JET BLUE A VALENTINE'S DAY HOSTAGE CRISIS

Tarmac delays ground the fight for passenger rights

2009-10-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

Tarmac delays ground the fight for passenger rights

By Christopher Elliott

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The approach of cold-weather season reminds me of tarmac delays.

Like the Northwest Airlines flights grounded during a 1999 blizzard at Detroit's Metro Airport, leaving passengers without water or working toilets for more than seven hours. Or the JetBlue Airways customers stranded for nearly half a day during an ice storm in New York back in 2007.

But what if those were the only memories that cold weather evoked?

No skiing. No eggnog. No chestnuts roasting on the open fire. That would be absurd, wouldn't it?

No more absurd than what has happened to the "passenger rights movement." In the past few months, a series of headline-grabbing tarmac delays has helped a couple of influential lobbyists convince the media and a few elected officials that tarmac delays are the No. 1 passenger rights problem in America.

Worse, they've convinced many travelers that tarmac delays are the only important passenger rights issue.

Don't believe me? Pull up any recent story that mentions a passenger's bill of rights, and it will inevitably refer to a proposal that would require a plane to turn back after a three-hour ground delay. I happen to disagree that such legislation would help anyone or that it could even be properly enforced, but that's beside the point.

The bigger question is whether this tunnel vision is helping the cause of airline passengers -- and how it might affect your next flight.

I think it goes without saying that other, far more important passenger issues are being overlooked. But I'll say it anyway: We're missing a lot. I asked author and consumer advocate Edward Hasbrouck to name his hot-button passenger rights issues, and alas, tarmac delays didn't make the list. What did? Truth in advertising, problems with federal preemption and failure to enforce existing consumer laws.

"Airlines routinely engage in practices that would constitute fraud if engaged in by any other business," he told me. For example, they sell tickets on partner airlines, giving the appearance that they are operating a flight, which is referred to as code-sharing.

Federal preemption of consumer protection laws, which allows airlines to ignore state consumer laws and consumer protection agencies, is another worry. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 opened that loophole, "and it has been a disaster for consumers," says Hasbrouck.

The U.S. Transportation Department's lack of involvement in consumer protection also ranks as a favorite, and it's an area of concern for me as a reader advocate. The way Hasbrouck sees it, the department is staffed by devout believers in a hands-off approach toward regulation and, specifically, enforcing consumer protections. "Those attitudes have got to go, which is unlikely to happen unless the people at the DOT get firm new marching orders from their superiors, either from the secretary of transportation or President Obama," he says.

Unlike tarmac delays, which affect a tiny fraction of air travelers, these issues factor prominently into everyone's flight. And that they are being ignored raises the question of who really benefits from the popular emphasis on aircraft delays, apart from a few media-savvy tarmac-delay activists.

I'm willing to bet that my friends in the airline industry, who insist that they oppose the new turn-back law, are quietly pleased that the tarmac lobby has hijacked the passenger rights cause. The movement is now conveniently contained, holding sparsely attended news conferences and pep rallies for passenger rights "stakeholders" in the Rayburn House Office Building.

That's not to say that the tarmac troopers don't have a valid point. There's no excuse for keeping a plane waiting for hours without giving passengers food or water. Anyone who has endured an extended delay on a plane can be forgiven for thinking it's the only thing that matters.

In the meantime, what do you do if you're stuck on a parked aircraft? Oddly, the media reports I've seen have fixated on the likelihood that a turn-back law will be passed -- it has a snowball's chance, in case you were wondering -- but have skipped the part where they help us actually fix the problem.

I had an enlightening conversation with Deborah McElroy, the executive vice president in charge of policy and external affairs at the Airports Council International-North America, an airport trade group, about the remedies available to stranded passengers. There are not many.

I've been asked whether there's an easy way off a parked plane, such as calling 911 and complaining that you're being held prisoner. McElroy said emergency calls are routed to local law enforcement agencies, which may pass your complaint along to airport police, but neither is likely to have the authority to force a jet to return. "Only the airport's federal security director, who is a [Transportation Security Administration] employee, has the legal right to order the plane back to the gate," she told me. You may be better off asking a crew member for help or, failing that, calling the airline.

Would a turn-back rule change anything? It might, she said. It might not. Meaning that the true cost of a passenger's bill of rights may not be just an unenforceable law, but also a long period of distraction from the truly important issues facing passengers.

Incident: Jetblue E190 at Bermuda on Oct 22nd 2009, flaps problem

2009-10-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

Source The Aviation Herald

Incident: Jetblue E190 at Bermuda on Oct 22nd 2009, flaps problem

By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Oct 22nd 2009 22:26Z, last updated Thursday, Oct 22nd 2009 23:30Z

A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N229JB performing flight B6-1703 from Boston,MA (USA) to Bermuda (Bermuda) with 79 people on board, was on approach to Bermuda's runway 12 descending through 3000 feet, when the crew reported they had a flaps indication, aborted the approach and climbed back to 5000 feet for troubleshooting. The crew could not resolve the problem and decided - after consulting with maintenance and dispatch - to divert to New York's JFK airport about 10 minutes later. While climbing back to cruise level the crew declared emergency requesting most direct routing indicating about 2:15 hours of fuel remaining at that point and the longest runway 31L/13R at JFK indicating, they'd have no altitude restriction for the cruise back requesting FL380. The airplane climbed back to FL380 and reached New York about 110 minutes later. JFK changed all other approaches from runway 31L to a VOR/DME approach runway 22L in order to facilitate the Jetblue Embraer heading for a LOC approach 31L with 4900lbs of fuel remaining. The crew subsequently performed a visual approach runway 31L, landed safely and vacated the runway without needing further assistance.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU1703/history/20091022/1608Z/KBOS/TXKF

Metars:

TXKF 221955Z 06007KT 020V080 9999 FEW033 24/16 Q1019

TXKF 221855Z 04007KT 010V070 9999 FEW030 24/16 Q1019

TXKF 221755Z 04007KT 340V080 9999 FEW030 24/16 Q1019

TXKF 221655Z 03009KT 360V060 9999 FEW030 24/16 Q1020

TXKF 221555Z 03009KT 9999 FEW030 24/16 Q1021

TXKF 221455Z 02010KT 9999 FEW030 24/16 Q1021

JetBlue to Charge for Blankets, Pillows

2008-08-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

Source - FOXBusiness.com

JetBlue to Charge for Blankets, Pillows

JetBlue Airways Corp. said Monday it is now charging customers for pillows and blankets.

The carrier has done away with the recycled blankets and pillows used on its flights, and has started offering an "eco-friendly" travel blanket and pillow that can be purchased for $7 on flights longer than two hours. The pair come in a kit with a $5 coupon to home furnishings retailer Bed Bath & Beyond.

The carrier claims the pillow and blanket feature a fabric technology, developed by CleanBrands LLC, that blocks pesky critters like dust mites, mold spores, pollen and pet dander.

JetBlue (JBLU: 5.45, +0.19, +3.61%) already offers free "Snooze Kits" on overnight flights from the West that include an eyeshade and ear plugs.

But the blanket and pillow kit is the latest in a string of a la carte items the company says are providing a revenue boost to help offset the soaring price of jet fuel.

A JetBlue spokeswoman declined to predict how much the sale of these kits will bring in, saying that the company only provides revenue details for specific items in its quarterly earnings conference calls.

The carrier said last month it expects to collect about $40 million from customers buying seats with extra leg room this year. Its $15 fee for a second checked bag is expected to translate into about $20 million in additional revenue. A ticket change fee, which doubled to $100 in the second quarter, is part of a "basket of fee changes" expected to produce about $50 million in extra revenue in 2008.

Shares rose 22 cents, or 4.2%, to $5.48 in midday trading.

From the AP - US Airways pilots: We're pressured to cut fuel

2008-07-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

US Airways pilots: We're pressured to cut fuel

By JOAN LOWY and CHRIS KAHN – 8 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pilots union for US Airways said Wednesday the airline is pressuring pilots to use less fuel than they feel is safe in order to save money.

US Airways Captain James Ray, a spokesman for the US Airline Pilots Association, which represents the airline's 5,200 pilots, said eight senior pilots and the union have filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The union also paid for a full-page ad in Wednesday's USA Today addressed to "our valued passengers." The ad accuses the airline of "a program of intimidation to pressure your captain to reduce fuel loads."

Ray said soaring jet fuel prices have sent all the airlines scrambling to find ways to cut the weight of airliners because the heavier the plane, the more fuel the plane burns. US Airways, based in Tempe, Ariz., has recently removed movie players, redesigned its meal carts and replaced glassware with plastic to cut weight.

Jet fuel has surpassed labor as the airline industry's greatest expense.

But US Airways recently crossed the line when it ordered eight pilots who requested "an extra 10 to 15 minutes worth of fuel" to attend training sessions, or "check rides," that could put their pilot licenses in jeopardy, Ray said. The pilots were supposed to report for their training sessions Wednesday, he said.

"We feel they're trying to set an example," Ray said. "Captains shouldn't be intimidated into thinking, 'If I say I need this fuel, they may send me for a check ride.' ... Cutting peanuts off the plane, that's one thing. But cutting a captain's fuel level below his comfort, that's another thing."

US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said the decision to bring in the eight pilots for extra training was not meant to be punitive. "That's totally not true," he said.

During the past few years, the carrier has required its planes to carry enough fuel to pad their flight times by 60 to 90 minutes, Durrant said.

"These eight pilots have routinely been above the 60 to 90 minute range. It just behooves us as a company to talk to these guys, figure out what they're seeing that we're not," Durrant said.

FAA regulations require aircraft to carry enough fuel to reach their destination and an alternate destination, plus 45 minutes worth of fuel, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. Also, pilots have the final authority on whether their flight should have extra fuel.

Brown said she is unaware of any specific complaints filed by US Airways pilots or their union, but FAA has been monitoring reports of "minimum fuel loads" at some airports.

"We don't see any evidence right now that there are violations of the regulation," Brown said.

US Airways has studied how much fuel its planes really need to carry, Durrant said. "The heavier an aircraft is, the more fuel it burns, and one of the heaviest portions of an aircraft can be fuel," he said.

US Airways is also buying more fuel efficient aircraft and cutting inefficient routes from its network. Still, an average roundtrip flight costs about $299 worth of fuel per passenger, company officials said.

Associated Press writer Chris Kahn reported from Phoenix.

FUCK YOU VERY MUCH JET BLUE!

2008-07-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

FUCK YOU JET BLUE! Charlie's not even FLYING on JetBlue today and you still manage to ruin my fucking day. Charlie has been gone for THREE WEEKS. THREE DAMNED WEEKS. That's a long time for us.

Since you asked, I'll tell you. Charlie has been in Vienna for the Eurocup. His soccer team (Chinatown Soccer Club) release a shoe with Adidas and they were flown to Europe to celebrate the release of the shoe.

ANYWAY. Today he was slated to fly back from NY to LA on VIRGIN AMERICA (I LOVE YOU VA, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.) And JetBlue (fuck you, again) is holding a plane full of hostages on the runway at JFK. Charlie is on a plane BEHIND the JetBlue (oh, i forgot, FUCK YOU!) plane. So now, there's no telling when me and my lover with be reunited.

Thanks again JetBlue. Whenever I have something really beautiful planned for my boyfriend and I, you never hesitate to intercede and fuck shit up.

Tell us why JetBlue, why am I hearing that there is a plane on the JFK runway with a stuck parking brake? Why did you even let that plane leave the gate? I question how a broken parking brake was able to pass the routine checks they have before a plane is allowed to leave. Or did it NOT pass, (but like on MY fateful day with Jetblue,) did someone make a decision to overlook it to not suffer the financial loss of losing an entire flight?

Anyway, fuck you again if I haven't said it enough.

WARNING! JetBlue Founder Starting Airline in Brazil

2008-03-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Brasilians, run like the wind. No, really, run. Avoid this man's airplane at any cost. And Brasilians, avoid being employed by this ANTI-UNION company. West Jet and JetBlue, both are non-unionized unlike most other carriers.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES-SOURCE AP

Court Strikes Down NY's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

2008-03-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Court Strikes Down NY's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Posted by Candice M. Giove at 1:29 PM, March 25, 2008 - From the Village Voice blog

So much for justice for the JetBlue passengers stranded on the JFK tarmac for 10 hours without food. A federal appeals court has struck down the New York Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, which would have required airline carriers to provide basic amenities like food, water, fresh air and clean toilets to passengers trapped on the tarmac in excess of three hours.

The Airline Transport Association of America, a trade group representing a number of carriers, lodged this second challenge to the New York State law earlier this month, and successfully argued that regulation should remain in the hands of the federal government and shouldn’t be handled on a state-by-state basis.

"If New York's view regarding the scope of its regulatory authority carried the day, another state could be free to enact a law prohibiting the service of soda on flights departing from its airports, while another could require allergen-free food options on its outbound flights, unraveling the centralized federal framework for air travel," the court wrote.

"This clear and decisive ruling sends a strong message to other states that are considering similar legislation,” the trade group said in a statement.

For Queens Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, who authored the bill, today’s decision was a major let-down for passengers. "The court's decision is a disappointment to anyone who has suffered at the hands of airlines that care more about profits than their customers," he said in a statement.

"This is far from over,” he added. “While this decision is a setback to passengers' rights, I will continue fighting until someone in a position of authority does the right thing and stands up to protect the flying public."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JBH.COM

2008-02-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Ya'll,

Long time no talk. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. It was about this time last year that I was about 8 hours in to a hostage crisis with Jet Blue. Since then, Charlie's had back surgery, I've developed a fear of Blue Chips (I kid,) we moved to a new city and I've fallen in love with Virgin America. Yes, I still fly you, JetBlue. Sometimes there's just no way around it.

Today was the last day you could legally file a lawsuit against JetBlue Corp for the false imprisonment of the passengers of the 9 planes stranded on the tarmac at JFK on February 14, 2007. I hope if that is the route you are going to pursue, that you've done it before today, when the statue of limitations expires. I'm still getting media offers so it looks like the story hasn't died yet and with any luck, this will never, ever happen again. JetBlue can take thier voucher worth the amount you purchased your roundtrip ticket and shove it.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY HOSTAGE CRISIS ANNIVERSARY TO YOU.

Charlie and I are going to relive our first Valentine's day by sitting tonight for 10.5 hours. But this year we're going to do it in the privacy of our house watching the Blade Runner Box set. All five discs, 583 minutes, or 9.6 hours. We'd still have to kill an hour after that to be true to our anniversary, but I'm sure we'll come up with SOMETHIGN to do. At least we'll have food. And the freedom to walk out the house. And use the bathroom. And not have a crying baby sitting right behind me. (You were really cute when you weren't crying.)

Love,
Gen

PS-IF you are interested in pursuing legal action, and I'm not telling you to, cos it's your individual choice, please contact me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com. I've retained a lawyer who is familiar with this case and many like it.

Personal Travelling

2007-08-07T17:19:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2007-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-08-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

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.

THANK YOU GOD!

2007-05-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

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

JetBlue....You can always count on them

2007-05-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

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."

Your route V. Reality

2007-04-14T15:58:00.001-07:00

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?

2007-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-14T11:52:00.001-07:00

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

2007-04-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

(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...)

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

2007-04-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

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

Charlie and I will be on CNN Business Traveller

2007-03-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

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

JetBlue Employee in search of a Labor Lawyer

2007-03-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

Your Assignment and JetBlue's dark history

2007-03-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-20T12:10:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-03-20T01:36:00.002-07:00

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!

2007-03-20T01:36:00.001-07:00

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

2007-03-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

(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

PS...

2007-03-08T02:59:00.000-08:00

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

2007-03-08T02:32:00.000-08:00

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.

