“The worst travel experience I’ve ever had”
Wendy Watkins thought she was boarding a flight from Oakland to Long Beach last Saturday. She thought wrong.
Instead of getting on a JetBlue to Southern California, which boarded from gate 9, she accidentally got on the flight from Oakland to New York, which left from gate 9a. The airline returned her to Long Beach a day later, but it won’t offer her any additional compensation, according to Watkins.
She thinks JetBlue can do better, calling her ordeal “the worst travel experience I’ve ever had.”
I know what you’re thinking. How could anyone board the wrong flight?
Here’s what happened, in her own words:
I went to what I thought was my gate, and waited for them to call my boarding class. When the line died down I walked up to the ticketing area, gave them my ticket, they ’scanned’ it, and gave me back my half.
I then got on the plane and off we went. About a half hour into the flight I looked down at the landscape and thought it looked a little odd. I took my ticket out and the lady next to me looked at it and said, “That’s not good, this flight is going to New York.”
I couldn’t believe it! How was I able to get on this flight? They took my ticket and supposedly scanned it but still let me on the flight.
I guess where I got confused was the fact that there was a gate 9 and 9a and they were both leaving at 1 p.m. I didn’t even think twice about it. Also, the ladies next to me said that it was weird how they never mentioned that we were taking off to New York, like they usually do. It was a string of unfortunate events.
No kidding. The gate agents on JetBlue flight 96 apparently failed to review Watkins’ boarding pass and they didn’t make a post-boarding announcement that the plane was going to New York. Here’s what happened next.
I finally got to New York that at 10 p.m., but there were no returning flights to the West Coast so I had to stay the night and catch a flight the next morning.
I was so sad. I had taken the weekend off of work to make this trip happen, missed seeing my godson, missed my best friend’s surprise engagement party and had to pay for a $200 dollar taxi ride from Long Beach to Malibu because I no longer had a ride.
When I called Jet Blue to see if they could do something to make me feel a little better about the experience they said they had already done everything they would and that it was human error and they were no longer responsible. The supervisor I spoke with was very condescending and rude.
I just don’t understand how I was able to get on a flight I didn’t belong on. With all the extra security travelers go through these days, how was it that I was able to get a flight I didn’t have a ticket to?
That’s a good question, and one I put to JetBlue yesterday. The airline has not responded, but I will update this blog if it does.
In the meantime, here are a few people who would be interested in Watkins’ story:
• My friends at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Consumerist.
• The Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division.
• The Transportation Security Administration. You can call them at (866) 289-9673 or email the TSA-Contact Center.
• Oakland International Airport. Here’s how to contact them.
Update: JetBlue responded to my question on July 3, a day after this posted. Here’s what it had to say:
Thanks for the note. We certainly regret that Ms Watkins boarded the wrong plane in Oakland. We agree that confusion that may arise when two flights leave at the same time from adjacent gates, which is why our crewmembers are required to make announcements both at the gate and on the aircraft.
Although this is the first incident we’ve heard of where two sets of crews — both on the ground and on the plane — are alleged to have never announced the plane’s destination, we will go ahead and remind all our crews of this important step.
Just as importantly, our general manager in Oakland has spoken with her local crew to underscore the need to verify destination when pulling boarding passes. This is a good reminder for all.
Despite the recollection, Ms Watkins boarding pass was actually not scanned. Scanners are not used in Oakland, due to the airport’s technology limitations, so boarding is a manual process there. Crewmembers enter each customer’s seat number into the system as they board; because Ms Watkins’ seat number was not taken on the JFK flight there was no red flag of a seat duplication and possible misboard.
With respect to your security concerns, all customers in the gate area of U.S. airports have been screened by the TSA. Due to the sensitive nature of information regarding aircraft and airport security, to the extent you have additional questions in this regard, we recommend contacting the TSA directly.
JetBlue was happy to provide Ms Watkins with a hotel in New York City as well as a free flight on the next departure to get her to Long Beach. We respectfully deny her claim for further compensation.
Thanks very much for the opportunity to comment.
Best,
Jenny Dervin
Director - Corporate Communications
Here’s what an airline insider had to say this morning:
This was a simple mistake, but if Wendy had her boarding pass scanned and it did not match the passenger manifest, then the gate agent would have had to override an error response. Then there is the flight attendant head count which would have been off by one passenger, that is usually the failsafe to indicate that the flight is not reconciled.
I have handled two memorable cases where passengers boarded the wrong aircraft, one was an international flight, a major security breach. In that case, not only was there compensation, but the agent who ignored the error response from the gate scanner had disciplinary action taken against them.
The real story is how often this does happen and the lack of security protocol it reveals.
I can certainly see both sides of this.
What do you think? Was JetBlue right, or should it have done more?
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Comments
66 Responses to ““The worst travel experience I’ve ever had””
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Come on Chris … She got on the wrong plane and somehow that’s Jet Blue’s fault? Yes, they supposedly missed the post boarding annoucement, although I fly alot and have never been on a plane where an annoucement wasn’t made so it possible she just didn’t hear it. They flew her back home at their expense. She didn’t complain about sleeping in the airport or having to pay for a hotel room so I’ll assume that they got her a room for the night.
What ever happend to personal responsiblity? She made the mistake not Jet Blue. No wonder they haven’t responded.
I agree with John here. JetBlue as already done more than enough to “compensate” Wendy for her error. If this was somehow JetBlue’s fault, how come she was the only one to wind up on the wrong side of the continent?
What’s next? Does the subway system owe me the cost of a missed flight if I get on the wrong train and then miss my flight?
I’m really sorry Wendy missed her weekend with her godson and missed the party. Also, the gate attendant should have checked her boarding pass. No question.
