Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Personal Travelling

For the love of God, YES, I still travel on JetBlue. I'm not turning down free tickets AND as Neeleman said in the investor relations call that I posted before, since most people won't be cashing in on their vouchers, they shouldn't have to worry about the bottom line (I'm heavily paraphrasing, listen to it if you want to hear exactly what he says.)

So in some ass backwards way, NOT using their vouchers would help them and hurt me, all for what? Principle? I'm not holier than thou and I'm cheap, which is why I started traveling them in the first place, so there's where I am with the whole not traveling JetBlue hypocrisy stance.

BUT, as I said once before, it's all about price shopping for me now....My monthly August trip is with Continental, which is the favorite of a reporter who interviewed me, who shall remain nameless for the sake of him remaining unbiased in his reporting.

I AM MORE THAN SUPER DUPER THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT I AM FLYING ON VIRGIN AMERICA IN SEPTEMBER! I mentioned months ago that they were caught up the FAA Red tape and despite being ready for months, were still grounded for issues that have to do with nationality. Too much to go into here, but THEY ARE NOW AIRBORNE!

In October, I am back to flying on JetBlue because I am 8 measly points away from my True Blue Reward. BUT AFTER THE AWARD, NO MORE, unless they are remarkably cheaper than the rest. (I would like to say in JetBlue's defense, they have been very accommodating to my demands as of late. For that, thanks ya'll.)

I am very excited to tell you all about my Virgin America experience once I fly with them Thus far, I had a really wonderful phone experience with a Patrick in Burlingame. After being hung up on numerous time by the at-home moms in middle America who work for no benefits for JetBlue, I am happy just to have someone on the phone who sounds like they love where they work.

Rumor has it!!!

OK, so it's an old rumor. But I thought I'd post it. Sent via email:

...Lots going on behind the scenes here...and you KNOW that the Jet Blue board actually staged
a coup in May to oust Neeleman, who with whatever shortcomings he had was the heart and soul of the of the place....rumor has it he dumped all his stock and reinvested in WestJet, his last airline....


EX-JETBLUE EMPOLOYEES UNITE!!!

Sent to me by a group of ex-employees looking to unite. This is not my coalition but POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you the current or especially EX employee of a "colorful" local airline?? Do you think you may have been treated unfairly or maybe even have some legal issues? We are forming a multi-state support group to help each other and share information, there IS strength in numbers!!
Plz call 562-916-3953 or email colorjetcoalition@gmail.com. Be part of a real solution to preserve our legal and moral rights!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lessons From The Tarmac - Fast Company

I SERIOUSLY am having some war flashbacks. I'm glad to know that Neeleman's short temper and attitude weren't something personal against me, but rather a flaw in the man....or as Jenny Dervin (Corporate Communications) told me, a result of his ADD.

I am so glad he's gone. His public personality (YouTube Bill of Rights and his corporate blog) is so Jeckyll and Hyde from who is he when you meet with him one on one.


The funniest part of the whole story is how the very person he blamed when Charlie and I met with him (Dave Bager, formerly the COO of JetBlue, was in Florida on the date of the debacle) is his successor.

From Fast Company
Lessons From the Tarmac
Take it from David Neeleman and JetBlue: Recovering from a crisis is about the trust you build beforehand.

From: Issue 115 | May 2007 | Page 31 | By: Chuck Salter | Photographs By: Alyson Aliano

"Are we done with this interview? I don't want to talk to you anymore."

JetBlue CEO Neeleman. He just wants to run the company: "It's belts and suspenders," Neeleman says. "If your suspenders fall off, your belt keeps your pants up. You have to have contingency plans for everything. My job is to make sure no one ever forgets what happened."

David Neeleman, the founder and CEO of JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), glares at me from across the small round table in his office in Forest Hills, New York. It's 50 minutes into the conversation, and he's burdened, testy, exhausted. "Look, I haven't slept in three weeks," he says. "I'm tired of talking. Emotionally, I am done … I just want to go out and run the company."

I've come to pick Neeleman's brain on trust, crisis, and redemption. In its notorious Valentine's Day debacle, his airline suffered a startling breakdown due to 2 inches of ice at New York's JFK Airport. More than 1,000 cancellations. Massive delays. Passengers stuck on planes for up to nine hours. And it all played out, unfortuitously, in the media capital of the world. It took nearly a week for JetBlue to return operations to normal.

No surprise that Neeleman wants to put what he calls "the event" behind him. "For the 15th time, we've learned from this," he says. "That's why it's never going to happen again."

He knows, of course, that it's not as easy as that. Eventually, even good companies screw up. They lose track of Social Security numbers, release buggy software, manufacture faulty cars. And customers are watching, trying to decide whether or not to forgive. In this precarious and very public moment, companies and leaders reveal what they're made of.

I already have some sense of what Neeleman is made of. I first wrote about JetBlue in 2004 and have followed the company since. "You built this airline," I say. "What's it like to--"

"Of course, I'm disappointed," Neeleman jumps in. "Bitterly disappointed. I built a great business, and I have great people working for me… . You're overdoing it. Delta (OTC:DALRQ) screwed people for two days, and we did it for three and a half, okay? So go ask Delta what they did about it. Why don't you grill them?"

Because Delta is not JetBlue. Neither is American (NYSE:AMR). The fact that those airlines stranded customers during the storm isn't surprising. They simply met the public's low expectations. JetBlue is an airline that aspires to be better than the majors--humane and, well, fun. It has low fares yet still offers amenities such as leather seats and TVs in the seat backs. The service is more personable, the employees' enthusiasm palpable.

So February's fiasco presents JetBlue with a unique problem--and an opportunity. The problem is removing doubts. Can it handle unpredictable and severe weather? Is the low-cost operation too lean to accommodate the fast growth that has made JetBlue the eighth-largest airline in just seven years? If the solution is beefing up personnel and systems, how does JetBlue keep fares low? How does it set itself apart?

The opportunity, though, is for Neeleman to handle the crisis in a manner that confirms or enhances the brand. He has certainly tried. In the week following the ice-out, he appeared everywhere--The New York Times (NYSE:NYT), Today, NPR, Letterman, even YouTube (NASDAQ:GOOG). He accepted responsibility for bad decisions and overwhelmed departments. He said he'd fix the problems and promised refunds and credits for the aggrieved passengers. He apologized repeatedly. All of that helped confirm, at least to some, that JetBlue is in fact something special in the airline industry. "The single most important thing a company needs to show in a crisis is that it cares," says Bruce Blythe, CEO of Crisis Management International. "That's not a feeling. It's a behavior."

But JetBlue also has this going for it: seven years of goodwill. Its customers largely accept that it cares, because it has demonstrated that it does, flight after flight. Compete Inc., a consumer-intelligence firm, conducted a poll in late February of 428 people who had visited JetBlue's Web site the month before. Despite the colossal Valentine's Day meltdown, 43% preferred JetBlue, the most for any airline.

That's no accident: Brands that are trustworthy before a crisis have an easier time recovering, says Don Peppers, a marketer with Peppers & Rogers Group, who has written about customer trust. In JetBlue's case, he says, "you have customers coming to the airline's defense on blogs." As Neeleman puts it, "If you run a crap company to begin with, you have no money in the emotional bank."

Will customers forgive JetBlue? That depends in part on how it weathers future storms, literal and otherwise. (Snowstorms in February and March passed smoothly.) One thing's for sure: If Delta or American introduced a customer bill of rights, as JetBlue has done, it wouldn't have nearly the same impact. Customers give JetBlue another chance because it has consistently done right by them before.

No, Neeleman doesn't kick me out of his office. He talks for another 15 minutes about how he's fixing systems, training personnel, hiring a veteran COO, using the incident to make JetBlue a better airline. When the interview ends, Neeleman does something that surprises me, although it shouldn't. He says he's sorry for snapping.

Apology accepted.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

THANK YOU GOD!

http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/10/news/companies/jetblue_ceo.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

JetBlue CEO pushed out

Founder David Neeleman will be replaced by President Dave Barger. The shift comes after an embarrassing service meltdown this winter.

May 10 2007: 9:38 AM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- JetBlue Airways Corp. Thursday pushed out founder David Neeleman as chief executive three months after a service meltdown.

JetBlue said he would carry on as non-executive chairman playing a more strategic role.
The budget carrier replaced Neeleman, 47, with president Dave Barger, 49, effective immediately.

The sudden change in leadership comes after JetBlue suffered an embarrassing service disruption on Feb. 14 that exposed weaknesses in the seven-year-old airline's operations.
A Valentine's Day ice storm stranded passengers on planes for hours, led to nearly 1,200 flight cancellations over several days, and cost the company more than $30 million.

"The board suggested to David that he could best serve the company in a more strategic role. David agreed," JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said. "The conversation was initiated by the board."

Shares of JetBlue (Charts) edged lower late Wednesday on Nasdaq.
JetBlue posts loss after service foul-up
JetBlue fliers stranded on plane
Onboard the wild ride of Doug Parker

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

JetBlue....You can always count on them

JetBlue, known for going the extra mile for customers, decided to take thier history of sharing our personal information with the government and turn it up a notch!