JetBlueHostage 2.0

2007-03-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

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

2007-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-03-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

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

2007-03-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Thanks and Sorry

2007-02-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-28T05:53:00.000-08:00

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)

2007-02-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-28T05:14:00.000-08:00

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

Your Stories

2007-02-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

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

JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights

2007-02-26T22:24:00.000-08:00

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

JetBlue cancels 68 flights due to storm

2007-02-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

JetBlue cancels 68 flights due to storm

By CRISTIAN SALAZAR, Associated Press Writer
Mon Feb 26, 8:40 AM ET

NEW YORK - JetBlue canceled 68 flights because of snow Monday, nearly a week after the airline pledged to compensate customers for more than a thousand canceled flights from the Valentine's Day storm two week earlier.

The canceled flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport affected flights to or from Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; Washington, D.C., Portland, Maine; and Chicago. The company also canceled flights into and out of Chicago and the Washington, D.C., area over the weekend.

Click for the whole story

From A A - Bogus "Bill Of Rights" -- JetBlue is really sneaky

2007-02-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone - This is an interesting read. Check it out.

Hi AA - I actually did my due dilligence on the few prople I've trusted enough to share anything with. Thank god for friends with connections.

The "Bill Of Rights" is completely a PR move. It has almost no substance.

1. It assumes that NORMAL OPERATIONS FOR JETBLUE includes 3 hours on a runway departing, 3 hours arriving (i.e. there are no "rights" for any runway time below 3 hours).
2. It points to language in their Contract of Carriage which says that ALL THE "RIGHTS" ARE INVALIDATED IF THE WEATHER IS BAD.
3. It says that JetBlue will only START trying to figure out how to get you off the runway after FIVE HOURS have elapsed.
4. It offers no 'CAP' at ALL on the amount of time they will leave you on a runway. (American caps you at 4 hours after they were sued for a similar incident, although for American, it was one plane, not ten planes)

Other info:

The YouTube video posted by JetBlue is filled with comments which were created by JetBlue employees masquerading as JetBlue passengers. Read the comments on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r_PIg7EAUw
You'll see that many "fake" YouTube IDs which were created by JetBlue employees were "outted" by the YouTube community. Search for the word "employee" in the comments.

Finally:

I was one of the people who posted YouTube comments, and I received an email (via YouTube mail) offer similar to the offer you are getting from JetBlue: "Hey, come talk to me!" Given the amount of "secret" posting by JetBlue employees on YouTube, I have no confidence that their offer was a genuine attempt to help. I think they were trying to get me to "shut up". The offer I got was worded in a way that essentially challenged me to start a dialogue directly with Jetblue. I saw it simply as an attempt to get me to not post negative comments about JetBlue on their CEO's video.

To that point. You mention that you've had conversations with 'somebody' who is offering you 'free legal guidance' in your efforts. Are you certain that this 'somebody' isn't actually in the employ of JetBlue, given the rapidity with which they acknowledged your activities by buying the ".Net" domain name?

The reason I ask is that they are exhibiting some very 'sneaky' behaviour in trying to control the spin about their inhumane treatment of their passengers.

I was pretty floored that the JetBlue communications department would monitor the YouTube comments, create fake YouTube IDs, and then use those fake IDs to contradict genuine people who voiced their displeasure with JetBlue, and also post false "I'm a customer and JetBlue is just Great!" messages. It was sickening, really.

Sent: February 21, 2007
Subject: your JetBlue comments

Message:
Hi, My name is Morgan, I'm contacting you under my personal account rather than the account under which I posted the video of JetBlue CEO David Neeleman which I did as part of my roll as a member of the JetBlue corporate communications team.

I'm writing under my personal account in an effort to make it clear that I'm not interested in representing JetBlue in my correspondence with you. While colored by my employment, and my status as a JetBlue stock-holder, anything I say is not 'from JetBlue.'

You seem to have a great deal of frustration toward the airline and I'd like to have a conversation with you about it.

I'm not asking you to stop your continued comments on the video as it is entirely your right, and valid concerns are often raised, and I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt from your comments you've got an actual agenda to communicate and aren't simply "trolling" the page.

if you're interested in talking with someone who is a confirmed crewmember (I'm unaware of any other crewmembers who are currently posting in that thread, though I'll concede it's likely.) I would ask that you send a response. If you're as interested in accountability as you claim to be, I would ask that you take this opportunity to talk and perhaps I might give you some observations from my standpoint.

thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Morgan

Jeff N - JF > STI Feb 16

2007-02-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Hey Jeff - Full Page Ad. AIM HIGH! If we had any readers out there with that kind of money or if people want to pool thier money together, I'd support!

Readers? How about you?

Hi Gen,

I wasn't a Valentine's Day hostage, but I did suffer from some of the residual effects of the Jet Blue crisis. I just arrived back home this morning, so I'm too tired now to go into details, but I'm thinking about taking out a full-page ad in The New York Times to respond to JetBlue's weak efforts to compensate its customers. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Jeff

Here's Jeff's Story

Thanks for getting back to me, and thanks for fighting the good fight! Here's my story, for your records. It's a copy of the letter I sent to David Neeleman via post and the Speak Up page. I know it pales in comparison to being stuck on the tarmac for 11 hours, but I still have been screwed over and want what I deserve.

Cheers
Jeff
===============

Dear Mr. Neeleman:

I had the unfortunate experience of being stranded at JFK's Terminal 6 on Friday 16 February, my 30th birthday, due to your cancellation of flight 731 bound for Santiago. The purpose of this letter is to demand cash compensation for the additional expenses I incurred because of your airline's lack of planning and communication.

To start, I do want to give credit where credit is due. I have already received a credit in the amount of $XXX for my ticket and that of my traveling companion. Thank you for processing this in a timely manner. Unfortunately, this is where the laudatory comments end.

First off, the automated telephone system stopped receiving calls around 8pm. Once I was already en route to the airport, and therefore without Web access, I was unable to check the status of my flight. The outgoing message was rather unhelpful as it instructed passengers seeking information that no information was available and they should not call back. This was highly inconvenient.

Second, someone at JetBlue should have figured out that if there wasn't a crew available to fly the plane in the New York area or within a 4-hour radius by 8pm, then there was no point in delaying the flight until 3:30am. It should have been cancelled Friday evening so that passengers could make alternate arrangements. This was inconsiderate of your passengers' time.

Third, your company needs to re-define its flight statuses. Apparently, Thursday night's Flight 731 was cancelled prematurely, but later took off half-empty. When my flight was listed as Cancelled at 1am, your employees were reluctant to confirm the cancellation because what had happened the night before. This was irresponsible, detracting from any confidence I had in JetBlue's ability to successfully operate.

Fourth, the conditions at Terminal 6 were disgusting, at best. Dogs were relieving themselves on the floor. Garbage receptacles were overflowing. Restrooms were unsanitary. This was unhygienic and compromised the health of your passengers and employees.

Fifth, around 3:30am, a customer service representative told the hundreds of people waiting for information that JetBlue was shutting down operations for two days, no one at the desk could help anyone change travel plans, no one was getting their checked luggage back, and the best thing to do was to go home and try again on Monday. This was unreasonable and unrealistic, as I (and I assume, all other passengers) had previous engagements at my destination, including local transportation and hotel reservations.

Sixth, when I returned to JFK airport on Friday 23 February, no JetBlue employee was able to locate my luggage or that of my traveling companion. They claimed it was most likely at Santiago airport, which I found to be a breach of security. If my luggage was indeed at Santiago airport, some red flag should have been raised when I checked in at Santiago airport that morning. In fact, my luggage was delivered to my apartment building while I was still in the Dominican Republic, and one of my neighbors had signed for it. That information should have been in your luggage tracking system. Furthermore, subsequent JetBlue employees have told me that my luggage will be delivered to my house on Monday, when in fact I already have it.

Last, but certainly not least, most JetBlue employees have not been friendly or apologetic. Only two, Stacie Cole at JFK baggage and Collette from Salt Lake City customer service, have taken a sympathetic attitude towards my situation and said the word "sorry". Everyone else, namely Anna, Joan, Michelle, and Denise, have been hostile and rude. This is not a way to re-build trust and win back the business of customers whom you have failed.

Because no one from your company was available or willing to help me find suitable alternate transportation (per paragraph 26B of your November 2006 Contract of Carriage: "Carrier may, without notice, substitute alternate carriers or aircraft...") or retrieve my luggage (per paragraph 18A of the same Contract of Carriage), I had to take matters into my own hands, purchase another set of plane tickets on another carrier, and return home to scavenge whatever clothing suitable for the Dominican Republic's climate I could find.

In short, I tried to play by your rules, but JetBlue gave up and could not offer me any information. Now, we play by my rules. Therefore, I am demanding cash compensation for the following items:

* $XXX for two tickets bought on Continental flight 878 (Newark to Punta Cana airport for Saturday 17 February)
* $XXX for cab fare to Jersey City
* $XXX for cab fare to Newark airport
* $XXX for local transportation from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo via Siutratural Taxi (I had originally planned on taking the bus from Santiago to my final destination of Santo Domingo, which would have cost approximately $15 for two people)
* $XXX for the luggage that you could not return to me when my flight was cancelled (an itemized list can be sent upon request)

for a grand total of $XXX.

My traveling companion still has not received her luggage. Your company has failed to locate it, ten days after the fact. She will be asking for her cash compensation separately.

Any voucher compensation you offer I will consider reimbursement for the time I have wasted dealing with the incompetent employees of your company.

I look forward to a speedy resolution to this matter. I will not be pleased if I incur interest charges on my credit card due to a delay.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey

Yaminah - The Prequel

2007-02-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

I posted her correspondences earlier, but missed her first email.

Here it is!

hi gen!

what's the word on the jetblue happenings? i tried to rebook my trip using the e-vouchers they sent. come to find out that the voucher doesn't actually exist yet. wtf? i wrote them a complaint letter with some demands (this was before i tried to use the voucher) just because i don't think we were fairly compensated for the time we were held up in that plane. let me know what's been going on and how your meeting was with mr. neeleman. why don't they get that there is a major difference between being inconvenienced by weather, having a flight canceled/delayed, and being kept captive in a plane for 10 hours? all we wanted was to get off! below is the letter that i sent to them. do you have a plan of action? are you trying to gather up folks who were on flights that were stuck on the ground for 8+ hours? are you thinking about a legal battle? or do you just want to make our voices heard? let me know if you have a plan and what i can do to help.
y

Logan has a question for you.

2007-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Logan, I am not a Lawyer, nor do i have a lawyer. I'm not sure I an going down the class action route. BUT, if people email in for you or if there are people who are interested in that, I'll be happy to share your information. I'll contact you via email to make sure this is ok

Thanks!
G

To Whom it May Concern:

I was of the people that got stuck by JetBlue errors last week in JFK. I was lucky that I was not of the passengers that were on the plane for several. I feel so bad for those passengers.

I am emailing you, because I am hoping for some information. To start off with, I am not a lawyer, but am thinking of hiring a lawyer for class action lawsuit against JetBlue for last week problems. I have meet with a lawyer that might be willing to do this class action lawsuit. If this lawyer decided to the case of if I need to find one, I still need information.

The usefully information would be from Jet blue passengers from Feb 14, 2007 and the flowing days that were effect and might be interested in a civil suite against JetBlue Airways. I would need those people's first name, email address (so I can contact them about a lawyer), a short description of their experience last and approximately cost due to JetBlue (such as hotel cost, lost of wages, lost of vacation money, plane ticket, etc.). This would help information to help me to find a lawyer that would be interested in the case.

I sincerely believe Jetblue made multiply errors last week and they customer, include me deserve more than their bill of rights that they are offering. I do not believe that their Bill of Rights comes close to the amount people had suffered and spend last week due to their errors. Again please note that I am not a lawyer. All the information that I might receive via email, will not be shared with anyone except possible lawyer that might be interested in taking this case for the case. If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Sincerely

Logan

Barbara's Letter to JetBlue

2007-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Genevieve,

I also was there on that horrific day. I want to show you the letter that I sent to JetBlue after trying to recover from one of the worst situations that I have ever been through. To say that it was beyond surreal is an understatement. I was in seat 5F and saw and heard so much that was going on in the front of the Aircraft that I am frightened that there are more pilots out there as incompetent as the gentleman that was in charge of our safety.

To: Custom Service Jet Blue Airlines
Date: February 16, 2007

I was one of your passengers on board flight 351 leaving JFK on February 14, 2007. I was held hostage along with many other people on the tarmac for 11 hours. Not only do I find this treatment inhumane but, your company as well as the pilot on this doomed flight incompetent and with a total lack of respect and common decency for the people on board that flight. I want to file a formal complaint to document what transpired on aboard flight 351 and then later that evening on flight 359. Your company should not be able to continue to service people after such horrific situations that were never handled ethnically or legally! We boarded at 6:15 am on the 14th of February. We left the gate at 6:50a.m. We were told that we would taxi to a different location to have the plane de-iced. Needless to say, de-icing didn’t take place until approximately 3:00 p.m. The pilot from the very beginning was not being honest with us and I will illustrate examples of his unethical and unprofessional behavior(s). Food was never offered except the snacks that you have on your flights (first snack was offered 3 hours after we departed the gate never again was this offered to us until the eighth hour), and water. We sat trapped in the plane and could not get out. The pilot kept telling us that we were going to go back to the terminal, that we were the next in line.....that was a lie! He said that we would be getting the de-icing process and that we would be able to fly out that day....again a lie! He said that we were going to the terminal to dump the tanks of waste and then take off...again a lie! We sat on that tarmac and were totally forgotten about, while planes on both sides of us kept coming and going either to a gate or to the terminal while we continued to sit there, trapped on this plane. And to really make matters worse, every time he got up to give us information, the captain of this flight was continually condescending and dishonest in dealing with many scared, hungry, and distressed passengers. The entire 11 hours that we were on the tarmac in the area where we were to be de-iced, the cockpit door was open, which I consulted legal counsel and was told this action and behavior of a captain is against FAA regulations. The captain had people including men, women, and children sitting in his seat, showing them the various instruments in the cockpit. This was a totally unsafe and potentially out of control situation that got even more bizarre as the horrific day of events unfolded. I felt completely unsafe and vulnerable to a potential terrorist situation. In the 8th hour of a hostage type situation I was experiencing, the air shut down and it began to become very warm in the plane (trapped in a small unit-space where air is not recyclable) so the captain informed us that his flight crew was going to open the back door to let fresh air into the cabin. The captain then shut the entire plane down and jump-started the plane, all the while telling us that we were next in line for a gate...again, and an additional lie! Planes were coming and going on both sides of us while WE SAT THERE without food, beverages, and in the safety of a professional in charge of an unfortunate situation! In the 10th hour, the tanks for the toilets were at capacity. The captain approached us from the OPEN Cockpit and (I quote), “If you have to do a Number 2 in the bathroom, you cannot for the tanks are full and will over flow." Also in that 10th hour the captain cited FAA regulations that this crew on flight 351 would exceed the legal limit flight time and that Jet blue was locating another crew to take over this flight. We sat there long enough for this captain and his crew to not make the trip. He then informed us that the flight had been officially canceled. At this time, I contacted a friend to get me on another flight as well as I contacted your 800 customer-service number. My friend couldn’t reserve my seat and I was rudely attended to and instructed to wait until we returned to the terminal for assistance. After 11 hours trapped and held hostage by your company, buses finally came to take us back to the terminal. We were told that they had no idea how long it would be before the baggage would relocate back to the terminal. At 5pm after boarding at 6:15 AM I finally was allowed off the plane. When I got to the terminal, there was no one to talk to. No direction, NOTHING! I found my way to a supervisor and was able to get on standby for the 6:15p.m. flight 359. It was 5:30 p.m. of which I was experiencing tremendous distress, exhaustion, hunger, and physical anxiety. As I started to pre-board I had to go through security (for a second time) and then had to literally race to get to gate number three to try to get on flight 359. I asked the gentleman at the gate if the plane was definitely going to take off, I was insured that it would and that this flight (359) was slightly behind the regular scheduled take-off. So I got on the flight this was after approximately 12 hours of being placed in an unsafe and unhealthy environment.

