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Originally Posted by deltajfk
Come on over to Delta!
We have excellent customer service, we are very informative, have a great frequent flyer program, and serve a lot of destinations. Also soon out Boeing 757-200 aircraft are going to be fitted with PTVs (personal televisions) on all flight with a distance over 1,750 miles. Oh come on!! Delta didn't even attempt to operate over the weekend. |
My dad landed at JFK on an international flight on Sunday night. While the plane landed just about on time (around midnight), they were stuck in immigration for 4 hours waiting for their suitcases. There was a major shortage of employees all around the airport because people were not able to leave their homes and go to work and workers that were there did very long shifts or just left without replacements. This is a good explanations on why empty planes were not moved or why they had shortages of crews for flights. I would not judge an airline on their operations under such conditions, even if they were awful.
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Originally Posted by SkippyTPA
JetBlue made a serious error by not canceling this flight much earlier in the day, and then compounded the problem by ...
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Jet Blue at JFK
The Ground Staff at JFK is in need of a total review and overhaul. They do not givce any information to passengers that are accurate or truthful. Even in good weather they are terrible. This past June when I attempted to check in at a kiosk I received a slip that instructed me to see any Jet Blue Agent. When I asked a Supervisor on the floor which line to stand on I was told any line. It was 4:30 PM and I went to JFK to catch a 6:30 PM flight to FLL. I had confirmed the departure time via the internet (ON-TIME with Gate assignment). After waiting 55 min. on line the Ticket Agent informed me the flight had cancelled and I had to go to another line to be re-booked (that line was even longer than the line I was on) due to the fact that my Ticket Agent was unsure how to re-book a flight. I informed her I would NOT get off the line and wanted to speak to a Supervisor. After 15 min. a Supervisor came over and told me that re-booking had to be done at a special counter. I told her that I was told to go to any line and no-one mentioned that my original flight had cancelled. She relented and rebooked me on an earlier flight whaich had been delayed until 7:00 PM new departure time. If I waited for the rebooking line I would have never left that day. For this handling Jet Blue sent me a $25.00 voucher for a "future" flight. There will be no "future" flight for me, I will endure the longer trip to LGA and take American if available or use SONG.
Good-bye JET BLUE. |
Originally Posted by Flying Buccaneer
This weekend was my second (and final) experience flying JetBlue. While my first impressions with the airline were generally positive--nice snacks, good legroom, TV, and low fares--my experiences between 9:30 p.m. Sunday, February 12 and 6:30 a.m. Monday, February 13 show me how customer unfriendly this airline really is.
Before I get into the details, I acknowledge that there was a blizzard of historical proportions in New York City this weekend. I understand the impact that these conditions had on the operations of all airlines. In addition, I realize that another plane skidded off a runway at JFK while our flight was taxiing to the runway. But I also know that at some point the incompetency of an airline's operations, poor communication with its customers, and a lack of respect for its passengers became the issues. We were scheduled to depart JFK at 7:05 p.m. on Flight 29 to TPA. For most of the day Sunday, jetblue.com showed the three flights departing JFK for TPA after noon as scheduled, either on-time or with delays. Before we left our hotel, we called 1-800-JET-BLUE, and repeatedly got recordings telling us to check the website. Because our flight showed "on-time," we left for the airport. When we arrived at JFK at 5:00 p.m., we got in line to check the status of our flight, because it was not on the board yet. The two earlier (delayed) flights were. The agent greeted us with a "you need to be in the checked bags" line. We explained that we only had carry-ons, and were interested in checking the status of our flight. Her response was "look at the board." When we explained that it wasn't there, she grudgingly looked it up and said "it's scheduled for 7:05." When I asked if it was delayed, she