Any one else stranded due to Jetblue

[ElleBren]

We were scheduled to fly out this morning out of Newark. It seems someone decided to cancel flights over 12 hours ago and now even though there is zero snow and not even due here til about 1pm. I really hope whoever decided to cancel every flight today without even thinking realizes the spot they have put thousands of people.

 

[dburg30]

That's the bummer about storms and trying to predict. If the snow would have arrived earlier or maybe when they first thought it was supposed to and they didnt cancel, people would be complaining about "why the heck didnt they cancel these flights knowing this was coming" pretty much a crap shoot and lose lose situation sometimes. Was it a nonstop flight? If not, where was it to layover at? Did anything happen last night that maybe they dont have equipment there to fulfill the flights? It stinks, but I know SW posted on their site the folks that had flights I think even yesterday could re-book if they wanted to.

Sorry this has happened, and hope you get out as soon as they can get you out, but sadly that's one of the things about air travel and weather.

 

[msmayor]

We were scheduled to fly out this morning out of Newark. It seems someone decided to cancel flights over 12 hours ago and now even though there is zero snow and not even due here til about 1pm. I really hope whoever decided to cancel every flight today without even thinking realizes the spot they have put thousands of people.

Uh...you realize a HUGE snowstorm has descended on the northeast. I'm sure they didn't callously cancel flights...a lot has to do with them knowing whether or not they can get the planes IN to this area due to the storm. And whether or not they can get them OUT. They don't want them stuck here, causing an even bigger ripple-effect in flight delays across the country.


Flight delays right now in to and out of Philly are running 6 hours.

 

[Uncleromulus]

THat's a shame. But weather forecasts often cannot be relied on for a great deal of accuracy as to timing, so most businesses, airlines, schools, etc adopt the better safe than sorry approach.
Sort of "They just might be right and we can't take a chance that they might not be".

 

[backyardponder]

The current computer models show 10 - 24" for the NYC area by 7PM tonight. Although frustrating, you are probably better off being stuck at home than stranded at the airport trying to get home in all of that.

Look at the bright side...low on Sunday in Orlando is supposed to be 39 degrees!

Good luck getting out soon!

 

[Uncleromulus]

But look at that forecast--there is a huge difference between 10 and 24 inches.
Neither is good, but --which is it????
They just don't know.
So we asume the worst and plan for 24 inches.

 

[ElleBren]

That's the bummer about storms and trying to predict. If the snow would have arrived earlier or maybe when they first thought it was supposed to and they didnt cancel, people would be complaining about "why the heck didnt they cancel these flights knowing this was coming" pretty much a crap shoot and lose lose situation sometimes. Was it a nonstop flight? If not, where was it to layover at? Did anything happen last night that maybe they dont have equipment there to fulfill the flights? It stinks, but I know SW posted on their site the folks that had flights I think even yesterday could re-book if they wanted to.

Sorry this has happened, and hope you get out as soon as they can get you out, but sadly that's one of the things about air travel and weather.

I had non-stop. I usually try not to do layovers if I can avoid it. I guess I would be less upset if they would have maybe decided to cancel the flight less than 16 hours in advance. It especially stings when other carriers are flying so it's not so much a safety thing.

Uh...you realize a HUGE snowstorm has descended on the northeast. I'm sure they didn't callously cancel flights...a lot has to do with them knowing whether or not they can get the planes IN to this area due to the storm. And whether or not they can get them OUT. They don't want them stuck here, causing an even bigger ripple-effect in flight delays across the country.


Flight delays right now in to and out of Philly are running 6 hours.

Uh yeah I do realize that a snowstorm is on the way. However other airports in the area that actually DO have snow have been flying out. Granted delays but I would rather have a delay in the day than missing 2 days out of our trip.

THat's a shame. But weather forecasts often cannot be relied on for a great deal of accuracy as to timing, so most businesses, airlines, schools, etc adopt the better safe than sorry approach.
Sort of "They just might be right and we can't take a chance that they might not be".

I agree with this to the most part. However I also feel like the weather people are sensationalizing it for the most part and it's not like we don't deal with snow in general.

I know things happen that cause the flights to be delayed and whatnot. However it almost seems they could have gotten at least 4 or so flights out before it even started snowing. Again I just feel that maybe the call should have just been made closer to the actual flight time.

 

[msmayor]

Again I just feel that maybe the call should have just been made closer to the actual flight time.

At which point you'd have even angrier passengers who, in consideration of the bad weather, decided to try and get to the airport even earlier for their flight...and then found themselves at the airport, in a snowstorm, with no flight.

I realize its frustrating. This comes with the territory when flying during the winter though. Airlines do their best to affect the least number of passengers, and that means shifting schedules well in advance to make sure they can keep most of their fleet flying and not sitting on the ground in the snow. Its just unfortunate that you are in that small group.