HOWEVER, when you fly, unless your gate is changed, it’s your responsibility to make sure you get to the proper gate. Also, every time I’ve ever flown, there was some kind of message board at the gate announcing the flight number and destination. I check that board, just in case the gate has been changed, or in case I misread the departure board information.
Does Jet Blue have open seating, or is it just wild coincidence Wendy sat in a seat not previously assigned to someone else? That’s a little strange, IMHO.
I agree with John, too. It sounds like some errors were made on the Jet Blue side, especially with the missed boarding pass, but the bigger errors were made by Ms Watkins. When they didn’t call for her boarding pass, why didn’t she start looking more closely at the gate to make sure she was in the right place? Doesn’t the Long Beach airport have lit up signs that show the destination?
I’m agreeing with John and Bob. You want to bring this to the attention of a bunch of major news outlets because she didn’t pay attention? That’s just not right. Seriously.
This is how it doesn’t happen again:
Obviously, the gates were right next to each other, so that’s how she got through security - they let her through because they were in close proximity. Once you get to your gate, first: check the board. Ensure the board is what corresponds to the gate, and your flight number, and your destination.
Second, listen to the boarding announcements; *make sure* it’s *your* flight number (it’s right there on your ticket). They will call out the flight number repeatedly during boarding, and where the flight is going to. It’s almost 100% impossible to have a flight at any airport where the gate agents will never, ever mention the flight number and the destination during the boarding process. It’s how they get people to the right place at the right time.
Third, if you want to be really paranoid: check with the gate agents when they scan your ticket, or with the flight attendants on the plane. This is especially paranoid, and if pay attention to the above two thoughts, you shouldn’t have to worry about that.
This was human error - *her* error - and I’m absolutely in agreement that it was her lack of attention that got her into the jam she was in. Just because wasn’t aware enough to get on the right flight doesn’t mean that she’s owed more compensation than she already received. Maybe she’s embarrassed and wants to cover it up, but they brought her back home free of charge, and took care of her during her overnight. There are a ton of other airlines who would’ve stranded her without compensation whatsoever and called it her fault, and made her pay for her flight home. I think what they did was compassionate enough, and made up for allowing her on the wrong flight in the first place. Sure, their gate agents may have had some foul-up (if, in fact, she didn’t walk into the wrong gate after having her ticket scanned), but I think they made up for that, and shouldn’t be responsible for her ignorance.
*Your fault*, Wendy. Yours. Not theirs. I’m sorry for your ruined weekend, and I’m sure the mistake was galling and embarrassing, but take personal responsibility for your own mistake - there’s no way there was a lack of any marker out there. They already got you home free, which was a heck of a nice gesture, compared to how some other airlines would be. Next time, stay alert before you board a plane. Period.
I did the same thing once: jet lagged in Rome with a connecting flight to Venice, I boarded a flight going to Salermo instead. Just before the gate closed, flight attendants discovered the error. I was extremely embarrased to have made such a stupid mistake.
I’ll accept that Wendy was more than a bit inattentive to the important details of her flight, but why didn’t alarm bells ring when her ticket was scanned? What, exactly, does the scanning process check for, if not that the ticket matches the flight currently being boarded? Somebody please tell me, because I thought security was a big priority these days.
The way I see it, either the ticket-scanning machine is broken, yielding a false positive, or it isn’t designed to reconcile the ticket with the flight at all. Or, perhaps, it *did* signal an improper ticket, but the agent didn’t notice it and allowed her to board?
Is there anybody out there who can tell me what, exactly, the scanning process is supposed to accomplish? I’m all for personal responsibility, and I think Wendy should double and triple check her flight details as most of us do, but if JetBlue’s scanning computer failed, then JetBlue failed.
Wendy, stop trying to blame others for your own mistakes. You went to the wrong gate and–surprise!–consequently got on the wrong plane.
So put down that Agatha Christie novel and pay attention next time and I *promise* it won’t happen again.
A similar story happened to me. I was catching a flight to Miami but was so drunk I passed out in the seating area and missed my flight! Wow, next time I won’t go to the airport drunk and problem = solved.
Does anyone else have a problem with people not taking personal responsibility for themselves?
I think the most important aspect of this article, one that is being glossed over by all, is the revelation that a person can buy the cheapest ticket on the shortest JetBlue flight and fly wherever JetBlue flies, no questions asked, simply by boarding whatever plane they like.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but JetBlue has just become my carrier of choice.
This is exactly what is wrong with people these days; she probably didn’t read the fine print when signed her mortgage and is now going through foreclosure or spilled coffee on herself at McDonald’s and is suing them as well. Where’s Dr. Kevorkian when you need him?
@ most of you: What a bunch of unsympathetic folks you are. Regardless of the compensation, Jetblue is to blame for letting her on the plane. A plane is not a bus that you just get in. It’s like a movie theatre on opening night. You buy a very specific product, and the manufacturer makes sure you don’t end get a product you didn’t pay for.
So forget about all the security BS - we should know those measures do not make any sense whatsoever. The main reason why airlines check your ticket when you get on, is to make sure you are on the correct flight, and they don’t have to ship you back somewhere else. Somebody already suggested getting the cheapest flight and getting on a more expensive one. It is protection of ‘their’ product. If they let you on a flight you’re not supposed to be on, it’s their fault. They opened the door and let you on.
Now obvisouly, this doesn’t let the customer of the hook. But quite frankly, flying has become such hassle that you can’t really blame the customer anymore for not behaving perfectly. Check in on time, shoes of, laptop out of bag, no drinks, fluids in ziplock, find correct concourse and gate (86a, or B6a?, what train, bus, walk way to I take?) etc etc. Many people, especially less experienced tavellers, are not completely with the drill. Last time, I flew, I forgot a ziplock bag for my lense fluid. Are those little mistakes really capital offenses?
