JetBlue TrueBlue - Plane left early without ticketed passenger (being me!)

I had a flight from ORD to LGB with JetBlue on Sunday evening. I did my online check in Sunday morning, and got to the airport with plenty of time for security. My mom and I had dinner before our separate flights, so I wasn't waiting at the gate. I got to the gate 15 mins before departure time, and the JetBlue guy told me that I missed the flight, because it left early.

He then told me that I could pay the $100 change fee and leave the next day. I had to get home, that night, so ended up paying for a ridiculous $400 one way on AA to LAX.

Now I am wondering, what do I do? I am definitely going to contact JetBlue to complain, but is any of this my fault? Do you think I can get my AA ticket refunded since (as I see it) it was 100% their fault?

Please give me any advice you have on this situation. Thank you.

Welcome to FT kk242404 anyway !

Did the JetBlue flight really leave early ? If this can be confirmed I guess you have a good case ... if not, put it down to experience.

it looks like the flight left at least 8 min early:
Flightaware JBU937 02/22/2009 (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU937/history/20090222/2327Z/KORD/KLGB)

There has been a pretty strong jet stream and they may have left early to keep on schedule - that may make it weather related.

Quickly browsing JetBlue's CoC I could only find one specific reference to time at gate prior to domestic travel.

It says "All Passengers must be onboard the aircraft fifteen (15) minutes prior to scheduled or posted aircraft departure time."

That's a bit different from some other CoCs which say that you have to be present at the gate 15 minutes before departure time, but does not actually say you have to be on the plane.

I don't think that JetBlue is right (from a customer service standpoint) in this situation but the argument they could make is that you weren't actually on the plane 15 minutes prior to schedule departure and thus they were within the CoC to refuse you.

Sorry to hear about the situation. Nothing to offer except that you are technically required to be on board 15 minutes prior to departure, per JetBlue policy (http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll/,/?St=50,E=0000000000043603471,K=125,Sxi=14,Case=obj (372579)).


edit: kylemore beat me to it.

Welcome to Flyertalk, kk242404
I am moving your thread to the Jet Blue Forum for discussion..
Please follow there..
Thanks,
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Did you hear any announcements calling for you?

it looks like the flight left at least 8 min early:
Flightaware JBU937 02/22/2009 (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU937/history/20090222/2327Z/KORD/KLGB)

There has been a pretty strong jet stream and they may have left early to keep on schedule - that may make it weather related.

Leaving early to prevent a schedule delay downstream can be good customer service. Compensating a passenger left behind this way would also be good customer service.

Write a polite letter requesting compensation (for example expressing your understanding that the aircraft might have left early in order to avoid inconveniencing others), and report your results here. I would expect a reasonably positive response.

Wow, I'm so sorry this happened to you. We board 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. When we see a customer has checked in but has not boarded we make numerous announcments calling the passanger. There are not any dinning places close to our ORD gates so you probably didn't hear the announcments. We always try to push off the gate 10 minutes early if possible. If the aircraft needed deicing they may have closed the doors a little earlier. This seems like a problem on both you and JetBlue. Have you called them to ask about refunding your fare? Let us know what happens and good luck.

If you were at the gate 15 mins prior then it sounds like an IDB situation to me.

If you were at the gate 15 mins prior then it sounds like an IDB situation to me.

Seems from some JB employees and others on this thread that T-15 isnt used by JB and the passenger NEEDS to be on the plane by then and not simply at the Gate. If this is the case then no IDB

If you were at the gate 15 mins prior then it sounds like an IDB situation to me.

DOT mandated IDB compensation would only be due if the pax was left behind because the flight had no available seats (overbooked, or weight restricted). And even though the OP (who seems to be another of our one-hit wonders) says they were at the gate 15 minutes before departure, maybe it was more like 13 or 14, or even 10 or 11. Either way, that is cutting it very close.

even though the OP (who seems to be another of our one-hit wonders) says they were at the gate 15 minutes before departure, maybe it was more like 13 or 14, or even 10 or 11. Either way, that is cutting it very close.

