• November 15, 2011

JetBlue Airways is introducing a Facebook app to help make it easier to ask for time off of work.

The JetBlue Getaways Granter is designed to serenade bosses everywhere into approving well-earned vacation time.

A recent Harris Interactive study conducted on behalf of the airline found that 57% of working Americans will have unused vacation time at the end of the year, and most of them will leave an average of 11 days on the table -- nearly 70% of their allotted time off. The survey also showed that while more than 60% of those with vacation days believe they deserve to take their time off, 39% report having reservations about asking their boss for a vacation.

The Facebook app allows fans to plug in their desired number of days off before choosing from four destination themes to suit their getaway needs. They can even upload a photo of their supervisor to be featured in the video.

Whether employees are hesitant to ask for time, apprehensive about having colleagues cover their work, or don't have anyone available to cover assignments, the online survey of 1,118 working Americans further showed that 41% of those who do take vacation time take at least a week off at a time. When it comes to planning a vacation, almost half (47%) of those surveyed are interested in comprehensive, cost-saving packages for flight, hotel and car rental, according to the survey.--Tanya Irwin