next year), Jet Blue's website says the company is offering its own purchase security program. They're calling it the Jet Blue Promise Program. In their words: "If you lose your job, we will refund your fare."

Nothing is ever as simple as that. Take a peek at the details of the offer and there are plenty of terms and conditions to contend with. First, you had to have been laid off after Feb. 17, 2009. You had to be the traveler on the reservation, and you had to have personally paid for the travel. In other words, you don't get to grab mom's money back if she wanted to fly you home to say hello.

Even if you do qualify for the refund, there are some serious hoops to jump through to claim the money back. After a cursory glance at Jet Blue's explanation of it all, it seems they've been pretty clear with what needs to get done for the refund. But it's a lot, including eligibility letters, terms sheets, faxes, certified mail and a trip to a notary public. In short, if you find yourself flying Jet Blue and getting laid off, make sure you read the fine print.

Complicated paperwork aside, Jet Blue must care about its customers, as it doesn't stand to gain monetarily from the promotion. Spokeswoman Alison Croyle wanted Tonic readers to know that this is more of a customer service initiative than anything else.

"Our goal is not so much to be profitable as much as to provide confidence to our customers to be able to book travel," she said. "Giving them the opportunity to book travel plans and make adjustments as they need to without worrying if they're going to lose their money."

She said that there are no financial projections and that there is no predicting how many travelers will ultimately take advantage of the program.

I'll save the cynical comments on this one about companies using layoffs to build their own businesses. (It's tempting though, what with Jet Blue's passenger-stranding snafu from two years ago, and not to think this is a blatant attempt to get back on people's good sides.)

In times where every penny matters, it's nice to see a company make a small financial gesture with heart — even if it the catalyst for the gesture is the bottom line.

The Jet Blue Promise Program runs for flights booked between Feb. 1 and June 1 and applies to any traveler who has booked a ticket but loses their job on or after Feb. 17.

— Tonic's Caroline Walker also contributed to this story.