JetBlue teams with NFL’s NY Jets for all-mobile ‘Boarding Pass’ ticket option
The New York Jets football team is giving fans a new way to attend a season’s worth of games that isn’t the usual season ticket. The new Jets Boarding Pass, presented by JetBlue, takes ticketing fully mobile and allows fans to attend every 2017 home game while sitting in a different seat at MetLife Stadium every time.
NY Jets Boarding Pass presented by JetBlue
With the launch of Boarding Pass, the Jets become the first NFL team to offer their fans a season-long, 100% mobile subscription.
The Boarding Pass is managed through the official Jets mobile app and includes two Jets 2017 preseason and eight regular season home games. Those who purchase the pass will sit in a different seat location every game, varying from the lower bowl to the 300 level. Pass holders will be notified of their seat location through the Jets app upon arrival at the stadium on game day within two hours of kickoff.
The Jets worked with Experience, a company that offers mobile ticketing technology, to build the Boarding Pass. Arena sports teams, like basketball and hockey teams, have been using the Experience platform for a while but the Jets are the first to utilize it for the NFL on a full season, which is a challenge, according to Jets senior vice president, marketing and fan engagement, Seth Rabinowitz.
“We’re in a high-demand environment for every game…the available inventory will vary from week to week,” said Rabinowitz regarding how the team will address fans knowing where they will be sitting each week. He said coordination between the ticketing holds, amount of sales, and releases to team officials will be key to making sure Boarding Pass holders get seated at the 82,000 seat stadium.
“Our expectations are by mid-week before a Sunday game we will know mostly what we have. Then we put the information into a computer algorithm to determine the seats. We will make efforts to deliver a representative sample of various seating products. We can’t promise anything. We will keep an eye on it and have them get their money’s worth,” he added.
One thing is certain, however. If a fan attends all ten games, the face value of the tickets received is guaranteed to exceed the purchase price of the Boarding Pass. Tickets are not transferrable, but up to six passes can be purchased together so fans can enjoy the game with friends.
“We are always looking for new ways for our fans to experience game day, and we also pay very close attention to trends in the industry and in the market,” said Jets president Neil Glat. “As consumer preferences are shifting towards mobile transactions, we wanted to provide Jets fans with a unique and convenient way to attend Jets games, and we think the Boarding Pass addresses that.”
JetBlue, who has been a partner with the Jets, is the main sponsor of the Boarding Pass and the reason for its lofty name.
Experience president and chief executive officer Greg Foster noted: “For an NFL team to deliver this type of 100-percent mobile ticket product sets the bar very high. Experience believes the fan of the future wants access to games and live events through a mobile subscription with the flexibility to attend an event at an affordable price. The Jets have done this for their fans with Boarding Pass.”
Rabinowitz and the Jets are optimistic about the outlook for the Boarding Pass, and hope through a digital, radio and outdoor media campaign that people will choose this ticketing option.
“It’s a well-targeted product at an attractive price. We think we’ll get a healthy level of demand for this,” concluded Rabinowitz.