Is refund + $100 worth it for being removed from a plane due to errors by JetBlue?
Nov 30, 2012, 10:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 11
Is refund + $100 worth it for being removed from a plane due to errors by JetBlue?
I had a crappy day yesterday where I stayed in Boston instead of doing a day trip to NYC. All of it at Jetblue's hands. I'm curious whether people think I got fair compensation for my troubles.
Was supposed to be on delayed 8am BOS-JFK flight. Asked check in to be put on 9am flight which seemed to be successful. Had to switch out boarding passes at the gate but was inadvertently given somebody else's boarding pass. Nobody checked names on boarding passes or IDs and by the time they realized what had happened I was (a) on the plane (b) they thought I was a no show and gave up my seat and (c) the person whose boarding pass I had showed up.
Because the flight was now full, they escorted me off the flight so that the correct person cound fly. At this stage it was 9:30, I had missed my chance to switch to the USAir shuttle and the delayed 8am flight didn't take off until gone 11am. So I had the gate agent process a refund for the trip (by that point I had missed my meetings). They weren't able to offer any additional compensation so I emailed Jetblue and they gave me $100 in travel credit. I'm probably out about $40 anyway due to gas, tolls, parking and overpriced airport breakfasts before you take into account the embarassment, inconvenience, wasted time and lost business.
The whole time I was civil and courteous - never lost my cool.
I'm not one to milk the system, but can't help but think that they didn't really try hard with the apology. Have people successfully gone back, asked for more compensation and received it?
The whole incident was bizarre - it's the first time I've ever seen someone taken off a plane because they had someone else's boarding pass (and none of it was caught by gate security. I see plenty of local news stories about this happening but am curious how often airlines make this mistake and whether it is a big deal.
Was supposed to be on delayed 8am BOS-JFK flight. Asked check in to be put on 9am flight which seemed to be successful. Had to switch out boarding passes at the gate but was inadvertently given somebody else's boarding pass. Nobody checked names on boarding passes or IDs and by the time they realized what had happened I was (a) on the plane (b) they thought I was a no show and gave up my seat and (c) the person whose boarding pass I had showed up.
Because the flight was now full, they escorted me off the flight so that the correct person cound fly. At this stage it was 9:30, I had missed my chance to switch to the USAir shuttle and the delayed 8am flight didn't take off until gone 11am. So I had the gate agent process a refund for the trip (by that point I had missed my meetings). They weren't able to offer any additional compensation so I emailed Jetblue and they gave me $100 in travel credit. I'm probably out about $40 anyway due to gas, tolls, parking and overpriced airport breakfasts before you take into account the embarassment, inconvenience, wasted time and lost business.
The whole time I was civil and courteous - never lost my cool.
I'm not one to milk the system, but can't help but think that they didn't really try hard with the apology. Have people successfully gone back, asked for more compensation and received it?
The whole incident was bizarre - it's the first time I've ever seen someone taken off a plane because they had someone else's boarding pass (and none of it was caught by gate security. I see plenty of local news stories about this happening but am curious how often airlines make this mistake and whether it is a big deal.
Dec 1, 2012, 11:02 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,813
Welcome to FT.
You were delayed about 90 minutes and thus needed to claim 'trip in vain'. $100 voucher plus refund of fare seems about right. A bit more could have been offered, but don't expect hundreds or thousands from what was in effect a 90 minute delay.
You were delayed about 90 minutes and thus needed to claim 'trip in vain'. $100 voucher plus refund of fare seems about right. A bit more could have been offered, but don't expect hundreds or thousands from what was in effect a 90 minute delay.