JetBlue employees arrested for credit card fraud
Wed May 2, 2007 9:48AM EDT

By Edith Honan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four JetBlue employees and a New York City corrections officer were arrested on Tuesday on charges of splurging with credit cards forgotten by passengers rushing to catch their flights, prosecutors said.

The arrests come as the low-cost airline struggles to rebuild customer confidence after a February storm triggered the cancellation of some 1,200 JetBlue flights and left passengers stranded or fuming on grounded planes for hours.

A probe by Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau found that the five, who included three customer service agents and a flight attendant, went on shopping sprees using credit and debit cards that belonged to JetBlue customers.

The cards, one of which the employees gave to the corrections officer, were used to make purchases at liquor stores, restaurants and shops, including Bloomingdale's and Victoria's Secret.
JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation and that the four employees have been suspended.

Investigators were tipped off to the scheme on June 7, 2006, after a law student who was flying from New York to Boston forgot his credit card at the JetBlue terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport. The card was later used to rack up charges of more than $500.

"Airports can often be stressful places," Morgenthau said. "These defendants took advantage of that stress when customers, focused on their travel plans, inadvertently left their credit cards with JetBlue employees, ironically working as 'customer service' agents. Instead of providing assistance, these agents ripped off passengers."

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Your route V. Reality

Sorry guys, my bad, i should have made this clear earlier. I did not WRITE this post. This was sent into me by a reader as was the art one and part two from "The Crew of JetBlue Hostage." I am know nothing about aeronautics but I leave both sides of the argument up on here and the comments.

Airbus A-320 Range Directly From Jet Blue Airways Site (2700nm...it says "miles", but in aviation that is not a unit of measurement because of the curvature of the earth):
http://www.jetblue.com/about/whyyoulllike/about_whyairbusstats.html

Jet Blue route map:
http://www.jetblue.com/wherewefly/

Great Circle Mapper (keep in mind these don't factor in taxi fuel, atc delay, weather rerouting's, most efficient TOC---top of climb...and a bunch of other variables)

http://gc.kls2.com/

JFK-OAK = 2576
JFK-SFO = 2586
BOS-SFO = 2704 (A clear demonstration of being "over" the 2700 threshold)
BOS-OAK = 2693 (7 miles below the 2700 threshold)--this isn't a car, fuel is precision and fuel is the 2nd most costly economic staple of flying an airplane)

Why Why Why JetBlueHostage?

When I set out to do this blog, it was in an effort to give people a community to voice their dismay with the Golden Child of Airlines, JetBlue. I had been wrong, many people had been wronged and there was inequity in our compensation compounded by the fact that it was insufficient and didn't cover reimbursements for things like Taxi Cabs or Hotels.

Weeks went by and as I tried to move past it and Jetblue tried to forget about me, or more importantly prayed that YOU would forget about me, it turns out that JetBlue continued to make the same mistakes or would over compensate for their mistakes by pre-emptively canceling flights at any sign of bad weather. I joked with friends that Jet Blue had pre-emptively cancelled all flights from now til June. Emails continued to come in from disgruntled customers.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the blogosphere. Employees. factory workers and aviation "experts" started writing in to me and I was exposed to another part of JetBlue, something a lot more unsettling than an unfriendly and unhelpful gate agent. Questionable business practices were called into question like Routes and Fuel Capacity, cutting corners in factories in South America that build the JetBlue planes and extending Crew Time to dangerous limits.

I decided that instead of aligning myself with a federally regulated Bill Of Rights or a Class Action Lawsuit, that I would work towards finding out the truth of JetBlue operations.

With the help of people who know the inner workings of JetBlue and Aviation, I'll use this blog to put these findings up, good or bad.

We will still be your community to voice your concerns, so keep those emails coming.

And I enjoy the HATE MAIL-Someone once told me, you're not truly successful until you start getting hatemail.
Thanks to you my mom is proud of me!


Enjoy part I and II below on the truth of the A320. Shortly, we'll tell you all about Crew time and Neeleman's crusade to extend the number of hours a pilot is able to fly despite the direct relation of aviation accidents to pilot exhaustion.

We'll also talk soon about JetBlue's newest plane the EMB190.

Love,
Gen

JET BLUE AIRWAYS- “Unsafe at Any Altitude or Attitude” Part II

Continuation of Part I.

Please examine the Jet Blue Airways web site, and uncover the stated “range capabilities” for a Jet Blue Airbus A320. Next, examine the “route map” of Jet Blue Airways, and pay keen attention towards the transcontinental flight offerings. Next select any online “search engine” and inquire about the actual aerial mileage between two cities such as New York JFK to Oakland California. Next, refer to the FAA FAR/AIM Guidelines for 2007---all airlines are either Part 121 or Part 135 carriers and must operate within the confines of these rules---and locate the absolute minimum allowable “fuel remaining on board” requirements. If you were to take all these actions, you would realize that Jet Blue operates perilously close to the operational minimums on some routings, and on other routings---you will quickly note that the actual aerial mileage EXCEEDS the range capabilities of the Jet Blue Aircraft flying these routes. Thus, even though Jet Blue Airways sells you a NONSTOP ticket from New York to Oakland, the Jet Blue Airways Aircraft YOU board actually files a flight plan from New York to an intermediary airport that the aircraft can operationally reach. Once above that intermediary airport, the Jet Blue Airways Flight Crew and Dispatcher must make rapid computations to determine whether enough fuel is onboard to reach the advertised/intended NONSTOP destination. If not, you just found yourself on a NONSTOP “slight” from New York to Denver or Salt Lack City opposed to Oakland. No this IS NOT “normal operating procedure”; competing airlines possess aircraft with far greater range then Jet Blue Airways, and Jet Blue Airways selected the Airbus offering (the A320---which is an entirely safe aircraft, offering exceptional performance attributes…just not great range) over competing aircraft on the sole basis of cost…not suitability to the route system Jet Blue Airways intended to service. Several “safety whys” are embedded in the aforementioned instance…on a service level, why doesn't the Jet Blue Airways passenger “Bill of Rights” offer any “relief” to passengers afflicted by the malice of scheduling NONSTOP flights on routings that can't be consistently achieved due to a lack of aircraft range ? Because this is an open and credible forum, please note that on a routing such as Oakland to New York, the range issue is not particularly relevant given the advantages of a West-East “tailwind”---yet those advantages obviously are not to be found when on the New York to Oakland segment the West-East “tailwind” is actually a “headwind”.

The purpose of this first article is to engage visitors, and apprise them of how unsafe Jet Blue Airways actually are. The second article will touch upon the machinations of Jet Blue Airways as they pertain to dictates upon Flight Crews….

Okay….so what in the world does the concept of –“Manifest Destiny”---have to do with safety and Jet Blue Airways? Remember the Pilgrims and your imaginary remote control? Very simply, if you were to hit “Fast Forward”---within 10 years, 50 years, 100 years---a noticeable pattern would begin to reveal itself, and you could basically hit “Pause” and realize the proverbial “rest of the story” … Starting in what is now Massachusetts, you would witness the growth of a “Nation”. First to the North and South, and next towards the West. The “growth” would remain within certain “confines”---it could not penetrate too far south because of the Spaniards, it couldn’t progress too far north because of numerous European interests, and it would finally stop its westward migration at the barrier of the Pacific Ocean…eventually it would consume some peripheral territories (Alaska & Hawaii). Hence, everything has a natural and somewhat obvious progression…even the “weather”, society has learned what conditions---rapidly dropping atmospheric pressure, etc need to be in place for a Tornado to formulate. Mix some flour, eggs, sugar, etc…and if your intent is to bake a cupcake, in a few hours the “manifest destiny” of your ingredients will be achieved. Jet Blue Airways is the reciprocal of the sugary “manifest destiny” of your ingredients. Jet Blue has grown more rapidly then any other airline in the history of Aviation in the United States…unfortunately the ramifications of such rapid growth can be viewed in the ashes of “manifest destiny” scores of post-deregulation airlines. Jet Blue Airways has filled a flight plan that is on a collision course with “manifest destiny”…for the benefit of your personal safety, and that of your loved one’s…every time you book a flight upon Jet Blue Airways; it is very possible that your actual destination won't be Houston, Seattle, or Long Beach…but “manifest destiny”, and unfortunately for you---if it is---Jet Blue Airways has just ended your very existence. Thank you.

The Crew of JetBlueHostage.com

JET BLUE AIRWAYS- “Unsafe at Any Altitude or Attitude” Part II

Continuation of Part I.

