Disgruntled JetBlue passengers are venting their frustrations after the airline allegedly "kicked [them] to the street like dogs in a foreign country." The passengers were trying to catch a flight out of Turks and Caicos islands to Boston when their plane got delayed for 24 hours.
Passengers claimed that JetBlue employees refused to allow them to wait in the airport for the next scheduled flight. Instead, they had to leave and seek accommodations elsewhere. Passengers complain that it was a stressful and jarring experience, that cost some of them thousands.
According to Boston 25 News, JetBlue employees allegedly forced them out of the airport. A passenger named Brett was traveling with his family and had no where to go.
"We just kept saying, 'Where do you want us to go? What are we supposed to do? How are you kicking us to the street like dogs in a foreign country?'" Brett told the outlet. He also ended up spending $1,000 on an Airbnb in a "sketchy" neighborhood.
JetBlue Passengers Angry
"It was in a horrible, sketchy area, the actual Airbnb itself was okay. But the area was like something out of a horror movie," Brett said. "Wild dogs were chasing the cab as we were driving by like very sketchy neighborhood. And kids are freaking out like, 'What are we gonna do?'"
Meanwhile, a passenger named Marty said that he was unable to find hotels nearby. He was traveling with his wife and children. They found a small hotel. He described the experience as traumatizing.
"This was far beyond a delay, this was sending people to the streets in the wee hours of the night. And asking them to fend for themselves with no solutions," Marty explained. "Just very unsettling, traumatizing experience, you have three young kids all looking to you for an answer. A wife looking at you for an answer. For the first time as a husband and as a father and as a man, I had no idea how I was going to shelter my family for a night."
"To put people out on the streets like animals was definitely something I will never forget for the rest of my life," Marty also said.
Meanwhile, JetBlue released a statement about the delay, saying it issued $200 in travel credit.
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this delay caused and understand this was a frustrating situation," the airline said in a statement to Boston 25 News.
"While the delay was created by circumstances beyond JetBlue's control, we understand the impact this disruption had on our customers' plans. Given that, we've provided instructions for affected customers to submit reimbursement requests for eligible out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Customer Service Plan."