In short, people make mistakes. In a movie theatre, people walk in the wrong theatre, in an airport, people will walk to the wrong gate. And that’s exactly why airlines and movie theatres have personel at the door - to make sure there are no confused customers getting in the wrong door.
Just as much as it is a supermarket’s responsability to make sure that scanned bar code on a product is tied to the right price, it is an airline’s responsability to make sure travelers are on the correct flight. It’s the customer’s responsability to make sure he is on time. The airline should take care of the rest.
After all, the travel industry is a *service* industry. Or at least, it should be.
I agree with Ian…can I get a ticket from LAX - SNA* (I believe that would be the cheapest fare), then instead of flying to SNA, fly to the Bahamas and once I get there and report the mistake, I’ll tell them that instead of sending me back right away, I could probably spend a few days there.
I feel for Wendy and I see her point, however as much as it was JetBlue’s fault for letting her into the plane (reminiscing of Home Alone 2), it was her fault for getting into the wrong plane (there are plenty signs telling where the plane is going). Either way, once the plane takes off to the runway, or even leaves the tunnel, I doubt they would have turned around for her.
At the end of the day JetBlue accommodated for her to return taking the cost themselves and not passing it to her. The fact that they did not want to pay $200 for a taxicab…well, I can’t blame them. Had they done it, well, the would have a customer for life with Wendy, since they did not, they probably lost her as a customer, but did not affect their customer base (us) since they did take care of the customer…
*I do not know JetBlue’s routes…
Not to pile on, but I really don’t see how this is JetBlue’s fault. Basically, are we suggesting that JetBlue must somehow protect Wendy from her own mistakes. I usually side with the passenger, but in this case, I’m going with JetBlue. However, one poster made a good point. In case of a gate change, then I would be much more sympathetic to Wendy.
You mean JB didn’t charge her for the flights that she actually took and she wants more? Come on. As John Stossel would say, “Give me a break.” JB met their obligation by getting her to her destination airport, even though SHE through her lack of attention to detail got on the wrong plane. Nothing to see here except a corporation that went way above and beyond.
Certainly there is some blame that lies with Wendy here. However with 2 flights leaving at the exact same time on 2 adjacent gates should have already been ringing some alarm bells for JetBlue I’ve never been to the Oakland airport but I have been to airports with a 9/9a numbering system. The ones I saw were serviced at the same checkin counter and entry to the ramp was separated by 2-3 feet.
The boarding agents should have been expecting some confusion under these conditions.
OK, I have recently flown Jet Blue from Oakland.
1. Gates 9 and 9a are not actually super close. There is construction on a new Starbucks or other restaurant between the two gates. It can be hard to see that there are actually two gates 9 and 9a. I could see how someone could go to the wrong gate.
2. Sometimes Jet Blue doesn’t scan the boarding passes. They just tear off part of it and send you down the jet bridge with the other part in your hand. Someone may just type in the seat numbers later to ensure that everyone has boarded. (Still, it seems likely an invalid or duplicate seat number would come up at some point, but maybe the agent just thought s/he had already scanned that seat).
3. It is ultimately the traveler’s responsibility to be sure she is on the correct plane. It can’t hurt to ask “Is this plane going to Long Beach?” just to be sure. As much as I like to zone out with my Bose headsets, I do make sure I am in the right place first. I think Jet Blue did what it should - it flew her back at no extra cost.
By the way, Long Beach is even more confusing. All the planes require walking outside and up stairs or ramps, so they tell you to look for the plane named “Deja Blue” or whatever. It is very easy to get on the wrong plane.
Whenever I am boarding through outside stairs or ramps I ask the flight attendant if this is the plane to XYZ before I sit down.
A similar event happene to me, but with a twist. Traveling from St. Louis to London, via JK, I was put o the wrong plane by the ground staff. The flight out of NY was 2 hours late, so I went to the 1st class lounge. About an hour later, a wman came to me and hurried me to the gate, Upon reaching the gate he woman at the door urged me to hurry and take my seat. I walked in, sat in my assigned seat, and the plane took off. 20 minutes into the flight, the captain announced the flight time to St. Louis, back where I came from!
No compensation other than a hotel oom and a flight the next day!
We don’t know the definition of “scanned”, but I tend to agree with most that she has a lot more responsibility to bear than Jet Blue.
And New York for a few bucks? Hell, I would have had a fantastic night on the town.
Hello, it’s Wendy here. I just wanted to clarify my position and add a couple more things to what Elliot wrote. I was/ am not putting the entire blame on Jet Blue. I know that I was the one who got on the wrong plane but I can’t imagine that this hasn’t happened many times before. The only difference is usually the ticket counter catches this error and sends the person to the correct gate. I made the mistake of confusing gates 9 and 9A and they made the bigger mistake of taking my ticket, scanning it, and still allowing me on a flight I shouldn’t have been on. I am not looking to make some big lawsuit or case against Jet Blue because of this mishap but after going through an experience like that you would think JB could at least be friendly and apologetic and treat their paying customers with a little more respect.
I think there is plenty of blame to go around here… the JetBlue gate agent should have actually looked at the boarding pass. Unless it is one of those “T” gates where it splits into two ramps once you go pass the attendant, the passenger should have been more attentive. On the other hand, it sounds like both flights left with the passenger count not matching the manifest; I didn’t think that was supposed to happen.
Security had nothing to do with it… whether or not passengers have purchased a ticket to their destination is more of a financial issue, not a security one.