Please examine the Jet Blue Airways web site, and uncover the stated “range capabilities” for a Jet Blue Airbus A320. Next, examine the “route map” of Jet Blue Airways, and pay keen attention towards the transcontinental flight offerings. Next select any online “search engine” and inquire about the actual aerial mileage between two cities such as New York JFK to Oakland California. Next, refer to the FAA FAR/AIM Guidelines for 2007---all airlines are either Part 121 or Part 135 carriers and must operate within the confines of these rules---and locate the absolute minimum allowable “fuel remaining on board” requirements. If you were to take all these actions, you would realize that Jet Blue operates perilously close to the operational minimums on some routings, and on other routings---you will quickly note that the actual aerial mileage EXCEEDS the range capabilities of the Jet Blue Aircraft flying these routes. Thus, even though Jet Blue Airways sells you a NONSTOP ticket from New York to Oakland, the Jet Blue Airways Aircraft YOU board actually files a flight plan from New York to an intermediary airport that the aircraft can operationally reach. Once above that intermediary airport, the Jet Blue Airways Flight Crew and Dispatcher must make rapid computations to determine whether enough fuel is onboard to reach the advertised/intended NONSTOP destination. If not, you just found yourself on a NONSTOP “slight” from New York to Denver or Salt Lack City opposed to Oakland. No this IS NOT “normal operating procedure”; competing airlines possess aircraft with far greater range then Jet Blue Airways, and Jet Blue Airways selected the Airbus offering (the A320---which is an entirely safe aircraft, offering exceptional performance attributes…just not great range) over competing aircraft on the sole basis of cost…not suitability to the route system Jet Blue Airways intended to service. Several “safety whys” are embedded in the aforementioned instance…on a service level, why doesn't the Jet Blue Airways passenger “Bill of Rights” offer any “relief” to passengers afflicted by the malice of scheduling NONSTOP flights on routings that can't be consistently achieved due to a lack of aircraft range ? Because this is an open and credible forum, please note that on a routing such as Oakland to New York, the range issue is not particularly relevant given the advantages of a West-East “tailwind”---yet those advantages obviously are not to be found when on the New York to Oakland segment the West-East “tailwind” is actually a “headwind”.

The purpose of this first article is to engage visitors, and apprise them of how unsafe Jet Blue Airways actually are. The second article will touch upon the machinations of Jet Blue Airways as they pertain to dictates upon Flight Crews….

Okay….so what in the world does the concept of –“Manifest Destiny”---have to do with safety and Jet Blue Airways? Remember the Pilgrims and your imaginary remote control? Very simply, if you were to hit “Fast Forward”---within 10 years, 50 years, 100 years---a noticeable pattern would begin to reveal itself, and you could basically hit “Pause” and realize the proverbial “rest of the story” … Starting in what is now Massachusetts, you would witness the growth of a “Nation”. First to the North and South, and next towards the West. The “growth” would remain within certain “confines”---it could not penetrate too far south because of the Spaniards, it couldn’t progress too far north because of numerous European interests, and it would finally stop its westward migration at the barrier of the Pacific Ocean…eventually it would consume some peripheral territories (Alaska & Hawaii). Hence, everything has a natural and somewhat obvious progression…even the “weather”, society has learned what conditions---rapidly dropping atmospheric pressure, etc need to be in place for a Tornado to formulate. Mix some flour, eggs, sugar, etc…and if your intent is to bake a cupcake, in a few hours the “manifest destiny” of your ingredients will be achieved. Jet Blue Airways is the reciprocal of the sugary “manifest destiny” of your ingredients. Jet Blue has grown more rapidly then any other airline in the history of Aviation in the United States…unfortunately the ramifications of such rapid growth can be viewed in the ashes of “manifest destiny” scores of post-deregulation airlines. Jet Blue Airways has filled a flight plan that is on a collision course with “manifest destiny”…for the benefit of your personal safety, and that of your loved one’s…every time you book a flight upon Jet Blue Airways; it is very possible that your actual destination won't be Houston, Seattle, or Long Beach…but “manifest destiny”, and unfortunately for you---if it is---Jet Blue Airways has just ended your very existence. Thank you.

The Crew of JetBlueHostage.com

JET BLUE AIRWAYS- “Unsafe at Any Altitude or Attitude” Part I

(Submitted by and written by David F.)

The First Article in a Continuing Series on Why JetBlue Airways is Unsafe to Fly

Imagine possessing a spectator’s vantage point, for whence the “Pilgrims” arrived upon a “rock” situated in Plymouth Massachusetts, and established a “settlement” the 16th Day of the Month of December in the Year 1620.

The undiluted clarity of your “spectator” perch is augmented by one absolute fact, and one absolute facet of imagination. The “fact” is that all of the events your about to witness for the next 386 + years are entirely real. The “imaginary” element is that you possess a “remote control” and can Fast Forward, Rewind, and Pause what you're upon the threshold of viewing.

The American History 101-“esque” introduction to a discourse upon the safety of flying upon Jet Blue Airways, is remarkably simplistic, and can be summed up in a single conceptual phrase; “Manifest Destiny”. Bearing witness to the “process” of nearly any entity or action--- a Country--- a Human Life-- the History of a Corporation---Baking a batch of cupcakes, will result in a single absolute….“Manifest Destiny”.

At this moment you ought to be, very understandably, weary of the purpose of this specific writing. You may possibly be questioning if any salient conclusion resides as “reward” for reading onward? How could American History, safety aboard a Jet Blue aircraft, baking a cupcake, and the concept of “manifest destiny” possibly be intertwined? Your questioning is valid. Yet, in a moment a very simple answer shall be forthcoming, and it is an important answer, and you have found yourself upon a very important blog/web site for the sanctity of preserving your “well being”, and the overall sense of “public trust”.

Prior to revealing, the “simple answer”, please allow for a very succinct “history” for the www.JetBlueHostage.com blog/web site. “JetBlueHostage” is the result of a very difficult day, February 14, 2007, for both Jet Blue Airways and its passengers alike. On that day Jet Blue Airways experienced operational difficulties, due to weather, that caused “unanticipated” hardships for itself, passengers, and it’s much vaunted “brand” reputation. Passenger’s boarded Jet Blue aircraft at JFK International Airport in New York, the aircraft left their respective gates, and approximately ten hours later the aircraft returned to the gates from which they had departed. The “exception” which made this extremely mundane process remarkable, was a single “curiosity”, the Jet Blue Airways aircraft hadn’t reached any specific or intended destination prior to resuming position at a the Jet Blue Airways JFK terminal. Instead, these JetBlue Airways aircraft had, in approximately the window of time it would take to fly nonstop from JFK-Sao Paulo Brazil, traveled all of 4 or 5 miles whilst taxing wholly upon the JFK airport tarmac, never actually taking flight. So what!

No passengers were grievously injured; no Jet Blue Airways aircraft---aside from a few sewage “issues”--- were damaged, and the imprecise science of determining what the “weather is and would be” was the root cause. Again, so what!!! How, aside from personal property (baggage) not being promptly returned, was this event---presently termed a “massacre” by those within the Corporate Headquarters of Jet Blue Airways---any different from a massive “rain delay” at the ballpark? In fact, a compelling argument can be substantiated that the Jet Blue Airways passengers on 3.14.07 were exposed to conditions far less rigorous then those “unfortunates” attending a rainy baseball game. The Jet Blue passengers were---offered free beverages every few hours, occupied leather reclining seats, had access to a personal television, and the ratio of bathrooms to people was far superior to what is encountered in the confines of a baseball Stadium (provided a passenger was aboard an aircraft where the rest room facilities were properly functioning)---whereas those exposed to a “rain delay” at a baseball game---would have to pay for all refreshments, have the soggy field as a source of entertainment, and are probably sitting upon hardened plastic. Again so what!!!

The answer to “so what” is that, JetBlueHostage.com was conceived out of a “massacre” like experience, in an effort to create a forum for those who were exposed. The actual result of JetBlueHostage.com has been the realization that Jet Blue Airways is a very unsafe means of transport, which threatens the safety of both the “collective good” and “public trust”. Your “well being”, the “well being” of your family, and the “well being” of your friends and associates is at peril whence exposed to Jet Blue Airways. Thus, several articles posted upon JetBlueHostage.com will now attempt to engage the “Management” of Jet Blue Airways in a question regarding personal safety. Here is the first…

(Part II continued on next Blog...)

Friday, April 13, 2007

Gary's JetBlue hell...it never ends.

Dear Jet Blue:

I was not one your Valentine's Day Hostages, rather one of your victims of a cancelled flight on Friday, March 16, out of JFK. This trip to New York was my first on Jet Blue. I, of course, tried Jet Blue because the rates were good,
and my sister had bragged about you.

Friday morning, March 16th, I called to check on my departing flight, and the message I got indicated my flight was still a go. I spent $65 dollars to get from Manhattan to JFK, only to find out my flight back home had been cancelled. I had to wait in line avery long line to speak with someone about this, and when finally doing so was told that my only options were that I could get a refund of my money and try another airline, or wait until the following
Tuesday or Wednesday for another Jet Blue flight back home. Wow! I could not wait until Tuesday or Wednesday due to my employment commitments, and I asked the gal that I was talking to, if Jet Blue could help me find another flight with another airline as well as help me locate a place to stay in the interim. She simply replied "all I can do is give you a refund or schedule you on another flight Tuesday or Wednesday."

So here I am stranded at JFK, with no place to stay and no way to stay and no way to get out of New York back home. This has never happened to me before, and was maddening. I could live with the cancelled flight (although there were other planes taking off from JFK while all this was going on), but the attitude of "no assistance" really irked me. Other than the two options above stated, they basically were saying "this is your problem, not ours!" Your help at JFK was NO HELP and their indifference to my (and many others) situtation was shocking.

Without going into all the details, I wound up spending all day Friday trying to find another flight, a hotel room, and transportation to and from that hotel back and forth to JFK. This delay and my trip back home cost me over $1000 additional money than my original plans.

