I’ve flown JetBlue’s Mint business class many times over the years, and one thing that has always stood out to me is how excellent the flight attendants are. JetBlue has a special subset of crews who work in Mint, and in my experience they’re always friendly and professional. Well, my last flight was an exception. I’m curious if I just got unlucky, or if there has been a bit of a service shift at JetBlue.
In this post:
My rude & unprofessional JetBlue Mint flight attendant
At the conclusion of my review trip to Hong Kong, I flew JetBlue Mint from Los Angeles (LAX) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) on a redeye. I booked it last minute with Qatar Airways Avios, for what it’s worth. I’m not going to be reviewing the flight, because I just slept the entire way, and desperately needed rest (I had started the day at 3AM at JFK, and was taking a redeye at 11:59PM from LAX).
I’m so used to JetBlue Mint flight attendants being way above average. However, on this particular flight, I was totally caught off guard by the flight attendant’s attitude, and that’s despite the fact that I didn’t take part in any of the service.
For one, boarding really sets the tone for a flight, and first impressions make such a big difference. Sometimes you’ll see flight attendants standing at the door greeting each passenger with a big smile and a “welcome aboard,” and even complimenting passengers (“I love your necklace,” “I love your shirt,” etc.)
As I boarded this flight, I said “hi, good evening,” as he was standing at the door. Even though he was looking right at me, there was no response. Okay, I figured maybe he didn’t hear me, or something. But then I observed him for the remainder of boarding (I was in the first row), and he didn’t greet a single passenger. He just stood there, staring at everyone.
The extent of his interaction with passengers was him rather angrily barking orders. He almost seemed to get a thrill out of the opportunity to yell at passengers. To be clear, it’s not that the content of his message in any situation was wrong, but rather the delivery. For example, when passengers tried to open the bin with emergency equipment to place their bags there, he seemed to almost enjoy loudly admonishing them.
Every time I’ve flown JetBlue Mint, the flight attendants welcome each passenger onboard, introduce themselves, etc. There was none of that. I was just so shocked with how he interacted with each passenger at boarding, since I don’t think he left a positive impression on a single passenger. And it wasn’t just me observing this — I made eye contact with two other people seated near me, who were equally confused by this guy’s attitude.
I slept for most of the flight, and then was surprised by the way he went about waking up passengers. Rather than turning on the cabin lights, he instead physically poked passengers with a tray that had snacks on it. Upon deplaning, there was again no goodbye, but rather he just looked at passengers.
I couldn’t help but notice how he was quite enthusiastically reading JetBlue’s post-landing script over the PA, about how “we hope you’ve enjoyed this flight as much as we’ve enjoyed serving you.” I can assure you I enjoyed the flight more than he enjoyed taking care of us (just by virtue of getting a bit of rest). He also read the part about asking for honest feedback about the flight with the post-flight survey.
Simply put, I fly a lot of US airlines, and service can be a mixed bag. While I have higher expectations in JetBlue Mint than in other cabins, he was the least professional flight attendant I’ve had on any US airline in a long time.
I’m curious — has there been a shift in service on JetBlue in Mint, or did I just get really unlucky? I mean, I can imagine why morale might not be that high, as JetBlue has been going through some tough times. I was just surprised, because JetBlue has delivered so consistently, in my experience.
I struggle with complaining about service
I have to say in general that I struggle with the concept of complaining about inflight service, when we’re talking about individuals.
On the one hand, I want JetBlue to succeed, and I also think feedback is important. After all, flight attendants don’t have a direct supervisor onboard, so the only way an airline can know if someone is providing subpar service is if they get feedback from passengers. JetBlue has set an incredibly high bar for service in Mint, and I imagine the airline would want to know if individuals aren’t delivering on that.
On the other hand, I feel bad. After all, the person not providing good service is also a human. Maybe he was having a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad year. I don’t know what he has been through, and I don’t want to pile on and contribute to that. The service was so bad that I almost assume that something else must be going on his life.
But I also think that not saying anything probably isn’t accomplishing a whole lot? I dunno, y’all tell me…
Bottom line
In the past, I’ve had nothing but good service experiences in JetBlue Mint, and have found it to be the US airline cabin with the most consistently high service standard. However, my last flight in JetBlue Mint was the opposite extreme, with some of the least friendly service I’ve had on a US airline in a very long time (which is saying something).
I’m curious — was this a one-off, or is JetBlue Mint not as differentiated when it comes to service as it used to be?
Correction since last post was a typo his name Frank he based in LA.
The crew member name in question is Feank
I can't believe I am reading this - I literally just entered "terrible JetBlue Mint service" into Google to see if there might be a thread about it because 6 days ago, on Feb 13, I had the most abhorrent service you can imagine from the lead flight attendant on a Mint flight from Boston to Vegas. She barked at me rather than speak politely, refused to serve me a glass of wine with dinner...
