JetBlue boss 'mortified' by breakdown

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- JetBlue Airways chief David Neeleman says he is "humiliated and mortified" by the airline's weather-related service breakdown, The New York Times reported.

JetBlue has canceled approximately 1,000 flights dating back to Wednesday, when the Eastern United States was hit by a major ice storm. At one point, nine airplanes loaded with passengers sat for six hours or more on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

The airline's founder and chief executive told the Times JetBlue will adopt a policy of paying penalties to customers if they are stranded on a plane for too long.

Neeleman said JetBlue's management needed to be strengthened, and blamed the breakdown on an inferior communication system that keeps pilots and flight attendants in the dark, as well as an inadequate reservation system.

JetBlue has enjoyed strong popularity and customer satisfaction, largely on the basis of low fares.

When the ice storm hit, most airlines canceled substantial numbers of flights early, and resumed their schedules a day or two later. JetBlue, anticipating a break in the weather, tried to keep flying.

Neeleman said Friday the airline should have canceled more flights Wednesday.