My biggest mistake in entrusting my health, safety, and overall well-being with Jet-Blue was with the severely incompetent and rude employees (specifically the captain of flight 351 and phone attendants) and was then placed on the 2nd plane (flight 359) and sat at yet another gate for 30 minutes until the door closed and we (again like flight 351) backed up approximately 15 to 20 feet and did not move for another two hours. I rang the customer bell immediately and told the steward that I wanted to get off the plane, that I had already sat 11 hours on flight 351. This Jet blue employee made a general announcement to see if anyone else wanted off flight 359 and I was instructed by the pilot that I was the only one with this request and I was refused this need. Once again I am trapped on a plane that is not moving. This again is after 13.5 hours of sitting on planes (fl 351 and 359) and now am on flight 359 for an additional 3 hours and I knew that it would be much longer until we took off or went back to the gate. Needless to say, I was trapped on the second plane for 7 hours on the ground before we were able to take off with twenty to forty mile an hour gusts (as displayed on Jetblue TV screens). It took 5.5 hours to get to Burbank so I had been on two different planes a total of 23.5 hours without food. During this duration I was refused food (except 3 snack items consisting of blue chips and animal crackers). Women with infants, toddlers, and the elderly people were under such distress that it created even greater fear for those of us during this day of horrific events.

I was never during any of this nearly 24 hour time-span asked if I needed food or a beverage, honored in my need to get off the 2ND plane, and offered any form of monetary compensation for this incompetently disorganized and unprofessionally handled day of events. In my opinion when dealing with the public, you should have never let passengers board flights that you know will never take off and then forget about them out on the tarmac for 11 hours. Secondly, a captain’s role on any flight is to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew and to alert individuals of the days events honestly and professionally. Jetblue departed on several flights on this day fully cognizant that many to most of these flights would never depart placing passengers and crew at risk of distress and safety. People are more important than money and Jetblue fully knew that the conditions of the weather on this day would not allow flights to take-off. You held people hostage on a flight that you knew wasn't going to depart and this captain and crew (flight 351) continued to lead us to believe we were going to depart. I am beyond upset by this. I am so traumatized by this that I am still physically sick and in bed and I do not want to get back on a plane on the evening of the 18th to go back home to NY. I also have attempted to meet with customer service in Burbank, contacted you by phone and was either ignored or misdirected for assistance.

I am requesting a full-refund of this flight and that you redirect me to a different or neighboring airline to return to NY on February 18, 2007.

Please contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx at your earliest receipt of request.

Thank you, Barbara

So far the only thing that has happened from JetBlue was on auto response that I should be hearing from them in March. I have written to every radio, TV, newspaper that I could think of. Channel 12 on Long Island were the only people who seemed to care. Not only were we treated inhumanely but, we were in the hands of someone who scared me to death. It is now a week after the siege and I still am very shaky from the whole event.

I am happy to say that I am home in NY and do not plan to fly anywhere in the near future. This is a problem for me since my job occasionally has me fly to different locations to open new stores.

I am planning on talking to someone at channel 12 News on Monday. I feel as if we were a forgotten flight out there on the tarmac at JFK. It was a total breakdown from top to bottom.......I can't let it go until I get some answers and some restitution. This is not a familiar state for me, I am genuinely a forgiving soul and tend to let things go in order to move on. Not this time, I was extremely effected by this and still have some lingering effects from that fateful day and into the evening. And still have a fierce cold from the plane.

I am a 47 year old professional woman who found herself being turned into a small child that was very frightened. I just do not know what to do with all of this at the moment.

Thank you for opening this site. It seems to be helping people deal and heal.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Why from Pinky Blister

2007-02-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

Ask JetBlue why they use 5 hours as a guideline for being stuck on an airplane. I'm a former pilot and 1-2 hours is enough! Either take off or come back to the gate--someone needs to be in charge. When I flew as pilot in command, I always called the shots. Anything longer is unreasonable because something is going on that should not be, and the people should be back in the terminal. I consider it being held without my consent and a criminal act!!!

Pass that along--thanks.

Thanks for the kind words Andre

2007-02-26T21:32:00.001-08:00

Hey genevieve.

Just wanted to drop you a quick note.
Your jet blue blog is amazing! You've accomplished so much in just a few days. Congrats! Your efforts could be the catalyst for a change in how airlines (or at least jet blue) treat their customers. Jetblue do a pretty good job as it is, but as travelers we're so often at the mercy of the airlines. It's nice to see someone effectively stand up and say "hey don't treat us this way."
I hope you guys get compensated appropriately, and by that I mean generously.

Andre

Michael S - My support system

2007-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

From Michael S...Thanks bud!

I am very proud of your work. It is very important. This has never been about the weather. I think we all agree that we were happy not to take off during an ice storm. That was the right call. This was about the complete mismanagement on the part of the staff, crew and pilots to properly take care of their passengers. Most of you were just on Flight 351, which was somewhat and surprisingly calm. Rob and I got on Flight 357 right after 351 and that plane sat on the runway for 6 more hours. That plane's atmosphere was much more tense and hostile. The crew of 357 was beyond pathetic and undertrained.

I was not entirely surprised to hear one of your friends post on your blog the previous episodes of flight attendant, Robert Alvarez. He made the situation very tense and dangerous and should be terminated immediately. I do not know too much about this, but this could also be a union issue. I believe that Jet Blue is the only non-union airline and maybe their training procedures are less than those of a union airline. I am a big supporter of unions and that could be a major part of this problem.

Furthermore, I think the one thing that is quite troubling is the rhetoric that Mr. Neeleman is using in the press about how "expensive" this is going to be. That is quite bothersome. God forbid someone had a serious panic attack or a heart attack on one of those nine planes. It would cost Jet Blue and Mr. Neeleman a lot more than $30 million dollars.

So, this is not about free vouchers or $25/hour and more blue chips. I equate it to someone inviting you over their house for dinner, and they spit in your food (flight 351), and then they spit in your food again (flight 357). And as you are walking out the door, they say to you "Oh, please come over tomorrow night for dinner." Would you go? Of course not. The other thing I want their $238 voucher is to fly to Salt Lake City to see Mr. Neeleman myself and demand a public apology to every single one of those passengers on the nine flights at JFK. As well as the immediate termination of Mr. Alvarez and a commitment to the proper training of their staff to handle disasters. He can keep his blue chips and his $25/hour for being late. The only reason he is introducing a "passenger bill of rights" is so the public will forget about this and not push their local US representative to vote on a federal "passenger bill of rights" that will fine the airlines much more than $25/hour. Don't be fooled, Mr. Neeleman is just beating the politicians to the punch. This happened in 1999 when the American Airlines flight sat for six hours and it will happen again in 2007 if we fall for this ploy.

I applaud you efforts with a standing ovation. Anything I can do to help, let me know. Remember, power in numbers.

Best, Michael

Katty's Two Cents (On my plane too!)

2007-02-26T21:26:00.002-08:00

One Cent-

They obviously need to revamp Jet Blue's entire infrastructure of travel agents and intra-company communication system. They also need a hard and fast rule about not being able to hold passengers on a plane longer than three hours. For instance, they will pay a penalty to travelers if they break their “three hour” flight, so people at least feel like they have some protection/compensation. I.E., for every hour passengers are kept on the plane exceeding three hours, they should reimburse the customer a $100 per hour.

I can’t believe one quick storm took down an entire company that seems to have been fine for so long. Since our “flight,” when people found out I was on the plane, everyone had some story about how they were held on the tarmac forever on their last Jet Blue flight. Like seriously...EVERYONE! The trust is gone. And they need to institute some security blanket like an airline penalty so people trust them again.

As for our flight, in particular...I honestly think we should be seriously monetarily compensated. And not just 150% of what the price of our ticket was, but thousands of dollars (10-20-40G?). It would be cheaper for him than everyone on our flight suing him. I have never thought about suing anyone in my life...it’s not my style...BUT...my body is still so fucked up from being all cramped up for that long, I can’t even wear my backpack. Also, I’ll never get my friend’s movie premiere back...or the meetings I had planned for that Friday. I had lots riding on both Thursday and Friday, and by the time they finally released us/officially canceled our flight...I couldn’t even get to LA till Saturday, so I scrapped my trip altogether. If they had let us off earlier, I could have at least took control and taken a train to Baltimore and flew west from there. By the time they released us, no one had flights left.

Not to mention, I’m a very chill person most of the time...but now, crowded subways are inducing fucking panic attacks when the train slows or stops between stations. It’s nuts! The costs of physical therapy, pilates sessions and a good shrink (with meds!) will cost me a butt load. Boo!!!

Katty

Two Cents

Just saw the story on the today show that Jet Blue has beaten me to a lot of the ideas I wrote you about. The Mardi Gras haze of last night is starting to lift. Other than the big payout for us...something else that would be helpful when a plane is delayed is that they should have someone waiting for people as they deplane to help them figure out what their next step should be. And at least four people on the ready to rebook that entire flight vs. us wandering around the terminal lost. ESPECIALLY when they know bad weather is heading an airport’s way.

K

Jon G in SUPPORT of JetBlue.

2007-02-26T21:26:00.001-08:00

Jon G

Despite what happened in the last week with Jet Blue, they're already heads and shoulders above most airlines, the majors included. In my opinion anyways. That the CEO is talking the straight dope about their short comings and offering solutions and apologies is huge in my book and further concretes my love of the company. If I have to fly in the continental U.S. and Jet Blue flies there, I take Jet Blue.

Of course I say this without experiencing what you experienced, so take that for whatever it's worth. They're still a great company and I hope this doesn't tank them. I just wish they went more places, LAX specifically. Long Beach sucks. I'd fly to California more frequently if they landed in LAX. It'd almost be worth it to cut out 6 hours from that 13 hours to Japan.

Loretta's Story: BUR to JF

2007-02-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Loretta's Story

Hi Gen - nice to meet you!

I too felt the wrath of JetBlue this weekend (though not as badly as you)... I had a flight from Burbank to JFK on Friday.

To recap:
-Flight scheduled to leave at 10:55 am
-Delayed until 1:00 pm due to the inbound flight leaving JFK late
-The plane lands at BUR, and 5 min later we're told that they don't have any pilots to fly us to NY
-Scramble to find pilots
-Board plane at 2:30 pm, wait for the new pilots to finish paperwork, top off fuel (because the pilot tells us that those Airbus jets have a fuel capacity barely able to make it to NY -- I'd never heard that before! And I've flown JetBlue loads of times), push back from gate around 3:30 but by then we've lost our place in line and have to wait.
-Then the winds change and we have to dump 1000 lbs of fuel to take off in a tail wind instead of a head wind
-Finally take off at 4:20 pm
-2/3 of way through flight we're told we have to stop and refuel in Pittsburgh (aargh!)
-1:45 am land at JFK
-wait for 30 min for a gate to open up
-When we finally get to baggage claim, there is a sea of people and mounds of baggage - not only are there inbound flights/passengers to deal with, but there are hundreds of passengers who checked in baggage only to have their flights canceled are milling around (some for hours) trying to get their bags back.
-Finally got my bag at 3:30 am

The biggest issue, as I saw it, was a total communication breakdown. As the news reports have noted, JetBlue's system was completely overloaded. The staff at Burbank had no clue what was going on - the lack of pilots was a total shock to them - and there were so few staff actually at JFK that no passengers could get answers. A man with a bullhorn finally came out (because the baggage carousel board was completely inaccurate) to tell people which flights were coming out on which carousels.

The fact that the airline was still is such disarray by Friday was utterly ridiculous. Again, nothing that hasn't already been covered by the press or acknowledged by the airline, but after two days you think they'd at least have staffed up on the ground at their main hub to help stranded passengers, etc.

Also, the JetBlue automated system (online and via phone) was reporting that we'd actually landed at JFK (when we were still in Pittsburgh) so many family and friends were stuck waiting at JFK for hours to pick up passengers.

And I have a feeling that I won't be offered any compensation because I technically wasn't stuck on a plane on a runway for over 2 hours straight (or whatever the cut-off is)... it will suck if I have to fight for compensation when I arrived at my destination almost 7 hours late, and at such a God-awful time of night.

I have been a JetBlue booster since July of 2001 (and I personally love that they fly out of Long Beach and Burbank so I can avoid the chaos of LAX and use the rear boarding stairs!), but I have noticed a slip in service over the last year or two.

Their rapid expansion was obviously ill-planned and a major tax on their system. The "low fares" they bragged about for years, and continue to brag about, are almost non-existent at this point. I regularly find equal or cheaper fares on the other major airlines.

I do appreciate their amenities, like Direct TV and extra leg room (and am thrilled that they're rescuing the old TWA terminal at JFK from decay), but it's getting harder and harder to justify buying a JetBlue ticket.

Thanks for leading the charge, and the very best of luck with your meeting!!!! Feel free to contact me for any other support or questions.

Best,
Loretta

PS - I just wanted to say that I looooove the Long Beach Airport. Anything to avoid the chaos of LAX is good by me. And there's rear boarding! Come on people!

Plus, I feel like Jackie O every time I walk down those outdoor jetway stairs. :-)

Shame on you, JetBlue - Yaminah's letter and JB Reply

2007-02-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

I don't blog at work, but I had to throw this up real quick. Ask and you shall NOT receive. If you take the time to write in, you'll probably get somethig similar. If you do, please feel free to share. I'll leave all identifying marks off.

A letter to JetBlue from a reader:

hey gen,

just wanted to share jetblue's very lame response to my complaint letter (see attached). after 3 paragraphs of tripe they finally state that they "respectfully deny my request for additional compensation". their language speaks as though they just delayed the flight for a few hours. they completely ignore the fact that we were trapped on that plane for 10+ hours, like the whole ordeal never happened. they continue to mismanage the situation, even after the fact (damn non-existent e-vouchers). i cannot *wait* to hear about your meeting with mr. neeleman, if it ever actually happens.

y

David Neeleman
Chief Executive Officer
JetBlue Airways
6322 South 3000 East
Suite G10
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

Dear Mr. Neeleman:

I?m not sure that I actually have the words to express how frustrated, dismayed, and disappointed I
am in JetBlue?s service on February 14, 2007. I was a passenger on Flight 351 from JFK, New York to Burbank, California who was falsely imprisoned in a JetBlue plane for 10 hours before being
released. My confirmation number is xxxxx. I received a refund of my ticket and an e-mail apology
that includes an ?electronic voucher equivalent to the amount which was paid when booking your
reservation.? The admission of your guilt and your attempt at amends is unsatisfactory and I am
requesting 2 round-trip travel vouchers with no price restrictions as well as $220.00 to compensate
for lost wages (proof of wages can be provided upon request).

As I am trying to re-plan my travel, I am finding that the flights that best fit my schedule exceed
the price of my original ticket. I refuse to pay the difference for a new trip, especially after
the horrific ordeal of being held against my will on that plane for 10 hours. Also, one
price-restricted travel voucher does not begin to address the emotional distress of being trapped
for 10 hours, nor does it address the wages lost that business day. The ticket refund and
price-equivalent voucher was a gesture that you made to all passengers that were held on a runway
for 3 or more hours. You are not addressing the tremendous difference between being forcibly held
in a small space with insufficient food and facilities for 10 hours versus being inconvenienced for
only 3 hours. There is an incredibly significant difference.

I cannot and do not blame you, JetBlue, for the weather conditions of the day, but I do blame you
for your mismanaged, bungled, and disgustingly inconsiderate response. The JetBlue promise is ?to
continue to bring humanity back to air travel,? but the treatment we passengers received on February
14 was inhumane and irresponsible. I would like a response about this situation within 7 business
days of receipt of this request. I am willing to take this matter to several media outlets (both
domestic and international) if I do not get a response. I can be reached at xxxxx@yahoo.com or
(917) xxx-xxxx to discuss the matter further.