I sat in the JFK airport all day Friday and saw no snow, no rain, no nothing that seemed to justify the flight cancellation. I never write and complain to anyone, but this was, in my mind, an incredible unjustifiable inconvenience followed by an incredibly indifferent attitude on the part of Jet Blue employees on duty that day.

Sincerely,
Gary R. -----

Some Things Never Change, Do They JetBlue

My flying with Jetblue this weekend was a disaster.

I'm undecided with whats worse, Jetblue or JFK. The flight was due to leave Pittsburgh at 7:00pm. At that time they made an announcement that they had to delay because of "volume" into JFK. By the way in was clear and sunny skies. At 8:30 they begin boarding. About halfway to JFK we start a holding pattern because the pilot came on and said it was rush hour at JFK. I
think we made it to JFK around 11pm.

I run to my connecting flight that has been waiting for mine and several other flights to Burlington. It was another hour waiting in the plane for the other planes.

When I finally get to Burlington at 4:00am my luggage is nowhere to be found. I had to go fill out a lost baggage form.

Ready for the trip back to Pittsburgh?

We get an hour delay from Burlington because of "weather" which was only rain. The flight from JFK to Pittsburgh was supposed to leave at 9pm got canceled untill 1am because the plane we were supposed to take was in Washington Dulles.

The Food in New York was $4 a slice for pizza? Are you kidding me? $2.50 for a soda?

So the plane arrives at JFK we are supposed to get on. We are all aboard at 1:30am and the pilot makes an announcement "i'm sorry but we are experiancing some equipment problems and are going to have to do a restart and it involves shutting everything off for 10
minutes."

There we are at 1:30 in the morning sitting in a dark airplane at JFK. Everyone around me is cracking jokes.

We got to Pittsburgh at 4:00am just in time for me to go to class.

It made for a long day with no sleep. I'll never go Jetblue again. They need a new Hub. JFK sucks.

Jim, Another "proud" Jetblue passenger

JETBLUE AIRWAYS TRAFFIC RESULTS

IN RED FROM DAVID F.
*Very very very nice number
And...the number say....B6 did okay! 19.9% more "rev" pax's is very respectable when compared with an 11.3% increase in "avail" seats. The airline is growing very quickly, 36% more departures is a lot, but the stage length (average miles of a B6 flight) fell 12.5% which is "spot on" because they introduced a new smaller aircraft, the EMB-190. Smaller aircraft, 36% more flights, is in sync with 11.3% more avail seats. The only scary number here is the anemic -1% load factor, a big negative when considering 36% growth--19.9% more $$ "pax" and 11.3% more available seats. It is scary because B6 actually slowed growth and deferred aircraft (capacity)---if they had stayed with the intended growth plan, these numbers would have been very messy. But management did a good job, but B6 can only delay aircraft orders and defer growth for so long (their business model is not geared for just stopping growth)---they are going to have to start looking inward to shave costs, and that gets really ugly. One other factor which is scary, is that B6 removed seats from airplanes during this period---thus reducing the capacity they already had. They are not generating enough new passengers to sustain their growth model and/or they are not discovering new routes that are paved in gold.
The Year to Date numbers below are pretty close to the month-to-month, but again you have that
-3.6% load factor, which ain't good....and does not bode well for the future growth model.


SOURCE: JetBlue Airways Corporation

Friday, March 23, 2007

Charlie and I will be on CNN Business Traveller

Charlie and I interviewed on camera for CNN Business Traveller with Richard Quest today. The show is about the Passenger Bill of Rights.

It was a really fantastic experience and I feel pretty good about it. I don't know what to expect, what with the wonders of editing they might make me look like a complete fool or maybe I'll end up on the cutting room floor.

In any event, the show will air on the following dates:

April 14, 15 & 19

Saturday 14:30
Sunday 12:30
Thursday 14.30
ALL TIMES GMT

Please support!

Love,
Gen

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

JetBlue Employee in search of a Labor Lawyer

Any stranded Valentine's passengers out there who are also attorneys, and
wouldn't mind a labor crusade against Jet Blue...one employee in particular is in
need, would love to tell her story, in the hopes that, besides keeping her health
insurance and paying her rent, can help illustrate to her customers exactly how
Jet Blue maagement has failed to keep their their "Values" intact for their employees,
and therefore for their customer as well......"
If you are already in touch with someone like this, please have them email me here
and I will call them. I would be happy to chat with you, give you the whole story, and tell
you why I haven't gone public.....yet.

Love,
Gen

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Your Assignment and JetBlue's dark history

OK, you found me out. I'm a quasi conspiracy theorist.

I've had a few people email me about a flight I took on JetBlue last week. I talked to one person about it who said that I mention it somewhere on my blog. However up until yesterday, after I came back from said vacation, I don't mention it anywhere. Unless I am missing it.

Here's your assignment: Find on my page WHERE I have mentioned (prior to last night) my trip to LA on JetBlue and email it to me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com.

If it is not on my site, then JetBlue employees are tracking me on JetBlue flights...as if being concerned about travel isn't worrisome enough, I have to worry about my privacy and my checked in property.

If it DOES turn out to that JetBlue is sharing my information/monitoring me, it wouldn't be the first time. JetBlue has violated our privacy before when they shared our private information with the government.

Read here for more info:
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20040220dhsreport.pdf

http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_9.20.shtml

Excerpt:
(2) Background on the Sharing of Commercial Flight Passenger Data with the US Army

In September, JetBlue confirmed reports that it had violated its privacy policy by sharing passenger information, including names, addresses, phone numbers and itineraries, with Torch Concepts, a contractor for the US Army working on military base security systems.


This was a violation of JetBlue's own privacy policy in their Carriage of Contract. The same Carriage of Contract that Neeleman told me was his legally binding contract with his customers that protects us and ensures that he will follow the Bill of Rights to the letter.

To review:
JetBlue has a history of violating their own privacy policy
JetBlue has a history of sharing private information.

I'm really hoping one of you finds my post where I mention it, because this violation would cause me to graduate from participating in JetBlue Class action lawsuit (something I have to still explore before I do,) to filing personal lawsuit.

Thanks!
Gen

Sorry for all my F bombs

I wrote that at 3am and later and I was overcome with a lot of emotion.

I've edited accordingly.

Humbly,
Genevieve

I am sorry I was gone...But I AM BACK!

Dear Everyone,

I am so sorry for neglecting you as long as I have. It's challenging when you dedicate so much of your life to something you believe in and people denigrate your character and call you out of your name and you lose friends. It can really take a lot out of even the most resilient person.

So, I’d like to address a few people who, like Neeleman, accused people like me of speaking our minds for attention and fame. I actually turned down interviews as a result of some of those comments. But now, I’m going back on CNN for a third time, because this story is not dead. It’s very much alive and relevant.

I think that Neeleman and JetBlue hoped I would just vanish with the news cycle, but all this hate mail and the continual support mail reinvigorated my sense of purpose and I remembered again what it is that got me started on this blog. It was to give you, my readers, a place to get your message out.

I’d like to confront the whole “American’s are so whiny” or “stop complaining there are worse problems in the world” stance. You know what’s American? Fighting for something you believe in. Isn’t that American? Being able to say what you want and fight for your rights? Isn’t that American? So next time you send back your steak, because it’s not medium rare, or when you return those pants, because you washed them and they got all misshapen, remember, there’s a person in Africa with no steak and no clothes. And yes, you are just as ridiculous.

I feel sorry for every single one of you who was wronged and didn’t have the guts to stand up for what you believe in, against a barrage of hateful people. What I did and will continue to do, that’s integrity. You know who doesn’t have integrity, the person who belittles a person who is strong enough to stand up for themselves and other. If you want to oppose me, come with something other than name calling. Otherwise, leave that on the school ground.

I love that your friends tell friends and tell friends and tell friends. You are the reason why my site received over 10,000 hits that first week. You are the reason my name and my site is still being talked about.

JetBlueHostage.com and JetBlue, built off the power of word of mouth. AMEN.

Love,
Gen

Brilliant Idea. I NEED YOUR STORIES!

So I’m on my plane coming back from LA, yes, on JetBlue, when I get one of my BRILLIANT ideas.

But before I get into that, let me say AGAIN, that yes, I took a JetBlue flight. I earned that ticket with 14.5 hours of my life, a lost Valentine’s day, lost wages and inconveniencing members of my family. So eff you, I didn’t give JetBlue my money so take that and shove it. And After I post the messages from the JetBlue employee who works in the factories that build and repair planes in South America, you won’t want to give JetBlue any money either.

OK so brilliant idea. I watched maybe 7-10 people who recorded their JetBlue story and why they love JetBlue and it was all very sweet, well-produced, kudos. You should take some of that marketing money and invest it in operations.

But I digress.

If you are a JetBlue Hostage, Victim, Stranded Passenger, ex-employee, ex-customer, email me. If you are in the NY area, I would like to film YOUR Dear JetBlue letter. I’ll put it on YouTube, I’ll even hide your face if you’d prefer. I don’t know how to do the green screen effects that they did, but I’ll find a way.

