Some companies have realised that it doesn't hurt to have a heart during a recession. The cynical will point to a clever PR stunt, and in fairness they're absolutely right, but if it's one that genuinely benefits the customer as well as the company, where's the harm in that?

US airline JetBlue has launched the JetBlue Promise, which simply states that if a customer purchases a flight between now and the beginning of June and they're made redundant, JetBlue will refund the cost of the flight. Reading through the terms and conditions, there are no obvious strings attached - to all intents and purposes it appears to be a genuine promise to the customer.

There are plenty of reports concerning passenger numbers falling rapidly during the recession, here and abroad; one airline researcher predicts levels of airline usage won't return to their 2008 levels for another five years. JetBlue is hoping that a smart and simple PR move like this will ease the concerns many of its customers have about purchasing flights for future use.

Last month, Hyundai stepped forward with a similar offer, to buy back their cars if the owner lost their job within the first year. While many corporations would rather pluck their own eyes out than promise to hand a customer's money back to them, they might find it easier to beat the recession by accepting their customers are in one too.

Mind, why the christing hell would you buy a Hyundai to begin with?