JetBlue Gives Travelers the Option to Weather-Proof Their Vacation

It isn’t surprising that a growing number of travelers are deciding to insure their trips. The pandemic has made many people more aware of their own health and more mindful of the ways they travel and the risks that can come with it; it’s natural for more people to want to cushion the risk if they fall ill before they’re set to leave town. But what about other variables, like weather? A vacation at a beach resort or dark sky park can go very wrong if there’s heavy rain.

All of that may help explain why JetBlue is teaming up with WeatherPromise to offer what’s effectively a very specific kind of travel insurance: one involving a relatively low amount of precipitation once you’ve arrived at your destination. It’s one of several recent shifts made by JetBlue to expand and deepen its travel offerings.

The airline announced the new partnership this month, noting that people who book trips through JetBlue Vacations will now have the option to add protection via WeatherPromise. This doesn’t mean a refund if the skies aren’t clear and the sun bright throughout the trip — but it does mean that if there’s “significant rainfall” at your destination while you’re there, you’re entitled to a refund.

“When customers book through JetBlue Vacations, they’re choosing a travel brand they trust to support them every step of the way,” said the head of JetBlue Travel Products, Jamie Perry, in a statement. “We know how important vacations are, and by offering coverage against weather disruptions, we’re ensuring our customers can focus on enjoying their trips with confidence and peace of mind.”

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WeatherPromise is a relative newcomer to the travel space. As Travel + Leisure reported last March, the company debuted earlier in 2024; WeatherPromise predicts the rainfall for a given location at a given time and duration. (According to the article, they consider one day of rain as at least four hours of rainfall between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.) Will the service be for everyone? Not necessarily — but if you’ve invested a lot of money on a trip, it’s not hard to see the appeal of investing a bit more to bank on decent weather.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…