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
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
JetBlue Damage Control - Fox Fan
I guess i should know better than to expect something else from FOX and someone who writes for FOXFAN
JetBlue Damage Control
Tuesday , February 27, 2007
By Terry Keenan
FOXFAN
What a difference a week makes.
A few short days ago, JetBlue was in danger of becoming widely known as "Jet Black and Blue." But a combination of nimble damage control and a quick change of tactics in reaction to a Sunday night snowstorm has helped JetBlue's regain its footing. Corporate image experts are taking notice.
How did they do it? With a blunt three-word statement: I am "humbled and mortified.”
With that confession, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman managed to turn a public relations nightmare into a second chance at brand establishment at the airline he founded. It was the start of a remarkable 5-day turnaround that has set a new standard for corporate damage control
cLICK FOR THE WHOLE STORY
JetBlue Damage Control
Tuesday , February 27, 2007
By Terry Keenan
FOXFAN
What a difference a week makes.
A few short days ago, JetBlue was in danger of becoming widely known as "Jet Black and Blue." But a combination of nimble damage control and a quick change of tactics in reaction to a Sunday night snowstorm has helped JetBlue's regain its footing. Corporate image experts are taking notice.
How did they do it? With a blunt three-word statement: I am "humbled and mortified.”
With that confession, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman managed to turn a public relations nightmare into a second chance at brand establishment at the airline he founded. It was the start of a remarkable 5-day turnaround that has set a new standard for corporate damage control
cLICK FOR THE WHOLE STORY
ADWEEK - How to Save a Brand....(My own note-Insert eyeroll here)
What's with all the kudos? Thier whole "sincerely JetBlue PR strategy"? How about the JetBlue employees that are monitoring the YouTube comments that launch aggressive attacks at anti-JetBlue sentiment, some commenters are dumb enough to be transparent. If you check my own you tube video where you see passengers who are lulled into such a state of passivity that we're not even MAD. In the video we are getting off the plane with smiles on thier faces just happy to be off. It's a pretty ineffective video if you want to showcase angry . p.o.'d passengers. Anyway, a JETBLUE employee called the maker of the video (me) a (and I QUOTE) "fucking idiot."
This antagonistic approach at being on the defensive in online communities does not deserve one. single. kudo. The end.
ADDITIONALLY - For ALL the people who give me such a hard time using the word "HOSTAGE," which from here on out will no longer have quotes around it - JETBLUE CALLS THIS EVENT "THE VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE." (I call it "A Valentine's Day Hostage Crisis - Plagarise much, JetBlue?) MASSACRE is a much STRONGER word than HOSTAGE. So all those who have a problem with the word hostage, go fly a kite.
Love,
Gen
How To Save A Brand Built On Being Folksy
February 26, 2007
By AARON BAAR AND ANDREW MCMAINS
Some crisis communication experts have hailed JetBlue's response to "the Valentine's Day Massacre" (as the airline itself calls it) as a textbook example of how to resuscitate a damaged brand—particularly one built on customer service—that made headlines for effectively holding its passengers hostage for up to 10 hours during a snowstorm. The apologies direct from the CEO, the clearly articulated promises for change, the savvy use of the Internet, all informed by the company's signature sense of humor, have been described as a model of what to do in the first days of a crisis. But can the airline recover from its mistakes?
As experts pore over the events of the past two weeks, JetBlue is focusing on what to do now—and how its ad firm could help.
The company has confirmed to Adweek that it might have some of the affected customers tell their stories in the next round of its "Sincerely, JetBlue" campaign. Created by WPP Group's JWT, the roughly year-old animated effort features the voices of real passengers talking about positive experiences with the airline. (It has been on hiatus in favor of ads touting JetBlue's seven-year anniversary.)
Click to read more
This antagonistic approach at being on the defensive in online communities does not deserve one. single. kudo. The end.
