Never again on B6

[daveinric]

Several weeks ago, we flew from TUS to SYR. On the eastbound trip, my wife's suitcase was mangled. The best I could get from JetBlue was a $30 credit toward a future flight.

The real kicker came on the way back west, however. We were booked (by a JetBlue reservations agent) on Flt. 75 out of SYR. Our departure was delayed supposedly due to low ceiling at JFK. I called the 800 number for reservations and pleaded to have Flt. 105 (the one and only flight of the day to TUS) held for a few minutes so we could make our connection. But, no, they didn't hold the flight, and we missed it by 20 minutes. (Even had they held it, it would have been possible for the flight to arrive TUS ahead of the 2301L scheduled arrival).

Gate personnel in SYR told us that if we missed our connection at JFK, there was a motel at JFK that offered a "Distressed Passenger Rate'" or something to that effect, for passengers who missed their connecting flights. When we went to the counter at JFK to rebook, the folks there had never heard of the aforementioned rate or motel. They mentioned a couple of motels in the area where we could stay (at our own expense, of course) or they said we could sack out after closing time on the seats of a sushi bar. We opted for the latter, since we had been rebooked on an AM flight, not to TUS, but to PHX. Of course, when we arrived at PHX, we had to rent a car to drive down to reclaim our own car at TUS.

It took several emails just to get JetBlue to condescend to credit us $50 each toward a future trip. They flatly refused to help out in any way toward the cost of the car rental, and then went so far as to arrogantly tell me they wouldn't be accepting any further correspondence from me on the matter.

To be sure, JetBlue has nice equipment and the IFE does a wonderful job of passing the time on a virtually transcontinental flight. However, JetBlue has shown us, in no uncertain terms, that they do not care one iota about the inconvenience they caused a couple of honest retired folks only trying to get back home to TUS.

There is no way you will ever see us on another Jetblue flight again.

 

[BartlettAve]

Several weeks ago, we flew from TUS to SYR. On the eastbound trip, my wife's suitcase was mangled. The best I could get from JetBlue was a $30 credit toward a future flight.

The real kicker came on the way back west, however. We were booked (by a JetBlue reservations agent) on Flt. 75 out of SYR. Our departure was delayed supposedly due to low ceiling at JFK. I called the 800 number for reservations and pleaded to have Flt. 105 (the one and only flight of the day to TUS) held for a few minutes so we could make our connection. But, no, they didn't hold the flight, and we missed it by 20 minutes. (Even had they held it, it would have been possible for the flight to arrive TUS ahead of the 2301L scheduled arrival).

Gate personnel in SYR told us that if we missed our connection at JFK, there was a motel at JFK that offered a "Distressed Passenger Rate'" or something to that effect, for passengers who missed their connecting flights. When we went to the counter at JFK to rebook, the folks there had never heard of the aforementioned rate or motel. They mentioned a couple of motels in the area where we could stay (at our own expense, of course) or they said we could sack out after closing time on the seats of a sushi bar. We opted for the latter, since we had been rebooked on an AM flight, not to TUS, but to PHX. Of course, when we arrived at PHX, we had to rent a car to drive down to reclaim our own car at TUS.

It took several emails just to get JetBlue to condescend to credit us $50 each toward a future trip. They flatly refused to help out in any way toward the cost of the car rental, and then went so far as to arrogantly tell me they wouldn't be accepting any further correspondence from me on the matter.

To be sure, JetBlue has nice equipment and the IFE does a wonderful job of passing the time on a virtually transcontinental flight. However, JetBlue has shown us, in no uncertain terms, that they do not care one iota about the inconvenience they caused a couple of honest retired folks only trying to get back home to TUS.

There is no way you will ever see us on another Jetblue flight again.

sorry you had a bad trip. i've had many.

what i like about your post is that you stated, quite unemotionally, what happened to you, then explained that's why you'll never fly JetBlue again. bravo, that's what consumerism is all about. you bought something; you didn't like it; and you'll never buy it again.

but did you really think any airline would hold up a flight simply because you asked?

even if you paid $500 for your ticket, it's unreasonable to expect any airline would hold up a multi-million dollar operation to accomodate two retirees messed up by a weather-related delay.

again,sorry

 

[daveinric]

As to whether we really expected JetBlue to hold the flight, a couple of thoughts:

a. Flight 105, JFK-TUS, has had a horrendous on-time performance record. At last count, there had been at least 5 CNXs since June as well. However, had it been held the 20 minutes or so that would have been required, there was still plenty of "fudge factor" built into the schedule for it to arrive TUS on time on the date in question.
b. Whether or not they would hold the flight, what was the harm in calling reservations and asking? All they could do is say no, and they apparently did just that, judging by their actions.

