Up in the Air? Try on the Ground

If this is what holiday travel is going to look like, good luck to us all.

I've just returned from a quick weekend trip to San Francisco. It's been a while since I've experienced such a horrible breakdown in the system, but my return flight was, in a word, hellish. I spent four long hours at SFO before boarding the plane at 1:30 a.m. PST. The flight itself, thanks to strong tailwinds, was a miraculous 4.5-hour jaunt — so my cross-country trip basically took as long as the time I spent at the airport. Call me crazy, but that's just unacceptable.

While waiting for the plane to show up, I asked for–and was given—an upgrade to a seat with extra legroom (a $40 value). As the hours ticked by, I repeatedly asked the gate agent what other compensation could be given. The airline employees were firm in saying that due to weather delays, it was out of JetBlue's control. By this time, it was after midnight. I asked for water and restaurant vouchers. An employee fetched a case of bottled water, but said that all the airport restaurants were closed so any vouchers they could offer wouldn't help. I was then told that there was a ground delay at JFK so the incoming flight had sat on the tarmac for two hours. Somehow that information didn't comfort me much. If the weather on the East Coast was truly that atrocious, I wonder why JetBlue's flight to Boston took off on time. Note: I've contacted JetBlue, the FAA, and JFK airport to double-check that there was in fact a ground delay at JFK airport. No one has confirmed that yet.

I think my breaking point came when the JetBlue gate agent told me that she has worked for the airline for 5 years. "If you're flying to New York in the winter, you should expect delays," she said. Maybe she was trying to commiserate but somehow that response seems inadequate, especially since it hasn't even snowed yet. Does that mean that airlines should only operate seasonal service in the summer?

As for my next trip, I think I might pack an old bed sheet or something so at least I'll have something clean to spread on the floor as I join other stranded travelers on the ground.

Photo: Amy Chen