ADDITIONALLY - For ALL the people who give me such a hard time using the word "HOSTAGE," which from here on out will no longer have quotes around it - JETBLUE CALLS THIS EVENT "THE VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE." (I call it "A Valentine's Day Hostage Crisis - Plagarise much, JetBlue?) MASSACRE is a much STRONGER word than HOSTAGE. So all those who have a problem with the word hostage, go fly a kite.
Love,
Gen
How To Save A Brand Built On Being Folksy
February 26, 2007
By AARON BAAR AND ANDREW MCMAINS
Some crisis communication experts have hailed JetBlue's response to "the Valentine's Day Massacre" (as the airline itself calls it) as a textbook example of how to resuscitate a damaged brand—particularly one built on customer service—that made headlines for effectively holding its passengers hostage for up to 10 hours during a snowstorm. The apologies direct from the CEO, the clearly articulated promises for change, the savvy use of the Internet, all informed by the company's signature sense of humor, have been described as a model of what to do in the first days of a crisis. But can the airline recover from its mistakes?
As experts pore over the events of the past two weeks, JetBlue is focusing on what to do now—and how its ad firm could help.
The company has confirmed to Adweek that it might have some of the affected customers tell their stories in the next round of its "Sincerely, JetBlue" campaign. Created by WPP Group's JWT, the roughly year-old animated effort features the voices of real passengers talking about positive experiences with the airline. (It has been on hiatus in favor of ads touting JetBlue's seven-year anniversary.)
Click to read more
Reuters - US investigators to review of JetBlue, AMR delays
UPDATE 1-US investigators to review of JetBlue, AMR delays
Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:44pm ET
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Department investigators will review this month's service meltdown at JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU.O: Quote, Profile , Research) and a similar incident at AMR Corp.'s (AMR.N: Quote, Profile , Research) American Airlines in December.
Inspector General Calvin Scovel said on Tuesday the review, requested by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, will be thorough and objective so action can be taken to "prevent such situations from happening again."
Scovel said he will review JetBlue and American's customer service contracts and policies on ground delays. Any recommendations could extend to the industry as a whole and the air traffic system, which is run by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Peters said in a statement that she had "serious concerns" about contingency plans at airlines that permit passengers to sit on planes for long periods of time while they wait for takeoff or arrival at a gate.
"It is imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like these do not occur again," Peters said of the JetBlue and American service setbacks.
Click for the whole story
Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:44pm ET
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Department investigators will review this month's service meltdown at JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU.O: Quote, Profile , Research) and a similar incident at AMR Corp.'s (AMR.N: Quote, Profile , Research) American Airlines in December.
Inspector General Calvin Scovel said on Tuesday the review, requested by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, will be thorough and objective so action can be taken to "prevent such situations from happening again."
Scovel said he will review JetBlue and American's customer service contracts and policies on ground delays. Any recommendations could extend to the industry as a whole and the air traffic system, which is run by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Peters said in a statement that she had "serious concerns" about contingency plans at airlines that permit passengers to sit on planes for long periods of time while they wait for takeoff or arrival at a gate.
"It is imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like these do not occur again," Peters said of the JetBlue and American service setbacks.
Click for the whole story
For my readers who are feeling litigious....In other words...IF YOU WANNA SUE
Hi kids, I'll be calling these guys on my lunch break and getting more info. But I recommend if you fall into the gategoary of wanting to pursue a legal case against JetBlue, you contact these guys.
Love,
Gen
PS-Thanks David for the lead!
Press Release Source: Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg Affirms Rights of Passengers Following Flight Debacles
Tuesday February 27, 9:45 am ET
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent snowstorm on the East Coast has shaped into a crisis for JetBlue. On Valentine's Day, the airline's operational shortcomings due to the storm led to 1,096 canceled flights and thousands of stranded passengers. Many fliers were confined on planes at JFK International Airport as long as 10 hours. JetBlue said it will compensate customers for the delays with vouchers ranging from $25 to the full fare. Yet for the travelers trapped onboard with scant food, and having missed vacation and business events, this may seem paltry compensation.
