JetBlue's new ticket counter: eBay

JetBlue Airways Corp. was planning to sell 300 round-trip tickets on eBay last night - including 69 departures from Boston - making it the first airline to auction off seats online in an attempt to promote its business.

Previously, some carriers sold seats on eBay to raise money for charity, but JetBlue is using the world's largest Internet marketplace to seek higher revenue during a typically sluggish period.

"Fall is typically a slower travel period for customers. As summer comes to an end, they rein in travel plans," said spokeswoman Alison Eshelman. "By auctioning flights, we're giving customers a flexible and affordable way to get weekend deals."

The bidding for each round-trip flight, from Boston and more than 20 other cities, was scheduled to open at 5 or 10 cents. Each auction will last for three, five, or seven days, with all of them concluding by Sunday.

The auctions can be found at www.jetblue.com/ebay. Taxes and fees are additional and will vary according to the route. Bidders will need a PayPal account.

All of the flights will depart on a Thursday or Friday and return on a Sunday or Monday, with the last one landing on Oct. 6.

JetBlue also planned to offer six vacation packages that include airfare and hotel stays in Las Vegas and other places.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Nicole C. Wong can be reached at nwong@globe.com.