said "I don't know," a phrase that I realize now should be JetBlue's slogan. She continued by saying that we should go to our gate because they had all the information. When we asked which gate, she said "look at the board," and we reminded her the flight was not on the board yet. Then she told us to go to gate 12. Once through security, I heard an announcement at one of the gates: I know that many of you have not heard this announcement, so please listen carefully. All flights whose original departure time was prior to 6:00 p.m. have been cancelled. If your flight's original departure time was 5:55, 5:50, or earlier, you will need to be rebooked. This was the most informative and accurate announcement I heard from JetBlue. The only problem was that only those people near that gate heard it. Another agent (at gate 12) said that it was not true. After 90 minutes in line at gate 12, I was told that flight 29 was departing from that gate, and the new departure time was 7:45 p.m., and that the aircraft was at the gate. However, things changed rapidly, as that plane suddenly became one bound for LAS. When I asked an agent where the TPA flight was departing, she said "I don't know." After the LAS flight finally departed, we waited for news, but none came. The only info we got was from jetblue.com, that our flight was leaving at 9:00 p.m. from gate 12. Then, a little before 9 p.m., the board showed our departure from gate 16 at 9 p.m. A little after that, gate 16 showed TPA as it's destination. After all passengers were boarded and stand-bys cleared--I heard an agent say the list had over 80 pax--we were ready to depart. However, there was some paperwork that needed to be done, and the door finally closed a little after 10:00 p.m. We pushed back sometime after that. At 10:50 p.m., the pilot (who had earlier referred to the crew as the "Three Stooges") told us that there were 20 planes in front of us and that--assuming 2 minutes per plane--we should be ready to take off at 11:30 p.m. However, before 11:30, I heard on TV that a Turkish Airways plane had skidded off the runway. Though we were never informed of this, we were told that there was only one runway for takeoffs and landings. Considering the conditions, this was understandable. Around midnight, our pilot told us that we were now number 15, and that takeoffs had slowed considerably, because some landing planes were in a fuel-critical situation. In the meantime, we inched our way toward the runway. At 1:30 a.m. or so, the lights came on and the pilot stepped out of the cockpit. Not a good sign. He informed us that ops had reported that we were in a fuel-critical situation of our own, because of all of the taxiing. As a result, we would not have enough fuel to get to TPA. Odd, considering that the A-320 has a range of over 3000 miles, and that quite a few other planes had been in the same queue as us. Anyway, he said that we would just needed to get back to the gate and refuel...and get a new pilot. He said that there was a Cathay Pacific in front of us, but as soon as it moved, we'd be on our way. By 2:40 a.m., we've barely moved, and the pilot comes back on to tell us that the gates are full, and that it will be another hour or so before we can get one opened. By this time, passengers are having none of it. Every announcement is met with jeers. Flight attendants finally serve soft drinks, only because passengers keep asking. (The first reply was "we can only serve beverages once we are airborne.") At 4:00 a.m., passengers are asking flight attendants for updates. They reply that the pilot is updating us as soon as he gets information. A few minutes later, the pilot tells us that there are 3 other planes in front of us waiting for a gate to open up, and that ground ops are having a hard time deciding how to free up a few gates. By this time, many of us are beginning to believe that our flight has been cancelled and that the crew is not being honest with us. A FA denies this when asked. At 5:00 a.m. we get the same update we got at 4:00 a.m. Finally, a little before 6:00 a.m., the engines start, and the pilot tells us that there is one plane in front of us, and that a couple of gates will free up around 6:20 a.m. Repeatedly, pax ask "and what then?" with no response. Around 6:30 a.m., we're towed into gate 1. When the pilot asks the FA's to prepare for arrival, the entire cabin shouts "ARRIVAL?" Then, the crowning blow. The pilot tells us that "this plane is headed to LGB, so all pax will need to deplane. A gate agent will assist you with your new