I fly west coast short hops every week on Southwest, where flights are one hour apart. The high frequency reduces my risk of delay, so I aim to arrive at the gate 20 to 30 minutes before departure, just before boarding starts. Sometimes I miss my target time and arrive 10 minutes before flight time. Other than having to settle for a middle seat (due to open seating), there's no problem.

At the 10-minute mark Southwest will begin deleting boarding passes for no-shows if the flight is full, but that takes a few minutes. I've gotten on a full flight 2 minutes before an on-time departure, arriving just as they were about to delete my boarding pass.

I don't know whether JetBlue can consistently match this ability to allow customers to arrive at the gate so late. This aspect of Southwest's performance saves me at least 20 hours per year. And I know another guy who routinely cuts it even closer.

I fly west coast short hops every week on Southwest, where flights are one hour apart. The high frequency reduces my risk of delay, so I aim to arrive at the gate 20 to 30 minutes before departure, just before boarding starts. Sometimes I miss my target time and arrive 10 minutes before flight time. Other than having to settle for a middle seat (due to open seating), there's no problem.

At the 10-minute mark Southwest will begin deleting boarding passes for no-shows if the flight is full, but that takes a few minutes. I've gotten on a full flight 2 minutes before an on-time departure, arriving just as they were about to delete my boarding pass.

I don't know whether JetBlue can consistently match this ability to allow customers to arrive at the gate so late. This aspect of Southwest's performance saves me at least 20 hours per year. And I know another guy who routinely cuts it even closer.

Delta useed to do the same thing on their Shuttle operations (the official cutoff was 3 minutes). I do not know if they still operate that way. It is great when there is shuttle-type service because your downside is virtually nil. jetBlue doesn't operate that level of frequencies on any route so the risk to the customer is too high, IMO. After all, you probably wouldn't risk the 20-30 minute window for a once-daily flight, right?

I was in a similar situation 2 weeks ago: I hit security a bit later than usual (around 9:45pm) for a 10:35pm flight and found the line long. I made it out of security at 10:04pm, and headed to the gate, thinking boarding would just be starting. At 10:08pm I made it to the gate to hear "last and final boarding, we are closing the door". I RAN to get onto the plane and boarded around 10:09 (26 minutes before departure) only to find that the last and final meant I was the last person... and the door remained open for another 6 minutes. of course, we sat at the gate after that and didn't actually take off until 10:58pm. I made it, and I suppose I should be grateful, but I'm a bit annoyed at the situation: they made me rush for no reason, and if they'd been leaving early to get in early, I'd have been OK, but they left "early" to sit on the ground.. what's the point?

I called the Customer Service number on JetBlue's website to see what they'd do about this. The woman I spoke with credited my account for $39 (fare-$100 change fee) and seemed to think that it would solve the problem. She said there wasn't anything else she could do and told me to send an email on the website.

Here is what I wrote to them:

"I was scheduled to take Flight 937 on Sunday Feb 22, but the flight left early, before I was on board. I checked in online earlier that day and arrived at the gate with enough time to board for the scheduled departure. When I got to the gate, the JetBlue representative informed me that I missed the flight, because they were leaving before the scheduled departure time. It doesn't make sense for a flight to leave early without all ticketed passengers on board. I fly frequently and have never missed a flight. He said that I could wait until the next day, pay a $100 change fee, and take that flight instead. I needed to fly to California on Sunday night, so this wasn't acceptable for me. Instead, I had to spend nearly $400 on another one-way ticket.

This would have been my first time flying with JetBlue, and I have been very dissatisfied with all that has happened. I called Customer Service to explain my situation, and the woman I spoke with told me that JetBlue flights often leave early, as long as they have been given permission. This makes me think that JetBlue would rather arrive a few minutes early than accommodate all passengers who are scheduled to fly. The only compensation I received was a credit of my purchase price minus $100.

Since I checked in well in advance and arrived at the gate on time, I should not have missed my flight. JetBlue should not treat me as if I showed up at the gate late. Due to JetBlue's irresponsibility, I had to pay well over twice the price of my original ticket to get on any flight. I feel that I am entitled to a full refund of my ticket price.