"The amounts being offered to these unfortunate travelers is pitiful," said Lawrence Goldhirsch, an attorney with the Negligence department at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. Goldhirsch, an expert in aviation law, is author of "The Warsaw Convention Annotated: A Legal Handbook," considered by the legal community a bible for international aviation.
In a bid to win back its customer-service driven image, JetBlue publicly instituted a Bill of Rights, which commits the company to compensate passengers for various kinds of flight disruptions. But that carrier isn't alone in stranding flyers during inclement weather. American Airlines experienced similar delays in December when passengers rerouted from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during storms, sat on the tarmac at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with no food and dirty toilets.
These recent incidents recalls a similar scenario from 1999, when Northwest Airlines stranded passengers up to nine hours, ultimately settling a lawsuit including claims of "false imprisonment" for around $7 million. Flyers of the airline had spent hours on planes sitting on the tarmac in a snowstorm in Detroit. Allowing those planes to return to terminals to drop off passengers would have helped mitigate the discomfort, an error the aviation industry continues to make.
Goldhirsch pointed out that the US Department of Transportation does not have any limitation of damages that may be claimed by passengers for delay. "Only international passengers are limited by a treaty--the Montreal Convention--when they are delayed on such flights. Even in those cases, the limitation is approximately $4,500 per passenger, depending on the length of delay and other circumstances."
Those who have been affected by an aviation incident may contact Weitz & Luxenberg by calling our Client Relations Department at 800-476-6070 or e-mailing clientrelations@weitzlux.com. Please also visit our website: www.weitzlux.com
About Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES, and silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE and mercury, among other toxins. The firm has won numerous cases involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a $13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. (docket No. ATLL129605).
Contact:
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Client Relations Department, 800-476-6070
clientrelations@weitzlux.com
www.weitzlux.com
Love,
Gen
PS-Thanks David for the lead!
Press Release Source: Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg Affirms Rights of Passengers Following Flight Debacles
Tuesday February 27, 9:45 am ET
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent snowstorm on the East Coast has shaped into a crisis for JetBlue. On Valentine's Day, the airline's operational shortcomings due to the storm led to 1,096 canceled flights and thousands of stranded passengers. Many fliers were confined on planes at JFK International Airport as long as 10 hours. JetBlue said it will compensate customers for the delays with vouchers ranging from $25 to the full fare. Yet for the travelers trapped onboard with scant food, and having missed vacation and business events, this may seem paltry compensation.
"The amounts being offered to these unfortunate travelers is pitiful," said Lawrence Goldhirsch, an attorney with the Negligence department at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. Goldhirsch, an expert in aviation law, is author of "The Warsaw Convention Annotated: A Legal Handbook," considered by the legal community a bible for international aviation.
In a bid to win back its customer-service driven image, JetBlue publicly instituted a Bill of Rights, which commits the company to compensate passengers for various kinds of flight disruptions. But that carrier isn't alone in stranding flyers during inclement weather. American Airlines experienced similar delays in December when passengers rerouted from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during storms, sat on the tarmac at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with no food and dirty toilets.
These recent incidents recalls a similar scenario from 1999, when Northwest Airlines stranded passengers up to nine hours, ultimately settling a lawsuit including claims of "false imprisonment" for around $7 million. Flyers of the airline had spent hours on planes sitting on the tarmac in a snowstorm in Detroit. Allowing those planes to return to terminals to drop off passengers would have helped mitigate the discomfort, an error the aviation industry continues to make.
Goldhirsch pointed out that the US Department of Transportation does not have any limitation of damages that may be claimed by passengers for delay. "Only international passengers are limited by a treaty--the Montreal Convention--when they are delayed on such flights. Even in those cases, the limitation is approximately $4,500 per passenger, depending on the length of delay and other circumstances."