flight." There was no gate agent. There were 18 or so gate agents, each with a line about 40-60 deep, waiting to be rebooked. In all likelihood, JetBlue cancelled the flight at 1:30 a.m., with no intention of making reasonable accommodations for pax on it. The crew knew better than to tell us the truth. We spent 8 hours on a plane that never left the ground! In addition, we began to realize that many of those pax in the gate areas were from three other flights that had endured the same treatment! Keep in mind that flights to cities like TPA, FLL, and MCO were completely booked for the next 3 - 7 days, depending on which JetBlue employee you choose to believe. JetBlue kept us hostage on these planes so that they would not have to provide any services for us at JFK. This treatment is unconscionable. As someone who flies >100K miles a year on UA and >50K miles a year on AA, I have experienced weather and other types of delays. But I have never had to endure this type of treatment. Again, I realize that much of the problem was weather-related. But as I said before, the incompetency of JetBlue's ground ops at JFK and the dishonesty of their employees--OK, maybe it's more accurate to say the unwillingness to be honest with their passengers--are what I have an issue with. JetBlue took what should have been a delay of a few hours, or at worst a flight cancellation, and turned it into a horrific experience. A customer-friendly airline would have found a way to get the pax back into the terminal. A customer-friendly airline would have been honest. A customer-friendly airline would have found a way to get the pax to their destinations (either by loading the planes with enough fuel for 3 hours of taxiing and a 1000-mile flight, or by arranging for an intermediate stop for refueling). Instead, JetBlue chose not only to deceive it's passengers, but also to keep them in limbo for 8 hours with no real hope of going anywhere. What's worse, JetBlue put almost all of them in a position of not being able to get home for a few days. I am in the AAdmiral's Club at LGA. As soon as we realized that rebooking anything at the JFK madhouse would take hours and probably result in a flight home later this week (not an option, as I have a business trip Tuesday and my partner is taking another "vacation" day), I went to AA.com and bought two LGA-TPA tickets for tonight. I put them on hold yesterday when I realized that JetBlue might not come through. I felt badly for having them on hold and keeping someone who definitely needed them from getting tix. Now I'm glad I kept them. I don't expect JetBlue to reimburse me $414 for the two LGA-TPA tickets, $31 for the cab ride to LGA, or anything else. But considering how they showed a blatant disrespect for their passengers, they do owe us something they've yet to offer--the truth. |
JetBlue gained a measure of institutional arrogance during the hurricanes and power outages last year when it managed to get most of its flights out despite the difficulties (hand-written BPs, etc) while the other airlines cancelled many flights.
So of course these young whippersnappers thought they'd be able to do it again, despite the heaviest single snowfall in NYC history. Sucks to be the OP, but if Sunday night's experience is the worst thing an airline ever does to the OP, I'd say the OP is lucky indeed. |
Originally Posted by Flying Buccaneer
Wrong. For the last 4 hours or so, we were out of the queue, off the active taxiway, and for the last 3 hours, we were in sight of terminal 6. This would not have involved "off-roading." . |
Originally Posted by FWAAA
Sucks to be the OP, but if Sunday night's experience is the worst thing an airline ever does to the OP, I'd say the OP is lucky indeed.
I wouldn't judge any airline solely on the basis of its performance in conditions like this. |
@:-)
Originally Posted by jf841
Oh come on!! Delta didn't even attempt to operate over the weekend.
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What about rolling up stairs to the plane and having the people bused to the terminal? I'd prefer that over being stranded in a plane.
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Originally Posted by APFPilot1985
there was nothing that B6 could have done, once you pushed and got in the queue, even if those planes at the gates were empty, there was no way that Ground control could have gotten you back to the gates, there were A/C on every taxi way. Would you have preferred that they took the A/C off-roading? As an earlier poster said, you rolled the dice, you lost.