Many of my friends and colleagues have praised JetBlue for ease of use and service. I expected much more assistance and respect than I have received so far. Hopefully someone will be able to help me with my situation now.

Thank you."

Here's the reply (which I got back about 30 minutes later...that was nice at least):

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent JetBlue experience in the Chicago O'Hare Airport on February 22, 2009. We regret the circumstances that prompted you to write us, however we appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Your feedback is most important to us, as we realize that our customers are our most valued resource. When we are not meeting their expectations, it is critical that we know which areas we are falling short in, and make the necessary changes to ensure our customers continued support.

We regret to hear that you missed your JetBlue flight. We deeply regret that you felt this situation could have been avoided had the flight not closed early. We apologize if we did not meet your expectations in our service to you. We will share your concerns with our Leadership Team.

Please keep in mind the following: We recommend you arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes prior to departure. Avoid delays by checking for traffic alerts, and allow enough time to go through TSA screening, particularly during holidays and peak travel days. Please note, JetBlue has cutoff times for baggage check in, and also for check in at the departure gate; JetBlue will not be responsible for expenses incurred due to late check in. Although we strive for the highest level of customer service, that does not always constitute a refund, fare adjustment, or compensation. We must respectfully deny your request for full refund in connection to your missed flight.

We truly apologize that we were not able to accommodate you on your original flight, we recognize how disappointing this must have been.

We thank you for choosing to fly with JetBlue Airways. We hope that you will choose to fly with us again. We look forward to welcoming you onboard with us, and to providing you with a renewed and positive JetBlue experience."

Everything they stated to "keep in mind " are things that I did. It seems like they are dismissing my as someone who was just late for the flight. I wrote back saying:

"I did everything correctly to make my flight. I was not late checking in, and had enough time to get through security. The only reason I missed the flight is because it left EARLY. I was not late.

I didn't check any baggage and checked in online well before the flight. Your response seems to state late baggage check and check in as reasons for denying my refund request. If JetBlue truly strives for the best customer service, then they wouldn't leave customers behind without a valid reason. It is disconcerting that JetBlue will not take responsibility for their error. As I said before, this was my first attempt at flying with JetBlue, and after this situation I am unsure if I will ever want to try again."

I haven't heard back from that one yet. I'll post again when I hear back (or when I need to contact them again).

"I did everything correctly to make my flight. I was not late checking in, and had enough time to get through security. The only reason I missed the flight is because it left EARLY. I was not late. "
But you were late to the gate relative to the CoC, right?

With the advent of OLCI just checking in doesn't really signify anything with respect to actually being in a position to board the flight, so that isn't particularly a metric worth counting. Actually being at the gate on time is worth something, though.

The flight blocked out 8 minutes early. Per JetBlue's website:

"Cut-off Time for Boarding a Domestic Flight

Each customer must be onboard the aircraft 15 minutes prior to departure.

Any customer not onboard, even if they have checked in and received a
boarding pass, may be denied boarding and will not be entitled to denied
boarding compensation."

There is a reason why boarding times are published on boarding passes. Although I usually do not go overly personal with my postings, for this case I firmly believe the customer simply did not give himself/herself enough time and is not taking responsibility for it.

There is a reason why boarding times are published on boarding passes. Although I usually do not go overly personal with my postings, for this case I firmly believe the customer simply did not give himself/herself enough time and is not taking responsibility for it.

IMHO, customers cannot be faulted too much for failing to allow for a truly rare possibility.

In my 1000+ flights on Southwest and 100 to 200 flights on other airlines I cannot recall a single instance in which the flight pushed more than 5 minutes early other than a couple of times when the ops agents announced that everyone who had checked in was on board. Perhaps things are different nowadays with online check-in.