I can't believe I am reading this - I literally just entered "terrible JetBlue Mint service" into Google to see if there might be a thread about it because 6 days ago, on Feb 13, I had the most abhorrent service you can imagine from the lead flight attendant on a Mint flight from Boston to Vegas. She barked at me rather than speak politely, refused to serve me a glass of wine with dinner when I simply questioned her about the unkind way she had spoken to me, and was nothing but rude, surly and genuinely unkind throughout the entire flight - I am still in shock and have reached out to JetBlue by phone and email already. Fortunately the JetBlue employees I have reached out to have been as shocked as I was and I feel like my concerns are being taken seriously. Basically I paid a lot of money to be treated as though I were less than human - it was crazy. Like you I have also been a HUGE JetBlue Mint fan until now - always selecting Mint over other options such as Alaska First or Delta One when flying domestically.
For all of the miles that you traveled, to be put off by a less than enthusiastic greeting is quite childish. When I have the misfortune of flying through the USA, I am usually pleasantly surprised when I make my connections and my luggage follows me to me destination and not a few days later.
Unfortunately Jetblue used to be awesome now they are just indifferent. Our experiences on Mint has been hit or miss ( most recently from Boston to Aruba not boarding Mint first, kinda inexcusable) Don't think they care.
I am sorry for that bad experience and as a Flight Attendant myself, not matter what I'm going through once am at work it's all about letting the customer have a wonderful experience. Again I apologize on behalf of him and please it's not all of us who are like that... I hope you will continue fly jetblue.
You wrote a piece about one flight attendant having a bad day and then generalize the whole program?
The article is not about FA having a bad day, it's about FA being unprofessional and not doing his job properly.
I'm very sorry for your negative experience. I'm a jetBlue crewmember and it saddens me to see and hear these types of reviews. I truly believe that this experience is an exception rather than the norm. While I don't like to see them, these reviews are actually very necessary in order to deal with the problem and weed out the exception crewmembers so that the service and experience can be what the majority of crewmembers...
I'm very sorry for your negative experience. I'm a jetBlue crewmember and it saddens me to see and hear these types of reviews. I truly believe that this experience is an exception rather than the norm. While I don't like to see them, these reviews are actually very necessary in order to deal with the problem and weed out the exception crewmembers so that the service and experience can be what the majority of crewmembers try to deliver everyday even through very difficult circumstances. The more detailed you can be regarding the crewmember the better and please report the incident directly to jetBlue as you review your flight. I promise someone is paying attention and will deal with it. Safe travels and thank you for candid reviews and chosing to fly Blue.
As a JetBlue pilot who interacts with Mint inflight crew members on a daily basis, this was DEFINITELY a one-off occurrence. I apologize this was the caliber of service you received in Mint, and hope your feedback makes its way to our inflight team leaders. Certainly not what anyone should expect when flying JetBlue.
Do you think this was an appropriate place to complain? I think a call would be the correct action. This is a pretty sad commentary on your position.
It’s his blog on which he reviews his own travel experiences. Why would he NOT write about it here?
100% "tweet", call Mosaic line if applicable or use their text feature. Give your Date of travel and flight number. They can look up the crew if you forget the names. Zero excuses for that behavior. He gives the rest of us a bad name. Help us weed them out please.
Even if the guy was having a bad day, week, or year, he shouldn't take it out on others! I work in customer service, and of course I have bad days, but I don't make my personal issues my customers' problems... I still try to do my best. At the very least, I acknowledge, not stare and poke! Some of us take more pride in what we do than others... Others, simply do not belong in customer service! Stop making excuses if you want to see improvement!
I think service is slipping I booked round trip Mint from JFK to LAS the service was terribly brusque and unfriendly not only that but my screen wasnt working and kept flickering... both ways... not even an apology or attempt to solve the issue... eventually was I given a 50 dollar voucher which to be honest I havent used as gave up on Mint based on that experience and don't think that compensation was enough. The flickering screen was so bad that couldn't sleep
I had an experience something like that on JetBlue my last two trips to PR. My last trip the female flight attendant had NO Smile as we entered the plane, then I was told that I couldn’t keep my small backpack with my meds in front of me cause I was in row one, but she handed another passenger her big pocketbook with her iPad in it so she could have it near her. As...
I had an experience something like that on JetBlue my last two trips to PR. My last trip the female flight attendant had NO Smile as we entered the plane, then I was told that I couldn’t keep my small backpack with my meds in front of me cause I was in row one, but she handed another passenger her big pocketbook with her iPad in it so she could have it near her. As we left the plane again no smiling. Overheard her complaining about her schedule. She should really find another job that has no public contact.
I’m a service industry professional, and part of that involves not being an asshole to guests even if I’m having a bad day.
Did you send this directly to Jet Blue too? They need to know. And dud you get his name
It's a shame because Mint is the only option we in South Florida have to get to/from California in a lie-flat. Even if you complain (and I think you should), I doubt anything comes from it
They have zero competition and can get away with an FA acting like that simply because of the hard product "monopoly" they have on the route. I'm like you and much much prefer the 10 min ride to/from MIA...
