JetBlue "Holds Passengers Captive" During 8-Hour Delays

JetBlue Airlines has upset yet another set of disgruntled passengers. This time another massive set of flight delays has customers in a tailspin. On Thursday, February 15^th 2007, passengers on at least 10 different flights at a New York airport were held on board due to the effects of a winter storm occurring on Wednesday (February 14, 2007). More than 250 of 500 JetBlue's flights were cancelled on Wednesday due to congestion on the runways, and frozen equipment.

RUNWAY NIGHTMARE

At the John F. Kennedy International airport, some passengers were forced to remain on planes that contained only airline snacks. According to passengers, the bathrooms quickly became unbearable, and the cabins soon reached sweltering temperatures. Airline personnel attempted to keep customers comfortable by opening the cabin doors every 20 minutes or so, in order to let in fresh air. This did little to assuage the frustration of JetBlue passengers. One irritated customer, 48-year old John Farrell reported:

"You gotta realize the frustration-you can look out the window and you can see, there's the gate, and if you let us off the plane, we can walk there..."

But airline officials were unwilling to allow passengers off the plane. Per JetBlue Airlines, outgoing flights remained lined up at the gates in case the storm subsided enough to facilitate take-off. However, as these planes were awaiting approval for departure, incoming flights began to crowd the gates as well, creating a "traffic jam" of sorts. The issues were further complicated when it was discovered that some of the equipment used to tow airplanes away was actually frozen to the ground.

JETBLUE RELENTS...

After leaving passengers on planes for several hours, the airline finally ceased allowing the incoming flights by the middle of the afternoon. By 3 p.m., JetBlue began arranging for the disgruntled customers to be bused from the airplanes back to the terminals. But the frigid weather made even this, a grueling process.

This is not the first time that JetBlue has had issues with their scheduling. Per reports from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, JetBlue has had the lowest "on-time" arrival percentages in January of 2006. This is due in part to its policy of avoiding the cancellation of flights. In light of this situation however, JetBlue is currently reviewing its policies and procedures to determine ways to avoid incidents like this in future.