As other commenters here, I am in disbelief at how many people are defending the actions of JetBlue. Bottom line is they completely screwed up, lied to passengers, refused to pass along truthful information, and the staff at JFK simply did not care. Upon getting off the plane, we found two staffers working the computers trying to rebook other passengers and three staffers standing around talking to each other. They should have been directing passengers on what to do. When approached for help, they simply said to give them a break because they have been dealing with the weather all weekend. Upon that, they walked away. This was my first experience on JetBlue and most definitely my last. This young airline needs to learn how to handle tough situations. Playing ostrich and hiding your head in the sand hoping it will go away simply will not work. I would encourage everyone that was on the flights stuck on the taxiways to file a complaint with the DOT. This was the same situation as Northwest several years ago and the outcome was unacceptable. |
Originally Posted by deltajfk
@:-)
Dugh, because we were smart. We knew that there would be no chance that our flights would be leaving, so instead of having all our coustomers come to the airport and get pissed off, we canceld the flights to make it so that they could spend the extra time at home or where ever they were staying, not being stuck on an airplane or the terminal.
Originally Posted by res1968
I was on the flight being discussed here and there were open taxiways after a time period. We sat for at least three hours with no aircraft around us while JetBlue chose to not move empty planes to let those planes stuck on the taxiways unload.
Originally Posted by Palal
What about rolling up stairs to the plane and having the people bused to the terminal? I'd prefer that over being stranded in a plane.
Again, while I do sympathize with OP's situation (and everyone else's), it's not B6's fault. I see the biggest blame lies with whoever/whatever you believe causes weather phenomena (which I'm betting is a whole other OMNI topic) :p |
Originally Posted by res1968
I was on the flight being discussed here and there were open taxiways after a time period. We sat for at least three hours with no aircraft around us while JetBlue chose to not move empty planes to let those planes stuck on the taxiways unload. I know there were ground crews at the airport, because JetBlue aircraft were moving around the gate area.
As other commenters here, I am in disbelief at how many people are defending the actions of JetBlue. Bottom line is they completely screwed up, lied to passengers, refused to pass along truthful information, and the staff at JFK simply did not care. Upon getting off the plane, we found two staffers working the computers trying to rebook other passengers and three staffers standing around talking to each other. They should have been directing passengers on what to do. When approached for help, they simply said to give them a break because they have been dealing with the weather all weekend. Upon that, they walked away. This was my first experience on JetBlue and most definitely my last. This young airline needs to learn how to handle tough situations. Playing ostrich and hiding your head in the sand hoping it will go away simply will not work. I would encourage everyone that was on the flights stuck on the taxiways to file a complaint with the DOT. This was the same situation as Northwest several years ago and the outcome was unacceptable. Also, I really don't think Jetblue intentionally lied to you. It's possible that they had just as much information as everyone else did. The night was nothing less then chaos. And, personally, I have never had a foul encounter with a B6 employee. Many of these employees were working round the clock, and I am sure that many of them reached their breaking points. I don't think that it is fair to judge Jetblue, or any airline, on their actions during a time of bedlam. I feel bad for you, and can only hope that I never have to encounter the experience that you did. |
Originally Posted by IceTrojan
If the worst snowstorm ever had hit ATL... do you think DL would've tried to get as many flights out as possible, or just ground all of their planes?