Sincerely,
Y M
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dear JetBlue
To:
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:41:26 -0700 (MST)
Subject: JetBlue Airways Response
Re: email received Tuesday,02/20/07 10:13 AM, Speak Up 1537692

Dear Ms. M,

Thank you for taking time to let us know of your disappointment in our performance recently. We value your feedback, especially as a long-time JetBlue customer. It saddens us that you have lost your faith in us. Please accept our sincere apologies that we have not met your expectations in our service this weekend. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

From our CEO, David Neeleman, and our President, Dave Barger, we get the following:

We have failed you, and we are embarrassed. This wasn't the first time our system couldn't recover quickly from irregular operations. However, when those other events happened, we were a much smaller company, and the disruption was on a much smaller scale. We didn't prioritize our overall plan as a result of those failures, and that was just plain wrong.

We are recovering, and we are all focused on moving past this event and getting back to normal. When we face severe weather or other external events that disrupt our operations - and it's a question of when, not if we face these challenges again - we will be better prepared in advance.

Our systems, communications and response plan are, as of now, under immediate review. Our top administrative officers have met and laid out a comprehensive plan to identify the weaknesses in our company, and every officer is in charge of getting to the core of what happened, why it happened, and how we can do better. The session yielded some immediate actions we will take that will make us better prepared, even if we face a weather event in the coming days. You deserve better and will get it.

We are taking immediate steps to earn back the trust and love our customers still have for us. We never want anyone connected with JetBlue, as a customer or crewmember, to go through anything like what we just experienced again. The problems we face in the future will not be of our own creation, and when challenged in the future, we will be the airline, with an industry-leading program, the fastest response, and the most caring customer policies, with the best crewmembers ready and able to make a difference. This promise comes from our top leadership and we are all committed to it.

Despite this failure, a great number of JetBlue crewmembers exhibited moments of heroism over the past five days in their efforts to repair our company in the eyes of our customers. Some examples are Theresa, an "unbelievable" Flight Attendant; Debbie, who was on the phone for 18 hours getting a customer and her husband across the country to see her dying father; and many others, on the phone and at the airports, making every effort to find space on flights in a calm, helpful and kind manner. We are receiving compliments by email, phone and fax from customers thanking us for the way we have attempted to handle this situation, expressing their appreciation and continued loyalty to JetBlue.

Although we strive for the highest level of customer service, that does not always constitute a refund, compensation, or fare adjustment. We must respectfully deny your request for further compensation.

We genuinely value your choosing JetBlue in the past. Thank you for your patience with us. We look forward to future opportunities to share a positive "JetBlue Experience"!

Sincerely,
Sonja
Customer Commitment Crew
JetBlue Airways
Crewmember 25784

Lesson Learned? CNN-JetBlue Cancels flights

2007-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Because of last night's snow, JetBlue cancels 70 flights preemptively.

JetBlue moves quickly to cancel flights this storm

Low fare carrier cuts 40% of JFK flights nearly two weeks after stranding passengers there on the tarmac for hours.

February 26 2007: 6:55 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- JetBlue, which took a hit to earnings and a worse hit to its reputation when passengers were stranded for hours at its New York hub on Feb. 14, moved quickly to cancel 40 percent of its flights to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport as a new storm hit the area Monday.

The discount carrier said flights not going to or from its main hub at JFK were not yet being cancelled early Monday due to the storm.

JetBlue (Charts) also flies out of Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in the New York area, but it has only limited service at those locations.

The airline has 170 arrivals and departures a day scheduled at JFK. As of 6:30 a.m. ET, the low-fare airline had cancelled 68 of those flights through early afternoon.

The airline admitted that much of the problem on Feb. 14 came from not cancelling flights as quickly as it should, leaving passengers on planes that could not take off due to weather and could not return to occupied gates to discharge passengers.

It took almost a full week for the airline to recover from the fiasco, and it estimates that the problem cost it $30 million.

The airline, which announced what it called a "Passengers Bill of Rights" in the wake of the Feb. 14 storm, announced Saturday that passengers booked Sunday into or out of Richmond, Va; Washington, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio may rebook without fee or fare difference through Thursday.

There were 32 JetBlue flights to and from Dulles International Airport outside of Washington cancelled Sunday, along with two to and from Pittsburgh.

Sunday it extended the same rebooking without penalty offer to passengers flying to or from the three New York area airports, Newburgh, N.Y., Chicago and Boston, as well as the four airports affected Sunday.

Shares of JetBlue took a hit on Feb. 20 after reports that the problems continued through the President's Day holiday and the company's statement about the cost of the problem.

Still, its shares are up about 20 percent over the last 12 months. They've outperformed leading low-fare competitor Southwest (Charts) and matched gains at United Airlines parent UAL Corp. (Charts), but badly trail most old-line hub-and-spoke airlines such as American Airlines parent AMR (Charts), Continental Airlines (Charts) and US Airways Group (Charts).

JetBlue's $30 million fiasco

Podango - Podcast and Blog! JBH.com

2007-02-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Podango Podcasts Station.

The Latest on Myspace

I'm sure you heard about the Jet Blue debacle last week, due to inclement weather, where some passengers were forced to stay on a grounded plane for 11 hours, waiting for the weather to clear...

Well, yes you guessed it. A MySpace page has popped up by an angry victim of the terrible, no good, very bad day of some Jet Blue customers.

The page www.myspace.com/jetbluehostage reads, "My Name is Genevieve and I was a passenger on JetBlue #351 on Valentines day along with my boyfriend Charlie. We were en route to LA for Valentine's day before we ended being held hostage for 11 hours on the frozen tarmac at JFK."

Genevieve is looking for other angry customers to commiserate with her. In her "Who I'd Like To Meet" section, it reads, "People who were JetBlue hostages on Feb 14.

People inconvenienced by the poor decision making and planning of JetBlue Coporate. People abused and neglected by JetBlue employees."

Download Podcast.

MyShingle.com - JetBlueHostage.com

2007-02-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

Inspiring solo and small firm lawyers

Even after practicing law for 18 years, underneath my general air of confidence and my excess precaution with much of what I do lies a deep fear that at any minute, I could screw up in a major, big time way. But now, courtesy of Jet Blue, there's a lesson from the school of real life marketing on how to you can begin to deal with the fallout from those inevitable gaffes (or not).

This article, Jet Blue's Survival School offers a run down on some of whatJet Blue's done right since everything went so terribly wrong with its Valentines' Day Meltdown. Most significantly, Jet Blue's CEO, David Neeleman has stepped up to the plate to take responsibility and apologize:

But rather than hide behind his desk and speak through a flunky, Neeleman stepped up. He assessed the situation early on and spoke to the press. He explained exactly what went wrong and apologized. He said he felt "mortified" and "humiliated." That culminated Tuesday when he appeared on CNN's American Morning, Today, Fox and Friends and Squawk Box before most people arrived at work. He's been so visible, appearing live on so many media outlets, that it's a quasi-miracle he's been able to traverse New York City traffic to make the appointments.

I've read that good bedside matter often spares doctors, and other professionals from malpractice. So Neeleman's apology, as well as the compensation (free flights and refunds) and a Passenger Bill of Rights put him on the right track to making amends. Still, Jet Blue's efforts may not suffice to win back the affections of customers such as the one who started the blog, Jet Blue Hostage and has collected at least 150 stories from other passengers seriously inconvenienced by Jet Blue.

Click for the whole article

Feb 23 David Neeleman's FlightLog

2007-02-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

From David Neelman's and JetBlue's FlightLog

23-February-2007

Hi everyone,

I can’t thank you enough for the letters, emails and phone calls to our company expressing your support and graciously accepting my apology. We are making good progress on the necessary changes we have to make to ensure you never go through again what happened last week.

I’m also hearing from a lot of customers who we may have confused with our Bill of Rights. Below are some Q&A that our team put together to answer your most frequently asked questions. I will also post an easier-to-read compensation chart by Friday (Mar. 2) so check back here.

Thank you again for giving us another chance to earn your business and loyalty.

-David

Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the effective date of the Bill of Rights?

A: The JetBlue Customer Bill of Rights is retroactive to Feb. 14, 2007. The customers stranded on aircraft on Feb. 14, and customers in the 11 JetBlue destinations where we suspended service for the weekend will be compensated under additional provisions.

Q: What should I do if I was affected by the weather or your inability to recover from the weather?

A: JetBlue is automatically reviewing all customers records booked for travel between Feb. 14-19, 2007 and we will issue you the compensation appropriate to the disruption we caused you.

Q: Why did you choose five hours as the maximum time you will allow planes to sit on the group, either waiting for departure or waiting to arrive at a gate?

A: When a plane arrives at an airport and there is no gate available, we feel that there is really no excuse for this and we take full responsibility. Therefore you see that our compensation for arrival delays begins after 30 minutes from the time the airplane is positioned to pull into a gate. With departures, however, delays once onboard are typically due to air traffic control, weather, or ground delays, which are known as long taxi-out times. At some of our nation’s largest airports, such as New York’s JFK, taxi-out times on a “normal" day can easily approach 60-90 minutes with dozens of aircraft lined-up for take-off due to air traffic control. Our customers overwhelmingly tell us they just want to get to their destination and are willing to endure a few hours of waiting whether it be traffic or weather. Most have vacations, hotels, family or friends awaiting them upon arrival in their destination. This is the reason why our compensation begins after three hours for ground-delay departures. We instruct our pilots to return to the gate after five hours, unless take-off is imminent, and communication with the customers onboard has been clear.

Blog Write for CEOs mentions JetBluehostage.com!

2007-02-25T21:12:00.001-08:00

Blog Write For CEOs
By Debbie Weil

A phone call from JetBlue CEO David Neeleman's office
No, not because I was one of the unlucky passengers to be stranded at JFK last week (or detained on a plane on the tarmac for 10 hours... my idea of hell). But because I FedExed overnight a signed copy of The Corporate Blogging Book to CEO David Neeleman at JetBlue's headquarters in Forest Hills, NY.

I enclosed a note, commending Chapter 5 (with tips on CEO blogging) and suggested a number of ways JetBlue could improve Neeleman's blog.

Quick fixes for JetBlue CEO...

Click to read the whole thing.

Craigslist Rants and Rave-The discussion lives

2007-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

I've put some excerpts of some good stuff

New Yorkers:

Feb-22 "THURSDAY CHUCKLE' (otter) pic

Q. Why did the rooster cross the water on a log across the stream?
A. Because they can't fly and he was being chased by chickens and he was afriad to be stuck on a Jet Blue plane.

Feb-21 re: Jet Blue Stock up,, +4.00% (Upper East Side)
Feb-20 jet blue, flight delays (Financial District)
Feb-20 Agree about Jet Blue (Financial District)
Feb-20 I fly jet blue, you shouldn't (Financial District)
Feb-20 Re: JET BLUE-NEW NAME: HOSTAGE AIRLINES pic

"Hello, Jet Blue. May I help you?"
"Yeah, hi. How much is a one way ticket to THE FUCKING RUNWAY?!?"

Feb-20 re: Jet Blue takes full responsibility (Financial District) (Upper East Side)

The time for Jet Blue to have taken full responsibility was last Wednesday, when it left hundreds of passengers sitting on planes for many hours; or at any point from last Wednesday until yesterday when it left thousands of passengers stranded at airports around the country because it couldn't get its fleet in operation.

Feb-20 Jet Blue takes full responsibility (Financial District)
Feb-20 re: buy jet blue (Financial District)
Feb-20 True stories about Jet Blue (Financial District)
Feb-20 re: Buy Jet Blue (Upper East Side)
Feb-20 JET BLUE-NEW NAME: HOSTAGE AIRLINES (NYC)
Feb-20 Buy Jet Blue
Feb-19 Is JET BLUE the AIRLINE OF THE YEAR?
Feb-19 jet blue free roundtrips (screwed)

Bostonians:

Feb-22 i support jetblue
Feb-22 Re: Support Jet Blue (NOT)
Feb-22 Re: Support Jet Blue

CallCenter Magazine - JBH.com Shouts

2007-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks guys!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Learn From JetBlue's Mistakes

I found a nice illustration of Keith's super-empowered angry customer idea in the whole JetBlue debacle. After sitting in an airplane that was frozen to the runway at JFK on Valentine's Day for 11 hours, angry customer Genevieve started the blog JetBlue Hostage.

She writes:

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.

That's the key to the super empowered angry customer, as I see it: it's a customer that feels powerless in their relationship with a large and faceless company. Blogging and connecting with others who were wronged by the company is a way to take back some control. In her profile, she says:

I'm looking for other hostages of Jet Blue. I don't feel that a round trip ticket is enough compensation for people who were held hostage for 11 hours. I don't believe that 11 hour hostages should be treated the same as 3 hour hostages. I don't believe they apologized enough. I believe in the power of the people and power in numbers.

For the rest of the story

COUNTDOWN TO NEELEMAN

2007-02-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Lots of you have been writing in predicting Neeleman is going to CANCEL our meeting.

Here's a little background. I was told that Neeleman was available to meet me at MY convenience. Obviously it's a delicate balancing act; meet before the story is cold but give me enough time to educate myself.

I gave a date.

They called back within the hour to tell me Neeleman was out of town and it was pushed back a few days. (So much for MY convenience.)

I was specifically asked to NOT post the date for security reasons and I won't. But it IS this week.

If the meeting does not happen this week, you know that they not only applied the "Charm Offensive" but the stall tactic.

I have too much invested, too many people behind me, too many media contacts, too much information and too much pride to forget.

I will not let the story be forgotten.
Plus I have something they want.

Let's hope that Neeleman and the JetBlue flacks aren't trying to pacify me, cos I am a stubborn woman of mettle. Ask Charlie, I don't back down.

Love,
Genevieve

Business Week - One Extraordinary Stumble

2007-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

COVER STORY
Customer Service Champs
BW's first-ever ranking of 25 client-pleasing brands included JetBlue, until it got stuck on the runway

Held Hostage Upon A Jet Blue Aircraft for 1 Year, 4 Months, and 16 Days

2007-02-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

Another Post From David - My favorite JetBlueHostage Crew Member.
It's 3:00am.
time to sleep. Love, G

Held Hostage Upon A Jet Blue Aircraft for 1 Year, 4 Months, and 16 Days

How much do you value 1 minute of your LIFE?
How much do you value 1 hour of your LIFE?
How much do you value 1 month of your LIFE?
How much do you value 1 year of your LIFE???

Debate has, rightfully, grown out the "naming" associated with the www.jetbluehostage.com web site. Yet, the question "what's in a name?" is often of great societal merit. Language that is termed by some as being "harsh rhetoric" is often the stimulus for creating valued debate. To all of those whom believe, www.jetbluehostage.com , is either unfair or too harsh in regards to assimilating the word "hostage" with "Jet Blue", I would suggest rereading---The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America...specifically...."...or abridging the freedom of speech...". Fortunately we reside in a Country wherein entities such as Jet Blue can endeavor to censor our respective "freedom of speech" by rapidly securing the rights to domain names that may bode unfavorably upon it's actions, service, or reputation. Yet, Jet Blue do NOT possess the power to impinge upon the freedom of an advocate "for the people" such as Gen, who rightfully and legally has provided us a forum within which to express our respective opinions, and in doing so she does not have to fear any possibility of being illegally muted. Before, anybody participating upon the www.jetbluehostage.com dares to consider Gen, or anybody else associated with the site as twisted or evil, all they need to do is reference their daily newspaper and "uncover" the name of a United States Soldier killed upon the battlefield. One of the fundamental requisites of such a sacrifice is to "uphold" the Constitution, the very same one that allows for a site entitled www.jetbluehostage.com to exist.

Anybody and everybody has the right to be in absolute disagreement with the paragraph above, yet the following data is irrefutable and pertains directly to both the title of this posting, and the four "time" questions referred to thereafter.

