Here’s how Boston.com readers feel about flying JetBlue

After Brian McGrory wrote an open letter last week in The Boston Globe to JetBlue president Marty St. George saying JetBlue has not aged well, we asked Boston.com readers how they feel about flying on JetBlue.

Our informal poll showed Boston travelers are still loyal to the airline. Of more than 250 replies, 59 percent of readers said they like flying JetBlue, 25 percent said they don’t like flying JetBlue, and 16 percent said it depends.

JetBlue was an innovative startup when it launched in Boston in 2004.

Wrote McGrory in the open letter, “[A] funny thing happens to an innovative startup. It eventually gets old. The question always is, does it age well? JetBlue has most decidedly not. So many of your planes are exhausted. Your finances are under water. Others caught up to your innovative ideas, and you lost your innovative spirit, unless you want to count your failed purchase of the universally loathed Spirit airlines, which cost you hundreds of millions of dollars with precisely nothing to show for it.”

After the open letter ran, St. George sat down for an interview with McGrory, which ran Friday in The Boston Globe.

St. George told McGrory: “You’re basically right. There’s nothing in that letter I disagree with.”

St. George said JetBlue is in the process of replacing its aging Embraer 190 regional jets with brand new Airbus A220s and the task will be complete by the end of 2025. He said a new leadership team will bring higher standards and new ideas.

“Boston is extremely important,” St. George told McGrory. “I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished here. It’s a market that has been underserved for many years, and we have the data that shows that we’ve brought down fares across the board.”

Ahead, check out how Boston.com readers feel about flying JetBlue right now.

I like to fly JetBlue

“I will always look for a JetBlue flight first, all else being equal I’d pick JetBlue.” — Leor Z. of North Reading

“Best legroom among the major airlines. Mint service is excellent.” — JH from Boston

“Honestly, JetBlue is still my go to from Boston. Better planes than most, TVs and snacks are just normal, and they are communicative about delays. I’d pick them over another airline any day.” — Sarah from Arlington

“Mosiac member here — JB’s direct flight options to several popular destinations are plentiful. Their web site is easy to navigate for flight planning and booking. In my experience the DirectTV service is spotty as is the case for their flyfi WiFi service … The communications between the staff and customers when flights are delayed have improved in the past 2 years. We have checked out other airlines to compare routes and airfares — for now we will stay with JB.” — Murph from Lexington

“For the most part, they’ve always done an excellent job. Maybe 1 in 50 flights I have taken have had an issue with delays etc., but the employees are wonderful.” — George P. from Westwood

“I still like JetBlue. I just flew out of Logan to San Francisco on them. Coach was comfortable for once (compared to the non-existant leg room on Southwest), and passengers were encouraged to get up and move around, with a ‘help yourself’ snack & beverage closet. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again.” — David T. of Methuen

“I fly JetBlue exclusively in the US unless they don’t service a particular destination. Overall, JetBlue has never let me down. True, some of the innovation they brought to the airline industry has either been copied by others or is no longer ‘new’ per se. But, overall, no complaints here.” — Mike Z. from Groveland

“Been flying them for years. Better on time performance and more in flight snacks will improve things, along with new planes.” — Mike from Saugus

“The seats are comfortable, spacious, and free wifi in economy. The entertainment selection is also great as well … I love JetBlue and I will continue flying with them as long as they continue flying out of my local airport.” — Danielle O.

“I’ve always been happy with JetBlue. I’ve flown on JetBlue so many times now, and only book all my flights with JetBlue. I think they are reliable, clean and mostly on time.” — Linda R. from Beverly

I don’t like to fly JetBlue

“JetBlue’s gone down the tubes … The last few times when I had no other choice and had to fly on it, the seats were flattened, the cabin worn out, the snacks indifferent, the delays unpredictable and unacceptable (5+ hours), the shadow fees annoying.” — Beez from Northborough

“What used to be a fun, quirky and modern travel experience is now boring, bland and old! Throw in delays and unpredictable service and you’ve got the recipe for a steep decline in customer loyalty.” — Rob from Hopkinton

“I used to be a frequent traveler with JetBlue but their product has failed miserably in recent years due to flight delays, cancellations, etc.” — Paddy O. from Milton

“Over the years JetBlue has finished near the bottom for on-time flights. I don’t fly w/ JetBlue.” — Sam R. from Winthrop

“Absolutely terrible airline in terms of timeliness, customer service.” — Bob M. from Duxbury

“It often has the best time for my needs, but that doesn’t matter because it’s always late. Always.” — John R. from Lynn

“Flights never on time, lost luggage, unprofessional staff.” — Mike C. from Bridgewater

“I have had bad experiences with JetBlue like I have had on no other airline. I decided several years ago that the JetBlue culture was not one where employees really cared about their customers. Once that is in the culture, everything rots and there is no recovery. My kids like to fly them and they have a few direct routes to where our family likes to go, so we do occasionally end up on JetBlue planes. But if it were up to me I would not fly them ever again.” — Michael from Concord

“I have been flying JetBlue from Boston for biz and personal for the past 10 years. Always was my first choice. Not lately. Too many problems. Cancelled and delayed flights, consistently changing my pre-selected seat and telling me when paying for a seat they are never guaranteed.” — Meghan M. from Newton

It depends

“I fly JetBlue quite a lot for work and I’ve seen the quality slip over the past 20 years. When they first arrived they were the disrupter, great quality and experience for the money. The era of low-cost, nickel-and-dime airlines has forced them to compete on those terms. I still choose them due to many decent routes and flight times but am increasingly choosing Delta when available. This has most to do with flight delays experienced too frequently with JetBlue on busy flight routes. All in all though, their service is still a notch above United and American and ultra-low cost carriers.” — Dan M. from Melrose

“Always severely delayed so I never use them for business travel. If all things are equal I’ll also avoid them. The fares or schedule would have to be significantly better for me to fly JetBlue. I often pay more to fly another airline because JetBlue is just too unreliable.” — Manny from Bradford

“Over time they have become very inconsistent — both in terms of timeliness and level of service. Their level of service used to be great.” — Maureen C. from Raymond, N.H.

“JetBlue was my go to airline for years. I will still fly it between Boston and FL as they have the most frequent schedules, but quality has crashed. What has changed? The good — great free internet. The bad? That great free internet frequently does not work.” — John D. from Revere

“Loyal customer but disappointed lately. Prices are high, never on time, TVs never work, and very limited snacks. When you have a long flight, you look forward to having a television that works, and that never seems to be the case anymore.” — DMB from Clinton

Responses lightly edited for clarity.

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.