JetSuiteX experiences and discussion
May 2, 2018, 9:45 pm
#32
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: HH Diamond, Kimpton IC, Marriott Plat, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 549
The main benefits that I’ve found with taking jetsuitex are that Bur has less traffic that lax at least for me and concord is much closer to Napa than sfo or oak. Even better than that is that Bur and Concord don’t have as many weather or congestion issues as the major airports so the flights seem to run much more on time.
Jun 10, 2018, 12:01 pm
#33
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 5
I flew JetSuiteX this week and had a very mixed experience.
I live about 45-60 min from BUR, 75-90 min from LAX. It's a 4.5 to 5 hour drive to LAS, so it's typically easier for me to just drive. This time I was in Vegas on business and wanted to fly home for my kid's graduation and fly back the next day for some important meetings. A r/t fare of ~ $350 seemed like a decent deal.
The LAS - BUR trip was great. I'd been a bit disappointed that they'd moved their BUR location -- formerly a short walk from the main terminals -- to the other side of the airport, necessitating an Uber to get my rental car, but okay...minor inconvenience.
Arrived the next morning at 8:20 for my 9:00am flight. Fairly spartan waiting area -- some couches and chairs, coffee machine, a few bottles of water and cans of coke, and granola bars. Okay for a 30 minute wait.
At 8:50 they announced our flight would be delayed an hour. I texted my colleagues to move my 10:30 meeting back. Was told by the agent that I "should have received an email" about the late flight. At 9:15, said email finally arrived, stating the new departure time was estimated as 11:00 -- not 10:00. To cut to the chase, we finally departed at 11:35. That meant 3+ hours in a makeshift temporary building with no food, an outdoor porta-potty, a noisy foosball table, and worst of all, NO info from our hosts. In fact, they did their best to stay outside and avoid what gradually became a pretty irate crowd.
Several of us contacted customer service and were told it was engine trouble, necessitating a replacement jet. We were also promised reimbursement by EOB the following day. (Still waiting for some form of further communication, let alone reimbursement.)
One woman reported their CS agent told her "we're a small company." Understood. But I run a small company too. And while it's inevitable that stuff happens that's beyond our control, it's how we handle it that makes or breaks our future business. IMHO, their front line personnel handled this exceptionally poorly. No communication, no explanations, nothing but avoidance. Customer Service 101 -- take care of people. Bring in some sandwiches or something. Explain to people what's going on. Give them a TRUTHFUL estimate of how long it's going to take.
Finally landed at 12:30 - two and half hours late and important business meetings missed. Zero follow-up from the company.
I'm reserving my final critique (and Yelp/Trip Advisor reviews) for another 24 hours, but so far I'm less than impressed. Too bad, too....after the first flight I was seriously considering them as an alternative to driving. Now, not so much. The product is pretty good, but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
I live about 45-60 min from BUR, 75-90 min from LAX. It's a 4.5 to 5 hour drive to LAS, so it's typically easier for me to just drive. This time I was in Vegas on business and wanted to fly home for my kid's graduation and fly back the next day for some important meetings. A r/t fare of ~ $350 seemed like a decent deal.
The LAS - BUR trip was great. I'd been a bit disappointed that they'd moved their BUR location -- formerly a short walk from the main terminals -- to the other side of the airport, necessitating an Uber to get my rental car, but okay...minor inconvenience.
Arrived the next morning at 8:20 for my 9:00am flight. Fairly spartan waiting area -- some couches and chairs, coffee machine, a few bottles of water and cans of coke, and granola bars. Okay for a 30 minute wait.
At 8:50 they announced our flight would be delayed an hour. I texted my colleagues to move my 10:30 meeting back. Was told by the agent that I "should have received an email" about the late flight. At 9:15, said email finally arrived, stating the new departure time was estimated as 11:00 -- not 10:00. To cut to the chase, we finally departed at 11:35. That meant 3+ hours in a makeshift temporary building with no food, an outdoor porta-potty, a noisy foosball table, and worst of all, NO info from our hosts. In fact, they did their best to stay outside and avoid what gradually became a pretty irate crowd.
Several of us contacted customer service and were told it was engine trouble, necessitating a replacement jet. We were also promised reimbursement by EOB the following day. (Still waiting for some form of further communication, let alone reimbursement.)
One woman reported their CS agent told her "we're a small company." Understood. But I run a small company too. And while it's inevitable that stuff happens that's beyond our control, it's how we handle it that makes or breaks our future business. IMHO, their front line personnel handled this exceptionally poorly. No communication, no explanations, nothing but avoidance. Customer Service 101 -- take care of people. Bring in some sandwiches or something. Explain to people what's going on. Give them a TRUTHFUL estimate of how long it's going to take.
Finally landed at 12:30 - two and half hours late and important business meetings missed. Zero follow-up from the company.
I'm reserving my final critique (and Yelp/Trip Advisor reviews) for another 24 hours, but so far I'm less than impressed. Too bad, too....after the first flight I was seriously considering them as an alternative to driving. Now, not so much. The product is pretty good, but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
Jun 10, 2018, 2:40 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
That is a very disappointing report. One of the reasons I don’t fly spirit, frontier etc is due to irrops response. JSX better get its act together.
Jun 10, 2018, 2:51 pm
#35
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 5
Update: Wrote to their CS again today, since my "compensation by EOD (yesterday)" didn't happen. Different rep responded, but with a cut/paste "apology" identical to the previous one. That did little to convey any sincerity. She informed me they'd sent my "compensation" to an email address that had nothing to do with me or my business, other than the same last name....where they got it from is anyone's guess but clearly no one bothered to check.
My "compensation" was a $100 voucher on a future flight! That's right....they've done NOTHING to regain my trust or entice me to ever use their service again, and rather than actually refund all or even part of the $218 I paid for the flight, they are presuming I will want to do business with them in the future.
I really wanted to like this service, but they are pretty much assuring I will never give them another dime.
My "compensation" was a $100 voucher on a future flight! That's right....they've done NOTHING to regain my trust or entice me to ever use their service again, and rather than actually refund all or even part of the $218 I paid for the flight, they are presuming I will want to do business with them in the future.
I really wanted to like this service, but they are pretty much assuring I will never give them another dime.
Jun 12, 2018, 11:11 pm
#36
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 5
Further update: Got a call today from their Director of Guest Services. It was more than just damage control - she took the time to listen, genuinely acknowledged and understood that it wasn't the delay itself as much as the way it was handled.
She didn't make excuses; she pointed to their rapid growth, acknowledged that there are sometimes bumps along the way, recognized it as a teachable moment for her staff, and truly went out of her way to regain my trust and my business. Well done. Certainly a sincere enough effort to justify giving them another chance.
Hopefully next flight will be a better one. I really do want to like these guys. Kudos to them for having at least one person who understands the value of communication.
She didn't make excuses; she pointed to their rapid growth, acknowledged that there are sometimes bumps along the way, recognized it as a teachable moment for her staff, and truly went out of her way to regain my trust and my business. Well done. Certainly a sincere enough effort to justify giving them another chance.
Hopefully next flight will be a better one. I really do want to like these guys. Kudos to them for having at least one person who understands the value of communication.
Jun 13, 2018, 10:23 am
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
Like the new sale and also new route from OAK-RNO. Just wish they would utilize CCR more, though I gather it has a more narrow appeal.