Jetblue Strands Passengers on Ground at JFK
ABC 7 New York reports that at least four Jetblue planes were stuck on the runway fully loaded with passengers and children for hours. JetBlue said the passengers were held on the flight because “we were operating as if the aircraft would be able to fly.” The airline says it was relying on forecast models that indicated there would be a departure window.
The plane that reported the story to ABC was Jetblue Flight 751 to Cancun, scheduled to depart this morning at 8:15AM. The plane attempted to get off the ground during a narrow takeoff window and it sat on the tarmac for hours, as there were no gates to return it to. Airport officials said that if Jetblue told them they had passengers needing rescuing on planes out on the tarmac, they would have come with buses. But Jetblue did not call until after 3PM. The passengers were not offloaded until after 5PM.
The Cancun passengers were not alone. A Burbank-bound flight, 351, scheduled to depart at 6:45AM was sitting on the tarmac all day. And an inbound flight from Ft. Myers, Flight 850, apparently landed at 9:44AM waited all day to deplane.
We are please to say that even Jetblue admitted their actions were inexcusable…a JetBlue spokesperson said, “We did not do our best … no excuse for why we allowed those passengers to sit on the tarmac.” Jenny Dervin, a spokewoman for the airline, commented, “the driver of this situation is the weather. The weather just did not play out as forecasted. But we know it does not relieve our responsibilities for our customers’ comfort…We would never intentionally do that[leave a plane on the tarmac for hours]. We would only position an aircraft if we thought we could depart that aircraft within a reasonable amount of time.”
Like on the American Airlines incident in Austin in December, where passengers were left on diverted American flights for hours, this may cause the federal government to reconsider the “Passenger Bills of Rights” the airlines convinced them to not deliberate on in 1999 with promises of reform.
Posted: February 14th, 2007 under JetBlue Airways, News.
Comments
Comment from bob
Time February 15, 2007 at 11:47 am
It is abpit time that airline customers have a say on how they are treated. To have any one sit on an airplane for more then 1 hour is cruel and unusual ponnishment and the plane shouls be brought to the gate and the folks let out. I know i fro one would have lulled the emergency slide and got out on my opwn bullshit withe the fed regulations, We are sheep we should remember lets roll and do it . We as customers need to act and when the airline captain does not have the guts to pull the plane back to the gate any gate that is open then the passangers have the right to do what they have to to getoff that plane air marshal or not. The laws need to change to bring these airlines to heel congress should act now screw the airline lobbiest .
Comment from Kent
Time February 15, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I was frustrated at my non stop flight being cancelled (FLL-IND) and me being re-routed through Memphis, but after reading the blogs and watching the news, I feel lucky. I was only 6 hours late, but slept in my own bed that night.
Comment from Brad
Time February 15, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Perhaps Bob did not read the news item. The government has nothing to do with it. His assertion that it doe suggests he is a democratic idealogue - that is if you can read through his drunken writing.
Why did Jet Blue not inform the New York Port Authority? Jet Blue should be fined a simple $100,000.00 for every passenger who was left on a plane for over one and a half hours. Should it happen again they should be fined $200,000 per passenger - maybe they will learn how to pick up the phone and call for help. Their excuses and those of their defenders are outrageous
Jet Blue is a miserable airline and it must be called to pay for its responsibility of massive mistreatment and abuse of children, the sick and elderly.
Comment from sTEVE
Time February 15, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I FLEW FROM BOSTON TO JFK WITH PLANS TO TRAVEL TO ORD ON TUESDAY, 13 FEB. I BOARDED JB AT ABOUT 1PM. BY THAT TIME ORD WAS CLOSED…YET NO ONE IN BOS TOLD ME. SO, WHEN I ARRIVED AT JFK, FLIGHT 917 WAS RESCHEDULED TO 10 PM.
SINCE, BOS KNEY THAT THE FLIGHT WAS DELAYED, THE INFO SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED ON TO ME.
I SENT AN EMAIL TO JB WITH MY COMPLAINTS…WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THIS ONE.
Comment from CHARLES REED
Time February 15, 2007 at 5:23 pm
IT’S NOT JUST BLUE JET WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE OTHER AIRLINES HAVE THE SAME IN BAD WEATHER. ANYTHING OVER TWO HOURS IS A CRIME OF KIDNAPING AS FAR AS I AM CONCERN. IN BLUE JET’S CASE, THE PASSANGERS SHOULD HAVE UNITED AND DEMANDED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE PLANE.
Comment from Guru
Time February 15, 2007 at 6:53 pm
We’ve put our responses to these comments in a new post at:
http://blog.flightwisdom.com/2007/02/15/responses-to-the-jetblue-situation-on-valentines-day/
Comment from Bassett
Time February 15, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Does it require a serious illness, injury or death of a passenger to require some common sense on the part of an airline? Recall that on 9/11/01 a group of brave citizens rushed the cockpit. Do you, the airlines, wish to have that happen again? Recent reports indicate that this reaction may be acceptable to the airlines. How many passengers are you willing to shoot before treating them as cattle?
Comment from Pat Blanchard
Time February 16, 2007 at 9:09 am
Here we go again….. the most well known game we citizens of this wonderful country play is “THE BLAME GAME”… It is the government’s fault; its the airline’s fault; its the airport or FAA’s fault”…. Do you all think someone got up that day and decided to mess up everyone’s Valentine Day and leave them stranded? Get a grip folks…. you do not deserve reimbursement for an Act of God… duh…. always the almighty dollar will fix it or get a lawyer. Jet Blue would have made a lot more money if they could have flown everyone that day…. They are a great airline and have made a good name for themselves. If you want to whine…. get some cheese and get off of your computer complaining about everything. Its life and it sure beats the alternative. Yea for the Airline Industry and the safety of the passengers coming first before getting them into their comfort zones…. Lots of orthopaedic surgeons could have been busy if all of you had had to slip and fall in order to get something to eat or bathroom facilities…. let it go.
Comment from ann
Time March 3, 2007 at 9:09 am
Why just blame JETBLUE? Delta had me closed up in a plane on February 14, from 12 PM to 6:30 PM and did not feed us until there was almost a revolt. They were not very pleasant to us either. Originally was to be an 8:45 AM Flight #207 to Santo Domingo, D. R.
Comment from GMoney
Time February 15, 2007 at 11:32 am
This is another fine example of how government agencies handle things. Jet Blue shoulders the blame, but what about the asinine rules the FAA and Airport Authorites have in handling a situation like this. If an arriving plane can not get to its gate within 1 hour, the airport should have busses deplane the passenger or allow the plane into an an area where people can deplane and walk into the airport. Hell, in half the airports I’ve flown into you deplane out doors without a jet way. How long will it take the Einsteins at the FAA and the Airport Authorities to figure this out? And you want the government to handle health care?? NO WAY!!