JetBlue cancels 66 flights because of snow



The complaints were similar to those during the Valentine's Day cancellations.
NEW YORK (AP) -- JetBlue canceled 66 flights because of snow Monday, testing the airline's pledge to compensate customers for more than 1,000 canceled flights during the Valentine's Day storm two week earlier.
However, the embattled carrier wasn't alone this time as other carriers also grounded flights in and out of the Northeast.
JetBlue's cancellations at John F. Kennedy International Airport affected flights to or from Columbus; Richmond, Va.; Washington, D.C., Portland, Maine; and Chicago. The company also canceled flights into and out of Chicago and the Washington area during the weekend.
The cancellations were an attempt to make sure crews and planes were situated so the company could quickly resume operations after the snow, JetBlue Airways Corp. spokeswoman Alison Eshelman said.
But as the storm brought as much as 4 inches of snow to the New York metropolitan area, Delta Air Lines Inc. reported 175 canceled flights throughout the Northeast. American Airlines canceled 20 flights in and out of JFK and was experiencing slight delays of 15 to 20 minutes by afternoon, said spokesman Ned Raynolds.
Customers' complaints
JetBlue customers described delays, bad communication from crew members and general frustration early Monday, echoing complaints that led to the company's bill of rights following the last storm.
Doug Rosenberg and Segun Akande, 22-year-old students at Duke University, found their flight from New York to Raleigh, N.C., canceled after being delayed on the taxiway for hours.
"It was so bad," said Akande. "We were waiting on the plane for so long. You would think they would tell us to go back to the terminal after an hour or two."
Rosenberg said JetBlue did a poor job telling passengers about what was going on and offering service after the flight was canceled. "I never witnessed this bad of service in my entire life," said Rosenberg.
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