It's a shame because Mint is the only option we in South Florida have to get to/from California in a lie-flat. Even if you complain (and I think you should), I doubt anything comes from it
They have zero competition and can get away with an FA acting like that simply because of the hard product "monopoly" they have on the route. I'm like you and much much prefer the 10 min ride to/from MIA over heading up to FLL, yet have found myself at FLL twice in the last few months to get to LAX via Mint
Thank you for having the courage to share your experience with JetBlue. Every organization has the opportunity to be a world class or world leading company. What separates companies from ordinary to great or best in class is a great product and consistent high quality service.
JetBlue did not meet your expectation because one employee who gets paid and is trained to provide high quality service chose to put his needs above everyone else. That’s...
Thank you for having the courage to share your experience with JetBlue. Every organization has the opportunity to be a world class or world leading company. What separates companies from ordinary to great or best in class is a great product and consistent high quality service.
JetBlue did not meet your expectation because one employee who gets paid and is trained to provide high quality service chose to put his needs above everyone else. That’s just not acceptable and we should never make excuses for individuals like this. Once he decided to show up to work, he made a choice about having a great attitude for the day.
He needs to be reported to leadership at JetBlue and they should decide whether this individual is fit for the important role he has.
Agree with the others, let Jetblue know Ben. I mean even if he was having a bad day, in his job he needs to try and be at least slightly positive (and others have said, when we have bad days we aren't overtly rude), because what happens if one of the passengers is having a bad day (maybe they are flying back from a funeral) and they have paid to fly JetBlue Mint and they...
Agree with the others, let Jetblue know Ben. I mean even if he was having a bad day, in his job he needs to try and be at least slightly positive (and others have said, when we have bad days we aren't overtly rude), because what happens if one of the passengers is having a bad day (maybe they are flying back from a funeral) and they have paid to fly JetBlue Mint and they get this FA shouting at them - completely unacceptable.
Also letting Jetblue know might be a positive thing in the sense that he gets the training/warning he needs to take his job seriously and learn to like it or maybe is a sign that he hates his job and he decides to find another job.
Definitely complain to B6. We have a guy I have to fly with at my base and it’s embarrassing for us all. I can assure you that as much as any passenger doesn’t enjoy this type of crew member… the coworkers dislike double! No passenger deserves to be treated poorly no matter what’s going on in their life. There are avenues a fa can take to get support and there are, hopefully, amazing leaders that...
Definitely complain to B6. We have a guy I have to fly with at my base and it’s embarrassing for us all. I can assure you that as much as any passenger doesn’t enjoy this type of crew member… the coworkers dislike double! No passenger deserves to be treated poorly no matter what’s going on in their life. There are avenues a fa can take to get support and there are, hopefully, amazing leaders that can extend an arm and guide their employees in the right direction. I take pride in how I treat my guests on board and it really bothers me to see a fellow flight attendant working so hard at being bad. I’m sorry.
"it really bothers me to see a fellow flight attendant working so hard at being bad" - Steven makes a good point - it's hard work to be bad-tempered and rude all day long. Much easier to smile and be happy and everyone around you benefits too. :)
I flew a RT Mint from Boston to CDG. Via the Delta match I was Mosaic 4. My flight over was fantastic - Nice dinner (BTW - Portions are huge!) and nice crew. Loved the order online option. Great experience overall. On the return, I paid extra for the Mint Suite and was excited to try out the premium+ product. On the leg back, I had a FA that pretty much made me decide to...
I flew a RT Mint from Boston to CDG. Via the Delta match I was Mosaic 4. My flight over was fantastic - Nice dinner (BTW - Portions are huge!) and nice crew. Loved the order online option. Great experience overall. On the return, I paid extra for the Mint Suite and was excited to try out the premium+ product. On the leg back, I had a FA that pretty much made me decide to no longer buy Mint. I had a small spill and went up to ask for a napkin. A few minutes later, I went to use the restroom, but when I got there another FA was tidying it up. The original FA saw me standing there and legitimately rolled his eyes and said "Can I help you?" I replied that I just needed to use the restroom. That interaction really turned me off. Yes, the FA's are there for safety first (my mom was a FA and I have the ultimate respect for their hard work!) but one employee can make an impression, and in this case, it was incredibly off-putting.
Ben,
Do you ever have bad days? I imagine so, as we all do. On your bad days, are you hostile and rude towards complete strangers? I imagine you are not. Rather than look for a reason to give this behavior a pass, please do the flight attendant's employer a favor and let them know there is a problem.
Ben, like all people of high class, was raised to be unfailingly polite.
Arps, read your words, digest their meaning and practice what you preach old bean.
Absolutely. We all have problems but a professional leaves them AT HOME.
I wonder if i had the same Jetblue flight attendant in MINT on my SAN-BOS flight a few years ago! That was the only type I had a negative experience in MINT. Even when he took drink orders there was no acknowledgment of my choice. He simply turned around and walked away. Same thing when he delivered the drink. I heard him rudely tell another person "We don't have that on the menu" when someone...
