JetBlue and Spirit flight cancellations news: Chaos as hundreds of flights canceled and major schedule change announced
PASSENGERS were left fuming after another weekend of travel chaos across the United States caused by delays and cancelations. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, with many travelers taking to social media to vent about poor service and horrific experiences. This weekend saw a combined 254 flights canceled on Sunday, after more […]
PASSENGERS were left fuming after another weekend of travel chaos across the United States caused by delays and cancelations.
JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, with many travelers taking to social media to vent about poor service and horrific experiences.
This weekend saw a combined 254 flights canceled on Sunday, after more than 300 flights were pulled on Saturday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
JetBlue was forced to cancel 18 percent of its Saturday flight schedule, and 13 percent of its Sunday flights.
Spirit dropped 14 percent of its Saturday flights, and a further 13 percent of its flights on Sunday.
In a bid to avoid similar issues in the future, JetBlue announced a reduced schedule for the rest of April, desperately seeking to limit last-minute cancellations.
Read more in travel news
The low-cost airline said it also expects to reduce its summer flight schedule by at least 8-10 percent, according to JetBlue COO and president Joanna Geraghty, writing in an email to staff that was released to the media.
Poor weather and Air Traffic Control (ATC) delays led to “cascading problems” this month, noted Geraghty.
Additionally, flight cancellations and delays meant that planes and crews were in the wrong place, worsening the situation.
JetBlue has hired more than 2,300 workers this year but is still short of staff, Geraghty said.
Most read in The Sun
“We are working around the clock to address some of the most difficult operating conditions we have ever faced as a company,” the COO added in the memo.
Passengers took to social media to vent their frustrations as cancelations worsened.
User Zachtee wrote: “@JetBlue has had the absolute WORST service all week – canceling flights and delays all over the place for a work conference I had to help with.”
Another user added: “I had one of the flights that got canceled Sunday. Thanks to @Allegiant for bailing me out with a surprisingly inexpensive price.”
Spirit Airlines also blamed poor weather and air traffic control issues on Thursday and Friday in Florida, spokesperson Erik Hofmeyer told USA Today.
The airline is susceptible to bad weather in Florida as it has two bases in the state, one in Ft. Lauderdale and another in Orlando.
CUSTOMER BACKLASH
Spirit was not spared the wrath of passengers on social media.
One passenger wrote on Twitter: “Invest in the guest? What a joke! I had a cancellation last week as a “guest” and was treated like s**t by @SpiritAirlines.”
“Seats given away, overbooked flights, 10+ hours in the airport waiting on standby, flight cancelled less than 12 hrs before, luggage is lost, rude employees. Never again @SpiritAirlines,” added another.
JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are cruising towards a merger, it was announced last week.
MERGER DEAL
JetBlue disclosed a $3.6billion bid for Spirit Airlines.
The move could jeopardize Spirit’s potential deal to merge with another low-cost carrier, Frontier Airlines.
Other airlines are also trimming their schedules this spring and summer.
Alaska Airlines told media last week it would trim its schedule by 2 percent through to the end of June.
The airline claims to be hampered by a pilot shortage. It was forced to cancel dozens of flights earlier this month due to staffing shortages.
Cancellations this weekend followed significant cancellations the previous weekend when more than 3,500 flights were canned.
Read More on The US Sun
Any passengers affected by cancelations are entitled to a full refund, regardless of the reason, and can refuse offers of travel credit or a voucher, according to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
The regulations do not cover associated travel costs, which must be handled separately.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS