JetBlue’s 100^th A320, "Blue100"

On Friday (March 23), we took delivery of our 100th A320. About 200 JetBlue crewmembers were at our hangar at JFK to help welcome the aircraft to our family – it was a great time and I’m really glad I had a chance to talk with as many crewmembers as I did. The hangar looked great - decked out with balloons and really good food from On The Go (OTG), our partner at JFK.

The picture on the left is of the crewmembers from our 50 destinations who were asked to represent their BlueCity at the event. The picture below is of T.J. McCormick, our design manager, who created the special tailfin livery.

-David

I Owe You An Update

Hi everyone,

I took to the Web’s airways on Feb. 20 to tell you how sorry I am for the President’s Day weekend performance, and what we are doing to make sure it never happens again. It’s been 30 days since then, and I owe you an update. Please click on the image below and see my message to you. And again, thank you so much for accepting my apology, and for the thousands of emails and calls of support. We deeply, deeply appreciate your business, and we want to make sure you feel confident in JetBlue now and forever.

-David

Talk is Cheap

Talk is cheap – action is the only thing that really builds your reputation, not just as a person, but as a company. On Feb. 20, I promised you and JetBlue’s crewmembers that what happened on Valentine’s Day and over President’s Day Weekend would never happen again.

I didn’t think we would be tested TWICE since then with severe winter weather, but that’s how it goes in the airline industry. On Feb. 26, a morning snowstorm forced us to cancel about 66 flights. We contacted all customers the night before so they wouldn’t have to endure long waits at the airport. And last Friday, on March 16, a severe late-winter storm descended on the Northeast and sat over us for about 18 hours. We canceled 400 of our 550 flights on Friday – most of those cancellations were made Thursday night, so we could contact customers in advance. We also opened a “weather waiver window” so that anyone booked to travel over the weekend could voluntarily rebook for another weekend, through April 30.

JetBlue was the first airline to cut Friday operations so deeply, but we were also the first airline back in the air on Saturday, running close to 98% of our scheduled flights. We had pre-positioned our aircraft and flight crews in advance, so that as soon as the icing conditions lifted, we could get you back in the air and on your way to your destination. By Sunday, we were running 100% of our scheduled operation, happily serving you and making sure your travel wasn’t unduly affected.

You will continue to see us take decisive action in advance, and while we still absolutely hate to cancel a flight, we will focus on limiting the operational disruption to the actual weather event in the future.

Every JetBlue crewmember worked literally around the clock to make sure we could recover from the March 16 storm quickly. Our JFK Ground Ops crew stayed up all night Friday into Saturday morning, continually de-icing aircraft so that the aircraft would only need a quick wash after boarding. They worked in some of the worst weather New York has seen all winter – bitter cold and ice raining down on them. Our pilots and flight attendants were pretty much grounded Friday, but we had better communication vehicles for them to call in and let us know where they were and how soon they could fly again. Their flexibility in picking up open flights was simply amazing. Our Airports crew, especially at JFK, had better information for you and greatly benefited from a new operational strategy that kept our affected customers at home, instead of in an airport with endless rolling delays. Needless to say, we didn’t have many bags looking for owners, either. And our Reservations Crew put in nearly 4,000 overtime hours to make sure you could get through to us via 800-JETBLUE. Half of our phone lines were dedicated to calling customers in advance; the other half was dedicated to inbound calls. Our maintenance technicians took advantage of the Friday shut-down to perform more tweaks to our aircraft, making sure the armrests and tray tables are all in working order, as well as clean and ready to go when the weather lifted.

And I’d like to specially mention the professionals in our System Operations Center at our main Support Center in Forest Hills, NY. They created the operational plan for Friday, working with all departments and with a focus on minimizing inconvenience to our crewmembers and our customers. I was there with them for about 36 hours – they started earlier and stayed later than me – and their dedication and determination to restore JetBlue’s reputation as a customer-focused company that happens to fly planes around the country is second to none.

I work with the best crewmembers in the industry. I hope you feel the same about JetBlue’s crewmembers – because they love you too and want you to keep flying JetBlue. If you have a story about a JetBlue crewmember, please share it with us.

-David

Another Winter Storm

Yesterday morning we looked at the approaching weather system and decided to issue a voluntary waiver period, so if anyone booked to travel between March 15-18 can rebook for anytime between March 20 and April 30. In addition, we decided to pre-cancel a number of flights scheduled to either arrive or depart John F. Kennedy International Airport – our hometown airport – and contact our customers in advance so they didn’t have to leave the comfort of their home.

You would think, based on the news coverage, that only JetBlue is having operational impact due to the weather today. Hardly. Any airline operating in the Northeast United States is experiencing delays and cancellations. We know everyone is watching us, though, because we are the only airline with a Customer Bill of Rights. In today’s situation, if a flight cancels within 12 hours of scheduled departure due to weather, customers are due either a full refund to their original form of payment or they will be rebooked for alternate dates that work for them.