I wonder if i had the same Jetblue flight attendant in MINT on my SAN-BOS flight a few years ago! That was the only type I had a negative experience in MINT. Even when he took drink orders there was no acknowledgment of my choice. He simply turned around and walked away. Same thing when he delivered the drink. I heard him rudely tell another person "We don't have that on the menu" when someone picked a protein that was not available. The service level was so bad for Jetblue, especially MINT, that I did fill out the feedback acknowledging while everything was provided that there was a lack of politeness and affect to the entire service, so they would at least review his performance or coach him. They offered me $100 credit as an apology. I really thought this individual might possess some type of personality disorder, which is more noticeable when you are in an extremely service oriented profession.
I flew RT to LHR recently and one of the crew while not rude was certainly not warm and friendly either. Service was quite slow and the coffee machine was broken so no coffee on the early morning day flight. Coming back I was not in mint and the crew were also fairly average and made a point every time they were about to do service of not blocking the aisles etc (I get it...
I flew RT to LHR recently and one of the crew while not rude was certainly not warm and friendly either. Service was quite slow and the coffee machine was broken so no coffee on the early morning day flight. Coming back I was not in mint and the crew were also fairly average and made a point every time they were about to do service of not blocking the aisles etc (I get it it's not the easiest task wheeling trollies through but it was the tone that was not great) and also instructing people how to stack the trays. Also in between they stayed largely in the back. In the past I've had crews who have certainly been more proactive about offering drinks/top ups and checking on you both in mint and economy. I've noticed also they did away with the amenity kits in economy which was a nice touch and in general the snacks are smaller and not as good as they used to be. I miss the blue chips as well. All signs of cost cutting and maybe that's trickling down to the quality of hires or training
My husband and I fly JetBlue Mint monthly from Boston to San Francisco. It's a toss up who will be working that day. We've had flights with a great crew and then we've had flights in which the Mint flight attendant spent most of the flight yelling at everyone in Mint.
As for the comment, maybe they were having a bad day. Not at the price they charge for Mint. I'm paying $2K for...
My husband and I fly JetBlue Mint monthly from Boston to San Francisco. It's a toss up who will be working that day. We've had flights with a great crew and then we've had flights in which the Mint flight attendant spent most of the flight yelling at everyone in Mint.
As for the comment, maybe they were having a bad day. Not at the price they charge for Mint. I'm paying $2K for a one way ticket and for that kind of price no one should have deal with a difficult flight attendant.
PLEASE REPORT THIS INDIVIDUAL! You should’ve spoke to the captain and the gate agent afterwards. I work for JetBlue and this unacceptable. If you are having a bad day, call out. No exception! Please report this individual.
I flew Mint twice this week - BOS-LAS and LAS-BOS, and both times I had outstanding flight attendants. Friendly, helpful, engaging, etc. They even handed out personal, handwritten notes to each passenger. I think it might have been a one-off, because I fly Mint a lot and never had an issue like you presented.
He's there for your safety....not service or being kind. ha
Wrong !! He is there for customer service
and being rude is not it
No Deb, he isn’t there for Customer Service. Don’t be dimmadumb Deb. The MAIN ROLE of the Flight Attendant is safety. Apply if you think you can do better.
Ben I don’t understand why you care so much. You paid for a service. Airplanes aren’t just about getting from x to y. Part of the fee you paid, used miles for, etc is the service.
The FA was an asshole. Plain and simple. I pay no mind why because, frankly, it’s not my problem. Don’t like your job get another one. Complain so others don’t have to deal with the asshat. The fact...
Ben I don’t understand why you care so much. You paid for a service. Airplanes aren’t just about getting from x to y. Part of the fee you paid, used miles for, etc is the service.
The FA was an asshole. Plain and simple. I pay no mind why because, frankly, it’s not my problem. Don’t like your job get another one. Complain so others don’t have to deal with the asshat. The fact you rationalize why being treated like shit is ok is beyond me. He’s at work, you’re not. To have someone look you in the eye and say good evening and have no response, just a stare? I cannot fathom doing that on my worst day.
You let people walk all over you.
I would let JetBlue know about this employee. As a frequent traveler, Ben, you see the good and the bad. But what if there was someone on this flight and it was their first time with JetBlue? They don't know some are better than others and with the way the FA acted, it was a poor experience for the first timer along with the frequent travelers. JetBlue can't coach the flight attendant if they don't know it happened.
Standing at the door and staring at the passengers vs not speaking because maybe he was prepping for service like I have personally witnessed sounds extremely odd. Did he interact with anyone? Pilots? Other flight attendants? How was the interaction when you received service? That’s a pretty long flight did you refuse everything? If this post is 100% true and accurate then this should be reported and jet blue should interview the pilots who always...