Love,
Genevieve
Jetbluehostage@gmail.com

Finally, Neeleman Meeting Recap

(Please note that anything that I say Neeleman said is from memory. I was not allowed to bring a video or audio recording device, but I’m sure THEY recorded it on their end. I’m more than happy to allow them to release it should they want to contest any of the things I am documenting below.)

My meeting with David Neeleman, I think Charlie said it best when he said that Neeleman was much like his airline: a nice to look at and likeable veneer, but nothing behind it to substantiate it.

My meeting happened on a day that was down pouring rain. David immediately prefaced our meeting by saying they preemptively cancelled 65 flights that day. (Here’s your gold star.) Then he asked me what I wanted and I told him nothing. Then he wanted to hear my story and I told him that in the interest of making the most out of our hour, I didn’t want to get into my story as it wasn’t something he hadn’t already heard from 1000s of other passengers. So I pulled out my 2 pages of questions. He looked tired and genuinely sorry, I sympathized and I knew I wouldn’t be able to ask him some of the hard-to-ask questions. I’m not a journo or an investigative reporter. I’m a blogger.

It went a lot like this:
Canned answer
Canned answer
We’re sorry
It’ll never happen again
I don’t have the answer, this is who you need to talk to.
I’m sorry.
Etc.

Then he hit a wall and I could actually see the change in him. From the beginning of the meeting, he was playing these passive aggressive “you’re not important” games, by taking FOUR PHONE CALLS, on his mobile at that. Not from JetBlue employees concerned about the weather cancellations. Calls from his wife. Calls from his neighbor. I’m the queen of mind games, you can’t pull that on me.


Then, I asked him how he knew about the blog.

His answer? I don’t, you were on my schedule and Jenny Dervin told me I should meet with you.

The same Jenny Dervin that told me he asked to meet with me personally.

The same Jenny Dervin who told me via email after the meeting that he DID ask to meet with me but he suffers from ADD.

Then I asked him about why he wasn’t meeting with Kat from Stranded Passengers.

He said to me off the record, getting stranded on that plane was the best thing that ever happened to her. Now she’s famous and on the news all the time.

It started getting abundantly clear WHY I was asked to not bring an audio device to our meeting.

Later on I asked him about the abuse that I’ve endured from people who have been found out to be JetBlue employees.

I used to work in PR. Media training class would tell any CEO to respond as follows:
“I am so sorry, you’ve been thru enough. I do not condone that kind of behaviour by our fans or employees and I think it’s horrible.”

His answer JetBlue has a lot of fans, and the online space is vicious. People start these blogs and want to get famous or rich and they should expect that people are going to stand up for us.

Passive aggressive much. People start these blogs? Do you mean ME?

He has almost verbatim just repeated almost every attack that has been sent to me. Where they from YOU Mr. Neeleman?

So then we can’t get a real reason for why certain things happen that day, but get a bunch more I’m sorries, we’re sorries, it’ll never happen again, we’re fixing it. Blah Blah.

So we get to the being federally regulate portion of my questions. And he’s just fired up about why on earth would he ever have someone control his relationship with his customers. They have a legally binding (carriage of) contract with us which will ensure that they pay up as they say they will.

This is a carriage of contract and 75% a bill of rights that existed BEFORE the incident happened, that didn’t prevent the incident from happening. Yet, he doesn’t understand the purpose of being federally regulated.

Try self policing yourself while you quit cigarettes, or go on a diet, or go to the gym everyday. See for yourself how effective self-policing yourself is.

As we were coming to a close, his patience had waned. I asked him if he would be willing to sit with a few people I hand picked to take their questions on a talk show.
No.
Or if he would film an apology to the readers of my blog. (This would take MAYBE 2 minutes as I had my digital camera that films movies.
His answer. I did that already. I apologized. I’ve apologized enough. I just want to move on.

He’s sitting with TWO people who were ACTUALLY on the plane that was stuck for the longest on the tarmac at JFK (10.5 hours), MAYBE for the first time. And he’s tired of apologizing. He’s ready to move on.

I’ll glad he got all the healing done and out of the way two weeks and two days after the incident. The only person who can recover better than you, Neeleman, is Wolverine.

By the end of the meeting I had three names I was supposed to follow up with, a consumer advisory board I was supposed to assist with and an updated system ops (I think this is what it was called) room he wanted me to check out. He walked us down the hall to Jenny Dervin's empty office, with no guest chairs. And left. A few JetBlue Corporate employees walked by and ignored us.

It’s was just like when we got taken off the plane and told to figure it out for ourselves.

After 10 minutes of standing around being ignored, Charlie and I walked out into the rain and went home. I half expected an apology email from Jenny Dervin. But was surprised that I didn’t hear form her until I emailed her and asked her about the whole “I don’t know who you are” bit.

And there it is.

My (not so) great meeting with a (not so) great man.

I had to step away from this blog for a few days because I was refilled with all the anger I let go while talking to you guys. Then I went to Los Angeles, on that trip with Charlie that we never got to take.

Did I take JetBlue? Yes. I paid for those tickets with 14.5 hours of my life (10.5 on plane, 3 in terminal) a missed first Valentine’s day and inconveniencing about a dozen member of my family who drove 6 hours down to LA to see me. I earned that free ticket, so you’re damned right I took it.

I’ll tell you this much. I called before I left for the airport, as I did on Valentine’s day. And Jenny (a recurring JetBlue name,) a nice little house mom in Middle America told me that “as of now, there are no flight interruptions.” When I asked to be put on a list of people to call if it DID get cancelled, she said she would try. I explained to her I was one of the people stuck on a plane for 10.5 hours and I am just worried. Her answer was a quick, too sweet and slightly surly, “you and everyone else.”

Keep on chugging JetBlue. You have a long way to go.

Love,
Gen

Thursday, March 8, 2007

PS...

I've disabled the ability to post on your own....In the meantime...please email me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com.

Let the JetBlue employees speak for themselves

Not all JetBlue employees drank the KoolAid....A few unhappy NON-UNIONIZED JetBlue Employees have written in to me. One such employee is a man who has been very supportive of me. The email is below is from him. And he is not ALONE.

On DickHeadbosses.com, Click New York. NY JetBlue Emloyee complaints date back to August 2005 and I would say 90% of the complaints are of JetBlue...Keep in mind, this site is open for ANYONE to post thier grievances. If you click on California or Massachusetts, you'll find some fairly recent complaints as well. I don't have the time to click thru all the states, but seeing is believing.

From my supportive JetBlue employee:

Well where to start. JetBlue or otherwise known as Jetblow really sucks as a company to work for. In class they make it out to be the greatest place to work when it reality it really sucks. Over worked and underpaid and under staffed that does sound like one of our 5 values of FUN not at all. Were to start I worked 22 hours on that day of hell otherwise know as Feb 14th. I feel really bad for all the people stuck on the planes for hours on end. I know they could have done something about it but they fucked themselves over this time by trying to look like the hero airline, but only this time it didn't work out as planed. Our crew members are put through hell day in and day out. Three man teams to work heavy flights that's a bunch of bullshit. The new attendance policy sucks also your allowed 5 call outs and 3 late's that's a bunch of garbage. This place is run like a kindergarten for little kids it horrible. Most of the supervisors all suck at what they do, they know how to read their email and sit at a desk all day. Why don't some of them get off their asses and help out their crewmembers that are short handed out on the ramp. We need a union bad we have nobody to stand up for US being GO crewmembers. This is the most Thank less job ever for busting your ass you get nothing for it. Its horrible pay we have to work 6 out of the seven day's to make a living. Every afternoon there is a ground stop in JFK due to something stupid. We better off having a hub in Boise Iadho.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

JetBlueHostage 2.0

www.JetBlueHostage.com has evolved. We will always be available here but we are representing ALL OF YOU who wrote in to me that weren't trapped on a plane but have a general discontent with the airline industry's darling, JetBlue.

I don't have a problem with using the word "Hostage" because when you're being held against your will it IS a hostage situation.

Is it Daniel Pearl getting killed (God rest his soul and bless his family)?
No.

Just like telling my friends "I love you" doesn't mean the same as telling my Mom "I love you." The same words can have varying degrees of meaning. So all of you who tell me I'm being over-sensitive regarding my experience, you're the same people being a touch over-senstive about rhetoric.

But I digress-This blog can now be found at www.JetBlueWeHaveAProblem.com.

And we're going WIKI! Well sorta. I'm allowing YOU to post your own stories, opinions and news stories. I'll be editing as I see fit. This includes deleting your story if you disrespect the community OR ME. My Blog. My Rules.
Rule #1
NO DISPRESPECTING PEOPLE.
Rule #2
If you post newstories or other blogs, please site the source by putting the link.
Rule #3
PUT YOUR FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG
Rule #4
I'm making up rules as I go along

If you want to contribute to this blog, follow the following steps:
Sign in to Blogger
Sign in a JetBlueWeHaveAProblem@gmail.com
Password: JetBlues1

Good posting.

Love,
Gen

My Questions for Neeleman

Because I wasn't allowed to take a video camera or an audio recorder in, I won't be able to give his word-for-word answer, but don't worry you heard his responses a million times before in the media. I'll give you the answers tomorrow, since it's 1:15am. Please note, I didn't get to ask him all the questions.