While I agree with IceTrojan that B6 was in a tougher bind than other airlines because JFK is their hub, I think that their handling of this situation was not what it could have been, and probably not quite as capable as it would have been with at least some other airlines. In a pinch, the "big boys" usually seem to find a way to scramble extra resources to get them through, whether it's extra phone agents to ease the backlog of rebookings or extra personnel in the terminal to help direct the swarms of displaced passengers. They certainly have an advantage, with a larger organizational base and hence more of a "cushion" to call in extra employees, so I'm not saying that B6 necessarily handled the situation worse than UA, DL, NW, CO, etc. would have, but in the end, it's the passengers' experience that counts and it certainly sounds like they fell short in that measure on Sunday. Traveling during a storm like that will never be a pleasant experience, but IMO, B6 could have done a bit more for its pax. Leaving pax stranded on a short-haul plane for 8 hours brings back memories of NW / DTW several years ago, as others have noted. By comparison, I was once stranded on the tarmac at JFK for 6 hours during heavy thunderstorm. We were probably less than 100 yards from the gate, but the pilot decided to pull back to secure our departure slot. What was supposed to be flight of about ~6 hours turned into a 12-hour journey, but being on a widebody, with room to stretch your legs and with actual meal service made all the difference in the world. The FA's served us dinner and showed us 2 movies before we even took off, and by the time the storm passed and we were finally able to depart, everyone was so tired that the slept most of the way over to Ireland. My favorite part was that as we were on approach into SHN, after having been on the plane for 12+ hours already, we added an extra 10 minutes onto our flight when our pilot had to execute a missed approach due to traffic in front of us not clearing the runway in time. You should have heard how sheepish the pilot sounded when he had to break the news to us that we would be airborne for "just a few more minutes". :) I think at that point, most of us didn't care that much anyways (what's 10 minutes on top of 12 hours), especially since none of the delays were the fault of our pilot or Aer Lingus to begin with. 12 hours on a widebody with dinner and a couple movies? I can deal with that. 8+ hours on a narrowbody with no meal service? If I were there, I think they would have had a medical emergency when I lost my sanity. :eek: |
Originally Posted by APFPilot1985
No, you are wrong, just because you were in sight of the terminal doesn't mean that the ground controller had means of getting you there. A number of taxiways at JFK were still snow covered and unusable. Not to mention the fact that there were 2 medical planes that needed to get back to the terminal that were unable as to as well. If priority planes like the SU and B6 flights can't make it back to the gate clearly your plane couldn't either.
We could have made it to a gate any time after 3:30 a.m. if ground ops had freed gates. Post #41 by res1968 corroborates this.
Originally Posted by FWAAA
JetBlue gained a measure of institutional arrogance during the hurricanes and power outages last year when it managed to get most of its flights out despite the difficulties (hand-written BPs, etc) while the other airlines cancelled many flights.
So of course these young whippersnappers thought they'd be able to do it again, despite the heaviest single snowfall in NYC history. Sucks to be the OP, but if Sunday night's experience is the worst thing an airline ever does to the OP, I'd say the OP is lucky indeed. By the way, it doesn't "suck" to be me. :p But I will say that in about 1.5 million lifetime flight miles, this was--by far--the worst air-travel-related experience I have ever had. If I feel that way, imagine what the infrequent air travelers on those flights think about JetBlue.
Originally Posted by BearX220
I couldn't agree more. He was the victim of a good-faith effort by B6 to get him where he wanted to go. If they'd just grounded the fleet and stopped trying, there'd be a whole other bunch of people watching other flights taxi out and complaining about B6 for different reasons.
I wouldn't judge any airline solely on the basis of its performance in conditions like this.
Originally Posted by deltajfk
Dugh, because we were smart. We knew that there would be no chance that our flights would be leaving, so instead of having all our coustomers come to the airport and get pissed off, we canceld the flights to make it so that they could spend the extra time at home or where ever they were staying, not being stuck on an airplane or the terminal.
JetBlue was virtually unreachable by phone, and those who got through on Sunday were told to go to the airport if they wanted to get out of JFK before the following Sunday. The website showed that Sunday afternoon flights were still scheduled, even though B6 should have realized it wouldn't have enough planes to operate them. We even checked the status of our flight at 4:00 p.m. after we got off the subway and before we took the makeshift shuttle. (We had decided that if it cancelled, we would go back to the city without going to JFK.) It took about 10 attempts to get through, and then 20 minutes on hold to find out that the airport was closed until 7:30, but that our flight was still scheduled to leave at 7:05 p.m.! It's tough not to judge JetBlue by this one experience, because their poor decision making, inadequate communication, and inaccurate/inconsistent information in this instance don't suggest that things might be better the next time they are faced with a similar (or even smaller-scale) disruption. At least with AA and DL, I would have more rebooking options between NYC-TPA. In fact, there are probably still people who were scheduled to fly B6 out of JFK on Sunday afternoon standing by for a flight out of Terminal 6 at this very moment. |
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