*January 2007, Jet Blue reports an average of 76.1% capacity upon it's aircraft.
*Jet Blue Airbus A-320 aircraft are configured to seat 150 passengers (NOTE: I do not know if any EMB-190 aircraft were deployed by Jet Blue during the Valentine's Day 2007 debacle. All of the numbers below are based wholly upon Airbus A-320 aircraft. Furthermore, the 76.1% capacity total above for the month of January was inclusive of passengers flying aboard EMB-190 aircraft)
*Utilizing the January 2007 capacity figures released by Jet Blue of 76.1%, and the seating capacity of Jet Blue Airbus A-320 aircraft, a logical/reasonable assumption can be calculated that each of the Jet Blue aircraft that were left stranded upon the JFK apron carried approximately 114.15 passengers.
*No absolute number of aircraft "impacted" has been cited, thus an approximation has been utilized based upon 10 Jet Blue A-320 aircraft holding their respective passengers hostage for an average of 10.5 hours.
* 10 Jet Blue Aircraft holding 114.15 passengers hostage for an average of 10.5 hours, results in a total of 12,032.55 total "man hours" of being held captive by Jet Blue.
*12,032.55 total "man hours" of being held hostage by Jet Blue results in a total of 501 days of captivity.
*501 days of being held hostage by Jet Blue equates to 41.75 months of captivity.
*41.75 months of being held hostage by Jet Blue equates to 1 YEAR 4 MONTHS & 16 DAYS of being a hostage.

Unfortunately for Mr. Neeleman, numbers don't lie, and a $300 voucher to fly upon "his" airline again is rather hollow reimbursement for "stealing" a cumulative 1 year, 4 months, and 16 days of human life...not much "humanity" in that Dave!

Thank you on behalf of your...friendly Jet Blue Hostage Crew Members

Flight Wisdom blog mentions JetBlueHostage.com

2007-02-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

FlightWisdom Blog
News, Advice and Thoughts on improving your flight experience and Saving you Money

Jetblue Will Lose Millions from Winter Incident

“I don’t blame our customers for being upset with this,” David Neeleman, CEO of Jetblue commented about the recent events plaguing the airline. For Saturday and Sunday, it pre-cancelled 23 percent of its schedule in order to reset their operation. That includes all flights to and from: Austin, Bermuda, Charlotte, Columbus, Houston, Jacksonville, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh/Durham, and Richmond.

One flyer has created a blog for the “Jetblue Valentine’s Day Hostage Crisis” at Jetbluehostage.com. Jetblue has, either way, certainly not made anything better. Although other airlines have cancelled many flights, Jetblue’s response to this weather crisis is proving to have been a massive disaster. On Thursday night, Jetblue closed out all flights, no longer accepting check-ins and actually had the police close the counters for them.

If they don’t fix this problem soon, no one will be flying them. Despite the fact that other airlines have and did delay passengers and cancel flights, only Jetblue’s situation is getting an intense level of press.

David Report Blog and JBH.com

2007-02-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

David Report
A creative hub with a humanistic approach at the intersection of design, innovation and brand communication.
YOUR PATHFINDER INTO THE FUTURE

Viva consumer power!
David Carlson, 23 February, 2007

What do you do if you feel that you have been treated really bad by a company? You start a blog - telling the world what kind of bad people they are!

“Nothing says “I love you” like being held hostage on a frozen plane with the man you love, 99 strangers, 4 other people you happen to know, 4 screaming babies and 3 rambunctious kids running about, nothing but chips and soda for sustenance, faulty power, unreliable direct TV and overfilled sewage system for 11 hours.”

The above is the headline from the blog Jetblue hostage. It’s run by Genevieve and she was a passenger on JetBlue #351 on Valentines day along with her boyfriend Charlie. They were en route to LA for Valentine’s day before they ended being held hostage for 11 hours on the frozen tarmac at JFK. She is now looking for other hostages of Jet Blue.

Click for the whole story

Business Week - Customer Service Champs. Not.

2007-02-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

Pickup tomorrow's issue of Business Week. Apparently the cover story was about Custome Service Champs which included JetBlue. The cover, which was printed BEFORE the snafu has been changed to have an "X" across JetBlue. Ow. Smarts don't it?

MARCH 5, 2007
COVER STORY

Customer Service Champs
BW's first-ever ranking of 25 client-pleasing brands included JetBlue, until it got stuck on the runway

Bob Emig was flying home from St. Louis on Southwest Airlines this past December when an all-too-familiar travel nightmare began to unfold. After his airplane backed away from the gate, he and his fellow passengers were told the plane would need to be de-iced. When the aircraft was ready to fly two and a half hours later, the pilot had reached the hour limit set by the Federal Aviation Administration, and a new pilot was required. By that time, the plane had to be de-iced again. Five hours after the scheduled departure time, Emig's flight was finally ready for takeoff.

Click for the whole story

Cover story podcast

This is another part of BusinessWeek's story on Customer Service.

Satisfaction (not always) Guaranteed
Customer Service

Bloomberg News

JetBlue’s Blues

JetBlue, the airline with a once squeaky-clean customer-service record, fell hard this Valentine’s Day when an ice storm left passengers stranded on runways in New York for up to ten hours. But the downward spiral didn’t stop there: JetBlue had to cancel hundreds of flights over the next several days to ease its backlog. Intense media coverage combined with passenger outrage has left the company scrambling to offer full refunds, free flights, promises of major operational changes, and even a passenger bill of rights.

JetBlue joins the dubious ranks of other airline mishaps, including a legendary 1999 Northwest Airlines flight when passengers were trapped on board for seven hours after landing nearly a day late in Detroit. Recently American Airlines made headlines when hundreds of passengers were kept on planes at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after New Year’s weekend thunderstorms hovered longer than expected.

Comment left on one of the POSTS - Brilliant. Passenger Bill Of Mights Amendment

2007-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is a fictional writing of one of the visitors to this site as a comment on one of the other posts. NOT BY ME. I could never be this funny or brilliant, but it deserved it's own post.

Written by Jet Blue Hostage "Crew Member" said...

First Amendment to the Jet Blue "Bill of Might's"

-Jet Blue Airways shall endeavor to CENSOR any and all attempts made by Citizens of The United States of America, or individuals residing outside the contiguous borders of The United States of America, to gain access and/or rights to Internet domain names that possess any negative connotation towards the Jet Blue Airways name.
________________________________________________________________________________________

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL- Strictly for the eyes of B6 Management, Employees, and Operators of Greyhound Busses....oh and, of course anybody participating, posting, or assisting in the www.jetbluehostage.com web site :-)

Jet Blue Airways Corporate Mandate
B6-Bill of Might's-Amendment #1

It is hereby resolved:

1) It is the responsibility of any/all employees (i.e. Crew Members) of Jet Blue Airways to be immediately engaged in the search for any/all words that possess a negative connotation.

2) All words that possess a negative connotation are to be immediately submitted to the Jet Blue Airways Sub-Committee for Word Association.

3) The Jet Blue Sub-Committee for Word Association shall, effective immediately, become an active an equal Jet Blue Corporate Department, possessing equal powers as the present Jet Blue Airways Sub-Committee for Censorship.

4) Both the Jet Blue Sub-Committee for Word Association and Jet Blue Airways Sub-Committee for Censorship shall directly report to the Jet Blue Airways Sub Committee for Total Passenger Control and Quality Assuredness for Preventing Staleness of In-Flight Terra Blue Chips.

5) Sources to be used in the Jet Blue Airways Corporate effort to search for any/all words that possess a negative connotation, include, but are not limited to the following: The American Heritage Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, New Oxford American Dictionary and Webster's Dictionary. If any Employee or Manager of Jet Blue Airways is either unaware or unfamiliar with what a "dictionary" is, they are immediately directed to submit a "Jet Blue Left-is Right and Right-is-Left Employee Grievance Form" (JBA Form #6QG9T5A77M9P-W2507QV5E480.00204W/YY048LSD-70026-8 which is not to be confused with JBA Form #6QG9T5A77M9P-W2507QV5E480.00204W/YY048LSD-70026-9, both of which are contained within JBA Training Manual SRG6IOD44KLL00FFYBBKE56-04973JFNELF86WJKSHJVL487620) to their respective Manager. Submission of such a form may result in immediate promotion, yet any and all promotions are subject to approval of the Jet Blue Airways Sub-Committee for the Proper Landscaping of All Jet Blue Owned Property and....um....In-flight Safety.

6) All approved words submitted to the Jet Blue Airways Sub-Committee for Word Association , possessing a negative connotation, immediately become the property of Jet Blue Airways.

7) Employee adherence to the Jet Blue "B6-Bill of Might's-Amendment #1" is mandatory. Any Jet Blue employee who submits a word, may be subject to immediate termination and replacement by an "active" Jet Blue employee who is either unaware or unfamiliar with the existence of dictionaries.

This Amendment is to be effective immediately as of June 23, 2002.

Signed into Effect,
Jet Blue Airways Management & The International Lobby For Central Air-Conditioning

Tomorrow's Agenda

2007-02-24T00:44:00.000-08:00

Good news. I printed every. last. email I got in. I can't sit in front of a computer anymore. I'm going to go to sleep at 1230am. This is the first night I'll be going to sleep BEFORE 4 am.

I have to wake up bright and early.

Charlie and I have a meeting with two other people who were on flight #351.

One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a publisher of a highly influential magazine.

And they thought a blogger could do a lot of damage.

In addition to Ruth, my go-to girl and David, my expert on all things JetBlue, I've been contacted by another lawyer. Who knows what that will lead to. At this point I don't know what to expect from people.

Sweet dreams.

ps-It's 1244. So scratch the bed at 1230 thing.

Dear JetBlue

2007-02-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

Dear JetBlue

What is it you REALLY want from me?
Is your granting me an audience with Neeleman a genuine attempt at healing?
Or a thinly veiled attempt at buying full control of your brand image off of me?

I bought JetBlueHostage.com on Feb 16.

Who owns JetBlueHostage.net? The day after you emailed me about meeting with your CEO and founder, you registered the .net extension of my domain. Coincidence?

If you ask my friends about me at all, they’ll tell you that the best and worst thing about me is my bluntness, my compulsive need to be straight up and honest with someone. I’m not one for mincing words or being kind. I’m a straight shooter and if you catch me on the right day, it’s downright endearing.

I’ve never been a fan of duplicity. I'm also not a fan of sensationalism in my personal life, I'll leave that to PerezHilton.com.

So I’m asking you, on a public forum to be candid. Are you on the “charm offensive” as an attempt to appeal to the person in all of us who want to be accepted by the popular guy only to do the old bait and switch with me? I respect honesty so much more.

It is standard practice for business to protect their brand identity by securing domains that pair up their brand with negative connotations. Is this “meeting” because one happened to slip thru the cracks? One emotionally charged word plus your almost spotless Brand. The one word that still conjures up thoughts of 9/11?

9/11. After a pretty heavy educating of the history of JetBlue last night, I was told (still unconfirmed by my own research) that the Feb Debacle of 2007 was only the latest of Neeleman’s public mea culpas.

After 9/11, JetBlue (allegedly) was a very bad boy. I’ll get more into that as I do the research on my own.

This weekend, I’ll be buried up to my ears in documentation. Meeting with two people who were on my flight. Multiple telephone calls to make to Ruth and others and about 75 pages in printed out emails to read thru.

As always, I’ll still be looking forward to emails from your fans and your detractors. Until we meet again.

Love,
Gen

Crown Citee Blog Love

2007-02-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Crown Citee Blog

Jet Blue Hostage
Remember last week’s Jet Blue crisis? Flight #351 stranded for 11 hours at JFK? Well, Jet Blue apoligized, however some passengers where still very much pissed. A website has been dedicated to this ordeal, with an opening passage that reads as follows:

“Nothing says “I love you” like being held hostage on a frozen plane with the man you love, 99 strangers, 4 other people you happen to know, 4 screaming babies and 3 rambunctious kids running about, nothing but chips and soda for sustenance, faulty power, unreliable direct TV and overfilled sewage system for 11 hours.”
-JetBlueHostage.com

What could be worse for Jet Blue? Hmmmm, perhaps, a myspace page; myspace.com/jetbluehostage. Wow LOL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JETBLUEHOSTAGE.COM

2007-02-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

It was a week ago at around 3pm that I started JetBlueHostage.Blogger.com. Out of curiosity, I did a domain search for JetBlueHostage.com. And what do you know? One of ‘em slipped thru the cracks didn't it, JetBlue? With the magic of URL forwarding, we were born.

It was a week ago that JetBlue admitted they made a mistake. The biggest "no-shit-sherlock" statement of 2007.
It was a week ago today that I received one of the thousand or so emails that started going out. "A roundtrip ticket equivalent to the amount you paid when booking this reservation" for all people held "hostage" for longer than three hours.

This is when some simple math is appropriate.
630 Boarding time
500 Shuttle Relief
10.5 Hours in the comfort of 32" in leg room

3 < 10.5

A 6.5 hour disparity sparked the birth of this blog.

Up to then, "The Valentine's Day Hostage Crisis" it was just another unwritten post in my oft neglected blog NotEverythingIsACrisis.com.

Instead of spending my Valentine's Day with my family, who had arranged to travel to LA from the Bay Area, my friends in LA and Charlie, I commiserated with the other passengers on JetBlue #351.

Setting out to find a way for the long-term "hostages" to be compensated accordingly was my search for India. Of course I stumbled onto you and you, me. And I have never been more grateful. Thank you.

Thanks to Jaunted.com. Yours was the first site to link to us. And honestly, this would be nothing NOTHING, if you didn’t give the very first track back to us.

Thanks to CNN and Abbie Tatton and the people at The Situation Room.

Thanks to Charlie and Ruth and David. Y’all are the information trifecta. Let’s fight the good fight.

Love,
Gen

JetBlueHostage.com on CNN...AGAIN!

2007-02-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

On CNN's Situation Room.

I'll be changing this video to a better quality one in a bit.

JetBlueHostage.com on CNN...AGAIN!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

7 Day and 7 Bullets

2007-02-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

Day 1 (Friday) - Start Blog. Register Domain. First Posts. A blog that aggregates related news stories and my personal stories.

Day 2 (Saturday) - Found a track back from Jaunted.com. Emails of personal stories start pouring in. My own personal story gets put on the back burner.

Day 3 (Sunday) - Email from CNN. My first of many correspondences with Ruth, AKA" The Answer," our de facto legal advisor (informally and not by some contractual obligation.)

Day 4 (Monday) - Interviewed with CNN. Story runs on CNN at 5:18 EST. If I was busy before, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into.

Day 5 (Tuesday) - Email from Neeleman's flacks.

Day 6 (Wednesday) - Meeting with Neeleman confirmed. Get my first email from who I thought was an aviation expert but turns out to be so much more.

Day 7 (Thursday) - Spoke to David (NOT NEELEMAN-David is the guy who I THOUGHT was an aviation expert) for two hours. Shook me to my core.

Today - Happy Birthday Little Baby Blog.

Rome wasn't build in a day.
And it took God 6 whole days to create the world.
So 7 days for a blog ain't to shabby.

VH-1 Best Week Ever Shout Out!

2007-02-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

WOOT! For seriously awesome blossom.

VH-1 Best Week Ever

JET-BLEW INDEED: If you were stuck on a JetBlue airplane for 11 hours you get more than just a free round-trip ticket; you get something to blog about!
(JetBlue Hostage)

YouTube Members Personal Stories

2007-02-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

DADLABS: 12 Hours at the Jet Blue Terminal during the Ice Storm

Ahesk: JetBlue DePlaning

Jsandifer73: Stuck In Denver

JetBlueCrisis

This is not during the debacle, but it was hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFp3zfhI-vk

TV Coverage of JetBlue

2007-02-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

Conana O'Brien

I think this was the actual pilot on my flight.
Watching this I started getting a twitch and some crazy violent flashbacks.

CBS: NOTEBOOK

JetBlue tries to win back it's customers

O'Reilly Factor

Is it the end of the world when Bill O'Reilly are on the same side of an arguement?

FOX NEWS: Before the Bench

CBS News Online: MoneyWatch
Click to watch, no embedding allowed.

AUDIENCE WITH THE CEO OF JETBLUE

2007-02-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

I don't know where to start or what to say. I'm seriously delirious. EVERYONE EMAIL ME ASAP. When CNN asked to talk to me, I was very forthcoming and said I don't know what "the right thing" is. I just know what WASN'T the right thing.