Standing at the door and staring at the passengers vs not speaking because maybe he was prepping for service like I have personally witnessed sounds extremely odd. Did he interact with anyone? Pilots? Other flight attendants? How was the interaction when you received service? That’s a pretty long flight did you refuse everything? If this post is 100% true and accurate then this should be reported and jet blue should interview the pilots who always interact with the crew and sometimes ear hustle in the cabin since the cockpits door is always open during boarding.
“I’m curious — has there been a shift in service on JetBlue in Mint, or did I just get really unlucky?”
You must be a partner at a major strategy consulting firm since you’re able to spot a trend using only one data point…
I mean it's just 1 person. What if he's great on other days. We don't know what's happening in his life. Maybe he just found out a family member passed away and he's in shock or his medical test came back and he has a serious diagnosis. I remembered when that happened to me I just sort of continue doing things for 3 hours in the office not really understanding what I was doing or where I was. And then later it hit me.
What a difference a few days make!
A certain prolific comments author make references below in response to the posts of others. I have taken snapshots of his posts to illustrate my point of view which will become apparent as one reads on.
The author states and I quote;
“Good character, raised poorly, adult rudeness is a character flaw, parents and teachers failed him, don’t you dare try to diminish others’ opinions, an...
What a difference a few days make!
A certain prolific comments author make references below in response to the posts of others. I have taken snapshots of his posts to illustrate my point of view which will become apparent as one reads on.
The author states and I quote;
“Good character, raised poorly, adult rudeness is a character flaw, parents and teachers failed him, don’t you dare try to diminish others’ opinions, an unintelligent reader (such as yourself), intentionally rude, have some standards, have some class, it sounds like they were not well bred, people of good character don’t take it out on others, not a single high-class person would ever behave in the manner described, only the ill mannered make others suffer for bad days, very simple fact that seems lost on many commenters”.
Here we have before us a graphic example of the hypocrisy of an individual who posts profanities (of the worst order) on this blog one day and then posts the quoted nonsense the next.
The individual would be best advised to “Stop making excuses” for the inexcusable writing style and note one of its own quotes, “People raised with the right manners will never stare, shout or sulk”, to that one would add ‘or use expletives’ …. we all know who you are and what you are!
Write up your complaint as it happened without qualifying that he may have had a "bad day.." Frankly, and someone commented previously, it's a very expensive product and lots of travelers are using Mint infrequently as an aspirational treat and this person ruined the experience. yes, you will fly JetBlues's Mint again but others missed out and were subjected to rude service. Also, the manager will ask the "were you having a bad day" question...
Write up your complaint as it happened without qualifying that he may have had a "bad day.." Frankly, and someone commented previously, it's a very expensive product and lots of travelers are using Mint infrequently as an aspirational treat and this person ruined the experience. yes, you will fly JetBlues's Mint again but others missed out and were subjected to rude service. Also, the manager will ask the "were you having a bad day" question and instruct him appropriately IF it was out of character or rectify IF it's not the first time...So, don't hold back for the sake of the next Mint customer.
Having a bad day is no excuse. When you’re in a service position sadly you have to leave your BS at the door. It’s not the customers fault you’re having a bad day. Suck it up.
Any evidence of cost-cutting being a driver? Easy to try to cut corners when you are in B6's position, although I think professional management of all stripes tends to systematically underestimate how it can hurt a brand over time. That said, the link between "strongly-perceived high-end brand" and "maximizes profit" is not totally clear. Maybe Mint was previously an offering that could not be supported by the market.
Please ... stop being apologetic about crew providing poor service,etc. That is not your job.
Not surprised given the increased influence of Carl Icahn. Are they still disabling the mint doors on the A321neos?
Flew mint from JFK to San Juan and service was excellent. Also flew San Juan to Cancun in non mint and again, excellent so it was a one off. We also found spirit FAs were really good and fun whilst the FAs on a united flight first class were grumpy and not very friendly.
Very simple fact that seems lost on many commenters:
Any of us are susceptible to bad days. Only the ill mannered make others suffer for bad days.
Sounds like they were having a horrible day. The tray thing makes me think poor training as well.
It also sounds like an issue that will take care of itself sooner or later.
No, it sounds like they were not well bred. Everybody has horrible days, and people of good character don’t take it out on others. Not a single high-class person would ever behave in the manner described by the FA even if their entire extended family, friends, and acquaintances had all perished of cancer that morning.
Wow you are all over this thread with some serious anger. Not sure who or what you're directing it at but a well bred person would keep their emotions in check.
The staring, the shouting, the sulking are all unexpected but forgivable. But poking each dozing passenger with a basket….uh uh!!
No, none of those are forgivable. Have some standards, have some class. People raised with the right manners will never stare, shout* or sulk *except when necessary in an emergency
I wish this was as much of an exception as you believe. Mint has gone downhill. I have had three similarly bad experiences in the past six months. My suggestion to jetblue on this is simple: require the happiest members of the flight crew to serve mint.
Yet here you are making a post about. You know damn well that management is going to look it up because of who you are ♂️
I’m so sorry you dealt with this negative JetBlue experience..
coming from a crew member of the company your feelings are valid .
