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JetBlue Unveils "Passengers Bill Of Rights"

February 21, 2007

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Before the St. Valentines Day ice storm that froze operations at New York's JFK Airport, JetBlue had a good reputation with consumers, who liked its high level of service and low fares.

But after the airline stranded passengers aboard jetliners for eight hours or more and cancelled many of its flights, the airline is scrambling to recover from a PR meltdown.

Perhaps anticipating Congressional action spurred by its highly publicized problems, JetBlue has introduced a "Passengers' Bill of Rights" that it says it will observe. Lawmakers are currently drafting their own version for the entire industry.

Under the JetBlue version, passengers will be compensated when a flight lands but is delayed in taxiing to the gate by more than 30 minutes. Passengers aboard flights delayed in deplaning between one and two hours will receive a $100 travel voucher.

If two hours pass and the plane still hasn't deplaned, passengers will receive a voucher equal to their one-way fare. After four hours, the airline will refund the entire roundtrip ticket. There will be lesser penalties paid to passengers for ground delays on departure.

"This was a big wake-up call for JetBlue," said JetBlue founder and CEO David Neeleman. "If there's a silver lining, it is the fact that our airline is going to be stronger and even better prepared to serve our customers."

"In addition, I want to publicly apologize to JetBlue's crewmembers -- the best in the industry -- and I promise to get the right resources, tools and support for them going forward, so that they in turn can deliver the JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us."

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Part of the airline's Bill of Rights requires the airline to notify customers when there are delays prior to a scheduled departure, of when there are cancellations or diversions of flights. If a plane is ground delayed for five hours or more, the airline said it will take the necessary action to deplane passengers, though captains will have discretion if the aircraft is positioned and almost ready for take-off.

In addition, the airline said it will form a customer advisory council, who will be consulted with regarding ongoing improvement programs.

JetBlue also said it is taking immediate actions to address inefficiencies in its response plans. Actions already taken include new communication strategies with inflight and pilot crewmembers in the event of a system disruption, so that the airline can reset the operation faster, after the external disruption event ends.

The provisions to the Passengers' Bill of Rights have been made retroactive to February 14, 2007.

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