SirWired
I did the same thing when I was in college many moons ago — got on a NW flight in MSP bound for LAX instead of SEA (where I wanted to go). The gates were right next to each other, the crowds were boarding at the same time (this was summer break), and I was late and rushing to get to the gate. Was all settled in when the correct passenger showed up to claim his seat. Fortunately for me I was able to hurry off and get on the correct flight. Even though the gate agent didn’t catch that I was heading down the wrong jetway (this was in the era before there were scanners at the gate) it was my mix-up, and therefore my responsibility to make sure I’m on the right plane.
How can two wrongs be made right? I think JetBlue more than atoned for its mistake of letting Wendy board the wrong flight by flying her back w/o charge — especially in this day and age of declining customer service . Maybe instead of complaining about that, she should think about how she can make it up to the airline for hers??
I totally fault Jetblue on this one. Did anyone pause to think what if Wendy was an unaccompanied minor? I’m considering letting my 10 yr old son travel from NY to CA to see his father and we usually use Jetblue (for the TV, of course..lol) and now I’m scared out of my mind that this could possibly happen.
According to Wendy’s last post, she’s looking for some RESPECT: “JB could at least be friendly and apologetic and treat their paying customers with a little more respect”
Come on….you aren’t Princess Diana. You purchased an airline ticket, not a self-image boosting therapy session. Is anyone else tired of people complaining they don’t get enough respect from lowly paid, entry-level service employees?
This is Wendy’s fault, through and through.
She wasn’t paying attention.
We can’t expect other people - or companies for that matter - to hand hold everyone through life. Check the gate number on your ticket, check the gate that you’re at, check the flight information at the gate… it’s all there.
I’m not saying Wendy is an idiot. This type of thing happens, but it is her fault.
Finally, and with all due respect, you’re not adding any value to this debate by choosing to take a black or white perspective on the matter.
Jim
i feel this is just another example of how any corporate entity will set up these hoops (customer service hotlines, proper channel call transfers, etc.) for you to jump thru and hope by and large that most people will either give up out of frustration or apathy.
if they scanned her ticket, im wondering what the reader read off her barcode. and if they really did neglect to scan the ticket, it scares me that if we all have to deal with tighter airport security, what this says about our national security and its competency
jetblue is fully to blame, well, mostly
There’s a lot missing from this story, but it does sound like both parties played a role in this error.
I understand that the experience must have been horrible, but no one died, no one was abused or sexually assaulted, no one was hurt and no one got sick. She wasn’t sitting next to a pervert or a dead body. (These events have all happened on planes in the past two years).
Furthermore, she didn’t end up trapped in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language or lacked appropriate travel documentation, she had access to food and accommodations, and the airline even flew her home for free.
If this is the “worst travel experience” of her life, she’s lucky.
[...] a lady out there blaming JetBlue for her own inability to get on the correct flight. She was supposed to be flying from OAK-LGB (on B6 245 from what I can gather) but managed to get [...]
I am glad to see that I’m not the only one as seeing this more than JetBlue’s fault. It’s both the responsibility of you as the traveler and the airline as the operator for them both to ask each other, “is this/this is flight xxx to abc?”
Not mentioning anything of sleeping in the airport would point to JetBlue offering her a room. As for the taxi; why wouldn’t you rent a car? if it’s just overnight on the weekend you can get a cheap car from LGB for under $100.
I think a few things have been omitted to place a better picture for Wendy. While I don’t always support airlines vs. passengers at least offer credit where credit is due.
While I don’t feel that either party was without fault, I do feel that JetBlue more than reconciled the situation. JetBlue both paid for her hotel and flew her back to Oakland at no charge - somethat that I think other airlines would fail to do. And as far as the ‘condescending’ supervisor - let us not forget that this is New York City, and ‘friendly’ in New York City is the equivalent of ‘condescending’ in California (if you see what I’m trying to get at).
Stereotypes aside, to the poster who is afraid to send her child alone on another JetBlue flight. Unaccompanied minors who fly JetBlue have their own “chaperone” (a JetBlue employee) throughout their entire trip, so it’s a non-issue.
In the end, no one was hurt and the airline fixed its mistake. I have heard of this type of thing several times, but in these cases the passenger usually realizes that he or she is on the wrong flight before the doors are closed. There was no security threat, and JetBlue has no obligation to give the customer $200 for the cab ride, or any additional compensation for that matter. It is the customer’s responsibility to watch over himself or herself and to ensure that he or she is attentive when at the airport. There is absolutely no way around that.
Wendy, again, I’m sorry for what you went through, and it can be a really mortifying situation to realize you’ve made a mistake like that, but I disagree with you on one point: You made the bigger mistake than JetBlue did. You picked the wrong gate, you got on the wrong plane, the only mistake they made was not paying attention to their scanner.
If they had been rude to you and had not found you a way home; if they hadn’t comped you at all for your flight back/return ticket; then, maybe, I’d say they weren’t “friendly and apologetic”. But when you call and ask for them to compensate you even further than that - in my mind, covering for -your- part of the mistake (because, by getting you back home as soon as they could at no charge, I think they more than took care of their part of the mistake), I think that goes into “pushing one’s luck”, and I think they had a right to refuse further compensation. I’m sorry you feel differently, and if, indeed, whomever you talked to on the phone was rude, I’m sorry that they were reactionary.
@Jasper: I have to respectfully disagree with you. Because, if I go to the grocery store and they give me the wrong price, they might be responsible, true; but if they comp me back for the price difference, I shouldn’t be asking for the item for free, or getting a coupon for $30 off my next purchase. That might be a highly above-and-beyond gesture, but I certainly wouldn’t expect it, let alone be *asking* for it.
