On November 27 we had reservations on Jet Blue to fly on Flt 51 from Burlington, VT to JFK airport in NY at 11:10 am arriving at 12:25 PM. We had a connecting fight at JFK, FLT 981 leaving at 1:52 PM for Ft Lauderdale FL our final destination.
While seated at the Burlington VT airport gate at 9:15 AM, we heard announcements about a flight to Orlando Fl which was now delayed because of an on board computer malfunction. The announcements over the next 45 minutes or so described several unsuccessful attempts to correct the problem.
Finally at about 10:00 AM, they announced that the Orlando flight would be further delayed as they were waiting for parts that were being sent up to Burlington from JFK on the next flight. They specified that it would not be on the current inbound flight JFK to Burlington as this flight was already in the air but on the next one after that.
We were awaiting that current inbound flight from JFK as it was the plane that would take us to JFK as Flt 51 at 11:10 AM.
At 10:10 AM, a very "matter of fact” announcement was made that the current inbound flight from JFK would now become the new outbound flight to Orlando. Period. Passengers scheduled on Flt 51 to JFK would have to wait for another plane.
No explanation was made other than "if you have connections, get on line".
Here we were with a connecting flight out of JFK we would miss along with many other passengers with connecting flights that they would miss and we were all displaced by another planeload of passengers going to a final destination location of Orlando.
Our departure to JFK went from 11:10 AM to 1:45 PM. We did make a later flight from JFK to Ft Lauderdale but of course got in several hours later than planned.
I can understand delays for mechanical difficulties on my plane or weather problems. I cannot understand a plane going one place is delayed by having been given to passengers on another flight with mechanical problems going someplace else, especially when those passengers do not have to be concerned with CONNECTING FLIGHTS as they are going to OrlandoFL.
The Jet Blue gate agents said that they had never seen this type of switch made under those circumstances. No explanation was given as to why that stupid decision was made. I find it absolutely outrageous that Jet Blue would choose to disrupt the connecting flights of an entire planeload of passengers simply to get another planeload of passengers to a final destination point earlier. It's unconscionable!
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