Thanks for submitting all your questions.

Love,
Gen

Questions for Neeleman

Valentine’s Day
What time did you wake up on Valentine’s Day? Were you able to spend Valentines Day with your wife?
Where you aware that there were 9 grounded planes at JFK some that had passengers on it for 8+ hours who had no food other than snacks? I’m curious to know if you even found out about it on Valentine’s Day. How far up the chain of command did it go? What is the "chain of command for Jet Blue Airways?
Where were you when you found out about the debacle, who told you and what was your reaction?
I was shocked that you did not make an announcement on the evening of Valentines Day or come to JFK, why didn’t you?

The corporate offices are a 9 minute drive, 5.14 miles away from JFK Airport. Did anyone from the corporate office come to give answers, bring food or lend a hand? If so, who? And what did they do?
Who was the high level executive first at the "massacre"? Mr. Barger (President, COO Director) and Mr. Owen (Exec. VP-Supply Chain and Information Technology)?
Please describe the efforts of the executive who was first on scene?

If Port Authority offered their services to get us off the plane as early as 8am, why were we still on a plane 9 hours after their offer?
Why couldn’t we get to our gate?
Why couldn’t we go to another airline’s gate?
Why wouldn’t other carriers help us rebook our flights as is the case when I fly with other airlines?
Why wouldn’t you offer to refund the cost to rebook with another carrier for people chose that option?

I’ve read somewhere that this is going to be a $30MM loss for JetBlue. What would be the loss if someone had died on your plane?

How did people checking the internet know the flight was cancelled before the crew members.

The message on the phone system asked us to go to the website for any other questions-
How do you suggest people on a plane use the website?
How does one use the advertised free wireless within the JetBlue terminal when it wasn’t working?
How do you explain to an elderly person who doesn’t understand email how to rebook their flights online?

Since Feb 14, Charlie, who has a chronic back problem and has to heavily medicate to even fly cross-country, had to get his first epidural cortisone shot in 6 months. Katty, who was recovering from shoulder surgery has since been in pain and now says she suffers panic attacks when the subway stalls between stops. How do you compensate people’s physical and emotional pain?

How do you compensate the lost opportunities that are a direct result of not being able to make alternate plans due to the breakdown in communications?

ME:
How did you hear about my blog? Why did you really call me in and not Kate Hanni from Stranded Passenger?
Whose idea was it to register the .net version of my domain and why?
Why did JetBlue decide to refer to the February 14th incident as “The Valentine’s Day Massacre?”
I was told you were interested in me consulting on the creation of a consumer advisory board. What is the status of this?

Lessons?
Would you agree with the following statement: "Northwest Airlines, in 1999, suffered a nearly identical delay/cancellation scenario, as the one Jet Blue Airways experienced on Valentine's Day 2007"?
The Northwest delay/cancellation scenario occurred in 1999, prior to the inception of Jet Blue Airways. It is reasonable to conclude that Jet Blue Airways was aware that such a malady could befall an airline? I heard you say on the Investor relations call on Feb 22nd that it should never happen to another airline again, but why didn’t the precedent set by Northwest be enough of a lesson?

Bill of Rights:
According to your investor relations call, you were already honoring 75% the Bill Of Rights prior to Feb 14th, however, it didn’t prevent the events on Feb 14th from happening. Why is it going to be different now?

I understand Rob Land, who helped pen the Bill Of Rights, was going to be in this meeting and that the outcome of this meeting was to help with the creation of version 2. Why are you creating a second version of the Bill of rights?
What do YOU think are its shortcomings?

Would you consider promoting the CURRENT JetBlue Bill of Rights as an industry wide incentive and allow the government to police it? What is the difference between the government regulating it and JetBlue if it is the SAME Bill Of Rights?
Are you opposed to being federally regulated? All other industries: Automotive, TV, Movie, Music, food and Drug, are.
What role should the Government have, if any, in a Passenger "Bill of Rights"?

If Government involvement is the issue, how would you feel about putting a certain amount of money into an escrow and allowing an independent entity to disperse the compensation on your behalf?

Looking over the Bill of Rights, it seems hardly fair that customers who experience a ground delay on arrival of 3 hours or more or on departure of 4 hours or more would get a free round trip ticket equal to the amount spent for their round trip. If I were on an overbooked flight on another carrier and volunteered to give up my seat, I would get a free ticket anywhere in the country and likely get an upgrade on my next flight out. It seems hardly fair that someone would get better compensation for voluntarily “inconveniencing” themselves as opposed to someone who is held against their will.

Another loophole that exists is what I like to call being penalized for planning ahead. Please indulge the following scenario. I am stuck on a plane for 4 hours. I, who planned ahead and bought a ticket 21 days in advance, paid $119 each way. The person next to me, who had to take this flight last minute and bought a ticket that day, purchased his ticket for $575 each way. We are both on the same flight, experiencing the same delay, however, he now has a voucher for $1150 and I have one for $238.
Consider this a freebie. A loophole I found in Overbookings is that it is common practice to over book a flight, say, 15 people (I’m just pulling this number out of a hat.) In these cases, the gate agents ask for volunteers to give up their seats in return for a free round trip ticket anywhere they fly in the US. Your current Bill of Rights, as it is written, incentivizes people to NOT give up seats because there will be 15 people getting $1000. As such no one would voluntarily give up a seat.

Do you think it’s humane to keep people on a plane for 5 hours?

Employees:
Let’s talk about Robert Alvarez. Are you aware that two separate people wrote in to complain about Robert Alvarez?

Have you ever stated that you would "resign as CEO" if the Pilots of Jet Blue Airways were to join or form a union?
How many other airlines are not unionized?

According to your investor relations call, Mid-level management was at fault for keeping us on the plane among other things. Given that statement, how are you not firing anyone?

As CEO, how could you not be aware that so a large percentage of your staff are insufficiently trained?

I have a few concerns about crew time.
Did Jet Blue Airways ever engage in an initiative to extend the "duty time" of flight deck crew members without the approval of FAA officials in Washington D.C.?
Do you know the number of commercial aviation accidents, where fatalities occurred, that the National Transportation and Safety Board cited "crew fatigue" as either a "contributing" or "primary" factor?
Does Jet Blue Airways have any interest in extending pilot duty time?

Other Mea Culpas:
In September 2003 did JetBlue apologize for participating in highly confidential personal data sharing?
Why can I not find a press release with the apology on the JetBlue corporate site?
Was Jet Blue in any way compensated for sharing this confidential information?
Did Jet Blue Airways "counsel" know that the information was been shared?
Did you compensate passengers whose personal information was shared?

In Closing:
Would you be willing to sit with people on Flight 351 on a national talk show?
Can you make a video addressing the readers the blog?
What are your plans for tonight? Don’t leave your desk for 11 hours.

Brent's Story - Thanks Brent!

Hi Brent - Thanks for your letter, it's disappointing to know that this is still happening. We are in the SAME boat with the cab. Charlie and I are out $100 on cabs, our first Valentine's day together and a trip to see my whole family who came down to LA to meet me. Does anyone know how hard it is to get 12 adults and 4 children to take a 6 hours drive to LA from San Francisco.

The good news is, I'm not giving up. I'm with you for the fight.

Love,
Gen

PLS HELP ME
Sun, Mar 4, 2007 at 2:12 AM
To: jetbluehostage@gmail.com

Hi I saw your blog and I need help - the issues at JetBlue have not gone away and I was hoping that you would post my e-mail to JetBlue to your blog for others to see. Thank you sooooo much.

I certainly hope that this e-mail has reached it's intended recipients. I have literally tried every other avenue to find any resolution to my horrendous issues with your airline. I know its long but - here are the unbelievable details . . .

Last night (03/02) at JFK in NY due to JetBlue problems, the 7:45 flight to DC – flt 1315 ended up getting pushed back and back and back and back somehow - got to the gate 7:15 freaking out because I couldn't even see the flight on a depature board; only to find out that it was leaving at 12am… then 1am… then 2am… then 3am…

Anyway over and over again, JetBlue staff claim that due to the fact that the delay is weather related I have no reason to complain. However there are no weather advisories in the areas that I am departing or arriving from; and also in terms of Federal Advisories there were none anywhere near the time period that I was supposed to even fly or didn't fly because of delay at this point. (7:15PM) the only weather delays were at 11am for rain.

meanwhile in between all of these "weather delay" excuses, your staff was literally freaking out about the angry people, a shift freeze, and eventually they know that this is getting so ridiculous that they may as well appear like they realize it too. then it turns into them not knowing where the plane is, the plane is coming from an area affected by weather... etc

I went to go find this customer service desk that you supposedly have at JFK however there was a HUGE line of upset customers. Lots more passengers were sleeping on the floors. People were supposed to be ALL over the place and having the SAME EXACT ISSUES as me. Anyway I refuse to even touch the floor in my italian designer suit - perhaps it's ok to some people to lay on the floor of the airport for cheap airfare but not to me.

finally, being as that there was no option for me to get there in any way shape form, I decided that it would be easier to switch to a morning flight rather then wait in the airport. I had exhausted my customer service options. I switched to an early morning 7A flight and gave up and took a taxi all the way home (and I had taken one to the airport too, at $50 each way from Brooklyn) versus waiting in the airport. At this point I have literally spent $100 on a cab fare to the airport and back for no reason whatsoever, and my ticket cost the exact same so we're talking $200 trip now vs $100.

