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Jetblue debacle is grounds for an aviation lawsuit
On Valentine’s Day, 2007, a snowstorm on the East Coast shaped into a crisis for JetBlue airline passengers. The airline’s operational shortcomings during the storm led to 1,096 canceled flights and thousands of stranded passengers. This has prompted some aviation lawsuit inquiries from those who were left on planes without food or water for many hours.
Many fliers were confined on planes at JFK International Airport as long as 11 hours. JetBlue said it will compensate customers for the delays with vouchers ranging from $25 to the full fare. For the travelers trapped onboard with scant food, and having missed vacation and business events, this seems paltry compensation.
A similar scenario happened in 1999, when Northwest Airlines stranded passengers up to nine hours, ultimately settling a lawsuit including claims of “false imprisonment” for around $7 million. Flyers of the airline had spent hours on planes sitting on the tarmac in a snowstorm in Detroit. Allowing those planes to return to terminals to drop off passengers would have helped mitigate the discomfort, an error the aviation industry continues to make.In JetBlue’s case, their policy to never cancel flights contributed to the reason the passengers were trapped on the plane. If they had forgone this policy, they could have saved their passengers’ time.
http://www.suite101.com/content/jetblue-airways-debacle-a14452
Weitz & Luxenberg can help you seek compensation for expenses and pain endured because of an aviation debacle. Contact us today for a free legal consultation.
JetBlue’s breakdown
After the incident in 2007, JetBlue CEO admitted fault stating that there was a complete breakdown that contributed to dozens of passengers’ suffering.
“We had so many people in the company who wanted to help who weren’t trained to help…We had an emergency control center full of people who didn’t know what to do. I had flight attendants sitting in hotel rooms for three days who couldn’t get a hold of us. I had pilots e-mailing me saying, ‘I’m available, what do I do?’” said JetBlue CEO (NY Times).
The New York Times reported that there were too few air traffic controllers for a company as big as JetBlue’s.
In these events, the people that had to pay the price of a company’s negligence deserve to be compensated for their time, money, and pain spent needlessly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/19/business/19jetblue.html
Weitz & Luxenberg’s stance on aviation lawsuits
“The amounts being offered to these unfortunate travelers is pitiful,” said Lawrence Goldhirsch, an attorney with the Negligence department at Weitz & Luxenberg, in reference to the JetBlue’s compensation for its travelers on Valentine’s Day, 2007. Goldhirsch is an expert in aviation law and the author of “The Warsaw Convention Annotated: A Legal Handbook,” which is considered a bible for international aviation by the legal community. He pointed out that the US Department of Transportation does not have any limitation of damages that may be claimed by passengers for delay. “Only international passengers are limited by a treaty—the Montreal Convention—when they are delayed on such flights. Even in those cases, the limitation is approximately $4,500 per passenger, depending on the length of delay and other circumstances."
Lawsuits against airlines can be pursued and compensation can be sought for expenses such as:
- Missed or canceled reservations
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Medical attention costs for any injuries sustained during the ordeal
How to seek compensation
To start the process of seeking compensation for an airline’s negligence, simply contact Weitz & Luxenberg and explain your case. You are entitled to a free legal consultation with no obligation to the law firm. We want to help you get the compensation you deserve – contact us today.
see also:
Stranded and mistreated by airlines
Airlines leave passengers stranded and then mistreat themPassengers stranded and mistreated by airlines
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