By Craig Giammona
A spokesman for JetBlue Airways said Tuesday the airline was “100 percent operational,” meaning it was back on track following a chaotic six-day stretch that saw the cancellation of more than 1,000 JetBlue flights.In addition, JetBlue spokesman Sebastian White said that by the end of Tuesday hundreds of unclaimed bags would be reunited with their owners.The bags, which belonged to customers who checked into flights that were eventually canceled, were piled outside JetBlue's Baggage Services Office Sunday, a clear indication of just how bad things had gotten for the discount airline.Besides the cancellations – which included all flights to 11 mid-market cities during the three-day holiday weekend – hundreds more flights were delayed following the Valentine's Day snowstorm.The storm wreaked utter havoc on JetBlue's operations, inconveniencing thousands of passengers and it remained to be seen if JetBlue, which had been lauded for its customer service, would recover. Beleaguered passengers said they were frustrated and shocked by the extent of the delays.”I didn't take time off work to sit in an airport-this is ridiculous,” said Caroline Thomas, a Brooklyn resident who was supposed to go Nashville Friday morning. Her flight was delayed, then canceled. JetBlue cancelled all flights to Nashville over the holiday weekend, leaving Thomas in the lurch. She said Sunday afternoon that her planned vacation would likely have to be scrapped.In an interview with The New York Times Monday, David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and chief executive officer, said he was “mortified and humiliated” by the situation that unfolded at JFK.Neeleman also acknowledged weaknesses in the company's communications and flight reservation system and vowed to invest the millions of dollars necessary to bring the airline up to speed. JetBlue also announced Tuesday the creation of a Customer Bill of Rights that will provide refunds and reimbursements for passengers that are inconvenienced in the future. JetBlue's stock price fell nearly 5 percent to $12.90 a share Tuesday, the first day of trading this week.In addition, it remained to be seen if passengers whose plans were disrupted would hold a grudge against JetBlue. Gabriel Aiello went to JFK Friday with his wife and three children hoping to board a 2 p.m. flight for Tampa, where the family was to attend a wedding. Around 3 p.m., Aiello, a restaurateur from Manhattan, said he was still hopeful that he would make the wedding, but it appeared the rehearsal dinner was out of the question.”My brother flew out this morning on another airline and had no trouble,” he said. “When you get a curve ball like this, you have to be able to adapt.”It is not known when Aiello's flight eventually took off.According to a version of events released by JetBlue, the airline's problems began on the morning of Feb. 14 as ice and snow fell in New York City. JetBlue officials decided to board the morning flights, hoping the weather would let up long enough to get the flights off the ground. The weather never cleared and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.Five departing JetBlue flights and four arriving flights, carrying more than 500 passengers, eventually got stuck in the ice on the JFK tarmac. At 3 p.m., more than six hours after the passengers had boarded, JetBlue called the Port Authority and requested buses to get the passengers back to the terminal.Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said that 30 minutes after the call was received the buses arrived. He said it was the sole responsibility of JetBlue to request assistance.”Our job in that situation is to keep the runways clear,” DiFulco said, adding that the Port Authority considers a passenger stranded after two hours. He said all of the stranded passengers were back in the terminal by about 5 p.m.JetBlue ultimately canceled 279 of its 503 flights on Feb. 14. By last Thursday morning, the cancellations from the day before caused several planes and flight crews to be out of position, escalating the problems.JetBlue cancelled 217 of its 562 flights last Thursday and another 100 Friday. In fact, JetBlue canceled about 25 percent of its flights, or more than 450 flights, during the three-day weekend.A spokesman said Tuesday that the airline had completely recovered from the storm. And while cancellations stemming from the Valentine's Day storm may have ceased, it appeared JetBlue's effort to recover its public image had just begun.Reach reporter Craig Giammona by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