I was degraded by not one, but many JetBlue employees via about 7 attempts to allow your company to care about its service during my many attempts to let them do something about this ridiculous issue. In particular - a man named Arnold at the JFK terminal infuriated me by being particularly uncaring - he should be fired - and he also specified that security stall me for no apparent reason other than the fact that he was making me disproportionally upset.

It is not fair to claim that it is weather related and uncontrollable when all they had to do was get a plane that wasn’t coming from an area affected by weather issues – why should I have to waste my time with problems that ARE solveable? Also the other people that were stranded were going to other locations nowhere near me. Other airplanes leaving JFK took off during this time.

So eventually, I went back to JFK, left myself time to complain for about the 10th time that evening, eventually gave up again, and sat at the waiting area at JFK Airport, already dealing finding that there are new delays on the new flight that was supposed to board 10.. 20.. 45 minutes ago…. if JetBlue is still in business tomorrow I would be shocked at this point really… I am waiting for some kind of announcement saying this literally I do not understand what is going on here at this point. People who were on other flights trying to get on this one too start swarming the desk. The lady starts freaking out and saying to whomever that she is communicating with that the customers are getting mad and she doesn't know what to do. They keep telling us that they are short a crew member and therefore we have to all wait for one? Eventually this poor frazzled woman who just got off some double shift arrived, and we finally boarded this flight.

By this point all of your staff cannot hold themselves together. I learn that one of your flight crew has never even flown on the type of aircraft we are on. They are visibly exhausted and trying to cope with your companies issues but the overall effect creates absolute fear for me - I get the impression none of these people, however kind they are - have any idea whats going on - and I start to feel like I am in the movie Airplane. At this point I decided that there is NO WAY that I will be taking my return flight back to NY 03/03. I do not trust JetBlue at this point. If your company is this bungled it is only a matter of time before you loose a plane.

I don’t care about the travel voucher that I should be entitled to under the bill of rights – the flight was $50 each way… it’s the principle of the situation and the horrible responses from the employees when all I tried to do was find some resolution - I just wanted to see my 86 year old grandmother for what might be the last time.

I absolutely refuse to give up re: this issue until someone proves me to me that JetBlue does care about me, a long term passenger. I gave your airline the benefit of the doubt and you let me down. If you have to charge me DOUBLE for your ticket that would have been fine if the service had been better at this point - its cost me an extra $200 in taxis. I will do absolutely everything to not let this issue rest until it has been resolved. I appreciate any response re: this issue.

HUMOR: THE BOROWITZ REPORT

HUMOR: THE BOROWITZ REPORT
Bush: I'll bring troops home on JetBlue


ANDY BOROWITZ

Under increased pressure to announce an exit strategy from Iraq, President George W. Bush revealed plans to bring U.S. troops home on the budget airlines JetBlue.

Bush received praise for his decision to withdraw American troops, but his choice of JetBlue to transport them raised more than a few eyebrows

Click for the rest of this hilarious story.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Thanks and Sorry

Hi guys,

A quick and I mean QUICK post. I'm sorry if you haven't got a response from me but I've got so many LOOONG emails to read thru. Tonight I'm preparing for my meeting with David Neeleman and I want to thank you for all the stories and questions you gave me. Keep the stories coming but at this point I've got lots of great questions to sort thru and I'm sure whatever your question is, I've got you covered.

I also want to say, if you have emailed me up to yesterday afternoon I have actually READ all your stories, emails and comments. Thanks to the subway, I'm all caught up. Today and last night's emails are another story, but I'll get to them!

I want to say again I don't have any opinions one way or another regarding a class action lawsuit. So that press release from that law firm is for the people out there who have asked me about filing a lawsuit. I am not named in ANY suits against JetBlue. I'm coming into the meeting open minded. I'm too busy trying to educate myself to make any deals with any lawyers.

Thanks again....

Love,
Gen

JetBlue Damage Control - Fox Fan

I guess i should know better than to expect something else from FOX and someone who writes for FOXFAN


JetBlue Damage Control

Tuesday , February 27, 2007
By Terry Keenan
FOXFAN

What a difference a week makes.

A few short days ago, JetBlue was in danger of becoming widely known as "Jet Black and Blue." But a combination of nimble damage control and a quick change of tactics in reaction to a Sunday night snowstorm has helped JetBlue's regain its footing. Corporate image experts are taking notice.

How did they do it? With a blunt three-word statement: I am "humbled and mortified.”

With that confession, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman managed to turn a public relations nightmare into a second chance at brand establishment at the airline he founded. It was the start of a remarkable 5-day turnaround that has set a new standard for corporate damage control

cLICK FOR THE WHOLE STORY

ADWEEK - How to Save a Brand....(My own note-Insert eyeroll here)

What's with all the kudos? Thier whole "sincerely JetBlue PR strategy"? How about the JetBlue employees that are monitoring the YouTube comments that launch aggressive attacks at anti-JetBlue sentiment, some commenters are dumb enough to be transparent. If you check my own you tube video where you see passengers who are lulled into such a state of passivity that we're not even MAD. In the video we are getting off the plane with smiles on thier faces just happy to be off. It's a pretty ineffective video if you want to showcase angry . p.o.'d passengers. Anyway, a JETBLUE employee called the maker of the video (me) a (and I QUOTE) "fucking idiot."

This antagonistic approach at being on the defensive in online communities does not deserve one. single. kudo. The end.

ADDITIONALLY - For ALL the people who give me such a hard time using the word "HOSTAGE," which from here on out will no longer have quotes around it - JETBLUE CALLS THIS EVENT "THE VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE." (I call it "A Valentine's Day Hostage Crisis - Plagarise much, JetBlue?) MASSACRE is a much STRONGER word than HOSTAGE. So all those who have a problem with the word hostage, go fly a kite.

Love,
Gen

How To Save A Brand Built On Being Folksy
February 26, 2007
By AARON BAAR AND ANDREW MCMAINS

Some crisis communication experts have hailed JetBlue's response to "the Valentine's Day Massacre" (as the airline itself calls it) as a textbook example of how to resuscitate a damaged brand—particularly one built on customer service—that made headlines for effectively holding its passengers hostage for up to 10 hours during a snowstorm. The apologies direct from the CEO, the clearly articulated promises for change, the savvy use of the Internet, all informed by the company's signature sense of humor, have been described as a model of what to do in the first days of a crisis. But can the airline recover from its mistakes?

As experts pore over the events of the past two weeks, JetBlue is focusing on what to do now—and how its ad firm could help.

The company has confirmed to Adweek that it might have some of the affected customers tell their stories in the next round of its "Sincerely, JetBlue" campaign. Created by WPP Group's JWT, the roughly year-old animated effort features the voices of real passengers talking about positive experiences with the airline. (It has been on hiatus in favor of ads touting JetBlue's seven-year anniversary.)

Click to read more

Reuters - US investigators to review of JetBlue, AMR delays

UPDATE 1-US investigators to review of JetBlue, AMR delays
Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:44pm ET

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Department investigators will review this month's service meltdown at JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU.O: Quote, Profile , Research) and a similar incident at AMR Corp.'s (AMR.N: Quote, Profile , Research) American Airlines in December.

Inspector General Calvin Scovel said on Tuesday the review, requested by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, will be thorough and objective so action can be taken to "prevent such situations from happening again."

Scovel said he will review JetBlue and American's customer service contracts and policies on ground delays. Any recommendations could extend to the industry as a whole and the air traffic system, which is run by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Peters said in a statement that she had "serious concerns" about contingency plans at airlines that permit passengers to sit on planes for long periods of time while they wait for takeoff or arrival at a gate.

"It is imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like these do not occur again," Peters said of the JetBlue and American service setbacks.

Click for the whole story

For my readers who are feeling litigious....In other words...IF YOU WANNA SUE

Hi kids, I'll be calling these guys on my lunch break and getting more info. But I recommend if you fall into the gategoary of wanting to pursue a legal case against JetBlue, you contact these guys.

Love,
Gen

PS-Thanks David for the lead!


Press Release Source: Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

Weitz & Luxenberg Affirms Rights of Passengers Following Flight Debacles

Tuesday February 27, 9:45 am ET


NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent snowstorm on the East Coast has shaped into a crisis for JetBlue. On Valentine's Day, the airline's operational shortcomings due to the storm led to 1,096 canceled flights and thousands of stranded passengers. Many fliers were confined on planes at JFK International Airport as long as 10 hours. JetBlue said it will compensate customers for the delays with vouchers ranging from $25 to the full fare. Yet for the travelers trapped onboard with scant food, and having missed vacation and business events, this may seem paltry compensation.
"The amounts being offered to these unfortunate travelers is pitiful," said Lawrence Goldhirsch, an attorney with the Negligence department at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. Goldhirsch, an expert in aviation law, is author of "The Warsaw Convention Annotated: A Legal Handbook," considered by the legal community a bible for international aviation.