Without a doubt most of us We go above and beyond for our customers It is heartbreaking for us to read this . Although every flight is different, on your Next flight you will definitely receive a better experience !
I’d rather have a bad FA than a crying baby.
“If you actually want to control the environment around you, then flying private is for you.” -Lucky
Stop making excuses. Mint is sold as a premium offering and the FA delivered a level of impersonality that wouldn’t be acceptable within the Norwegian (civilized) prisoner transport system.
I flew JetBlue mint BOS to SFO close to a decade ago. It was fine but definitely nowhere near the level of hype and impressiveness that the internet suggested. The lack of a lounge at BOS was a glaring omission. I flew United’s 757 (with flat seats) the next time and it was also fine and I earned UA miles which are much better than JetBlue’s. By the way, despite not having a Boston hub, there’s a united club.
Not exactly that notable for UA to have a lounge in a large city like Boston. UA does 3.5M pax there a year.
There are far smaller outstations with UA clubs still.
I'm with you in that I don't usually complain unless the FA is obviously intentionally rude--eye rolls, sighs, inappropriate comments.
This kinda borders on that, but seems like his bad service is better described as aloof and hating his job.
But in the end I think why waste another second of my life thinking about a miserable human being since most airlines don't care and won't do or can't do anything about it.
Not responding to someone saying hello or good evening, unless you legitimately don’t hear or are preoccupied, is intentionally rude.
The standoffish “don’t ever acknowledge others presence” attitude can fly if you’re both riding the NYC Subway. Not if you’re in a frontline position of customer service.
Did you fill out the survey form? You can go on the website and fill out the crewmember feedback form also.
Ben, so you started the same day at JFK at 3 am, to fly to LA, then to fly LA-FLL. WOW.. I used to read your blog, it was entertaining, I remember when you moved out of your apt to "Live on the road", and when you started talking about Ford, but many of your posts started to have the same theme, complain, hype how horrible the new FF rules are, etc. Must be a...
Ben, so you started the same day at JFK at 3 am, to fly to LA, then to fly LA-FLL. WOW.. I used to read your blog, it was entertaining, I remember when you moved out of your apt to "Live on the road", and when you started talking about Ford, but many of your posts started to have the same theme, complain, hype how horrible the new FF rules are, etc. Must be a slow news day to have to write about this. You got sleep, the FA didn't smile, and he woke you up with a tray. If it was that horrible, file a complaint with the airlines, but write a post about it.. This was one of the reason I stopped reading your blog.
Tony you’re entitled to your opinion. But, don’t you dare try to diminish others’ opinions of bad service. Not smiling is never the only fault of a bad service provider. Not smiling is correlated with all kinds of other negative behaviors which as Ben mentioned include admonishment. It’s also true that bad service is difficult to describe in words, such that an unintelligent reader (such as yourself) would interpret the situation (as you did) as...
Tony you’re entitled to your opinion. But, don’t you dare try to diminish others’ opinions of bad service. Not smiling is never the only fault of a bad service provider. Not smiling is correlated with all kinds of other negative behaviors which as Ben mentioned include admonishment. It’s also true that bad service is difficult to describe in words, such that an unintelligent reader (such as yourself) would interpret the situation (as you did) as not that bad.
Let’s face it. JetBlue Mint is not prisoner transport. (And, prisoners deserve dignity, too.) JetBlue Mint is the airline’s flagship premium product. The fact the flight attendant didn’t physically assault you should not be the bar for acceptable service.
You stopped reading the blog but here you are with a comment..
I flew Mint a few months ago, for the first time after not flying them for a few years, and was shocked at the decline in pretty much everything. Service was not at all at the levels that were normal a couple of years ago, and the food was downright gross when it used to be delicious, fresh and healthy. The snack selection also whittled down to a meager selection of chips and cookies when they had a lot of fun stuff.
Everything has declined. AA flagship transcontinental is another example.
Launch him, Ben:
Mint service has declined, individual FAs aside, my last few have done the bare minimum. I'm normally used to them introducing themselves and asking a few questions about the service, etc.
The last 2 flights, all they did was slap the trays down after taking orders and basically nothing else
Feel free to write in a complaint letter to JetBlue about your experience. They handle those situations very seriously.
Not in my experience. Jet Blue really don't give a s##t about passengers and passenger experience.
Even when you formally complain and point out that they're contravening FAA rules - they still don't give a s##t.
Never fly JetBlue.
This has become an ongoing trend with Jetblue when flying domestically recently; sorry to hear about your flight Lucky. Caribbean and TATL still tend to have good service.
On other news: United has released partner award space to Europe again on LH/LX etc in Business Class. Are we going to get a post about that? Pretty wide open through March
Bad service on B6; Situation Normal for me. Gave up a long time ago on this New York dog turd of an airline.
I think you should contact corporate. Not to complain or report him, not to have him disciplined or anything like that, but instead to offer feedback just like you said, recommending JetBlue to provide him additional training. Your feedback benefits both JetBlue and passengers. It's a win-win.
