We’re on Day 3 of the Wait for a response to our email to Jetblue about the definition of “Controllable Irregularity.” We decided to check to see if anyone had better luck figuring things out.
- The Cranky Flier spoke to Jetblue’s Media Relations office and was told a Controllable Irregularity was anything that was under their control, things “other than weather or other than air traffic control.” Of course, last week’s meltdown was weather-related, but Jetblue’s response to it was controllable.
- Return of the Reluctant pointed out that the rewards mean little: “Neeleman values your time so much that he’s willing to pay you about as much as an assistant manager at Taco Bell: a little more than $10 an hour for any flight delay.” And a voucher has no real value as legal tender. It is money you won’t have to pay in the future if you keep your busines with Jetblue.
- Infectious Greed reiterates our concern about Controllable Irregularities(We love that they capitalized it). Someone commented though, that the ultimate “civil right” of a customer is to patronize another airline. And other airlines have had problems of their own.
- Ellipses asks whether or not the airlines can police themselves. They seem to think so, but will that head off the government. Either way, he mentions that the promises offered by the Bill of Rights “are enticing but ultimately empty. JetBlue didn’t need to do this, because it already has a terrific product — even with the V-D meltdown on its record.”
- Pink Slip reminded us that “JetBlue tried its darnedest to remedy the situation by hiring charter flights, adding flights where they could, rebooking passengers, booking seats on other airlines, as well as refunding fares, paying for hotel rooms, giving out freebies for later travel” and that what we didn’t see was “why all this was happening with JetBlue and not the other guys. I made a few trips to their web site and, while they had sparse but clear and decent information on the cancellations, how to rebook, and how folks were going to get their checked bags back, but there was little “why” information that I could find.” At least not while it was happening. They did elaborate afterward. Like the author, we hope they will not “start trying to weasel out of things by defining “Controllable Irregularity” so narrowly that the only “Controllable Irregularlity” would be CEO David Neeleman’s lying down in front of a taxi-ing plane.”
- Digital Axle thought that ” Jet Blue did everything right to protect their brand and they used the Internet to great effect including the likely, first-of-its-kind and the no doubt, now obligatory YouTube apology. And then they let some lawyer blow it all sky high with an inexplicably hysterical and unexplained piece of jargon. And, now that is all we are talking and thinking about.”