Sunday, February 18, 2007

Doreen's awful 17-Hour Experience

Doreen had an awful time in the terminal. It was chaos in the terminal. I can't imagine having to putting my mother and my daughter thru that ordeal. The terminalees had an awful time just lie us "hostages!" It was bad all around. Bad for the passengers, bad for the people in the terminals and bad for all the JetBlue employees that had to be face-to-face with an angry mob!

I need to get this off my chest because it still bothers me. My mother (75 years old), 18 year old daughter and myself left our Connecticut home at 7:30a.m. on 2/14/07 to take our flight #209 to Long Beach. I checked the Jet Blue website and saw that the plane was ontime. While in the limo on the way to JFK, I kept checking the 800 number - yes, it's still on time. Got to the airport, checked the bags and was happy to see - still on time! After the flight was finally cancelled at approximately 11:45a.m., I finally got through to the 800 number and was able to get on flight #215 approximate take off time - 4:05p.m. We had to find our luggage and recheck it. After waiting in line over an hour to do this - we waited. Flight #215 - ontime; over and over again - ontime. Then delayed; delayed; delayed; with different take-off times; first 6:30p.m. then 7:00p.m. then 8:05p.m. then it disappeared of the board; then it was back on the board; then back off the board. Jet Blue employees always, always reassuring we were definitely going to take off.

Everytime I called the 800 number, I was told to check the website and then it would hang up. I don't have a laptop to check anything. My cell phone battery died twice trying to get through. Tried to find an available outlet - no luck. Finally, did get one -recharged my battery and tried to find out what was happening. Please let this trip happen I say to myself. We were making it for my 18 year old daughter who has to have neurosurgery to take care of a rare bone disorder that is growing around her optic nerve and into her sinus cavity. She has always wanted to be on the Price is Right and Bob Barker is retiring in June. It was the only time we were going to be able to go. But the Jet Blue employees are telling us we will definitely take off because if we don't we won't be able to get out until Sunday (Sunday is too late - our tickets are for 2/15. We can't get tickets for any other taping). As of 11:00p. m., we were told we are still definitely taking off. Finally, an announcement comes over the p.a. system - the airport is closed and all flights are cancelled.

I know the people on the plane stuck on the tarmac were in much more dire straits then us but I can't get rid of this horrible feeling. My daughter was such a trooper and didn't complain but I just feel awful.


Doreen writes back


Dear Gen:

I wrote the story below and my name is Doreen. I live in XXXXXXX, Connecticut and I want to thank you for starting this blog. It helped me considerably to share my story with someone who was there that day. My daughter's surgery will be on April 2nd and being scared to death about it and to have our gift to her (the trip to California to be on the Price is Right) totally screwed up, put me in a pretty low spot. So, thank you, for doing this - it helped!.

Doreen

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