 

[bicker]

Rest assured that such decisions are made with an abundance of thought and consideration. Given how much people hate getting stranded on runways and stranded in connection cities, and given how much airlines get criticized for not being able to get back up to full operations after snow storms, it makes loads of sense to plan ahead and make the hard decisions now that will preclude worse consequences later.

 

[ElleBren]

I guess it's just me seeing them(jetblue others are flying) cancel every flight out of newark today when the storm isn't supposed to get here til tonight and reroute all those people to new flights for sunday where there is a much stronger chance those flights will also be canceled if it is going to snow as much overnight.

If there was even snow sticking to the ground heck I'd take even falling from the sky I would say I can see a chance for cancelation. I have been living here for almost 6 years and constantly fly out during the winter time. I have yet to have a canceled flight until today. It just seems I will most likely look for another carrier as most of the others decided it was safe to fly and were able to get their customers on their way.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's possible that they didn't think they could get planes *into* Newark. Even if the weather at your airport is fabulous, bad weather at other locations can delay and cancel flights throughout the system.

 

[bicker]

I guess it's just me seeing them(jetblue others are flying) cancel every flight out of newark today when the storm isn't supposed to get here til tonight and reroute all those people to new flights for sunday where there is a much stronger chance those flights will also be canceled if it is going to snow as much overnight.

One of the hardest things to understand about the airline industry is how all the pieces fit together.

Please forgive me for reminiscing for a minute: Back in the 1980s, I was in grad school and the big news was Karmarkar's algorithm. This was a new technique for evaluating large systems via mathematical models. The previous mechanism dated back to WWII, when it was used to optimize war operations. That approach could readily handle thousand upon thousands of variables, even with the anemic computers available back in the 1980s. However, airline operations were much more complicated than that (and have only gotten more complicated over time, due to regulations, and the realities of the marketplace and economy). Karmarkar's innovation was to recognize that coming up with a answer that is "close" to best, taking into consideration the hundreds of thousands of variables, was more important than coming up with an absolutely accurate answer but only considering a very small subset of the variables. No segment of our society was happier to hear word of Karmarkar's innovation than the airlines.

Anyway, the point of the story is that there are so many realities that the airline industry has to take into consideration that not even computers (not even today's computers) can possibly think through and consider all those factors -- so it is no surprise that we humans cannot do so.

My best guess is that the less obvious, critical factors that need to be considered, here, are the positioning of equipment and personnel for the upcoming work-week.

If there was even snow sticking to the ground heck I'd take even falling from the sky I would say I can see a chance for cancelation.

Then you'd be too late... that is the kind of error that airlines used to make a lot. They've learned their lesson well, and there are even regulations in place now that punish them for making decisions the old way, when they lead, even days later, to the kinds of problems that the regulations are intended to obviate.

It just seems I will most likely look for another carrier as most of the others decided it was safe to fly and were able to get their customers on their way.

And if you lived in Minneapolis or Seattle, it would be one of those other carriers that you'd be complaining about. For good or ill, JetBlue operates in the northeast, and so when there is a weather event in the northeast, it will disrupt JetBlue's operations far more than, say, an airline that focuses its operations in the southwest.

 

[msmayor]

I guess it's just me seeing them(jetblue others are flying) cancel every flight out of newark today when the storm isn't supposed to get here til tonight and reroute all those people to new flights for sunday where there is a much stronger chance those flights will also be canceled if it is going to snow as much overnight.

If there was even snow sticking to the ground heck I'd take even falling from the sky I would say I can see a chance for cancelation. I have been living here for almost 6 years and constantly fly out during the winter time. I have yet to have a canceled flight until today. It just seems I will most likely look for another carrier as most of the others decided it was safe to fly and were able to get their customers on their way.

Again...much of these cancellations don't necessarily have to do with safety...it has to do with their ability to get equipment in and out of the affected airports.

Delta has a list of 13 airports along the East Coast that are directly affected by flight problems; USAir lists 10 airports affected. Continental is showing 10 or 11 airports affected. All of those majors are listing re-route/re-ticket rules for affected passengers, and indicating that the effects of this storm could be felt through the end of tomorrow.

Its not just Jet Blue.

 

[katallo]

I think many if not all east coast flights will be cancelled soon. Maryland and DC already have over 1' of snow on the ground with strong winds. We are getting 2" per hour and the storm has been upgraded to a blizzard. I think any travel around this area is going to be difficult.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I live about 30 min drive from PHL and when I woke up at 7:50am, there was already enough snow to completely cover all of the grass and roads. Since the storm is coming up from the south, it's possible that the plane that you were scheduled to fly on, was planning to arrive in Newark but since they have more snow than you, can't leave their airport, therefore what plane do you want them to put you on?

It's possible to have snow in Denver and even if it's sunny and clear on the whole northeast, flights out of here may be canceled.