I was in a similar situation 2 weeks ago: I hit security a bit later than usual (around 9:45pm) for a 10:35pm flight and found the line long. I made it out of security at 10:04pm, and headed to the gate, thinking boarding would just be starting. At 10:08pm I made it to the gate to hear "last and final boarding, we are closing the door". I RAN to get onto the plane and boarded around 10:09 (26 minutes before departure) only to find that the last and final meant I was the last person... and the door remained open for another 6 minutes. of course, we sat at the gate after that and didn't actually take off until 10:58pm. I made it, and I suppose I should be grateful, but I'm a bit annoyed at the situation: they made me rush for no reason, and if they'd been leaving early to get in early, I'd have been OK, but they left "early" to sit on the ground.. what's the point?

I don't know if this is getting more common, or I'm just noticing it more, but over the past couple of years I have noticed many flights where "last and final boarding call" was announced several times over the course of 5 or 10 minutes before they actually closed the door. I recall this mostly with UA, but maybe other airlines too.

IMHO, customers cannot be faulted too much for failing to allow for a truly rare possibility.

In my 1000+ flights on Southwest and 100 to 200 flights on other airlines I cannot recall a single instance in which the flight pushed more than 5 minutes early other than a couple of times when the ops agents announced that everyone who had checked in was on board. Perhaps things are different nowadays with online check-in.


Except it seems the OP wants JB to accept another Carriers T&Cs. In that the OP keeps insisting that being at the Gate by T-15 means they were on time. That would be true if the OP was flying say CO, but from JBs POV the passenger Must be on board by T-15

Since the OP admitts to not being on board by T-15 the OP is SOL.

Now if JB should have such a Rule as being on board by T-15 is another matter or better put if a person doesnt want to board a plane way before its offical departure time, then it would be best if they didnt fly on JB.

Ot. return a rental car 1/2 hr after the 24th hr and depending on the company you might be charged, not all companies give a 59 min leeway. No sense in arguing that Comp XYZ allows 59 min grace, if Comp ABC doesnt then if you cant talk your way out of it you will have to pay for that extra hr charge.

JBs Rule does NOT include being by the Gate by T-15, end of story and a costly lesson for the OP.

I'm not saying that JetBlue is required to do anything about it, only that it would be reasonable of them to compensate the customer somehow.

I still believe that it's not always reasonable for customers to allow for every extremely rare possibility, and that this is one of those. When it does happen, you have to be prepared to take your lumps if the company doesn't feel like being nice to you. Willingness to take "No" for an answer without rancor will get better results in the FF world in the long run.

I called the Customer Service number on JetBlue's website to see what they'd do about this. The woman I spoke with credited my account for $39 (fare-$100 change fee) and seemed to think that it would solve the problem. She said there wasn't anything else she could do and told me to send an email on the website.

Here is what I wrote to them:

"I was scheduled to take Flight 937 on Sunday Feb 22, but the flight left early, before I was on board. I checked in online earlier that day and arrived at the gate with enough time to board for the scheduled departure. When I got to the gate, the JetBlue representative informed me that I missed the flight, because they were leaving before the scheduled departure time. It doesn't make sense for a flight to leave early without all ticketed passengers on board. I fly frequently and have never missed a flight. He said that I could wait until the next day, pay a $100 change fee, and take that flight instead. I needed to fly to California on Sunday night, so this wasn't acceptable for me. Instead, I had to spend nearly $400 on another one-way ticket.

This would have been my first time flying with JetBlue, and I have been very dissatisfied with all that has happened. I called Customer Service to explain my situation, and the woman I spoke with told me that JetBlue flights often leave early, as long as they have been given permission. This makes me think that JetBlue would rather arrive a few minutes early than accommodate all passengers who are scheduled to fly. The only compensation I received was a credit of my purchase price minus $100.

Since I checked in well in advance and arrived at the gate on time, I should not have missed my flight. JetBlue should not treat me as if I showed up at the gate late. Due to JetBlue's irresponsibility, I had to pay well over twice the price of my original ticket to get on any flight. I feel that I am entitled to a full refund of my ticket price.

Many of my friends and colleagues have praised JetBlue for ease of use and service. I expected much more assistance and respect than I have received so far. Hopefully someone will be able to help me with my situation now.

