Summary
- JetBlue Airways is facing backlash for inadequate compensation after passengers spent $5,000+ on broken seats.
- The seats were unable to recline on both cross-country flights.
- The passengers chose to never fly with the airline again after it offered 8% of the fare back as compensation.
JetBlue Airways was reportedly slammed for offering little compensation after an onboard ordeal resulted in a couple spending more than $5,000 to sit in broken seats on a transcontinental flight. The couple, who are in their 80s were traveling from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last November.
The airline’s premiere class, known as JetBlue Mint, is offered on select routes – typically cross-country and transatlantic flights. It features a complete dining service and fully lie-flat beds that are usually in working order, with the exception of this latest development.
Details about the incident
According to the Daily Mail, 83-year-old Wally and Meredith Stevens were embarking on a journey to Southern California to visit their two sons and granddaughter. Celebrating 60 years of marriage, the couple decided to treat themselves to seats in the Mint class, allowing them to rest and stay comfortable on the 6+ hour flight. The total cost for the two of them roundtrip amounted to $5,200.
Photo: JetBlue
When the couple boarded the Airbus A321, Wally soon realized that his seat was stuck between upright and flat while Meredith’s was situated upright. The cabin crew was able to place Wally’s seat back into an upright position, but neither seat was reportedly able to recline fully.
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The exact seats the couple were seated in are unclear. However, most of JetBlue’s A321s with Mint class feature 16 seats. Three rows are in a 2-2 configuration, and the two rows in between only feature one seat, known as the “throne” seat. The single seat has been praised by many as more space surrounds it.
Not one flight, but two
Adding to the frustration, the faulty seats were not just on the flight to LAX. On the return flight to BOS, Wally’s seat reclined fully, but Meredith’s, again, did not, according to the Daily Mail. Understandably, the couple was dissatisfied as the experience was not what they expected or paid for. They were also allegedly on a full flight, according to JetBlue, meaning there were no other seats they could move to, including in economy.
“For us, it was upsetting and demoralizing, but apparently not for JetBlue,” Wally said, according to the Daily Mail.
Rather than partially refunding the couple for the mishap, JetBlue instead offered $400 in travel credit. The amount is reportedly equivalent to eight percent of the original ticket cost and will most likely be useless as the couple said they would never fly with the airline again. The airline later increased the travel credit to $1,200, but it still did not change the couple’s decision.
Knowing beforehand?
The Boston Globe alleges that JetBlue was aware that the seats were broken days before the flight but chose not to inform passengers. Simple Flying contacted the carrier for comment on the matter, but did not receive an immediate response.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
According to the Daily Mail, the airline said that on rare occasions when passengers discover a broken seat, they sometimes decide to remain in the seat to take advantage of the other benefits that the Mint experience offers.
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