EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Jets have have missed the NFL Playoffs six straight seasons and unfortunately play in the same AFC East division as the Super Bowl champion Patriots. But the club has come up with an ticket idea adventurous enough to appeal to millennials: the new Jets Boarding Pass season ticket plan.
The Boarding Pass invites fans to attend 10 games (eight regular season; two preseason) in varying seat locations for the 2017 season.
You could find yourselves right down by the sidelines with the beautiful people. Or up in the nosebleeds with the blue-collar, die-hards. Billed as the first "all-mobile, full season pass subscription," the plan costs $725. There's also a payment plan where fans place a $145 down payment, then pay four monthly payments of $145 apiece.
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Here's how it works: using the Jets mobile app, Boarding Pass holders find out their seat locations two hours before game time. They have no control over where they sit. The surprise is part of the appeal.
As season ticket holders, Boarding Pass holders are also eligible for the Jets Rewards program that allows fans to have dinner with Jets legends like Joe Namath or fly on the team charter.
Millennials are on their phones all the time anyway, said Jets president Neil Glat. Boarding Pass is a smart way to appeal to fans who might like the novelty and surprise of sitting in different seats on any given Sunday.
"Some games you'll be upstairs, some game you'll be downstairs, some games you'll be in a club," promised Glat here at MetLife Stadium's Toyota Club, where the Jets held their second annual "upfront" presenting news ticket plans, food offerings and customer experiences.
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Glat declined to comment on how many fans he expects to purchase the 10-game season pass. But the team does say do say that if a fan attends all 10 games, the face value of the tickets is "guaranteed" to exceed the purchase price.
Boarding Pass sounds like a great idea. But it also shows the mighty NFL is no longer Teflon after an 8-percent drop in TV ratings last season.
Moving forward, more clubs like the Jets are going to have to get creative to retain season ticket holders.
With the exception of the elite squads — the Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers and Giants, namely — the days of just mailing out a renewal notice may be over. Especially if the economy doesn't improve.