Check out the latest weather forecast before leaving for the airport – even if you’re not on JetBlue, it’s always a good idea to check the status of your flight online or to call the airline before you leave.

Thanks everyone for being patient with the weather. We will continue to do everything within our power to make sure you’re informed and comfortable, even when Mother Nature has other plans.

-David

100th Airbus 320 Coming

On March 23, we will take delivery of our 100th Airbus 320 aircraft – a huge milestone for us. What I like most about our aircraft is that we have the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines). We have at least 36 inches of legroom in rows 1-11 on our Airbus aircraft, and 34-inch seat pitch in rows 12-25. Most rows on our Embraer 190 aircraft have 33- or 34-inch pitch, and there’s an added bonus: no middle seats.

Don’t take my word for it – here’s a customer review of his recent JetBlue Experience.

I hope you fly JetBlue soon and tell us about your JetBlue Experience.

-David

Calling All "Control" Freaks...

I know that what I enter here is read by our customers - those of you who are looking to see if JetBlue actually can recover the reputation we've earned over the last 7 years as a leader in customer service. This is what keeps me up at night. That's why we introduced the Bill of Rights, so you can at least rely on compensation if you experience inconvenience on JetBlue. No other airline has anything remotely like JetBlue's Bill of Rights. They can promise anything they want. We back it up with refunds, Vouchers and, more importantly, real changes to how we do business so inconveniences are minimized for you.

I have two updates for you today. First – we announced Wednesday that Russ Chew has agreed to join our team as Chief Operating Officer. Russ was the COO of the Federal Aviation Administration for nearly four years, and led American Airline’s System Operations Control during his 17-year tenure there before joining the FAA. Russ brings a big-airline perspective to JetBlue – one that we need as we continue to launch new service throughout North America, the Caribbean and Mexico. His FAA experience is immeasurable – this guy knows the three-letter codes every customer is familiar with– ATC (Air Traffic Control) and GDP (Ground Delay Program). Russ will report to Dave Barger, our President and Founding Crewmember.

Russ will be in charge of making sure our operations run on time and as scheduled, so that you don't have to rely on our Bill of Rights for compensation. Because let's face it – getting a $25 Voucher or more is nice, but it's better to arrive or depart on time.

My second update is about the Bill of Rights, and our definition of “Controllable” and “Uncontrollable” irregularities, which is one of the biggest topics of conversation with customers. I have some definitions for you here, and some examples of each:

What are some examples of Controllable Irregularities?
"Controllable" means "within JetBlue's control." Some examples include: gate unavailability upon arrival; flight delay or cancellation due to mechanical reasons; crew unavailability due to something other than weather or some other Uncontrollable event.

What are some examples of Uncontrollable Irregularities?
"Uncontrollable" means "outside of JetBlue's control." Some examples include: weather-related delays or cancellations; Air Traffic Control-mandated ground delay or ground stop programs; decisions by airport authorities that impact JetBlue's operations, such as runway closures, construction or maintenance of airport properties.

Is it possible for an Uncontrollable Event to turn into a Controllable Event?
Yes. In the case of weather, which is Uncontrollable, delays or cancellations from which JetBlue should have reasonably recovered may be considered Controllable depending on the severity of the weather. Example: A 2-day blizzard hits the Northeast. JetBlue should be able to position aircraft and flight crews for recovery within a reasonable amount of time after the blizzard. Airports must be fully open, and ground equipment must be fully available before JetBlue can recover from the Uncontrollable Event take full responsibility for any delays or cancellations.

A lot of questions have come in to JetBlue about our Bill of Rights, and we have a whole new section on our Promise page with more definitions and some answers to frequently asked questions.

We all know that weather happens, and airplanes can't fly when the winds are too strong, or when there's icing conditions, or if the skies are too congested immediately after a weather system runs through the airspace. We know you understand that – even when the weather isn't in your city. Our intention here is to make sure you can rely on JetBlue for great service, free TV, unlimited snacks and beverages – all for a low fare – with meaningful compensation if you experience delays, even in some cases when it's Mother Nature.

-David

New Contract of Carriage Published

Today we published a new Contract of Carriage that includes our Bill of Rights. We already implemented the Bill of Rights because it’s the morally right thing to do, but now it’s part of our legally binding contract with each other.

We took the time to update some of the language, too. I’m told that a lot of English and Math majors pointed out that you can’t have a $25 Voucher for a Ground Delay Upon Arrival of 60 minutes when the next provision says you get $100 Vouchers if the plane can’t get to a gate for 60-120 minutes. What if you’re on a plane that is delayed exactly 60 minutes? Do you get the $25 or the $100? So we changed it.