You make it right, but you don’t push your luck, IMHO. Also, I think part of ‘getting there’ that the customer is responsible for is inclusive of “getting to the right gate and getting on the right plane”… not just “making it to the airport.”
C’mon Wendy. This isnt the airlines fault - YOU werent paying attention!! How is it that all the other Long Beach passengers made it onto the correct flight? Everyone else seems to have made it onto the correct flights, but not you because you messed up! Furthermore, you’re an adult, not an unaccompanied minor - take responsibility for your own actions. If I get on the wrong subway, do I blame MTA?? No. So this isnt any different…
I dont believe for a minute that they never made an announcement about the destination onboard or the flight time. EVERYTIME I have flown jetBlue, the pilots, flight attendants, AND gate agents have said the destination.
You should stick to the bus.
The airline didn’t have to fly Wendy back to Oakland from New York. The airline doesn’t have to do anything especially in circumstances like the one in the story - but it did. It’s ultimately the traveller’s responsibility to ensure they are on the correct flight - it doesn’t hurt to ask the gate attendant where the flight is headed to before getting on the plane.
“……After all, the travel industry is a *service* industry. Or at least, it should be……”
And the airline provided her with the service of flying her back - she wasn’t left stranded anywhere. They may have even covered the cost of her accommodation for the night in New York although that is not clarified in the story. Many of your posts state how the travel industry should be a “service” industry. Exactly what is your perceived expectation of service in the travel industry??? Should Jet Blue give her a year’s worth of complimentary airline tickets because she got on the wrong flight? I don’t think so.
The part that I find hardest to believe is when she says they never made an announcement on board the aircraft as to destination and flight number.
Whenever I fly, there are multiple announcements during the boarding process, when everyone is still finding their seat and putting away their carry on bags. They tell you the flight number and destination at that time.
Even if she boarded so late that she missed all of those announcement, then they will repeat that information during the safety briefing. Each airline does it differently, but they all get to the same end result, which is informing you of the flight number (first clue that you’re in the wrong place), the destination (second clue), and even the flying time (it doesn’t take 5 hours to go from Oakland to Long Beach). Last time I flew JetBlue, they started out with that information in the beginning before talking about seat belts and oxygen masks and stuff. And the announcement is so scripted, and the flight attendants do it so often, that I’m sure they could do it in their sleep, which is why I find it hard to believe that it never happened.
Anything is possible, but I think the more likely story is that she got on board and started playing with the tv or reading a book, thus missing this important information (along with the location of the emergency exits, etc.). JetBlue certainly shares some of the blame, but it sounds to me like they did the right thing by putting her up for the night and sending her to Long Beach the next day.
As Dr Phil would say “I don’t care how flat that pancake is, it still has 2 sides” and I’d really like to hear JetBlue’s side….I have been flying for over 50 years since I was a wee lad and I have never ever ever ever recalled not hearing ad nauseum from the stews the flight number and destination…ever….I’d like to be compassionate towards Wendy but it isn’t going to happen…she’s an adult and needs to take responsibility for her actions, plain and simple…I’m from NYC originally and would love the opportunity to have a free night in the big city on someone else’s nickel…and by the way, Anthony, have you heard that New Yorkers have been rated as some of the friendliest people?? It really is true…(I used to really like JetBlue but they’ve pulled the plug on their once-daily non-stop to JFK from Tucson…they can’t even fill a 150 seat plane daily from here to NY and they saved my butt last December when Continental got scared by a bad weather report and cancelled their flight to Newark…without JetBlue I could very well have lost out on a big trip before it even took off…I called over from CO to JetBlue at the next counter “Hey JetBlue…got any seats to Kennedy?” Heard back: “Yeah, a few…come on over, we’ll take care of you” Had to buy the seat but CO refunded me plus the difference in fare of $80)
With my own recent mix-up in mind, albeit on terra firma, I feel for Ms Watkins and can identify with what she went through. We lead such busy lives these days that most of the time we are operating on auto pilot. We have to learn to “live in the moment” and resolve to pay more attention to whatever we are doing.
Are you kidding me?? They put her up in a hotel and gave her a free flight home. She didn’t HAVE to pay for a $200 cab ride home. Has she never heard of a car rental or supershuttle? What more does she want? All I have to say is READING IS FUNDAMENTAL!
I really have a hard time believing no announcements were made either in the gate area or on the plane. More than likely, Wendy simply wasn’t paying attention. She was either away from the area, reading a book, daydreaming, listening to her iPod, etc. We all do this. I missed by metro stop on more than one occasion by reading. The point of it is, it was MY fault I missed my stop, not the Metro’s. I believe this was Wendy’s fault, not JetBlue’s. People have seemed to absolve themselves from personal responsibility which, despite her statement to the contrary, seems to be exactly what she has done.
She never made clear what she thought appropriate compensation would be. I am curious. I think JB did more for her than any other airline would have done. I agree with whomever said that if this is Wendy’s “worst travel experience” she’s ever had, she’s either never traveled or must be the luckiest person on earth.
Earlier this year, my wife recently missed a flight on Continental due to her own fault (right gate, wrong concourse). They were very polite, apologized (for her mistake…but she wasn’t herself since her father was dying), got her on the next flight at no charge and gave her a $300 voucher.
Yep. She screwed up but Continental got her there three hours later than planned and gave her a voucher for more than her ticket cost to boot.
Maybe there’s a difference in airlines. Perhaps it all depends on who’s working the desk. Could be that not expecting compensation (my wife expected to pay for the ticket change) makes it more likely.
I feel bad for her, but in the end it, it was her own fault.