I would point out (which I didn't mention in my earlier post) that gate personnel at SYR were complaining to the skipper of Flight 75 that evening that day after day, PAX on Flight 75 who were connecting to western destinations at JFK were chronically winding up in the same predicament as we experienced, and how unfair that was to those PAX. For example, on Flight 75 there were supposed to be something like 11 PAX from an athletic team who missed a connection to DEN that night. There were others going to places such as PDX, SEA and SMF, if I recall correctly, who also missed connections and were out of luck.

I do take exception to the intimation that because my wife and I are retired, we are somehow second class citizens. We certainly deserve the same amount of courtesy (no more, no less) as anybody else. Courtesy is certainly something we did not receive from JetBlue. The customer service rep with whom we dealt (Suzanne) only made matters worse with her dismissive attitude.

Retired or not, we're upset and we're complaining.

 

[bigbusdrvr]

As to whether we really expected JetBlue to hold the flight, a couple of thoughts:

a. Flight 105, JFK-TUS, has had a horrendous on-time performance record. At last count, there had been at least 5 CNXs since June as well. However, had it been held the 20 minutes or so that would have been required, there was still plenty of "fudge factor" built into the schedule for it to arrive TUS on time on the date in question.
b. Whether or not they would hold the flight, what was the harm in calling reservations and asking? All they could do is say no, and they apparently did just that, judging by their actions.

I would point out (which I didn't mention in my earlier post) that gate personnel at SYR were complaining to the skipper of Flight 75 that evening that day after day, PAX on Flight 75 who were connecting to western destinations at JFK were chronically winding up in the same predicament as we experienced, and how unfair that was to those PAX. For example, on Flight 75 there were supposed to be something like 11 PAX from an athletic team who missed a connection to DEN that night. There were others going to places such as PDX, SEA and SMF, if I recall correctly, who also missed connections and were out of luck.

I do take exception to the intimation that because my wife and I are retired, we are somehow second class citizens. We certainly deserve the same amount of courtesy (no more, no less) as anybody else. Courtesy is certainly something we did not receive from JetBlue. The customer service rep with whom we dealt (Suzanne) only made matters worse with her dismissive attitude.

Retired or not, we're upset and we're complaining.

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And complain you should!! By goodness, of all the nerve... Why if I called up any other place of bussiness ( grocery store, nursery, the local mall) and informed them id be running late , surly they would stay open to accomidate me!!!!

Come on now...Im the american generation that made this country great...the people working now owe me a good retirement...eventhough I made money on every house I sold thru the 70 n 80"s...still got my pension .....

We'll just wait for you to get a clue about the new game of life in this OUTSOURCED WORLD your generation left us with...THANKS!!!

Its all about you isnt it!!!

 

[BartlettAve]

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And complain you should!! By goodness, of all the nerve... Why if I called up any other place of bussiness ( grocery store, nursery, the local mall) and informed them id be running late , surly they would stay open to accomidate me!!!!

Come on now...Im the american generation that made this country great...the people working now owe me a good retirement...eventhough I made money on every house I sold thru the 70 n 80"s...still got my pension .....

We'll just wait for you to get a clue about the new game of life in this OUTSOURCED WORLD your generation left us with...THANKS!!!

Its all about you isnt it!!!

what the post-deregulation air traveller doesn't realize is that there is a price to defying gravity: and DAVEINRIC paid it.

an airplane is the only thing we voluntarily give our lives up to. the aircraft defies gravity; if it fails, you fall and die. you can't breath the air at altitude; if the aircraft fails, you suffocate. the aircraft travels at 500+ mph; if it fails your body is torn apart. an aircraft is life support. life support costs $5000 a day in a hospital; today's air traveller spends about $50 bucks an hour to be kept alive.

prior to de-regulation in 1978, flying was expensive. only rich people were able to do it. ticket prices covered the cost of delaying a flight for connections, putting a distressed passenger in a hotel for the night, fixing an old piece of luggage. ERICINRIC, if you want to go back to 1978 and pay a shitload to fund your retirement travel, great. travelling will be much nicer for the few who can still afford to do it.

but, if you're not wiling to pay more, lower your expectations, and find that perfect airline that satifies all your needs. good luck!