“Additional training” isn’t a thing anymore. There are thousands of people lined up to apply for an FA job. If an existing FA is bad, it’s much more efficient to can them and hire someone good.
Plus, adult rudeness is a character flaw and not trainable by an employer. It’s only trainable in childhood. This bad FA’s parents and teachers failed him.
JBLU's financial situation and the uncertainty about its future takes a toll on its employees as well as their attractiveness to potential employees just as it does for any company.
While 9/10 of my JetBlue Mint flights were good I've definitely had the rude flight attendant or so.
When you are in the business of customer facing service you cannot have a bad day. Point. Call in sick, leave your job, ask for an early break, take a deep breath and keep going on until your day/your shift is over. Then you are allowed to have a bad day. If I was the manager or HR department, I would want to know. This flight attendant is a jerk.
Everybody has bad days. Those who were raised appropriately, with good character, don’t take it out on others. Those who were raised poorly, do.
LOL flight attendants can’t call out of work on a whim. Their sick policy basically does not exist..How many more delays would happen if flight attendants said “you know, I don’t think I can be a perfect 10 today at work, let me just not show up at all for those 4 flights on my schedule”. Your expectations for working class humans are not in line with the reality that these people face day-to-day in...
LOL flight attendants can’t call out of work on a whim. Their sick policy basically does not exist..How many more delays would happen if flight attendants said “you know, I don’t think I can be a perfect 10 today at work, let me just not show up at all for those 4 flights on my schedule”. Your expectations for working class humans are not in line with the reality that these people face day-to-day in the industry. If that’s your attitude it is safe to assume you don’t personally affiliate yourself with any flight attendants in your life, because if you did have a kid or any loved one who took that career you would feel differently. Ease up. Have some grace. People are doing the best they can. They’re not robots.
Please report him
I’m always shocked that everyone loves JetBlue Mint so much. Every time I’ve flown it, the service has been terrible. The food has been meh, and they often forget to load amenity kits. After the meal the flight attendant santa disappear for the rest of the flight. I just don’t get it, I prefer transcon on basically any other airline. @Ben, your experience this time around has essentially been my experience every time in Mint.
“Every time I fly mint…” blah blah blah I guess some just don’t learn
Must be chatting with AA FAs when commuting, non reving and deadheading. I remember upon the merger with AA/US that US FA would always be there to provide a pre departure beverage with a smile as soon as your butt hit the seat.
Today, they are no longer any different than their PM AA counter parts. Staring off into space during boarding and maybe you get a tray of warm water and warm OJ (like...
Must be chatting with AA FAs when commuting, non reving and deadheading. I remember upon the merger with AA/US that US FA would always be there to provide a pre departure beverage with a smile as soon as your butt hit the seat.
Today, they are no longer any different than their PM AA counter parts. Staring off into space during boarding and maybe you get a tray of warm water and warm OJ (like you're a bunch of five year olds on a school trip).
Unfortunately bad habits can spread if there's no counter balance.
I can confirm there has been a downward shift in the quality of jetblue mint service. Have had a few negative experiences in the last couple years. Before that, it was amazing every single time.
Consider this: the flight you book last minute and the cabin experience that is old hand to you, might be the "trip of the year" or the aspirational award flight that someone has really wanted to take for a very long time. If you don't report the flight attendant and his behavior is not corrected, they walk away feeling way more disappointed than just a "one off" as you might.
Yeah, maybe he had a...
Consider this: the flight you book last minute and the cabin experience that is old hand to you, might be the "trip of the year" or the aspirational award flight that someone has really wanted to take for a very long time. If you don't report the flight attendant and his behavior is not corrected, they walk away feeling way more disappointed than just a "one off" as you might.
Yeah, maybe he had a bad day, but if he did, the complaint won't hurt him much. If this is his normal MO, this might be the chance to correct it so others don't have to experience it.
File a complaint immediately.
Some occupations require more stage performance skills than others. Working as cabin crew certainly does. You need to know your lines, your cues, you need get in character and give the customers what they paid for. The audience shouldn't know if you're having a bad day. This guy flopped big-time, and it wasn't minor service errors that can be overlooked.
People act as such believing they can get away with it. I would imagine the airlines monitor social media like your webpage. Hopefully, the FA gets the message should he get called down to the office with his union rep for some coaching.
Providing good service is a team effort. Doesn't seem fair that one flight attendant is allowed to go around ruining the effort of all his colleagues, so I'm on the "you should complain in a respectful and objective way" team.
Also poking passengers with a tray doesn't seem like a just-having-a-bay-day kinda thing.
I've seen more complaints about Mint service online lately, including complaints about rude FAs. Frankly, for non-Mint service, I have never found the NYC or BOS based crews to be particularly friendly, and I have flown B6 on and off for 20 years now.
My last Mint flight was a bit over a year ago, and frankly I found the service to be pretty average, and below what I usually experience on AA or DL on their premium transcon flights.