Jet Blue made national news when they left planes full of passengers stranded for up to 12 hrs on the runway a few years ago. Out of food, drink and restroom capacities. Maybe they are being extra conservative since then.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm sure they didn't do this without even thinking....

Making sure you saw that you can rebook without fees or fare difference:

Operations Update
Last Updated: 12/19/2009 10:00:00 AM EST

Due to inclement weather in the Mid-Atlantic and New York area today, your scheduled travel may see delays and/or cancellations. Be sure to check the status of your flight online before leaving for the airport.

If your travel plans include one of the following airports, and you would like to make a change to a new flight without fee or fare difference, please click the link below. You may move to a new flight between the same cities, that departs anytime between now and December 21. Changes must be made prior to your originally scheduled departure.

* Baltimore (BWI)
* Charlotte, N.C. (CLT)
* New York (JFK)
* New York (LGA)
* Newark, N.J. (EWR)
* Newburgh, N.Y. (SWF)
* Richmond, Va. (RIC)
* Raleigh/Durham, N.C. (RDU)
* Washington/Dulles (IAD)
* White Plains (HPN)

 

[Tozzie]

In August I was flying home from Florida and my flight was delayed first by an hour then by two finally it was almost 3 hours late leaving MCO. Other flights on other carriers flying to my destination (JFK) weren't delayed, in fact Delta flights to LGA were flying on time. I couldn't understand it, finally found out that the plane were were taking to JFK was delayed by weather in California, out plane came from LAX and that was why it was delayed. You may see no rhyme or reason to why the flights were cancelled but I seriously doubt some in an office sat there and decided lets inconvience everyone flying out of Newark and cancel all flights.

 

[ElleBren]

In August I was flying home from Florida and my flight was delayed first by an hour then by two finally it was almost 3 hours late leaving MCO. Other flights on other carriers flying to my destination (JFK) weren't delayed, in fact Delta flights to LGA were flying on time. I couldn't understand it, finally found out that the plane were were taking to JFK was delayed by weather in California, out plane came from LAX and that was why it was delayed. You may see no rhyme or reason to why the flights were cancelled but I seriously doubt some in an office sat there and decided lets inconvience everyone flying out of Newark and cancel all flights.

Actually I am quite aware of this practice and I know that the plane I am flying is usually the flight the comes in from Orlando. I have flown this route several times and know to look at the previous flight to see if it is on time because it will cause a delay. I was actually checking that flight to see how it was time wise when I found out my flight was cancelled. I didnt get a call for another 3 hours from Jetblue telling me my flight wasn't going to happen.

I agree someone didn't sit there and say lets ruin some people's day. However I do feel they acted too early. With all the factors that affect the flights there is no way you can tell me over 16 hours before flight time you can tell if you need to cancel. Following that logic we'd never get planes off the ground.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Actually I am quite aware of this practice and I know that the plane I am flying is usually the flight the comes in from Orlando. I have flown this route several times and know to look at the previous flight to see if it is on time because it will cause a delay. I was actually checking that flight to see how it was time wise when I found out my flight was cancelled. I didnt get a call for another 3 hours from Jetblue telling me my flight wasn't going to happen.

I agree someone didn't sit there and say lets ruin some people's day. However I do feel they acted too early. With all the factors that affect the flights there is no way you can tell me over 16 hours before flight time you can tell if you need to cancel. Following that logic we'd never get planes off the ground.

Well it's all done now so why don't you focus on the future - were you able to rebook a new flight??

 

[debster812]

Actually I am quite aware of this practice and I know that the plane I am flying is usually the flight the comes in from Orlando. I have flown this route several times and know to look at the previous flight to see if it is on time because it will cause a delay. I was actually checking that flight to see how it was time wise when I found out my flight was cancelled. I didnt get a call for another 3 hours from Jetblue telling me my flight wasn't going to happen.

I agree someone didn't sit there and say lets ruin some people's day. However I do feel they acted too early. With all the factors that affect the flights there is no way you can tell me over 16 hours before flight time you can tell if you need to cancel. Following that logic we'd never get planes off the ground.

Do you remember the Valentine's Day storm in the Northeast 3 or 4 years ago? JetBlue had a major MAJOR meltdown that day, and literally stranded people for days. Everyone said then that they were not pro-active enough. Seems they can't win. During that storm we were flying BOS-RSW on Delta, sat at the airport for over 8 hours, to finally be cancelled, and then wait another 2.5 hours to get our checked luggage back. Delta could not get us out for 3 more days. I knew folks flying on JetBlue who did not get their flights until a WEEK later.

OP--I'm sorry your flight got cancelled, but it was certainly not a callous decision, and was not done without thinking. JetBlue probably did not want to send planes into the Northeast only to have them get stranded here. If a plane is on the ground, it's not making money.