Chaos as hundreds of flights were canceled and major schedule changes announced

PASSENGERS were furious after another weekend of travel chaos across the United States caused by delays and cancellations.

JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines canceled hundreds of flights and many travelers took to social media to speak out about poor service and terrible experiences.

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This weekend, a total of 254 flights were canceled on Sunday after more than 300 flights were grounded on Saturday, according to Flight Tracker FlightAware.

JetBlue was forced to cancel 18 percent of its Saturday flight schedule and 13 percent of its Sunday flights.

Spirit dropped 14 percent of its Saturday flights and another 13 percent of its Sunday flights.

To avoid similar problems in the future, JetBlue announced a reduced flight schedule for the rest of April and desperately tried to limit last-minute cancellations.

The low-cost airline also expects to cut its summer schedule by at least 8 to 10 percent, JetBlue COO and president Joanna Geraghty said in an email to employees released to the media.

Bad weather and air traffic control (ATC) delays led to “cascading problems” this month, Geraghty noted.

In addition, flight cancellations and delays resulted in planes and crews being in the wrong place, making the situation worse.

JetBlue added more than 2,300 employees this year but still faces staff shortages, Geraghty said.

“We’re working around the clock to manage some of the toughest operating conditions we’ve ever faced as a company,” the COO added in the memo.

Passengers took to social media to vent their frustration as cancellations worsened.

User Zachtee wrote, “@JetBlue had the absolute WORST service all week – flight cancellations and delays everywhere for a work conference I had to help with.”

Another user added: “I had one of the flights that got canceled on Sunday. Thanks to @Allegiant for the rescue at a surprisingly reasonable price.”

Spirit Airlines also blamed inclement weather and air traffic control problems Thursday and Friday in Florida, spokesman Erik Hofmeyer said United States today.

The airline is prone to inclement weather Florida since it has two bases in the state, one in Ft. Lauderdale and another in Orlando.

COUNTERPLAY OF THE CUSTOMER

Spirit was not spared the wrath of passengers on social media.

One passenger wrote on Twitter: “Invest in the guest? What a joke! I was turned down as a ‘guest’ last week and treated like dirt by @SpiritAirlines.”

“Wasted seats, overbooked flights, waited more than 10 hours at the airport, canceled flight less than 12 hours before, lost luggage, rude employees. Never again @SpiritAirlines,” added another.

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are heading towards a merger, it was announced last week.

MERGER DEAL

JetBlue has announced a $3.6 billion bid for Spirit Airlines.

The move could jeopardize Spirit’s potential deal to merge with another low-cost airline, Frontier Airlines.

Other airlines are also cutting their flight schedules this spring and summer.

Alaska Airlines media tells last week it would cut its schedule by 2 percent through the end of June.

The airline claims to be hampered by a pilot shortage. The company had to cancel dozens of flights earlier this month due to staff shortages.

Cancellations this weekend followed significant cancellations the previous weekend when more than 3,500 flights were canned.

Passengers affected by cancellations, regardless of the reason, are entitled to a full refund and may decline offers of travel credit or vouchers in accordance with US Department of Transportation regulations.

Travel expenses incurred are not covered by the regulations and must be treated separately.