The airlines make tons of mistakes these day, but this wasn’t one of them.
Her compensation: a great dinner party story.
What I don’t understand is what Wendy wants or expects JB to do to make her “feel better” about her experience. She mentions the supervisor being rude and condescending to her, but how did she treat that person?
I’ve worked in the travel industry and I’ve encountered a few situations where customers were irate with me over an error they had made. You can’t win with these people because no one likes being told what they don’t want to hear. They demand an explanation, and when the explanation turns out to be reasonable, they have to find another reason to be angry with you. Having worked mainly for small, independently owned businesses, I’ve seen the damage that is done when a customer expects compensation for a mistake he or she made.
Yes, we in the customer service industry are here to serve customers, but we aren’t servants.
There is no, as in zero, excuse to get on the wrong plane. Sorry, compensation denied and 07 did a decent job here.
She was traveling for a specific event - that event happened the same day as her flight. There could have been weather, terrorism, etc etc etc etc. delays.
She screwed up. The airline’s internal procedures failed. This falls into the crap happens category.
Stupid comes to mind, but I will not go there. She simply got in the WRONG line by NOT paying sufficient attention to the gate information. Whose fault is it? The passengers in this case. ‘Nuff said.
I was ON that flight to JFK from OAK and they only made one announcement at the gate and the women said “JFK” right before she hung up the phone so it was cutoff. BTW for verification I was in 15C with my iBook in case anyone saw me :D
IMHO, since the wrong number of passengers were on the flight to JFK and (therefore) the wrong number of passengers were on the flight to Long Beach, two sets of JetBlue crew (as well as two sets of gate agents) made egregious mistakes.
It’s not enough that “TSA screened her”, because her luggage wasn’t on the same plane with her.
I fail to see how JetBlue can blow off this mistake as insignificant!
Obviously there was human error on both sides, but I have to agree that Wendy must have missed the announcements and didn’t read the board with the flight number and destination. It was good of JetBlue to fly her back and not treat her like a criminal.
I have a friend from Kenya who got on the wrong plane and instead of going to Atlanta ended up in the Mid-West. She was detained both in the US and again in Britain on the way back to Kenya and treated like a criminal both places.
Wendy has much to be thankful for.
I had a similar experience as a young teenager, flying back from school in Florida to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Somehow the ticket agents at the airport gave me a boarding pass and information about the gate for a flight to Springfield, Missouri! (This was way before Security issues, so it was 100% human error on the part of the airlines.) Well, the plane landed in St. Louis (intermediary stop), and then there was an announcement over the intercom for me to come to the front of the plane. Once there, the stewardesses explained that my boarding pass and gate information had been given to me in error; I had actually been booked by mistake on a flight to Springfield, Missouri. Also, when the flight was announced, they just said “Springfield,” so I thought it was MY Springfield! :) There were no more flights leaving for Springfield, Illinois that day, so they said that they would fly me home the next day. I got off the plane, and they were able to retrieve my luggage. The sad part was, it was my birthday, and I was flying home for a long-planned birthday party that evening. (The party had to be cancelled.) The good part was, the airlines put me up at a motel near the airport (where their flight crews stayed), and I was thrilled to be staying in a motel room by myself! I remember going to the motel restaurant for dinner, and the waitress, noticing my glum face, asking me, “What’s the matter, Sweetie? Grounded?” She gave me several drink stirrers in the shape of giraffes, and that made me happy! My parents were surprised about what happened, but there was no talk of getting extra compensation (besides the one-night motel stay) from the airline, even though the airline admitted to being 100% in the wrong; everyone took it for granted that traveling brought some degree of uncertainty about it, and allowances were made for human error.
I agree with Ms. Cynical about the luggage needing to be matched to the passengers. I remember being on a BA London to Rome flight a few years ago getting ready for takeoff when the captain announced that the luggage and number of passengers didn’t correspond, and we were all going to wait until the luggage had been removed and re-counted to make sure nothing was amiss. It seems that Jet Blue doesn’t take the same responsibility and that’s the security risk that needs to be emphasized.
I’d sue Oakland Airport for their idiotic gate design and lack of signage.
So Joanne is afraid to send an unaccompanied minor on JB now? What is she going to do - just drop the kid at the front door and leave? Any responsible parent would escort the child to the gate (yes, parents are allowed through security for this purpose) and make sure they got on the correct flight. This is just another example of the decline of personal responsibility.
As for any embarrassment about asking the gate or flight crews to confirm the flight and/or destination: Every day, throughout the world, people ask bus drivers to confirm routes and don’t feel embarrassed. So, since a flight is not like a bus where you can just get off at the next stop, shouldn’t you show even more care? I have flown for decades and have NEVER ended up on the wrong flight. My friends laugh at me because I check my ticket and the flight boards so often. But I am always the first to know of a gate change, delay, or cancellation. And I always get to my destination without a 6,000 mile detour. Who’s laughing now?
System failures will occur – it is the nature of both humans and machines. And procedures are only as good as the people performing them. It would appear both Wendy and JB personnel had failures here. JB did pay for her hotel and fly her back West at no charge. Seems pretty reasonable to me. Wendy could have taken a shuttle or rented a car for much less than a cab, which would have mitigated the costs. Maybe she just figured she could sucker JB into paying it.
I would guess Wendy was not in the best frame of mind when she talked to JB and probably got the same respect back as she gave them. I’m sure, in hindsight, she probably wishes she was more composed during the conversations. People tend to get emotional (ie, angry) when their plans go awry and customer service agents should not have to bear the brunt of it. When I field calls from customers I will simply hang up the phone if they start yelling or swearing. But, I do so very respectfully!