ORIGINAL:

1. Customers who experience a Ground Delay on Arrival for 30-60 minutes are entitled to a $25 Voucher good for future travel on JetBlue.

2. Customers who experience a Ground Delay on Arrival for 1-2 hours are entitled to a $100 Voucher good for future travel on JetBlue.

CURRENT:

1. Customers who experience a Ground Delay on Arrival for 30-59 minutes after scheduled arrival time are entitled to a $25 Voucher good for future travel on JetBlue.

2. Customers who experience a Ground Delay on Arrival for 1-1:59 hours after scheduled arrival time are entitled to a $100 Voucher good for future travel on JetBlue.

You’ll also see that we clarified our Ground Delay on Arrival so you know when to pull out the stopwatch on your next arrival. Sometimes we have really strong tailwinds, which helps us shave time off the flight and land early. It doesn’t happen a lot, but we really don’t count that time between landing early and the scheduled arrival time as a delay. We think of “delay” as anything after scheduled arrival time.

Take a look at the improved Bill of Rights. Kick the tires, take it for a test drive, and let me know what you think. We’re actually working harder on making changes to how we do business so that the chances of being inconvenienced are less and less. Here’s an example:

JetBlue is going to contract ExpressJet to operate 2 lines of E190 flying (out of 120 daily lines of flying) while we rotate our E190 aircraft through a special modification line. We will perform scheduled maintenance to correct some issues that interfere with the reliability of the aircraft. If this were any other airline, we would just cancel the two lines of flying through April and call you up and say “Sorry. Here’s your new flight info.” But we don’t want to be “just another airline.” The customers on those flights bought a ticket to fly at a certain time, so we are going to fly them at that time, using ExpressJet ERJ145s. It’s not the JetBlue Experience you wanted, so anyone from one of these flights who wants to rebook for a later time or take a different flight that day is more than welcome to, but we think most of our customers will appreciate the fact that we partnered with ExpressJet to get them to their destination reliably.

-David

New Contract of Carriage Coming

JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights provides real compensation for delays and cancellations, and we believe it is stronger, deeper, broader and more meaningful than any other customer commitment you could find in the airline industry. We are working hard to incorporate the Bill of Rights into our Contract of Carriage, the legal binding document between JetBlue and our customers. My original intention was to have this completed by March 2, but our first priority this week was to put some quick fixes in place so we are better prepared to operate our airline even in the event of a weather situation. I'll keep this page updated with our progress on the Contract of Carriage, which will also drive other communications that define the terms of the Bill of Rights, as well as some Q&A to clarify unusual circumstances.

We were tested earlier this week when a weather system similar to the one we experienced on Feb. 14 approached New York. Because this was our real first test not only of our Bill of Rights, but of our ability to make better decisions in advance, we poured all available resources into the planning and execution of a new operational plan. We had to cancel some flights for Monday (Feb. 26), but we were able to do this on Sunday (Feb. 25), and reach more than 90% of our customers in advance. By 10 a.m. on Monday, our operation had recovered from the morning snow storm, and we were back on track. I wouldn't say we were happy – we hate canceling flights, because we know you rely on us to get you where you need to be – but everyone at JetBlue was very relieved that we were able to once again serve our customers with the level of respect and courtesy you have grown to expect of us.

We did a lot of things differently this time around, and we even found creative solutions to avoid inconveniencing our customers. Our Burlington, VT flight to JFK, for example, had about 60 people booked to travel on to Orlando, FL. The aircraft that was in Burlington had to eventually get to West Palm Beach, FL to make up a flight back to JFK later that day. Our Systems Ops crewmembers looked at the Burlington flight and said, "Let's not cancel it – let's just fly over New York and go nonstop to Orlando. Then we'll hop over to West Palm Beach." You can read about it here.

We did the same thing for four other flights that originated in upstate New York. We also took a creative approach to other flights that were in danger of canceling. Every aircraft starts the day somewhere – In New York's JFK, for example – and that one aircraft can fly four or more flights in a single day. When we looked at Monday morning's schedule and started canceling flights from JFK to Florida, the normal industry practice is to cancel the return portion of the trip, because the aircraft won't be there to fly it.

But as I said before, we hate canceling flights. And being a Monday morning, the flights from JFK to Florida were relatively empty, and we could easily rebook our customers on later flights. But the return flights from Florida to New York were full of customers returning to work or home.

Instead of unilaterally canceling the return flights, we decided to fly the aircraft empty to Florida very early in the morning – I think it was around 5 a.m. – so they would be in Florida for our returning customers.

This is the kind of service and action you've grown to expect of JetBlue. We are very lucky to have creative crewmembers who really "think outside the box" in some tough situations. We will continue to work on making the right changes from an operational standpoint, but if you encounter a delay or cancellation on JetBlue, our Bill of Rights compensates you for this inconvenience.

Thank you for visiting jetblue.com today.

-David