UPDATE: FEB 21 11pm: CHARLIE AND I ARE SCHEDULED TO SEE DAVID NEXT WEEK. I'LL CONTINUE TO POST RELEVANT BLOGS, NEWS AND STORIES. I'LL DO MY HOMEWORK AND RESEARCH THIS WEEKEND. I'D LIKE TO SET UP A AIM CHAT THIS WEEKEND TO HAVE AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. EMAIL ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING. jetbluehostage@gmail.com

SO, As I'm getting ready to start taking your experiences and put them up on the blog, I got this email. I almost puked in my mouth. First of all because I'm easily intimidated by those in power,secondly because I don't know what to say.

I really need your help now.

Desperately yours,
Gen

Hi there Gen,

I’m ---------, a spokesman for JetBlue and I wanted to run an idea by you. I’m sure by now you’ve heard about our Customer Bill of Rights that we announced today, part of our plan for going forward includes involving customers in our decision-making and airline planning. Our CEO David Neeleman would like to talk with you, if you’re interested, about the terrible experiences you faced and how we can work to improve our airline for customers like you. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of good insights, not only from your travel woes, but also from hearing from so many others via your web site. What do you think?

Best,
JetBlue Airways
Corporate Communications
------ ------ Boulevard
Forest Hills, NY 11375

ON CNN Situation Room. MONDAY FEB 19 4-6pm

2007-02-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

Check out Jetbluehostage.com on CNN's Situation Room show.

CNN
Situation Room
4-6pm
Monday, Feb 19th

JetBlueHostage.com on CNN

Add to My Profile | More Videos

David Neeleman TV and Radio Appearances

2007-02-22T05:50:00.001-08:00

David Neeleman with David Letterman on The Late Show

David Neeleman with Matt Lauer on The Today Show:

NPR: ALL THINGS CONSIDERED - Delays, Passengers and a Bill of Rights

There is a link to the story on the site

Talk of the Nation, February 19, 2007 ·

The plight of passengers stuck on grounded planes for up to 10 hours last week has prompted new calls for a "Passenger Bill of Rights."

How is the industry responding, and what should be included in the "Bill of Rights?"

Guests:

David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue

Rudy Maxa, contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler and "the Savvy Traveler" on Marketplace.

Kate Hanni, chairwoman and spokesperson for Coalition for an Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights

REMEMBER: SUPPORT NPR, BECOME A MEMBER

Making the Blog Better - Your help please

2007-02-21T23:44:00.000-08:00

Hi kids,

This blog is insane. I'm tyring to make it be a better place to visit.
I put JetBlue OFFICIAL correspondence in ONE place.
I also put all of the all-knowing Ruth's blogs in one place.
I put all JetBlue Employee mail in one place.

AND I linked to Charlie's blog since no one seems to know who he is and he's such an important part of this crusade for me.
CHARLIE BECKER

ALL THINGS RUTH

ALL OFFICIAL JETBLUE CORRESPONDENCE

JETBLUE EMPLOYEES SPEAK
All of the shortcuts will be a perennial shortcut to the right of the blog.

Last but not least, can anybody help me make the blog easier to read. I don't want to link to outside of this site because the point is having all your resources RIGHT HERE. Not because I'm trying to monotise the site, which i've consciously decided NOT to do (for the time being,) but because I don't want to point people out and lose them.

So aside from linking out, how can I make it so you can read ONE paragraph and click it to read the whole post if you are interested?

Love,
Gen

I Heart Hustler of Culture

2007-02-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

From the Hustler of Culture

read your post to the HATERS. fuck them.

no corporation big or small should be able to diss their loyal
customers as such. jetblue is a *GREAT* company and they'll do the
right thing... eventually. sometimes it takes a minute for people to
realize what's right, wrong, embarrassing, or not. don't worry about
world peace, the ozone layer, and our ill na na dependency on crude
oil. just worry about what you got inadvertently involved in, right
now. work on the other stuff over your life time. just do the right
thing, which is what you are doing now.

i volunteered bumped on delta last night returning from atlanta.
they gave me $200 delta dollars, a meal voucher, and first class on
the next flight out. i can't complain. delta probably learned its
lesson from what's been on the news. and they knew if they were
going to overbook that they should preemptive strike. they did the
right thing. some people were bummed to get bumped but nobody seemed
outraged.

love, me

I Heart TheTruffle

2007-02-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Shucks! You guys make me so happy. Thanks, Truffle. You're in NY, I'm in NY. Let's be friends.

The Truffle
City girl. Book editor. Music lover. Reality-based community member. Loves flowers, swimming pools, and cute kitty cats.

Things to make me appreciate the subway more...

JetBlue can apologize all it wants. Its CEO can tell everyone and their brother how utterly mortified he is at passengers kept aboard planes for 11 hours. It can offer a new "passenger's bill of rights." But it's not going to live down this fiasco.

Witness JetBlueHostage.com. You can guess what this blog's about. Blogger Genevieve is collecting stories from other JetBlue passengers. And no, I don't think she's overreacting and I don't think this is hyperbole on her part.

People, this is an abuse of customers' trust, okay? Passengers should not have to wait more than three hours aboard a plane. Period. There's a little concept the airlines should know about. It's spelled C-U-S-T-O-M-E-R S-E-R-V-I-C-E. Which means you don't keep customers eating pretzels and chips for 11 hours while the toilets overflow. Dig?

Barbara Ehrenreich adds:

If I get stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours, I plan to use my cell phone to call Homeland Security. Let’s face it, JetBlue and the rest of you: Anything more than three hours on the ground isn’t an airline delay, it’s a hostage situation.

SENT TO MYSPACE: JET BLUE'S PASSENGER'S BILL OF "MIGHTS"

2007-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

I have no idea who wrote this. It was sent to me at Myspace.com/Jetbluehostage. It was sent to me from a Myspace profile that was anonymous. I'd love to know who the actual author is. Whoever you are, we're not worthy.

It's an absolute MUST READ. JetBlue Advocates and Victims, Discuss amongst yourselves.

I have a slew of additional factual commentary...let me know if you would like more.....

Jet Blue's passenger "Bill of Might's" Comb through the Jet Blue web site, and laudatory "Press Releases" abound. The airline, from prior to inception through present day has been unrelenting in it's willingness for self-promotion and the corporate mantra of returning "humanity" to "air travel". In defining air travel in general as an "inhumane" experience, Jet Blue has seemingly exposed a willingness to place itself upon a very high pedestal. The effect of such a pre mediated assault upon perspective passengers, other airlines, and the press has been, for the most part, robustly lauded. It defies belief, that prior to Jet Blue suddenly and unexpectedly imploding upon itself during Valentine's Day 2007, that the airline hadn't fashioned a "press release" identifying itself as the "only airline to conduct nearly full operations at JFK, while all other airlines left passengers stranded!". Very simply, the expectations of Jet Blue were that this specific weather event would ultimately become "just another" proverbial feather in the airlines cap. The failed, and seemingly cascading, results of such an emboldened approach have been reported to the point of nauseam.

Jet Blue, upon cognitive recognition that its storm related failure, and subsequent efforts to "reboot" operations, were morphing into a twenty-four hour news cycle headline, abruptly assumed a "Management" led campaign of contrition. The culmination of this posture was a "humiliated" and "mortified" Chief Executive assuming full responsibility, apologizing, and proclaiming that a "Bill of Rights" for Jet Blue passengers would be quickly forthcoming. The carrier, appeared to be shrewdly "back atop it's game" for crafting the "message" it wished to be conveyed to the traveling public as a manifestation of the "inhumane" failures endured by it's passengers during the storm.Yet, both a passive and a vigilant reader/advocate will find that although, Jet Blue's "Bill of Rights" is unique in defining precise re-numeration directly correlated to passenger "exposure" time, it is a truly hollow promise. Had the Management of Jet Blue been wholly engaged and wanting to formulate a "Bill of Rights", they clearly would have realized that creating a "self imposed" standard that would be "self policed "is the height of insincerity and hypocrisy. The only true process by which a "Bill of Rights" would possess any "teeth" is by way of electing to have an independent entity oversee and determine it's rightful application. Jet Blue's "Bill of Rights" is a disingenuous farce, meant to un tarnish a blemished image due to a self inflicted malady.

Actual JetBlue Employees Speak

2007-02-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

Two actual JetBlue employess wrote in. I'm putting thier blogs in one and all future JetBlue employees can trust me that I'll keep thier identities secret.

Myspace JetblueEmployee Friend, I SWEAR I will respond to you. It's just been sooo crazy. I'm going to try to find the NPR interview. If you find it, please send it along.

Just so you know, I'm meeting with David Neeleman next week, if you have any input you'd like to give, I'm more than happy to listen.

Love,
G

Here is the corrrespondence of the JetBlue employee who contacted me via Myspace.

Date: Feb 19, 2007 6:41 PM

Hi Genieve. I'm one of those "evil" jetBlue people. ;-) Just kidding. Since you're one of my loyal customers, I, as well as all of my fellow crewmembers (who have our own issues with our company -- like any other employee, but still think it's a great place to work) feel your pain and want you to know we're sorry for your troubles.

HOWEVER, as a fellow traveler and fellow U.S. citizen, I take a lot of issue with your webpage and, in the spirit of intelligent discourse (please don't take anything I write personally, nor think I'm trying to diminish your pain... but only to put it into a larger world perspective, something I need to do for myself everyday), have written this "blog" and posted it on the web page.
Now, I'm sending it to your MySpace page. My picture is on my MySpace page because I'm someone who is not afraid to express my opinions and have the guts to put my face out there so you see the person who is writing to you. Once again, I'm deeply sorry for all the trouble and hope you come back to jetBlue. But I think the use of the word "hostage" is actually alarmingly insulting and sophomoric... and here's why:

----------------------------------------------------I'd like to write something to respond to these blogs that I've read.

I'm a jetBlue flight attendant so I can't really talk to the media. It's against the rules of my flight attendant manual to make comments to the media. So, I hope I don't get into trouble.

But I'd like to comment as a citizen of the United States and not as an employee of jetBlue. I'm a fellow traveler, just like you.

I'd just like to say that I think it's terrible whenever anyone is inconvenienced during their travels... especially on my airline. It's not pleasant. I've had it happen to me on Greyhound, on Amtrack, on the old (now long gone -- sad to say) TWA, in L.A. traffic and even on my own airline. It's not pleasant and it's something that makes everyone frustrated.

HOWEVER, last year we all watched in horror as the events of Hurricane Katrina devastated an entire American city and destroyed the Ninth Ward. In 2001, we all watched (and cried) as the horrifying events played out that we'll all always remember. And you know what, jetBlue Airways was in operation during these times and in the case of Katrina, jetBlue crewmembers helped fly our fellow American "brothers and sisters" to shelters in other cities. When the lights went out in New York during the black out, jetBlue stayed in operation, using flashlights to direct our customers to their flights -- that left on time! But we have a very short term memory in this country. One terrible day on the tarmac and seven years of good work is quickly forgotten. And now I'm to consider being stranded on a plane, or in the airport, equivalent to something like Hurricane Katrina???

When Katrina was happening, the media called those people left homeless by the Hurricane "refugees". I was shocked by this verbiage. Now, those individuals stuck on the jetBlue flights are being called "hostages". HOSTAGES! Do any of you have any idea what it is like to be an actual hostage? To be held at gunpoint by a terrorist? To be close to death because someone is pointing a semi-automatic in your face? If you were talking to someone who was trapped in a bank by robbers who could torture and kill them at an moment, would you feel comfortable telling them that you were stuck on a plane -- due to the fact that ice had frozen the wheels to the tarmac and JFK operations were not allowing jetBlue planes to return to gates... because there weren't any to return to and, on top of that, the APUs (those are the parts of the plane that keep the energy pumpin') were breaking down because of the stress to the plane and that's the reason for the technical debacle on the plane AND the driver's employed by JFK (not jetBlue) refused to drive on the ice to pick up passengers to bring them to a terminal that JFK operations stated was already overcrowded so jetBlue couldn't bring passengers to the terminal because JFK operations forbid them to... Does that equate to masked terrorist holding people hostage on a 747???

Were any of you bloggers who were inconvenienced on that day – that are now getting a full refund for your ticket – traumatized by a gun in your face, have no home to return to or did you lose your job? Is being stuck on a runway going to cause you to have nightmares or cause you to go to therapy for the next 20 years because the pain was so great? When I'm stuck in traffic in Los Angeles on the 405 because of a car accident, am I a victim and should I sue the city of Los Angeles for making me miserable? Does the City of Los Angeles owe me money?Some times we Americans – used to always getting our way if we complain enough, threaten law suits or contact the media… or write a blog – tend to think that when things don't go our way and we are put in an extreme situation that we – as privileged Americans – are entitled to have someone pay us for our pain. And even when someone says they will pay for our pain, we feel we should decide how they should pay us back for our pain.

Had you booked a ticket on Delta or American, your flight would have been cancelled and you wouldn't have gotten a refund. You would have had to fly at another time, but you wouldn't have been compensated for your delay -- at all... in no way. In fact, they wouldn't have apologized... at all... EVER!What happened to all of you (including my fellow pilots and flight attendants that were stuck right along with you – and just as miserable as you were) was awful, not cool, uncomfortable, a huge pain in the ass and a really, really, really bad day.That's about it though. See, when you travel it's like buying a lottery ticket: if you get to your destination hassle free -- you win! If you have issues along the way... that's life! But if you get a refund for your troubles... that's amazing! That's when you need to shut the hell up and move on with your life and call it even because you broke even in the situation.

Calling people on the jetBlue plane hostages is an insult to actual hostages the world over; just as calling victims of Hurricane Katrina "refugees" is deplorable. I'm sorry you went through what you went through on Valentine's Day, and I want you to come back to jetBlue so I can give you the jetBlue Experience you've grown accustomed to and we do our best to deliver every day. But as a person who has had many nightmare travel experiences -- even some that were worse than what you went through on Valentine's Day (in countries like South Africa where nobody cared what happened to me nor did they apologize for my awful experience) I can't help but thinking, "We spoiled Americans. We think we're owed everything, don’t' we?" (Myself included).

And in closing, if you really want to be angry with someone, get angry at JFK airport because if jetBlue had gates to return to, none of this would have happened. You can yell and scream at jetBlue all you want, but JFK operations held jetBlue as an airline “hostage” as well.

(Check out the following link for further details)http://ellipses.elliott.org/archives/002024airports_escape.php

He wrote back in response to the NPR Post.

Feb 21, 2007 3:01 AM

I don't know if you felt you wanted to put my blog up on your web page (I didn't see it there -- although it was on the comments section under one of Ruth's original blogs titled: "wrongverbiage")

But I want to clarify that I don't think you're a cry baby. I think you have a legitimate complaint because you went through a bad experience on an airline that taught you to believe it would never do that. I think it's basically a shock to the system -- like being betrayed by a friend. I totally understand that.

I just still think you should change the word "hostage" because I don't believe it's accurate. "Stranded" and "stuck" and "totally inconvenienced" -- yes. But a hostage just reminds so many of something like: the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis... do you kinda get what I'm saying?

I know I haven't responded yet, but I'll find that interview on ATC and put it up too!

This is the JetBlue Employee who contacted me on jetbluehostage@gmail.com

Feb 21, 2007 3:01 AM

To the person that started the blog about being held hostage:
The next time that you feel the you have not been treated fairly by an airline maybe you should go an pick up an application for this airline so you can see what it is like to be screamed, threatened and and treated like garbage by thousands of people because you cannot get to your final destination. Maybe then you will realize that we are all indeed people not things that that you can throw around like a damnit doll. Yes I was there during this whole fiasco so I do understand what this feeling is like.
Outraged by you,
An airline employee

My response to Kenneth

Dear Kenneth L,

I'm sorry you were mistreated by the airline passengers, but I was not one of those people. In fact, I'm just waiting for my video to load on YouTube for you to witness yourself that we were actually quite civilized and nice to all the crew on the plane. We actually walked off the plane with smiles, just exhausted and happy to be getting off the plane.