Get real, Joanne. Wendy is NOT an unaccompanied minor, so why should anyone “pause to think” that she was? Your analogy doesn’t hold enough water to dampen a toothbrush. Several posters familiar with the airport have stated that there is no scanner at this airport — it’s all manual. Obviously, the gate agent messed up by not paying closer attention to Wendy’s boarding pass, but ultimately the responsibility is Wendy’s. Jet Blue accommodated her far more courteously than she deserved. As Mamma Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
Ms. Cynical: You are making a supposition based on facts not in evidence. Nowhere in her post does Wendy mention checked luggage, so she PROBABLY had carry-on only — it was only a weekend trip, after all. Therefore, there would have been no red flags regarding unaccompanied luggage. Yes, Jet Blue is partly to blame, but they more than compensated for their role in the problem. They were under no legal obligation either to put her up for the night or to fly her back. I, too, would have made the best of a bad situation and enjoyed my night in New York.
I totally agree with James. Watkins may be out of hand. I feel sorry for the ground agent who let Watkins in. The BJ ground agent may be at fault. However, due to Watkins’ unintentively mistake, the non-function ed scaned machine and the careless (mis-count) of flight crew, the agent may be disciplined. I wonder why no reader give support to the unfortunate agent. I wish her or him the best.
The key to this is that she asked for compensation … few listen to the announcements … she didn’t … we have an egocentric cow here who is trying to turn her stupidity into a profit … let’s just guess 300 other people got on the correct plane … charge her a change fee and the fare difference and she will pay attention next time, maybe take responsibility for her own actions and perhaps man-up and apologize to the airline …
Wendy Watkins made a mistake, yes. She didn’t ascertain the correct gate upon arriving–so what if 9 and 9a are close together and look alike? They aren’t the same. Each gate has the flight destination and departure time posted clearly, right next to the jetway.
jetBlue made a bigger mistake, though, and they admitted to it: the gate agent wasn’t paying attention and subsequently failed at his/her job, and the FAs didn’t make the flight announcement like they were supposed to and subsequently failed at their jobs as well. Also, the passenger count was off by one; how did the FAs miss this?
The airlines have safeguards in place specifically for this sort of situation, and when the safeguards are followed, there’s only a slight delay and a little embarrassment (and some great dinner conversation for months afterwards!). When they are ignored, as was the case TWICE by jetBlue, then you have a situation like this that occurs. I’m glad jetBlue admitted its mistakes and owned up to its part in the snafu.
That said, jetBlue is obligated only to deliver Wendy Watkins to the destination for which she had bought airfare. It was a mistake to get them to try and compensate her further. They did spring for a hotel in NYC, but that was only proper since if their own employees had followed their own directions, none of this would have happened.
I also don’t think it’s courteous or considerate to be heaping scorn on Wendy Watkins. She made a mistake and paid dearly for it; she doesn’t deserve all this derision. Have none of you ever made a wrong turn, gone in the Out Door, or joined the wrong line? Lighten up, people!
Sorry for Wendy’s experience, and for JetBlue’s foul ups that didn’t catch the error. My husband was flying home from Athens this month, connecting at JFK to a Chicago flight and his gate changed 4 (or maybe it was 5 ) times! At the second gate, he inquired, as he thought the plane should be boarding and was told the gate had been changed again — to one quite far away. Hustling there, it was changed yet again — now down the stairs and into a bus, only to be taken right back to that second gate. We are all paying much more money for ever deteriorating experiences. It’s no wonder the passengers went ballistic on that American crew for showing up late.
Wendy might have been unattentive or/and she might have hearing loss and not even be aware of it.
Until I got my hearing aids, I had to check and re-check with the gate desk agents every time an announcement was made, because the airport sound systems, not so clear anyway, were garbled worse because of my loss of hearing. Until I got the aids i had not idea how great the loss.
But, I have to say, I think on my next trip and the others after that, I will still be checking and re-checking. I sure dont’ want to wind up in the wrong time zone. Jet lag is too stressful.
Unfortunately, this sounds like she’s at fault, period. Yet another case of a person trying to blame someone else instead of taking responsibility for his/ her own actions, mistakes included.
Hello,
I guess everyone is playing the “who’s to blame” game.
What concerns me is the lack of procedures in Jet Blue. (Ms. Cynical pointed us in the right direction). Even if Wendy took the wrong decision this is what should have happened:
Prior to take off the Departure Control System “pre-closes the flight” and creates a Passenger Manifest. In this paper we have written all passenger names and the number of bags they checked in.
It is the airline’s responsibility to COUNT both passengers and bags and match those numbers to what the System is reporting in the Manifest. (Surely you have seen flight attendants walking up and down the plane with a counter in her/his hand).
When all the numbers match the Manifest is signed by the Captain of the flight. This is extremely important because he/she is responsible of weight and balance to make the airplane take off and land safely.
Then the flight is “closed” in the system and we can go have a safe flight.
This procedure is not a new stupid security fad. This is done since the early days of aviation and shouldn’t be ignored. I don’t care who is to blame in this case or if Wendy gets more money from the carrier. The airline has to be fined for not following procedures. Their counts were off by one passenger in 2 flights and if she checked bags the correct flight had to be stopped and searched to unboard the extra bags.
This is a 50/50 mistake. Half Wendy’s fault for not paying attention and actually matching the flight number on her ticket to the gate that it was assigned to, and half JetBlue’s fault for its agent not reading the incorrect boarding pass before it was too late. Wendy paid her price with her lost weekend, and JetBlue evened up by paying for her overnight in NYC and a free flight home the next day. She should get no more compensation.
