http://cbs3.com/video/[email protected]
"I believe it wasn't just B6 last night. KL641 AMS JFK, for instance, used almost 13 hours gate to gate for a total flying time of just under 8 hours. Most of the additional time was spent on some JFK taxiways. I'm pretty sure there must have been other flights with similar predicaments. KL643 AMS JFK needed 10.5 hours, AF008 CDG JFK 12 hours. All of those flights have been equally slow getting back out of JFK." (HB-IWC)
"I was scheduled to work aboard an American flight to LHR as a flight attendant last night. We were supposed to use a 777 that was inbound from NRT despite the fact there were 3 other 777s sitting around and 2 other LHR flights had already been canceled. It took over 3 and a half hours for the inbound NRT flight to get to the gate, and then the tug that was supposed to tow the plane into its gate broke down. A tow truck had take away the broken tug and then the flight waited another half hour while another tug was found. We boarded the flight to LHR at around 10:45 pm after servicing, and then the flight was canceled. The LHR flight that was supposed to leave after us canceled a few minutes before ours. The first flight to LHR in the evening was supposed to depart at 6:25, but didn't actually leave the gate until after 10:00 pm, with a full load of passengers on board. The 763 to Paris that was supposed to leave at 5:55 pm sat at the gate for 5 hours after all passengers boarded and then taxied out for take-off, and then returned to the gate and canceled. The reason for the flights' cancellations was "we don't have enough de-icers," a first in my 18 years with this airline." (NYCAAer)
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All of the above are quotes and video clips from airliners.net. Jetblue was not the only airline to suffer through these problems. While Jetblue may not have handled the situation as well as they could have, I have to believe that they were doing everything in their power to A) get to the destination B) return to the gate. However, it is easier said than done to get the planes back to the terminal. There is only a finite amount of gates at T6, and they were all being occupied by other planes who were waiting to leave, or arriving from the late night Red-Eyes. So, in theory, they had no place to put the planes already on the tarmac. You can't always move the planes at the gates because there may not be the equipment to move them, or there may be no room in the terminal area to move them too. Also, JFK may not have wanted a bunch of empty planes being moved across the apron when they already had their hands full with planes arriving, departing, and taxiing. Finally, it may not be feasible to get people off a plane in the active taxi ways. First they would have to get the stairs and busses together at one place and one time to deboard. But, again, JFK probably doesn't want 150 people moving around a taxi way with snow plow equipment, and also, the other PLANES, which could put them in harm's way. But, if they do get off, you have an empty plane in the taxi way with nowhere to go.
It is too bad that this happened, but welcome to air travel. Many times, logistics are easier said than done, and this is a prime example.