 

[daveinric]

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And complain you should!! By goodness, of all the nerve... Why if I called up any other place of bussiness ( grocery store, nursery, the local mall) and informed them id be running late , surly they would stay open to accomidate me!!!!

Come on now...Im the american generation that made this country great...the people working now owe me a good retirement...eventhough I made money on every house I sold thru the 70 n 80"s...still got my pension .....

We'll just wait for you to get a clue about the new game of life in this OUTSOURCED WORLD your generation left us with...THANKS!!!

Its all about you isnt it!!!

If I don't stand up for myself, nobody else will. As I stated previously, there would have been plenty of time for Flight 105 to arrive TUS on schedule, even if it had been held the extra 20 minutes. I would never have made such a request had that not been the case. I don't operate that way.

Your analogies, assumptions and insinuations are totally absurd. If in fact you are a "bigbusdriver," I hope I never have to place my life and safety in the hands of one so obviously lacking in reasoning skills. That, fortunately, isn't likely to happen, since we fly Boeing at every opportunity. After our experience with B6, we'll be going Boeing even more frequently.

 

[BartlettAve]

If I don't stand up for myself, nobody else will. As I stated previously, there would have been plenty of time for Flight 105 to arrive TUS on schedule, even if it had been held the extra 20 minutes. I would never have made such a request had that not been the case. I don't operate that way.

Your analogies, assumptions and insinuations are totally absurd. If in fact you are a "bigbusdriver," I hope I never have to place my life and safety in the hands of one so obviously lacking in reasoning skills. That, fortunately, isn't likely to happen, since we fly Boeing at every opportunity. After our experience with B6, we'll be going Boeing even more frequently.

stand up for yourself all you want.

but basically, your "warranty" ran out the minute the ceilings went down at JFK. in the past, when you bought a paper ticket, the reverse side contained something called "conditions of travel". it clearly stated that an airline was not responsible for changes in it's schedule due to weather events. those same conditions exist when you purchase an e-ticket.

you got $30 for your wife's suitcase. $100 for your missed connection. granted, the vouchers are worthless as you will "never fly JB again".
but you received more than you would have from any other airline.

my advice, don't be a fool. Use the $130 to buy another ticket on JB . if the weather's good, you'll make your connection, you'll have a nce vacation, and you will have saved a ton of money which is exactly how the de-regulated free-market US aviation industry is supposed to work

 

[Winglet]

You can substitute any other airline's name for B6 in the thread and it'll be just the same. No airline is going to delay departure 20 minutes for waiting for 2 pax. I'll bet if you were on-board, you'd be complaining about being delayed pushing off the gate.

If you want a better chance of getting where you want to go despite weather problems, fly on a carrier who has better frequency to where you're going. However, that's not always fix the problem with the airplanes 90% full, a canceled flight will likely overfill the remaining airplanes.

My bet is that next time you fly, you're going to fly the carrier with the cheapest seat . . . . Jet Blue or not.

Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.

 

[eolesen]

Having actually worked as a gate agent at a couple of airline hubs, the people who are telling you that flights never hold for connecting pax are full of crap. It happens all the time. As a real business traveler no longer held hostage by an airline paycheck, I've also seen it happen a few times.

So, ignore all the Jetblue Koolaide drinkers -- you have every reason to be pissed off.. You bought transportation between SYR and TUS. It wasn't provided. They blame it on the weather, but it's no secret that B6's dependability at JFK is horrible because of overscheduling by both Jetblue and Delta, and you got stuck in their little pissing match.

Unfortunately, you made the choice to fly an airline that goes it alone and can't reroute you on Brand X to actually get you home without the 90 minute ride on the I-10 Deathway. That's why I fly on an airline which has agreements with other airlines, and can get me where I want to be more than once a day.

 

[mga707]

Having actually worked as a gate agent at a couple of airline hubs, the people who are telling you that flights never hold for connecting pax are full of crap. It happens all the time. As a real business traveler no longer held hostage by an airline paycheck, I've also seen it happen a few times.

I'll corraborate the above--I've even seen it on WN. Twice when connecting in LAS to the last LAS-TUS flight of the day the plane has been held for late connex. Once about 15 min, the other time about 25.
And you know what? The planeload waiting to go didn't seem to mind, since the crew explained what was happening, and why, and kept everyone updated.
When the last passengers finally got on on they shut that door in a hurry, pushed before the dawdlers had even chosen a seat, and taxied in typical Herb bat-out-of-hell style, but they DID hold the plane!

