Trinidad: JetBlue Passengers Face 15-Hour Delay Amid Abrupt Cancellation

Trinidad and Tobago: The departure of JetBlue flight from Piarco International Airport was cancelled at the last minute without any specific reason. The boarded passengers were asked to vacate the terminal and collect their baggage on Thursday, December 26, 2024. 

The flight was scheduled to depart for John F Kennedy International Airport, New York at 6:30am, however, due to some unforeseen situation, it was delayed to 10:30 am. The passengers were not informed about the reason behind the cancellation of the flights and were removed from the terminal abruptly.  

The frustration erupted among the stranded people at the airport as they were also asked to wait for further plans by the airport authorities. However, the passengers started criticizing the airline authorities for delaying the flight and after much confrontation, the announcement of the departure of the flight was made.  

After a long delay, the passengers were asked to board the flight at 9:30 pm and their luggage was processed at 6:30 pm. According to the passengers, they were given two updates about the status of the flight during the wait time.  

One of the passengers stated that the airport has started making sudden excuses about the delay in their flights and after much confrontation, they provided the details about the flight departure.  

Another added that the passengers were asked to wait for no reason, and they had nowhere to go as they were scheduled to leave for New York on Thursday morning.  

“They have wasted our full day without any reason and did not provide any specific for the abrupt delay behind the flight. This was so frustrating as they did nothing, but waited for full delay, this is so irresponsible behaviour,” passenger noted.  

Another cited, “This is so disrespectful and lacks regard for other’s time, the management should sort their communication issues and must respect their customers’ precious time. They could not just let us suffer and cancel our flight at the last minute without giving any prior notice. This is unacceptable.”  

JetBlue Former CEO Hayes’ reaction on continuous flight delay 

JetBlue has been facing delays in their flight departure in the recent time due to which former CEO Robin Hayes also issued a statement. He blamed outdated technology and the shortage of staff for these disruptions and noted JetBlue should start working to improve the conditions.  

He also asked for massive investments in hiring efficient staff and asserted that without these changes, the passengers will keep feeling the pain of delays and disruptions. However, JetBlue did not respond to any of the questions.