Believe it or not, this happens more than you might think. And isn’t it a funny coincidence that in every one of these instances (that I have heard of or had to personally deal with on the “receiving end”), the Flight Attendants and Gate Agents failed to make ANY announcements. The people just herded themselves on board the flight and no words were ever spoken by the airline staff…and the Captain never came over the PA system to welcome everyone aboard, tell them about the weather enroute to NEW YORK, tell them that on the California to NEW YORK flight, they’ll be flying over the Grand Canyon, then the St. Louis Arch, and then over Pittsburgh on the 5 hour jaunt across the nation. Uh-huh.
Yes- the airline screwed up, and the error was probably caught as the tickets were being counted manually, since OAK does not have electronic scanners. When the error was caught (probablly the same group of agents working those 2 gates), the plane was most likely 20 minutes off the ground. It has been my experience that when such errors occur, the station that messed up calls the receiving station to tell and warn them that they had a “misboard”. Yes, it happens enough that there is actually a term for it (and an acronym, with an accompanying triplicate form if you are really hardcore).
Wendy should have learned a lesson from this (and maybe even laugh at it one day!), but as society dictates, if YOU screw up, there is always someone else to blame and sue. The airline…someone even quipped that the airport itself should be sued! Why, Chris, you of all people, would try to escalate this case into anything more than it is, is beyond me and unlike you. Slim ‘pickins in the “choosing battles wisely” department these days? Good job- love your work- but let this one go!
I am amazed at how insensitive many of the posters here are to the plight of one of our traveling brethren. Anybody can make a mistake. The airlines have turned it into an art form. When you have the confluence of multiple errors, you have a problem like Wendy experienced. Jet Blue did not do their jobs properly. Wendy was not attentive enough. I think her main concern was the rude manner in which she was treated. Many here seem to think it is ok given she received a room and a flight back.
I disagree. For Jet Blue to make her feel poorly because of the situation is unacceptable. We as travelers should not accept anything less that respectful responses to our problems. This forum is excellent in that it tells us all what is happening out in the trenches so we can judge for themselves. I’m keeping my eye on Jet Blue from now on for their level of service. Wendy, I feel your pain!
the key that only a few people caught is the security issue. planes are not supposed to take off if the manifest doesn’t match the people. this is so that terrorists cannot buy a ticket, check a bomb in and not get on the plane. jetblue missed on two flights.
the gate agent also let on a person without a legitimate ticket, another big security no no. also what happened to the head count by the flight crew. again, jetblue missed on two flights.
while I understand ultimately you are responsible for your own actions, this goes beyond one person’s mistake and affects all of us who fly frequently.
jetblue made a big mistake by letting this get out in the open. I’d have paid to quiet the lady down.
Come on, there was no security risk here. All the baggage and passengers are screened properly before either get airside, right? /sarcasm off./ If screening is done properly, there should not be a risk from a person getting on one plane or another.
The reason I believe people are heaping scorn upon Wendy is her request for more compensation. JetBlue put her up in a hotel in NYC, for chrissake, and paid for her return flight yet she wants more. Sorry, Wendy, no sympathy from me here. Nothing more is owed to her for her (bigger) or JB’s (smaller) mistake.
I keep seeing comments about 2 flights having miscounted passengers. Actually it’s only 1 flight that had the miscount - the flight to JFK. The one to Long Beach probably assumed that she missed the flight - it is not uncommon for someone to check in, especially with being able to check in online, and not make the flight . For all we know, the crew on the Oakland to Long Beach flight DID notice that one person was missing, and made multiple calls throughout the terminal for the passenger who didn’t make the Oakland-Long Beach flight.
Also, it is not required for domestic flights that a passenger fly on the same flight as their bags. It is only for international flights that they must do a bag match.
My 2 cents’ worth isn’t much but I’ll add to the sympathy for Wendy and her long ordeal. However, either she’s extremely inexperienced at traveling by air, or she’s just immature and wants to blame others for her lack of due diligence. Any frequent, or even infrequent, flyer *MUST* check the counter and the informational sign when they get to the boarding gate. It will tell you: 1) which airline you’re about to board, 2) what flight number, 3) what time you’ll be boarding/leaving, 4) what your *DESTINATION* is. The last one is key. With boarding areas being oddly numbered in most airports, and so close together, you always must double check where you are and if it’s the right place and time. Wendy did not. She assumed she was but that was faulty thinking on her part, not a problem for JetBlue. Gate departures do change at the last minute and yes, unfortunately she got on the wrong flight. IMHO JetBlue did right by her eventually and she’s being unreasonable, childish and petulant to expect more when it was her mistake. And for all who keep mentioning the scanned boarding pass, JetBlue already noted that Oakland does not electronically scan boarding passes. This is common at the smaller regional airports — Santa Barbara, CA does only manual checks of boarding passes also. So Wendy, I’m very sympathetic to your ruined weekend but you are basically negligent. Let it go and learn by this experience.
All I can see with all these replies is the blame shifting, okay it was Wendy’s fault for not paying attention as really we are all responsible for our own actions…. BUT … This whole situation shows the inefficiency that is inflicting companies the world over.
People are paid to do their jobs which in my experience they care very little about nowadays, as previously stated customer service is almost non-existent nowadays. The airline companies pay people to ensure they get on the right plane and also to ensure they don’t get on the wrong plane, if someone slips through it is because someone is not doing their job correctly, in this situation it is probably more than one person who is not doing their job correctly. Yet we as the punter get blamed because firms employ incompetent people.
lets say you got on the wrong bus…. and went to the wrong place… because YOU didnt pay attention to the SIGN. who’s fault is that?
the bus company’s fault? or your fault?
you think the bus company is going to give you a free stay in a hotel, and free ride back to where you need to go?