JetBlue has another “meltdown in a snowstorm” in Hartford

October 31, 2011 — JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N531JL (msn 1650) (Barcode) FLL (Bruce Drum), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

JetBlue Airways (New York) did not have a good public relations day on Saturday (as many other airlines also struggled against the weather) as a freak late October snowstorm hit the Northeast, especially around the northern New Jersey and central Connecticut area. A Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood-Newark Airbus A320 flight 504, after holding to land at EWR, diverted to Bradford International Airport (BDL) near Hartford, CT (why Hartford?), which was dealing with upwards of a foot of snow at the time.

When the diverted flight landed, the cockpit crew was unable to secure a gate to disembark the passengers or get help from its own company and pleaded for help from airport and the ATC tower. The passengers ending up being stuck in the plane (without workable toilets, water or food) for a reported eight hours. It is now a PR nightmare for JetBlue which has not yet issued a statement.

JetBlue had previously dealt with its famous (or infamous) JFK snowstorm and vowed to never have this winter snowstorm problem again.

Worse yet, there is now a federal mandate that prohibits just this type of problem.

Read the full story from gothamist: CLICK HERE

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