I'd like to also say that my mother worked for American Airlines for many years and I would never abuse an agent. I'm offended by your sweeping generalizations. You may have been mistreated by a few disgruntled passengers, but ALL the passengers were mistreated by JetBlue. There's no way around that fact.

Your own president admits to the mistakes the company made.

I don't condone abuse to you or from you. I think it's a shame that people resort to that kind of behaviour. Trust me, I don't have to pick up an application and work for your company, I endure enough abuse at my own job. And I decide to stick it out because in the end, I love my job. If you don't love YOUR job, then maybe YOU should quit.

Anyway...stay tuned, as soon as my video comes up, you can witness it yourself.

Outraged by YOU, G

Luckily, Kenneth responded again. :) Here's what he said:

On 2/18/07, Kenneth wrote:

Just as a response I would like to add that yes, I do love my job whole heartedly and in fact I believe that jetBlue is doing everthing within there power to correct and apollogise for this mishap. They have done everything from providing meals, hotels, transportation and offering free flights along with refunds for customers that were not able to get to there destinations. I also feel that both parties have suffered immensly from this mishap.

My Response to Kenneth:

I agree, and I again, I in no way approve of the mistreatment of anyone. However, when i tried to get answer from anyone or anything I was ignored. I didn't push because I knew the whole thing was overwhelming. But the fact is when I asked about the luggage getting sent to us at home they said that we had to wait around for it after already being at the airport for almost 13 hours.

But still, Charlie and I got a meal, and waited patiently for our baggage. It cost us $100 for taxi back and forth to the airport and we won't be reimbursed for it.

Last but not least, my main issue is that I don't believe that us long term trapped passengers should not be treated the same at 3-hour ones, I'm pushing for those of us to be compensated accordingly. I don't think that's asking for much. It's not like we were in a terminal, with the ability to walk about and eat and go smoke etc. I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from.

I hope it get's better for you over there.

Good luck! G

Barbados Blog - Hostages On The Runway and JBH.com

2007-02-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hostages On The Runway

It is finally time for a Passengers Bill of Rights that states - Airline passengers cannot be held hostage when their flight gets delayed for hours upon hours - you bet it is.

This isn't the first time this has happened - but hopefully it will be the last!

A JetBlue flight was scheduled to leave New York at 8 a.m. for the island of Aruba, but the only thing passengers got was an 11 hour wait on the runway.

Passengers were stuck onboard with no water, the snack food ran out, the cabin temperature was hot and uncomfortable, and going to the bathroom was more than unpleasant - and under no circumstances were the passengers allowed to leave. Hostages!

Another JetBlue flight that was headed for Cancun was delayed more than eight hours with passengers stuck onboard. Passengers reported that the plane door had to be opened every 20 minutes so they could get some fresh air. Frigid, cold air every 20 minutes.

While these passengers waited to take off, other passengers who had just arrived in New York were also stuck on their planes. A JetBlue flight from Florida landed in New York around 10 in the morning, but passengers were not allowed to leave the plane until 7 p.m.

What actually happened was that a major storm was already forecasted for the Midwest and Eastern coast - that was no secret.

While this storm was raging, the planes still boarded and pulled away from the gates. Many times in this situation the airlines thinking is that "maybe" the weather will get better - and the planes will be in line to take off.

So now we have planes lined up on the runway unable to take off, but if they taxi back they will lose their spot, so they sit. The situation becomes worse as more planes arrive, and the gates start to fill up - then the planes cannot return to the gates.

As the storm continued Wednesday, planes and heavy equipment were literally froze to the ground.

I waited until today to blog about this because I wanted to see what JetBlue would have to say a couple of days after their worst PR nightmare. Their spokesman stated that 250 of 500 flights nationwide were canceled Wednesday, but "fairly normal" service resumed Thursday.

Well, I know for a fact that at least 100 of their flights were still cancelled as of today - so the spin still goes on.

No on can obviously control the weather, but common sense and respect for passengers must start to prevail in the airline industry.

If it is obvious that planes on the runway cannot take off in a reasonable amount of time, then it should be the airlines responsibility to send another mode of transportation (buses, etc) to the plane, and get those passengers back inside the airport.

Of course if the plane cannot leave the runway, then perhaps the flight should be cancelled, and not even leave the gate - this would be the cheaper alternative for the airlines - the flight is cancelled due to bad weather - straight and simple.

Since common sense did not prevail this week, JetBlue not only had to offer a complete refund to hundreds of angry passengers, but for PR's sake, they also offered another free ticket to be used at a later date - that is if some of the passengers want to fly with them again.

But, there's more to be concerned about than inconvenience while being stuck onboard a flight for hours upon end -

Read this article by Diana Fairechild, a former flight attendant. In fact, you just might want to bookmark her site for future reference when traveling.

"SITTING ON THE TARMAC" BY DIANA FAIRECHILDhttp://www.flyana.com/delay.html

Update on Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 07:54PM by Linda Thompkins
My, My - Received this e-mail from Anna, one of our blog visitors . . .
One of the JetBlue passengers was so mad they started a "JetBlue Hostage Blog" - and rather than just use the free blogger account domain, they purchased the doman jetbluehostage.com
I know the folkes at JetBlue are loving this one. I wonder if they will keep posting - after all the purpose of a blog is to make consistent postings.
http://www.jetbluehostage.com/

Well Anna I guess we just have to wait & see how long the JetBlue Hostage Blog stays up and running. And yes, it is interesting that the blog owner purchased that domain - just shows how mad & serious they are right now.
Anyone who has been in a similiar situation can appreciate how these passengers fell. I had my "nightmare hostage flight" on the former BWIA airlines where we boarded a flight in Barbados, and spent an entire night, and the next morning on the airplane. Linda
http://barbadostravel.squarespace.com/journal/2005/2/25/back-from-barbados.html

Brand Experience Lab Presentations Blog: Featured US!

2007-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Brand Experience Lab Presentations

February 19, 2007

www.jetbluehostage.com

Nothing says "I love you" like being held hostage on a frozen plane with the man you love, 99 strangers, 4 other people you happen to know, 4 screaming babies and 3 rambunctious kids running about, nothing but chips and soda for sustenance, faulty power, unreliable direct TV and overfilled sewage system for 11 hours.

That's the header for a new web site that went up after the weather fiasco that seemed to really take a toll on Jetblue. Once the darling of the airline industry, they took a huge hit last week when a seemingly small amount of snow took their whole schedule and seems to have shot it all to hell! As we said in Everyone's a Critic, people won't hesitate to share their bad experiences with the world if you give them the opportunity. And they seem to be particularly harsh when you set the bar high, as JetBlue has done. While many flights were delayed last week, JetBlue was either hit much harder then everyone else, or they weren't prepared for what happened. But given all of the press the airlines received last year when they had people waiting for this long, you wouldn't think that someone like JetBlue would make the same mistake again so quickly.

And, as you can expect, our elected officials jumped in to help! As reported by the Seattle Times:

The strandings revived calls for Congress to enact an airline customer-rights law.

Rep. Michael Thompson, D-Calif., said Thursday he planned to introduce a bill that would address delayed flights, time on the tarmac, cancellations and lost or damaged luggage.

The airline industry beat back a similar push for legislation in 1999 after agreeing to adopt a voluntary customer-service initiative.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Thursday she will introduce a bill to give passengers the right to get off the airplane if it's been on the ground for more than three hours past its scheduled departure time.

"No one should be held hostage on an aircraft," she said.

Expect to see more of this story in the future! But remember, if you're not delivering on the story you tell, someone's ready to start a web site to trash you!

Online Travel Review-JetBlue Will Reimburse Delayed Passengers, Sort Of.

2007-02-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

JetBlue Will Reimburse Delayed Pasengers, Sort Of

JetBlue announced the full details of its delay reimbursement program (DRP, though I just made that up), offering passengers payments that vary from $25 flight vouchers to free round trips based on the length of the delay you face and whether you're already on a plane or not. Most of the payments only kick in if the delay is not caused by weather or air traffic control holds.

This is reminiscent of a similar scheme from long-gone Biztravel.com (a division of also long-gone Rosenbluth International) where if a flight you booked on their site was delayed, they would pay you ($100 for a 30 minute delay, up to full reimbursement for a 2-hour delay).

In any case, this should mark the last of my posts on the JetBlue matter. Carry on...

UPDATE: The full details of the JetBlue passenger bill of rights say that they will make "take the necessary action" to deplane customers if a plane is on the ground for five (five!) hours. Even then, there's an out: "JetBlue Captains have discretion if the aircraft is positioned and almost ready for take-off." The financial payouts are nice or whatever, but 5 hours? That's news? We won't hold you hostage for more than five hours, unless the captain decides he wants to? That's the big news? (Well, no, the payments are the big news. It's a nice gesture. But 5 hours?)

37 Signals Blog - Be the guy....

2007-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is Signal vs. Noise, a weblog by 37signals about entrepreneurship, design, experience, simplicity, constraints, pop culture, our products, products we like, and more. Established 1999 in Chicago.

Be the guy with the megaphone and other lessons from a JetBlue meltdown
By Matt

It could have been worse. I could’ve been stranded on the runway for eight hours. Instead, I was stuck at the JetBlue terminal for 12 hours last Thursday before finding out my flight was cancelled. [1]

Here are some communication lessons learned from the fiasco:

Put all your soldiers on the front lines. Jet Blue’s corporate offices are located near JFK so they brought in a bunch of people who normally work there to help out at the terminal. They wore Jet Blue vests and/or badges and wandered around the terminal answering questions, directing customers, and listening to complaints. Granted, a lot of these people didn’t know much more than the passengers but, hey, at least they were there. A lot of customers just wanted to vent and know someone was listening. You need boots on the ground to do the little things. I saw one rep ask an irate customer for a business card so he could follow up with him later. A small step, but it just might save a customer.

Be the guy with the megaphone. The PA system by the gates was pitiful. The volume was feeble and you could barely make out the thin announcements (which were similar to the unintelligible conductor announcements on the NYC subways). People were desperate to know what was going on. Enter megaphone man. Rumor was that he actually worked as legal counsel to JetBlue. He went to each gate with a megaphone and updated all the passengers with the latest info. Then he’d walk toward the rear of that gate and repeat the info again for those who hadn’t heard the first time. It wasn’t always good news. But at least an actual person was there, communicating something clearly.

Have an operator reserve force. A lot of the JetBlue reps on the scene encouraged passengers to call (800) Jet-Blue for more info. The problem was the phone lines were so jampacked there was no way to get through. This forced already irate customers to wait in lines for hours in order to find out information that easily could have been shared over the phone. The result: Anger builds and the people onsite had to deal with it.

Take it personally. When people are stuck on board a plane for eight hours with no clean toilets, they take it personally. And when your company promise is to “bring humanity back to air travel,” you better take it personally too.

The founder and chief executive of JetBlue says he’s “humiliated and mortified” by what happened. He’s taking responsibility and promising real changes. That’s what customers want to hear.

Mr. Neeleman said he would enact what he called a customer bill of rights that would financially penalize JetBlue — and reward passengers — for any repeat of the current upheaval. He said he would propose a plan to pay customers, after some amount of time, by the hour for being stranded on a plane…He says knows he has to deliver. “I can flap my lips all I want,” he said. “Talk is cheap. Watch us.”

Your site is a PR weapon. Neeleman’s emotional response was nowhere to be found at JetBlue.com though. The latest JetBlue news at the site is the addition of 3 blind moose Merlot and Chardonnay to flights. Hmm, is that really the big JetBlue news right now? And the last entry at the CEO’s blog at the site has the title “2007 Takes Off in the Right Direction.”

Granted, there’s a link that says “Operational Interruptions” in the site’s header but it only takes you to a bunch of sterile, boilerplate text (e.g, “JetBlue continues to experience cancellations and delays as a result of Wednesday’s ice storm in the Northeast. Please check the status of your flight online before proceeding to the airport.”)

The site needs to become the online version of the guy with the megaphone. There should be a letter from the CEO. There should be an apology. There should be details about changes that are going to happen to prevent this from occurring again. If they can’t easily make changes to the current site, they should set up a special crisis site to deal specifically with this debacle. As it is now, the company’s online presence seems disconnected from reality.

[1] Fyi, here’s the gritty details of my day at JFK (others had it worse): There was a big storm on Wednesday. But by Thursday things had cleared up. I had a 1:15pm flight to Chicago. I checked online and the site said the flight had been delayed until 2:15pm. So I arrived at the airport at 1pm. I checked in and the rep told me my flight had been cancelled and I was now flying standby on the 8pm flight. He took my bag and checked it in. He said if I had any questions, to ask at Special Services check-in. I went there and waited in line for over an hour. They told me that the 8pm flight wouldn’t actually leave until 11:45pm. And even then there would only be a 50-50 chance that I would get onto that flight. There were no other flights available until Monday. I decided to wait it out and take my chances. I stuck around the airport and then, at around 10:30pm, they told us the flight had been cancelled. We had to reschedule by waiting in another huge line or calling an 800 number. The 800 number was jammed though and it was impossible to get through. I decided to worry about it later. Now I had to get my bag back. This was another two hour wait. No one knew where the bags would come out or when they would come out. (But they did know that the bags could not be delivered.) Everyone was frazzled. The baggage handlers looked like they had just emerged from a war zone. Finally, at about 12:45am, the bags came out. I headed home. On the way, I tried calling the 800 number again and got put on hold. While on hold, there was a recurring message that said, “JetBlue isn’t the only way to fly…but it ought to be.”

ALL OFFICIAL JETBLUE CORRESPONDENCE

2007-02-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Email Sent Feb 21

Subject: An Apology from David Neeleman

Dear JetBlue Customers,

We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.

Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue's seven year history. As a customer scheduled to be on one of our flights during this period, we know we let you down. Following the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, we subjected you to unacceptable delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, and other major inconveniences. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly, disrupted the movement of JetBlue's pilot and inflight crewmembers who were depending on those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. With the busy President's Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and hold times at 1-800-JETBLUE were unacceptably long or not even available, further hindering our recovery efforts.

Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that you experienced. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise to you last week.

We have begun implementing immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us as part of a comprehensive plan to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties in the future. We are confident, as a result of these actions, that JetBlue will emerge as a more reliable and even more customer responsive airline than ever before.

Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights—our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward—including details of compensation. I have a video message to share with you about this industry leading action.

You deserved better—a lot better—from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to once again welcome you onboard and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.

Sincerely,
David NeelemanFounder and CEOJetBlue Airways

P.S. We pledge to keep you informed with more details about the implementation of our improved recovery plans in the coming weeks. There is no need to reply to this email about compensation inquiries. We will be contacting you directly by March 15.

Posted on Jetblue.com on Feb. 20

Back home, ready to blog...

David apologizes and outlines the next 30 days.

JetBlue's Customer Bill Of Rights

I've been at work all day and I have so much reading up to do.
So my initial comment is great.
But what does that mean for me and for people like me.

Right now, I have so many posts to put up.
So many things to read.
I have to read thier bill of rights.
I have to read the latest on the new compensation that I keep hearing about...

Til then, be patient with me. I'm a working girl with an active social calendar. (Don't be naughty.)

Right now, I have to put the posts up of incoming mail. They deserve to get thier voice out.
Then the reading.
Then the responding.

Love,
Gen

Email Sent Feb 16th

Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:46:00 -0500 (EST)
From: mail@jetblueconnect.com
To: --------@yahoo.com
Subject: An Apology from JetBlue Airways

Dear Charles and Genevieve,

On behalf of JetBlue Airways, I would like to personally extend my sincerest apologies for the frustration you experienced and for the significant disruption to your travel plans on February 14, 2007, flight #351. We were not able to get ahead of the severe winter storm that impacted the northeastern United States, which slowed flight operations and caused excessive congestion at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK).