Those who have been affected by an aviation incident may contact Weitz & Luxenberg by calling our Client Relations Department at 800-476-6070 or e-mailing clientrelations@weitzlux.com. Please also visit our website: www.weitzlux.com
About Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES, and silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE and mercury, among other toxins. The firm has won numerous cases involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a $13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. (docket No. ATLL129605).
Contact:
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Client Relations Department, 800-476-6070
clientrelations@weitzlux.com
www.weitzlux.com
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Your Stories
Hi All,
I got a little lost in what I've posted and what I haven't already so I'm just going to go post crazy here and put up a bunch of stuff. If some of it is redundant, I'm sorry.
You guys are also going to get a SWEET treat tomorrow. I'm putting up a BUNCH of really delicious information from the same guy who wrote the Bill of Mights and the amendment to the Passenger Bill of Rights. His name is David and an incredible source and support system.
THANK GOD FOR DAVID, RUTH, MIKE, CHARLIE, ROB and every last person who has ever written in to me.
I'm going to post up today's news articles and then wake up early tomorrow morning and give you a yummy David information feed.
Love,
Gen
I got a little lost in what I've posted and what I haven't already so I'm just going to go post crazy here and put up a bunch of stuff. If some of it is redundant, I'm sorry.
You guys are also going to get a SWEET treat tomorrow. I'm putting up a BUNCH of really delicious information from the same guy who wrote the Bill of Mights and the amendment to the Passenger Bill of Rights. His name is David and an incredible source and support system.
THANK GOD FOR DAVID, RUTH, MIKE, CHARLIE, ROB and every last person who has ever written in to me.
I'm going to post up today's news articles and then wake up early tomorrow morning and give you a yummy David information feed.
Love,
Gen
JetBlue Flight diverted into Philly busses people to NYC
I just had lunch with someone who told me her nightmare story of being on a delayed JetBlue flight diverted to Phoenix instead of Tucson and having to be bussed. Cos of course after waiting forever for a flight to leave, you want to spend 4 hours more on a plane, and then spend an extra 2 hours on a bus to Phoenix.
Afterward they rode her on thru the streets of Tuscon on a radio flyer wagon. That was meant to be a joke.
Bus brings JetBlue passengers to NYC after flight diverted
February 27, 2007, 1:28 PM EST
NEW YORK -- A JetBlue flight on its way to New York was diverted to Philadelphia due to a mechanical problem on Tuesday, and the airline was busing some of the passengers to their final destination.
Flight 1050 from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy International airport landed at 8:35 a.m. at Philadelphia International Airport after flight crew discovered a problem with an indicator light, said JetBlue Airways Corp. spokesman Todd Burke.
With no JetBlue staff at the Philadelphia airport _ where the airline has no operations _ and the plane awaiting a mechanical inspection, the flight's 54 passengers were given the option to disembark, Burke said. About 15 passengers chose to wait for an airline bus that left for New York by 12:45 p.m., he said.
"Mechanical diversions are a part of the airline industry, and in this case it appears that our crew members worked very closely with the airport to make sure that our customers were looked after in a very proper and timely manner," Burke said.
The spokesman would not say whether the use of a bus is common, but he did say it was a commonsense decision consistent with the airline's ongoing policies. It was unclear how the airline's new customer bill of rights applied to the flight, but all passengers were to receive a free roundtrip voucher, he said.
The airline has been on the defensive since earlier this month, when it was heavily criticized after bad weather stranded passengers in planes at JFK, its main hub, for up to 10{ hours.
The company, which had hoped to ride out that storm without canceling flights, later admitted it took too long to call airport authorities for help in getting passengers off the grounded planes. It couldn't resume normal operations for days because flight crews weren't where they were supposed to be.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Afterward they rode her on thru the streets of Tuscon on a radio flyer wagon. That was meant to be a joke.
