thing i learned over the holidays: JetBlue SUCKS.

I had a major flight fiasco on my trip to the east coast from CA on Saturday, 12/20. Our flight was supposed to be direct to Boston. But the plane coming to pick us up from JFK didn't have enough fuel to "handle the headwinds," so it stopped in Salt Lake City on its way to Oakland. It was grounded there for weather, and we were 5 hours late departing CA.

But that was just the beginning....we arrived in the Boston area, which was just waking up from a snowstorm. They were plowing the runways...and we didn't have enough fuel to circle the Boston skies. So we landed in Bangor, ME.

On Sun 12/21 we were supposed to be spending time with D's family celebrating Christmas and seeing pageants. We missed it all. We spent all day locked in a "ghost terminal" (no stores, restaurants...not even a vending machine) in Bangor. Our flight crew had clocked out on their flying time. They needed to rest, and we needed a crew to fly up from NYC so we could get to Boston. But another storm hit the Northeast before we could get a flight crew. So we stayed in Bangor. Overnight.

Despite the gracious crew, the Pizza Hut pizza they provided (the only thing we ate all day), and a night in a hotel (courtesy of JetBlue, thank you), I'm still grumpy. We were late leaving Bangor the next day, and arrived in Boston a full 30 hours late.

I've never heard the "not enough fuel for the headwinds" excuse before, but figured it was a fluke. Then it happened again.

On my return flight to Oakland, CA from Boston, MA on 12/31, our flight needed to stop in Denver, CO to refuel. We arrived 3 hours late in Oakland. We got a $25 voucher for our trouble.

What bugs me is not so much the inconvenience of it all - missing Christmas with family, losing sleep and days of vacation. Not so much the inadequacy of $25 for this inconvenience. Not even the fact that we received $25 for a 3 hour delay and NOTHING for a 30 hour delay. None of this bugs me all that much.

What really bugs me is that I paid for two nonstop flights. I got two layovers (one of them reeeeeally long). If JetBlue can't supply planes to make it all the way across the country in one flight, then they shouldn't be selling nonstop tickets.

I have been a loyal JetBlue customer for 4 years. I told my family to fly JetBlue when they visit. I told my friends. Even when they quietly stopped flying direct SFO to Boston, I stuck with them. I went to Oakland.

My loyalty to JetBlue over the years has gotten me...well, nothing. Nothing. So, I might as well throw loyalty to the wind and fly whatever's cheaper. And that won't be JetBlue.