I’m conflicted - From Genevieve

From Yours Truly - Genevieve

Obviously I had a bad experience on with Jetblue, compounded by the many elements like my desire to go home, see my family and have a romantic first Valentine’s Day with Charlie. I started this blog because I needed to do SOMETHING. I don’t regret doing it. It turns out that I’m not alone. You’re not alone. I’m happy that we were able connect and have an outlet where other people can purge themselves of this unpleasant thing we lived through together.

I’d like to get to the basics and give you some background on my history with JetBlue.

Between Charlie and I, we each earned a free round trip ticket on JetBlue, and we are a third of our way thru to free round trip ticket #2. We don’t have a JetBlue Amex (our points do expire,) so we earned those points in one year. Each round trip from NY to CA is 12 points. Earn a hundred points and you get a free round-trip ticket. If you do the math, we pretty much had to travel once a month (10 times a year) for that free pass.

We LOVE JetBlue. When Charlie and I were in a long distance relationship, I credited JetBlue, iChat and free nights and weekends mobile calling plans for making our relationship work. The only time I didn’t travel JetBlue was when I would travel internationally or take Southwest** to Oakland from Burbank to visit my family.
(NOTE TO JETBLUE: YOU NEED TO ADD A LEG BETWEEN BURBANK AND OAK or SFO.)

JetBlue has always been my drink of choice. It always felt premium when other airlines made me feel like cattle. Before Jetblue came I traveled Tower Air (REMEMBER THEM!!?) JetBlue has always been wonderful in crediting me appropriately. They’ve called me if flights were delayed. I’ve gotten a $50 credit for a 2-hour delayed flight and a $25 credit for another flight that was an hour late. And both times I got free direct TV. Pretty sweet deal.

However, this time was just a catastrophe.
Before we got on the plane.
After we got on the plane.
After we got off the plane.

I don’t understand how 2 hours in a terminal, with wireless internet access, walking room, restaurants and the ability to go outside equals $50. Yet eleven hours in a cramped plane, hungry for food and praying to not have a panic attack is a round trip ticket. I won’t even tell you what Charlie’s day rate is-and his day rate maxes out at 9 hours.

I can’t begin to go over all the ways it went wrong.
We all know.
They know.
They’ve apologized and I believe David Neeleman when he says he’s sorry and humiliated.

But indulge me for a second when I say, don’t insult my intelligence by saying you’ll be refunding my ticket for a service you didn’t provide*.
DUH.

To paraphrase Chris Rock, “That’s like saying, ‘He takes care of his kids, he’s a good father’ YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS!”

What happens next?

That’s what I want to know. David, we’re waiting. Do the right thing by us. I believe in you.

Until then, we all need someplace to share and share alike.

JetBlue, you’re like my fuck-up best friend*. You’re irreplaceable and I love you, but when you fuck up, especially if it affects me, I have to tell you about it. And if you were any kind of best friend to me in return, you’d do what you need to make it right between us.

*Charlie is the originator of these analogies.
**I’ll NEVER EVER Take Southwest again.