 

[citrus jock]

I'll corraborate the above--I've even seen it on WN. Twice when connecting in LAS to the last LAS-TUS flight of the day the plane has been held for late connex. Once about 15 min, the other time about 25.
And you know what? The planeload waiting to go didn't seem to mind, since the crew explained what was happening, and why, and kept everyone updated.
When the last passengers finally got on on they shut that door in a hurry, pushed before the dawdlers had even chosen a seat, and taxied in typical Herb bat-out-of-hell style, but they DID hold the plane!

A Southwest flight pushed before some passengers were seated??? I feel a magsau reply coming on.

 

[daveinric]

You can substitute any other airline's name for B6 in the thread and it'll be just the same. No airline is going to delay departure 20 minutes for waiting for 2 pax. I'll bet if you were on-board, you'd be complaining about being delayed pushing off the gate.

If you want a better chance of getting where you want to go despite weather problems, fly on a carrier who has better frequency to where you're going. However, that's not always fix the problem with the airplanes 90% full, a canceled flight will likely overfill the remaining airplanes.

My bet is that next time you fly, you're going to fly the carrier with the cheapest seat . . . . Jet Blue or not.

Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.

Wrong, Winglet, on multiple counts. Flight 105 is the one and only flight of the entire day from JFK to TUS. If I were on board and a crew member explained the situation, of course I'd understand the delay. As a matter of fact, I have seen that happen and have cooled my heels very well, thank you.

I guarantee you that the next time I fly, for starters, I'll make my own reservations instead of letting some company ditz working from home make them for me. B6 has a flight from SYR to JFK at approx. 1400, and had the B6 ditz made the reservations on that flight or even told us about its existence, sure we'd have had a layover at JFK, lousy food and all, but we'd have been home in Tucson that same night. Unfortunately, the ditz didn't offer us this option.

Incompetent. Not always cheap. Unresponsive. I'll give you all three. In my opinion, all apply to B6.

 

[mga707]

A Southwest flight pushed before some passengers were seated??? I feel a magsau reply coming on.

Luckily for this thread, "Captain Battootie" doesn't have the same obsessive envy/jealousy of B6 that he does of WN. He won't see it unless someone else alerts him to it.
It (the push while some were still choosing a seat) was only for the first 30 seconds or so. Someone probably decided they didn't like their seat (or person next to them ) and decided to move. No big deal.

 

[MCDP]

Wrong, Winglet, on multiple counts. Flight 105 is the one and only flight of the entire day from JFK to TUS. If I were on board and a crew member explained the situation, of course I'd understand the delay. As a matter of fact, I have seen that happen and have cooled my heels very well, thank you.

I guarantee you that the next time I fly, for starters, I'll make my own reservations instead of letting some company ditz working from home make them for me. B6 has a flight from SYR to JFK at approx. 1400, and had the B6 ditz made the reservations on that flight or even told us about its existence, sure we'd have had a layover at JFK, lousy food and all, but we'd have been home in Tucson that same night. Unfortunately, the ditz didn't offer us this option.

Incompetent. Not always cheap. Unresponsive. I'll give you all three. In my opinion, all apply to B6.

This is what airline travel has come to. Passengers want the airline to bend over backward for them like hold flights. Then, they expect to pay airfare that is less than riding on Greyhound. But these very same passengers then complain to the government when it is late. So, the government ranks on time performance for each airline. That is when the real screaming begins. To the paying passenger: YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! When you don't get off the ground in a timely manner, it is because someone has decided that it is not safe you to do so, whether it be maintenance, air traffic control, weather, whatever. Remember, when you travel, there is an old saying that goes: Time to Spare? Go by Air. You can't fly under all conditions. I've always wanted to tell a complaining passenger that. Thank god I don't work for an airline anymore. Of all those who still do, being out of the industry is liberating.

 

[BartlettAve]

This is what airline travel has come to. Passengers want the airline to bend over backward for them like hold flights. Then, they expect to pay airfare that is less than riding on Greyhound. But these very same passengers then complain to the government when it is late. So, the government ranks on time performance for each airline. That is when the real screaming begins. To the paying passenger: YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! When you don't get off the ground in a timely manner, it is because someone has decided that it is not safe you to do so, whether it be maintenance, air traffic control, weather, whatever. Remember, when you travel, there is an old saying that goes: Time to Spare? Go by Air. You can't fly under all conditions. I've always wanted to tell a complaining passenger that. Thank god I don't work for an airline anymore. Of all those who still do, being out of the industry is liberating.

man was not meant to fly; ot's as simple as that