Bus brings JetBlue passengers to NYC after flight diverted
February 27, 2007, 1:28 PM EST
NEW YORK -- A JetBlue flight on its way to New York was diverted to Philadelphia due to a mechanical problem on Tuesday, and the airline was busing some of the passengers to their final destination.
Flight 1050 from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy International airport landed at 8:35 a.m. at Philadelphia International Airport after flight crew discovered a problem with an indicator light, said JetBlue Airways Corp. spokesman Todd Burke.
With no JetBlue staff at the Philadelphia airport _ where the airline has no operations _ and the plane awaiting a mechanical inspection, the flight's 54 passengers were given the option to disembark, Burke said. About 15 passengers chose to wait for an airline bus that left for New York by 12:45 p.m., he said.
"Mechanical diversions are a part of the airline industry, and in this case it appears that our crew members worked very closely with the airport to make sure that our customers were looked after in a very proper and timely manner," Burke said.
The spokesman would not say whether the use of a bus is common, but he did say it was a commonsense decision consistent with the airline's ongoing policies. It was unclear how the airline's new customer bill of rights applied to the flight, but all passengers were to receive a free roundtrip voucher, he said.
The airline has been on the defensive since earlier this month, when it was heavily criticized after bad weather stranded passengers in planes at JFK, its main hub, for up to 10{ hours.
The company, which had hoped to ride out that storm without canceling flights, later admitted it took too long to call airport authorities for help in getting passengers off the grounded planes. It couldn't resume normal operations for days because flight crews weren't where they were supposed to be.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Riddle Time Again, FAA Edition
Riddle me this?
What airline violated major FAA guidelines by opening the cockpit door (the guildelines state the cockpit door should remain closed from the time you leave the gate until you reach the arrival gate) and allowed passengers in the cockpit, in the pilot chair? The pilot even went as as to walk out of the cock pit WITH a passenger in his seat?
I'll give you one guess.
Thanks to one smart reader who filed a complaint with the FAA, this incident is under investigation.
Yet, if we somehow decided to take control of the situation and opened the door allowing us to exit, (according to the FAA "taking control of the aircraft,") we'd be categorised as hijackers and arrested, per the warning of the crew. This is accordance with the FAA. That's called the Crew preaching what they don't practice.
What makes one FAA violation more important than another? The thought that it might be inhumane to expect the pilot to stay cooped up in a cockpit for 11 hours? Go figure.
Your thoughts please.
If you have your own stories of the cockpit door being opened on your "flight" email me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Gen
What airline violated major FAA guidelines by opening the cockpit door (the guildelines state the cockpit door should remain closed from the time you leave the gate until you reach the arrival gate) and allowed passengers in the cockpit, in the pilot chair? The pilot even went as as to walk out of the cock pit WITH a passenger in his seat?
I'll give you one guess.
Thanks to one smart reader who filed a complaint with the FAA, this incident is under investigation.
Yet, if we somehow decided to take control of the situation and opened the door allowing us to exit, (according to the FAA "taking control of the aircraft,") we'd be categorised as hijackers and arrested, per the warning of the crew. This is accordance with the FAA. That's called the Crew preaching what they don't practice.
What makes one FAA violation more important than another? The thought that it might be inhumane to expect the pilot to stay cooped up in a cockpit for 11 hours? Go figure.
Your thoughts please.
If you have your own stories of the cockpit door being opened on your "flight" email me at jetbluehostage@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Gen
Monday, February 26, 2007
JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights
Latey, I've been having people click thru to news stories and blogs with a short of it here. However, this is an interesting read...
JetBlue's future rests on bill of rights
By RACHEL BECK, AP Business Writer
Mon Feb 26, 12:56 PM ET
NEW YORK - Two potentially loaded words may tell the tale about whether JetBlue's new "Customer Bill of Rights" truly helps to restore its reputation after an operational meltdown.