Thank you."

Here's the reply (which I got back about 30 minutes later...that was nice at least):

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent JetBlue experience in the Chicago O'Hare Airport on February 22, 2009. We regret the circumstances that prompted you to write us, however we appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Your feedback is most important to us, as we realize that our customers are our most valued resource. When we are not meeting their expectations, it is critical that we know which areas we are falling short in, and make the necessary changes to ensure our customers continued support.

We regret to hear that you missed your JetBlue flight. We deeply regret that you felt this situation could have been avoided had the flight not closed early. We apologize if we did not meet your expectations in our service to you. We will share your concerns with our Leadership Team.

Please keep in mind the following: We recommend you arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes prior to departure. Avoid delays by checking for traffic alerts, and allow enough time to go through TSA screening, particularly during holidays and peak travel days. Please note, JetBlue has cutoff times for baggage check in, and also for check in at the departure gate; JetBlue will not be responsible for expenses incurred due to late check in. Although we strive for the highest level of customer service, that does not always constitute a refund, fare adjustment, or compensation. We must respectfully deny your request for full refund in connection to your missed flight.

We truly apologize that we were not able to accommodate you on your original flight, we recognize how disappointing this must have been.

We thank you for choosing to fly with JetBlue Airways. We hope that you will choose to fly with us again. We look forward to welcoming you onboard with us, and to providing you with a renewed and positive JetBlue experience."

Everything they stated to "keep in mind " are things that I did. It seems like they are dismissing my as someone who was just late for the flight. I wrote back saying:

"I did everything correctly to make my flight. I was not late checking in, and had enough time to get through security. The only reason I missed the flight is because it left EARLY. I was not late.

I didn't check any baggage and checked in online well before the flight. Your response seems to state late baggage check and check in as reasons for denying my refund request. If JetBlue truly strives for the best customer service, then they wouldn't leave customers behind without a valid reason. It is disconcerting that JetBlue will not take responsibility for their error. As I said before, this was my first attempt at flying with JetBlue, and after this situation I am unsure if I will ever want to try again."

I haven't heard back from that one yet. I'll post again when I hear back (or when I need to contact them again).

I'm sorry, but where in your contact with JB did you inform them that you arrived at the gate, 15 minutes prior to departure time? That you were having dinner a distance away from the gate and could not hear the final call for boarding? That the flight closed off and pushed early when they could not find you?

It appears you didn't give JB all the facts, and in fact you seemed to slant it towards the poor me side.

You made a mistake, JB offered a refund, based on what you told them. Let it go, chalk it up to life lessons learned, and get on with your day.

Just my two cents.

I'm sorry, but where in your contact with JB did you inform them that you arrived at the gate, 15 minutes prior to departure time? That you were having dinner a distance away from the gate and could not hear the final call for boarding? That the flight closed off and pushed early when they could not find you?

It appears you didn't give JB all the facts, and in fact you seemed to slant it towards the poor me side.

You made a mistake, JB offered a refund, based on what you told them. Let it go, chalk it up to life lessons learned, and get on with your day.

Just my two cents.

I'm afraid I have to agree. JetBlue's response to your complaints is perfectly legitimate. They should have no reason to believe that you were at the gate on time, especially since the plane pushed back 8 minutes early - not 15+. I'm sure this kind of thing happens a lot - why should they have a reason to believe that you were different from any of the other customers that this happens to? Evidence shows that the flight left 8 minutes early, which is fine under JetBlue's CoC.

I know, it sucks. It's one of those tricky situations that no one wants to be in, but JetBlue doesn't owe you any form of compensation. In fact, I think the $39 credit was generous of them - people who miss their flights usually forfeit any monies associated with the fare.

I'm afraid I have to agree. JetBlue's response to your complaints is perfectly legitimate.

I agree that it's legitimate, meaning within the CoC. I think JetBlue should have gone a little farther, and I think the OP should have acted a little less entitled and taken more responsibility in the letters, but those are just my opinions.