In a bid to win back its customer-service driven image, JetBlue publicly instituted a Bill of Rights, which commits the company to compensate passengers for various kinds of flight disruptions. But that carrier isn't alone in stranding flyers during inclement weather. American Airlines experienced similar delays in December when passengers rerouted from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during storms, sat on the tarmac at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with no food and dirty toilets.

These recent incidents recalls a similar scenario from 1999, when Northwest Airlines stranded passengers up to nine hours, ultimately settling a lawsuit including claims of "false imprisonment" for around $7 million. Flyers of the airline had spent hours on planes sitting on the tarmac in a snowstorm in Detroit. Allowing those planes to return to terminals to drop off passengers would have helped mitigate the discomfort, an error the aviation industry continues to make.

Goldhirsch pointed out that the US Department of Transportation does not have any limitation of damages that may be claimed by passengers for delay. "Only international passengers are limited by a treaty--the Montreal Convention--when they are delayed on such flights. Even in those cases, the limitation is approximately $4,500 per passenger, depending on the length of delay and other circumstances."

Those who have been affected by an aviation incident may contact Weitz & Luxenberg by calling our Client Relations Department at 800-476-6070 or e-mailing clientrelations@weitzlux.com. Please also visit our website: www.weitzlux.com

About Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES, and silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE and mercury, among other toxins. The firm has won numerous cases involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a $13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. (docket No. ATLL129605).

Contact:
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Client Relations Department, 800-476-6070
clientrelations@weitzlux.com
www.weitzlux.com

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Your Stories

Hi All,

I got a little lost in what I've posted and what I haven't already so I'm just going to go post crazy here and put up a bunch of stuff. If some of it is redundant, I'm sorry.

You guys are also going to get a SWEET treat tomorrow. I'm putting up a BUNCH of really delicious information from the same guy who wrote the Bill of Mights and the amendment to the Passenger Bill of Rights. His name is David and an incredible source and support system.

THANK GOD FOR DAVID, RUTH, MIKE, CHARLIE, ROB and every last person who has ever written in to me.

I'm going to post up today's news articles and then wake up early tomorrow morning and give you a yummy David information feed.

Love,
Gen

JetBlue Flight diverted into Philly busses people to NYC

I just had lunch with someone who told me her nightmare story of being on a delayed JetBlue flight diverted to Phoenix instead of Tucson and having to be bussed. Cos of course after waiting forever for a flight to leave, you want to spend 4 hours more on a plane, and then spend an extra 2 hours on a bus to Phoenix.

Afterward they rode her on thru the streets of Tuscon on a radio flyer wagon. That was meant to be a joke.


Bus brings JetBlue passengers to NYC after flight diverted

February 27, 2007, 1:28 PM EST

NEW YORK -- A JetBlue flight on its way to New York was diverted to Philadelphia due to a mechanical problem on Tuesday, and the airline was busing some of the passengers to their final destination.

Flight 1050 from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy International airport landed at 8:35 a.m. at Philadelphia International Airport after flight crew discovered a problem with an indicator light, said JetBlue Airways Corp. spokesman Todd Burke.

With no JetBlue staff at the Philadelphia airport _ where the airline has no operations _ and the plane awaiting a mechanical inspection, the flight's 54 passengers were given the option to disembark, Burke said. About 15 passengers chose to wait for an airline bus that left for New York by 12:45 p.m., he said.

"Mechanical diversions are a part of the airline industry, and in this case it appears that our crew members worked very closely with the airport to make sure that our customers were looked after in a very proper and timely manner," Burke said.

The spokesman would not say whether the use of a bus is common, but he did say it was a commonsense decision consistent with the airline's ongoing policies. It was unclear how the airline's new customer bill of rights applied to the flight, but all passengers were to receive a free roundtrip voucher, he said.

The airline has been on the defensive since earlier this month, when it was heavily criticized after bad weather stranded passengers in planes at JFK, its main hub, for up to 10{ hours.

The company, which had hoped to ride out that storm without canceling flights, later admitted it took too long to call airport authorities for help in getting passengers off the grounded planes. It couldn't resume normal operations for days because flight crews weren't where they were supposed to be.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Riddle Time Again, FAA Edition

Riddle me this?

What airline violated major FAA guidelines by opening the cockpit door (the guildelines state the cockpit door should remain closed from the time you leave the gate until you reach the arrival gate) and allowed passengers in the cockpit, in the pilot chair? The pilot even went as as to walk out of the cock pit WITH a passenger in his seat?

I'll give you one guess.

Thanks to one smart reader who filed a complaint with the FAA, this incident is under investigation.

Yet, if we somehow decided to take control of the situation and opened the door allowing us to exit, (according to the FAA "taking control of the aircraft,") we'd be categorised as hijackers and arrested, per the warning of the crew. This is accordance with the FAA. That's called the Crew preaching what they don't practice.

What makes one FAA violation more important than another? The thought that it might be inhumane to expect the pilot to stay cooped up in a cockpit for 11 hours? Go figure.

Your thoughts please.

If you have your own stories of the cockpit door being opened on your "flight" email me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Gen

Monday, February 26, 2007

JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights

Latey, I've been having people click thru to news stories and blogs with a short of it here. However, this is an interesting read...

JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights


By RACHEL BECK, AP Business Writer
Mon Feb 26, 12:56 PM ET

NEW YORK - Two potentially loaded words may tell the tale about whether JetBlue's new "Customer Bill of Rights" truly helps to restore its reputation after an operational meltdown.

Littered throughout that proclamation are the words "controllable irregularity." That's corporate legalese at its best, giving the New York-based airline wiggle room in deciding whether it owes compensation to travelers caught in service snafus.

If JetBlue really wants this to be a reputation-saving exercise, it will have to be careful about blaming events beyond its control for refusing to make cash payments or offer free tickets to irked customers who will be expecting them.

JetBlue's competitors must have been smirking as the often-touted airline faltered in the days following a Feb. 14 storm that stranded a number of passengers in planes stuck on the tarmac at Kennedy Airport in New York. Since it was founded seven years ago, JetBlue Airways Corp. has attained a celebrated status in the battered airline industry by building perception that it was different from others especially in terms of cost and service.

Over the last year, some of its high-gloss image started to fade as its rapid expansion and higher fuel costs swung profits to losses. To combat that decline, it launched a "Return to Profitability" plan that involved raising fares, cutting back on its growth and pushing into smaller, less competitive markets.

Despite those troubles, JetBlue's solid reputation largely stayed intact — until Valentine's Day. That's when a severe ice storm struck the Northeast, freezing planes to the ground and causing passengers to be stuck inside aircraft for as long as 10 hours. Then the airline failed to recover quickly from the storm, leading to more than 1,000 flight cancelations over the busy President's Day holiday weekend.

"This was a major league breakdown," said Darryl Jenkins, an independent airline consultant in suburban Washington. "This was a self-inflicted mess ... It showed that they are mortals like everyone else in the business."

The company estimates that the disruptions, which stranded thousands of passengers in cities across the country far away from the site of the storm, will hit first-quarter earnings by about $30 million, leading to an operating loss.

The immediate financial toll, however, might not be as steep as the long-term damage to its reputation. Passengers might avoid flying the carrier after such a paralyzing mess.

David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and CEO, has spent recent days trying to curb potential defections. Unlike many airline CEOs who faced similar crises, he quickly and publicly acknowledged the mistakes the airline made. The airline took out full-page advertisements in several East Coast newspapers to apologize for the travel headaches.

"We are sorry and embarrassed," the full-page ad began. "But most of all, we are deeply sorry."

JetBlue's new "Customer Bill of Rights" is intended to calm passengers' jitters. Now if JetBlue cancels a flight within 12 hours of its departure because of problems within its control, customers can ask for a full refund, a credit or a voucher. If the airline delays a flight in a situation within its control, passengers would receive vouchers ranging from $25 to the full amount of a round-trip ticket, depending on the length of the delay.

JetBlue also vowed to notify customers of delays prior to scheduled departures as well as not only inform them of diversions or cancellations, but also give the cause.

But embedded in the new bill of rights, the words "controllable irregularity" keep showing up. The way JetBlue describes it, that involves an event that the airline can't recover from due to its own fault. So a weather-related delay means the company doesn't have to pay up, but it would if planes were still grounded the day after a storm passed.

The devil of that provision may be in the details, since a "controllable irregularity" might be interpreted differently by different people, noted airline consultant Robert W. Mann, of Port Washington, N.Y.

"Do they walk the talk? Neeleman made his mea culpa very public, and now he has to live up to the promises," Mann said.

Neeleman said that he didn't expect payments stemming from this new program will represent "a meaningful expense," and the new bill of rights could woo new customers. But for that to happen, the company has to be overtly generous.

If it's not, it could go the way of biztravel.com, which promised in 2000 full refunds or rebates for certain airlines that were booked through its travel Web site. Travelers were entitled to $100 refund from the site, which was owned by the large travel agency Rosenbluth International, if flights were 30 minutes late. That shot up to $200 for hour-late flights.

But months later, the successful program was cut back — largely because it cost too much. Biztravel.com eventually went out of business.

For JetBlue, its past reputation no longer matters. Its future has just begun.

___

Rachel Beck is the national business columnist for The Associated Press. Write to her at rbeck(at)ap.org