JetBlue horrors
After talking to people at airports and getting no where, I called JetBlue’s customer service line yesterday. The guy I talked to, and his manager, both told me they couldn’t do anything for me, but if I wrote in directly to JetBlue, they could investigate the matter further and possibly offer me some recompense.
For those of you unfamiliar with what happened, the story is told in the complaint letter I sent to JetBlue:
Prior to departing Washington DC, we were informed the flight had been delayed. The ground crew told us we might miss our connecting flight in New York, but we would probably be okay. We were asked if we wanted to take the chance. Since my wife (Ashley) and I both had work the following Monday morning in Las Vegas, and since the crew was telling us we would probably make the connection, we decided to take the chance.
When we arrived at New York, we were told our plane had left about five minutes before we got there. We were then told that “since we had been warned,” we would have to find our own accommodations for the night. While we found this ridiculous, perhaps the most irksome part of the whole situation was that we both had to miss work the following day!
I understand that unexpected delays come up — weather, air traffic control, etc. — but as these things come up so regularly, a professional commercial airline should come to expect them and understand how to deal with them. Yes, our flight left DC late, but would it have been so hard for the connecting flight to wait an extra 15 or 30 minutes? That kind of lateness can easily be made up on a transcontinental flight. Or perhaps arrangements could have been made to have us fly a different airline? A so-called “customer friendly” company such as JetBlue should be able to work something out to please its customers.
My wife and I will be moving to the DC area soon. Since both our families live on the West Coast, flying will likely become fairly frequent for all of us. As things stand at this point, I can’t say I will want to use JetBlue, and I will certainly advise my family against it if this is how its customers are treated.
This is the response I received:
Dear Mr. Robison,
Thank you for your email regarding your JetBlue flight on May 31. We regret to hear that you and your wife were not able to connect to your flight due to our delayed flight to Washington/Dulles (IAD). We know your travel plans were important and we understand your frustration at missing your connection.
When we have flight delays, we strive to let our customers know of their options prior to boarding the flight. Our records indicate that you were informed the connection had the possibility of being missed in IAD. We expect and even demand that our crewmember offer the best in service at every point. Please be assured we have forwarded your comments to our leadership.
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 compensation.
We hope you will offer us another opportunity to welcome you onboard and look forward to sharing a comfortable JetBlue experience with you and your family.
I guess we’ll be avoiding JetBlue from now on. I’d recommend everyone else do the same.