Littered throughout that proclamation are the words "controllable irregularity." That's corporate legalese at its best, giving the New York-based airline wiggle room in deciding whether it owes compensation to travelers caught in service snafus.
If JetBlue really wants this to be a reputation-saving exercise, it will have to be careful about blaming events beyond its control for refusing to make cash payments or offer free tickets to irked customers who will be expecting them.
JetBlue's competitors must have been smirking as the often-touted airline faltered in the days following a Feb. 14 storm that stranded a number of passengers in planes stuck on the tarmac at Kennedy Airport in New York. Since it was founded seven years ago, JetBlue Airways Corp. has attained a celebrated status in the battered airline industry by building perception that it was different from others especially in terms of cost and service.
Over the last year, some of its high-gloss image started to fade as its rapid expansion and higher fuel costs swung profits to losses. To combat that decline, it launched a "Return to Profitability" plan that involved raising fares, cutting back on its growth and pushing into smaller, less competitive markets.
Despite those troubles, JetBlue's solid reputation largely stayed intact — until Valentine's Day. That's when a severe ice storm struck the Northeast, freezing planes to the ground and causing passengers to be stuck inside aircraft for as long as 10 hours. Then the airline failed to recover quickly from the storm, leading to more than 1,000 flight cancelations over the busy President's Day holiday weekend.
"This was a major league breakdown," said Darryl Jenkins, an independent airline consultant in suburban Washington. "This was a self-inflicted mess ... It showed that they are mortals like everyone else in the business."
The company estimates that the disruptions, which stranded thousands of passengers in cities across the country far away from the site of the storm, will hit first-quarter earnings by about $30 million, leading to an operating loss.
The immediate financial toll, however, might not be as steep as the long-term damage to its reputation. Passengers might avoid flying the carrier after such a paralyzing mess.
David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and CEO, has spent recent days trying to curb potential defections. Unlike many airline CEOs who faced similar crises, he quickly and publicly acknowledged the mistakes the airline made. The airline took out full-page advertisements in several East Coast newspapers to apologize for the travel headaches.
"We are sorry and embarrassed," the full-page ad began. "But most of all, we are deeply sorry."
JetBlue's new "Customer Bill of Rights" is intended to calm passengers' jitters. Now if JetBlue cancels a flight within 12 hours of its departure because of problems within its control, customers can ask for a full refund, a credit or a voucher. If the airline delays a flight in a situation within its control, passengers would receive vouchers ranging from $25 to the full amount of a round-trip ticket, depending on the length of the delay.
JetBlue also vowed to notify customers of delays prior to scheduled departures as well as not only inform them of diversions or cancellations, but also give the cause.
But embedded in the new bill of rights, the words "controllable irregularity" keep showing up. The way JetBlue describes it, that involves an event that the airline can't recover from due to its own fault. So a weather-related delay means the company doesn't have to pay up, but it would if planes were still grounded the day after a storm passed.
The devil of that provision may be in the details, since a "controllable irregularity" might be interpreted differently by different people, noted airline consultant Robert W. Mann, of Port Washington, N.Y.
"Do they walk the talk? Neeleman made his mea culpa very public, and now he has to live up to the promises," Mann said.
Neeleman said that he didn't expect payments stemming from this new program will represent "a meaningful expense," and the new bill of rights could woo new customers. But for that to happen, the company has to be overtly generous.
If it's not, it could go the way of biztravel.com, which promised in 2000 full refunds or rebates for certain airlines that were booked through its travel Web site. Travelers were entitled to $100 refund from the site, which was owned by the large travel agency Rosenbluth International, if flights were 30 minutes late. That shot up to $200 for hour-late flights.
But months later, the successful program was cut back — largely because it cost too much. Biztravel.com eventually went out of business.
For JetBlue, its past reputation no longer matters. Its future has just begun.
___
Rachel Beck is the national business columnist for The Associated Press. Write to her at rbeck(at)ap.org
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
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
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
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