We wish we could make up for the frustrations you experienced during this time. A full refund has been issued to your credit card in the amount of your fare. In addition, we would like to extend a roundtrip JetBlue electronic voucher equivalent to the amount which was paid when booking your reservation. When you are ready to use your voucher, please call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) with your confirmation number ------- for this flight. This voucher is issued as an apology for your inconvenience, is valid for one year and can be applied toward airfare on JetBlue Airways reservations or JetBlue Getaways vacation packages. JetBlue vouchers are not redeemable online and are non-transferable.

Complimentary Travel Voucher
-------

We look forward to another opportunity to welcome you onboard and to providing you with a renewed and positive JetBlue experience.

Sincerely,

David Neeleman
Chief Executive Officer
JetBlue Airways

I'm In Like Flynn

2007-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:

I'm meeting with the CEO of JetBlue David Neeleman. I'll see if there is anyway i can document the meeting.

I can't say when as the explicitly asked me to keep his schedule private, but it's coming up so I need your input.

What happened to you?
What would you have done differently?
How would YOU create a consumer advisory board?
What things would you do to make the airline industry a better one.
What would make JetBlue a better for consumers? (I know, JetBlue has been great, until then.)

Email jetbluehostage@gmail.com

Love,
Gen

Seth Godin's blog: WORD OF MOUTH GOD. I LOVE YOU.

2007-02-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Potlatch

He's Brilliant. I used to work in the Word Of Mouth Space for Disney. I read all his books and I love this guy. I actually think his reponse is brilliant.

(Taps finger on chin. Inside joke with me and some friends.)

Potlatch
Many people have dropped me a line about JetBlue. Here's my simple prescription:

Potlatch.

This is a Native American term for a ceremony involving dancing, feasting, and the most memorable part: giving someone too much. If I ran JetBlue, I'd go to each of the people affected (and it's not that many) and give each person 40 free round trip tickets. Or maybe 50. More than any person could use for a long, long while. Let them fly with as many friends as they like until they've used up 50 seats.

When the world is focused on your actions, magnifying your response is almost always a good idea. Not panicking is a good idea too, and it seems as though they've got that part covered.

JetBluesCorporate Meltdown

2007-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Barbara's Blog
Barbara Ehrenreich comments on working in America

JetBlue’s Corporate Meltdown
The lucky JetBlue passengers were the ones whose flights were cancelled last week. They were fortunate enough to remain stranded in well-heated airports with restrooms and food courts. As for the unlucky ones, hundreds of them were trapped for as many as 10 hours in planes on the tarmac, with overflowing toilets, dwindling supplies of drinking water, and of course no food when the pretzels ran out. So far there have been no reports of cannibalism aboard immobilized JetBlue flights, but, with the company’s post-ice storm PR campaign in full swing, who knows?

I could do 10 hours on the tarmac, provided I had a sufficient supply of Xanax and protein bars. But with children? JetBlue’s CEO David Neeleman has nine of them. Would he dare risk a family vacation in the Caribbean if any of them are in the challenging 0 to 10 age range? According to CNN, parents on stranded planes were ripping up t-shirts to make diapers for their babies. And how many times can you read Curious George out loud anyway?

Neeleman has admitted to being “humiliated and mortified” by his company’s post-storm meltdown (one might wish that his status included “fired.”) But JetBlue’s outbreak of passenger abuse reflects larger problems in corporate America. One is a premium on youth at the expense of experience. According to Aero News, this may have had something to do with the company’s decision, shortly after the storm, to push planes off to the tarmac rather than canceling flights, as the older airlines did. JetBlue’s approach certainly succeeded in clearing some boarding areas of noisy, disgruntled passengers, but a stun gun might have been more humane.

“There’s a lot more gray hair at older airlines than there is at JetBlue,” Aero News quoted Tim Sieber, general manager of the Boyd Group, an aviation-consulting firm. But youth is part of JetBlue’s branding, even if it means having no one around who’s ever seen snow.

The other widespread problem is a simple shortage of employees. Since the late eighties, corporate America has pursued the beautiful dream of an employee-free company. Imagine: no payroll except for the top executives, no benefits to provide, and of course no unions! So the pattern has been that every time a company downsizes, its stock rises and its top managers drool over their burgeoning portfolios.

Since 9/11, the airlines in particular have been shedding employees like unwanted ballast, with predictable results. As the New York Times reports, there’s been an industry-wide “thinning of staff,” meaning that in bad weather, airlines often “do not have enough people…” Which might be OK if bad weather hadn’t become so routine that it’s crowding out all other news on CNN.

The budget airlines are especially skimpy when it comes to human employees. In late 2006, Neeleman announced plans to reduce its number of full-time employees per plane from 93 to 80. He should rethink that, since the major reason JetBlue couldn’t get back off the ground after the Valentine’s Day storm was that it lacks the personnel to connect crews to their flights. Pilots and flight attendants remained stuck in their hotels while passengers slept on airport floors.

Neeleman might also want to rethink the paltry passengers’ “bill of rights” JetBlue is offering as part of its effort to regain customer trust. What it’s missing is the crucial right to be freed from an airplane that isn’t going anywhere at all. According to a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the industry’s major trade group, such a right would “impose[s] inflexible standards on a carrier's operations” – just as laws against kidnapping place a terrible burden on ransom-seekers.

If I get stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours, I plan to use my cell phone to call Homeland Security. Let’s face it, JetBlue and the rest of you: Anything more than three hours on the ground isn’t an airline delay, it’s a hostage situation.

February 20, 2007 in Current Affairs | Permalink

The View From the Seven and a Halfth Floor

2007-02-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Apology 2.0

This video probably marks the first time that a CEO of a major corporation has issued a public apology via YouTube. This is certainly one of the most unique uses of the user-produced web ("Web 2.0") that I have seen. This also marks the only time in recent memory when I can remember a CEO issuing such a public apology without having personally committed a grievous offense (i.e. massive fraud, participated in illegal activities). Then again, jetBlue has always done things a little bit differently (free TV, blue potato chips, sensible airfares and change policies that other airlines have been forced to match), and most people in New York and California (the last two places I've lived) can't imagine life without them.

Let's hope they're sincere, and that the events of the past week (which canceled my cousins' vacation, amongst thousands of others), were a once-in-a-lifetime problem.

UPDATE: Web 2.0 cuts both ways. Somebody has already registered the domain name www.jetbluehostage.com, and has posted blog entries and youtube videos of her 11-hour ordeal.

Photos from DPStyles

2007-02-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

DPStyles

Hustler Of Culture and Other Friends

2007-02-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

I miss my friends in LA. I miss you guys so fucking much.
If I was just going to Miami, or someplace else that didn't have all the people I love, JetblueHostage.com would have never happened.

Me Missing Home+Valentines Day+Stranded in NYC+In the middle of a snowstorm=JetBlueHostage.com

thanks to all my muses.

From Hustler of Culture

Jet Blue Hostage
My friends Gen and Charlie missed dinner with us on February 15th. This is the reason why...

From Sabrina-
Dear Mr.Neeleman:

I used to live with www.jetbluehostage.com and she is no joke. You better give the lady what she wants since you f**** her and chucky over otherwise I see jetblue going out of business for sure. Myspace is a powerful thing. Here is some advise: Give all her LA Myspace friends a free RT ticket to NYC to see her since she couldnt hang out with us. I am sure that will do.. for now?!

Sincerely yours,
Sabrina

PS: And thanks Mr.Neeleman (is that DUTCH??) for f**** up my Valentines day too as we were all scheduled to get mesmerized by meth addicted strippers at jumbos clown room!!!!!!!

From Kristi-
Feb 14, 2007 4:32 PM
you two were what i was looking forward to for valentines day!!
this just goes along with my whole stance on v day anyway...it's lame.
black hearts to you on this oh so joyous occassion.

From Little Ash
Feb 15, 2007 4:00 PM
A post-Valentine's Day poem:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
JetBlue can bite me
For kidnapping you.

xoxo

From The BEAUTIFUL Juliette (Happy birthday Angel)
Feb 15, 2007 12:04 AM
Tough Cookie!!! I hope you are in your bed and not starving holding your pee on the F'in runway!! You are my one and only Valentine and I'm sorry that your day got fuct and that your plans got jacked...BUT....thats why you belong in LA...NO SNOW AND BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!

From Jessika-
Feb 19, 2007 9:35 AM
miss ya! heard you were coming home, I was excited, then u didnt now Im sad :( when r u gonna grace us with your beautiful face?

The Affari Edge Blog

2007-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

The Affari Edge Blog
Discussion about advertising, marketing, and public relations…

Jet Blew: How a great airline handled a public relations catastrophe
First, let me say that I have not flown on Jet Blue, but I know people who have. It is a great airline and has repeatedly been recognized for outstanding customer service. They do know how to operate an airline, and they do it well.

Or did until last week. Cupid shot an arrow throught their reputation.

On Valentine’s Day, a snowstorm hit the Northeast US. Airports closed. Airlines canceled flights, Jet Blue among them - although later than most.

As the storm started breaking, airlines started flying again. Except for Jet Blue. It seems that they had some rather major internal communications problems. Their pilots and flight attendants were scattered all over the place - and Jet Blue didn’t really know where. They had too many airplanes in other places. The New York Post reported Jet Blue had 52 plans parked at JFK Thursday morning, and the airport closed the runway - so Jet Blue couldn’t get their planes to other airports, stranding passengers.

So pilot-less planes were loaded with passengers who waited. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And… well, you get the picture. Some planes sat on the tarmac for 10 hours or more.

It didn’t help that usually responsive customer service personnel were not able to give out information. Or FAA rules hogtied what Jet Blue personnel could do (such as having to wait four hours before givng food and water on planes sitting on the tarmac).

So what happens to people like this? They blog. JetBlueHostage.com was started by a woman (Genevieve) stranded for 11 hours at JFK:

JET BLUE: A VALENTINE’S DAY HOSTAGE CRISIS

Nothing says “I love you” like being held hostage on a frozen plane with the man you love, 99 strangers, 4 other people you happen to know, 4 screaming babies and 3 rambunctious kids running about, nothing but chips and soda for sustenance, faulty power, unreliable direct TV and overfilled sewage system for 11 hours.

In one week, she has 87 posts. 87. They range from news articles about the situation to posts about other Jet Blue hostages. There are even two posts from a Jet Blue employee — one basically chastising Genevieve for starting her blog. Other bloggers posted as well, and linked to Genevieve’s post.

Wow.

Days after the snowball started, the CEO - David Neeleman - finally tried to get in front of it. He admitted the mistakes. He taked about his airline’s internal shortcomings. He was “humiliated and mortified” by what has transpired. The New York Times has a great article about his mea culpa.

He is offering refunds and more cash to those affected. Jet Blue paid for hotel stays and free meals. The only information about this on the official website were press releases and an “operational interruption” notice.

Could they have handled this better? Absolutely. Neeleman almost admitted as much.

Now I will admit that I am not a crisis management specialist. I realize that what I find in news reports and blog posts does not represent the totality of what Jet Blue has done and will do. But I can say there are three things I would have done differently.

1) When internal communications breakdown, external communications need more transparency. Passengers should know as much as possible. Most of the negative reactions fr0m passengers stemmed from the inbility of Jet Blue staff to give any information.

When a CEO has to come out and admit that his company has some internal problems, his stockholders will not like what happens to the stock price. Shares of JetBlue had actually risen at the end of last week, and the market is closed today for Presidents’ Day. I will be watching the shares tomorrow, but if all flights return to flying the long-term impact will be negligible.

2) Provide a mechanism for feedback other than yelling at Jet Blue employees. Imagine if, instead of having an irate passenger starting her own blog, JetBlue had started a forum or blog where customers could vent. Yes, the comments would be negative - but the company could see earlier just how big the snowball is getting… and would know how their customers are reacting.

It would let the company know both where and how to communicate information. It would also allow them to dispell rumors and provide accurate, clear information - instead of embedding the information in their press release section, hoping media outlets will communicate for them.

3) Open the internal communications structure. Neeleman noted that he had pilots sending him emails asking what to do. If those same pilots and/or flight attendants could use on-line communications tools such as forums or blog comments, it might have expedited some of the staffing problems. These tools need not be public-facing, but social media technology can be utilized for internal communications.

Only time will tell what the effects will be on Jet Blue. They will be spening money on better training. They will undoubtedly be spending money on communications and reservations systems. A lesson has clearly been learned, and they will - once again - be back to among the best customer-service airlines in the world. It is just interesting to see how this situation has been handled.

JET BLUE A VALENTINE'S DAY HOSTAGE CRISIS

Tarmac delays ground the fight for passenger rights

Incident: Jetblue E190 at Bermuda on Oct 22nd 2009, flaps problem

JetBlue to Charge for Blankets, Pillows

Source - FOXBusiness.com

JetBlue to Charge for Blankets, Pillows

From the AP - US Airways pilots: We're pressured to cut fuel

US Airways pilots: We're pressured to cut fuel

FUCK YOU VERY MUCH JET BLUE!

WARNING! JetBlue Founder Starting Airline in Brazil

Court Strikes Down NY's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Court Strikes Down NY's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Posted by Candice M. Giove at 1:29 PM, March 25, 2008 - From the Village Voice blog

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JBH.COM

Personal Travelling

Rumor has it!!!

EX-JETBLUE EMPOLOYEES UNITE!!!

Lessons From The Tarmac - Fast Company

THANK YOU GOD!

JetBlue....You can always count on them

Your route V. Reality

Why Why Why JetBlueHostage?

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

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

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

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

Some Things Never Change, Do They JetBlue

JETBLUE AIRWAYS TRAFFIC RESULTS

Charlie and I will be on CNN Business Traveller

JetBlue Employee in search of a Labor Lawyer

Your Assignment and JetBlue's dark history

Sorry for all my F bombs

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

Brilliant Idea. I NEED YOUR STORIES!

Finally, Neeleman Meeting Recap

PS...

Let the JetBlue employees speak for themselves

JetBlueHostage 2.0

My Questions for Neeleman

Brent's Story - Thanks Brent!

HUMOR: THE BOROWITZ REPORT

Thanks and Sorry

JetBlue Damage Control - Fox Fan

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

Reuters - US investigators to review of JetBlue, AMR delays

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

Your Stories

JetBlue Flight diverted into Philly busses people to NYC

Riddle Time Again, FAA Edition

JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights

JetBlue cancels 68 flights due to storm

From A A - Bogus "Bill Of Rights" -- JetBlue is *really* sneaky

Jeff N - JF > STI Feb 16

Yaminah - The Prequel

Logan has a question for you.

Barbara's Letter to JetBlue

Why from Pinky Blister

Thanks for the kind words Andre

Michael S - My support system

Katty's Two Cents (On my plane too!)

Jon G in SUPPORT of JetBlue.

Loretta's Story: BUR to JF

Shame on you, JetBlue - Yaminah's letter and JB Reply

Lesson Learned? CNN-JetBlue Cancels flights

JetBlue moves quickly to cancel flights this storm

Low fare carrier cuts 40% of JFK flights nearly two weeks after stranding passengers there on the tarmac for hours.

Podango - Podcast and Blog! JBH.com

MyShingle.com - JetBlueHostage.com

Feb 23 David Neeleman's FlightLog

Hi everyone,

Blog Write for CEOs mentions JetBluehostage.com!

Craigslist Rants and Rave-The discussion lives

CallCenter Magazine - JBH.com Shouts

Learn From JetBlue's Mistakes

COUNTDOWN TO NEELEMAN

Business Week - One Extraordinary Stumble

Held Hostage Upon A Jet Blue Aircraft for 1 Year, 4 Months, and 16 Days

Flight Wisdom blog mentions JetBlueHostage.com

David Report Blog and JBH.com

Viva consumer power!David Carlson, 23 February, 2007

From A A - Bogus "Bill Of Rights" -- JetBlue is really sneaky

Viva consumer power!
David Carlson, 23 February, 2007