Lol AA & Delta FAs are paid significantly better than Jetblue employees. Company hasnt been profitable in a few years & that vibe is trickling all the way down the line. Mgmt is scattering like roaches to implement Cost saving approaches and the employees are the ones dealing with the hardships. Just food for thought
Surely no one thinks that there has been a service shift at JetBlue where greeting passengers has been swapped with barking and prodding at passengers; this seems like an egregiously poor-acting employee that you should have no qualms with reporting to JetBlue.
My view is that if you are going to write in to complain you should be equally quick to write in to praise (you get some lovely responses when you do).
The way this article has been written with the view that someone may have been having a bad day sounds like a good approach to me (we all have them) but it could be good for the guy to get training or support if...
My view is that if you are going to write in to complain you should be equally quick to write in to praise (you get some lovely responses when you do).
The way this article has been written with the view that someone may have been having a bad day sounds like a good approach to me (we all have them) but it could be good for the guy to get training or support if needed.
Incidentally, the train I am currently on in the UK (cross country) has some absolutely amazing staff who I will write in about positively
This isn't the 10 Minute Manager. If the service sucked, it sucked.
I did the Delta-JetBlue status match, and flew Mint 4x in the latter half of last year (after never flying them before). I would not say the flight attendants were "way above average," more like ok to above average. I think I was offered a PDB on one of four flights (and oddly, that FA was the most checked out). The first redeye I flew, the crew was very engaged, but SLOW. For a 5 hour redeye, dinner wrapped up over 2.5 hours into the flight.
I would write to management (as if they haven't see this blog yet ;-) ) saying "maybe he was having a bad day but I had a bad experience that I'm sure you would want to know about".
I appreciate — as always — your insistence on seeing the humanity in human beings. Perhaps it is possible to write a comment that stresses disappointment, rather than anger, and a desire for there to be a teaching opportunity rather than a punishment.
Regarding the point about the FA being human and maybe having a bad day and all that... you shouldn't have to make that call whether it exonerates him or not. Imagine if Winston was a bad puppy at doggy daycare and started getting worse and worse, but you had no idea because the daycare never told you? If this incident was significant enough to warrant an entire blog post, then it's significant enough to warrant...
Regarding the point about the FA being human and maybe having a bad day and all that... you shouldn't have to make that call whether it exonerates him or not. Imagine if Winston was a bad puppy at doggy daycare and started getting worse and worse, but you had no idea because the daycare never told you? If this incident was significant enough to warrant an entire blog post, then it's significant enough to warrant feedback to JetBlue management, who can then decide whether it's something worth following up on.
Hear hear. Would also add that if other people in customer service - and even those NOT in customer service - “have a bad day”, there are repercussions. I’m both a road warrior and cube dweller. I can’t tell one of my accounts/bosses to politely fuck off just because “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. Why does an FA get a pass. Stop letting jerks get away with being jerks. Using...
Hear hear. Would also add that if other people in customer service - and even those NOT in customer service - “have a bad day”, there are repercussions. I’m both a road warrior and cube dweller. I can’t tell one of my accounts/bosses to politely fuck off just because “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. Why does an FA get a pass. Stop letting jerks get away with being jerks. Using excuses like “He was having a bad day” is just rationale for not being confrontational. If you don’t want to be politely assertive in providing honest feedback then just say so; don’t hide behind some lame excuse under the guise of “seeing the human side of people”.
Sorry but your cubical job and flight attendants’ job cannot be compared. They speak to hundreds of people a day, there may have been a medical situation on their last flight that had them shook, they have have already worked a whole transcon flight after minimal sleep. To add to the normal pressures of the job, There was just a major accident in DCA and flight attendants keep flying while having that fresh in their minds…
Spoken like an FA who's never had any other job dealing with customers in any sort of non-airline capacity. I get it, you're on your feet all day. And there was just a plane incident. I know. Because I'm on that plane all the time and see you. And I flew into DCA the day after. But, please do us all a favor, and stop pretending FAs have any understanding of what everyone else does when dealing with customers, Keke.
Just adding to this point and @Keke's response - I think everyone can acknowledge having a bad day. The point of bringing it up to the airline to take independent action is so their management can assess the situation. The FA management can then take into account and understand any personal context for that FA, but it shouldn't be on customers to make this judgment call and absolve all behavior of individuals representing their company...
Just adding to this point and @Keke's response - I think everyone can acknowledge having a bad day. The point of bringing it up to the airline to take independent action is so their management can assess the situation. The FA management can then take into account and understand any personal context for that FA, but it shouldn't be on customers to make this judgment call and absolve all behavior of individuals representing their company and providing customer-facing service.
Report the guy please
I'll add another data point to this: I fly JetBlue multiple times per year and have always had good experiences with the crew, both in the handful of Mint flights I've taken and in main cabin. I flew a redeye last month in a non-Mint A320 (I was toward the front of the plane, fwiw) and the service was downright surly, with the flight attendant even telling the guy behind me who asked about his...
I'll add another data point to this: I fly JetBlue multiple times per year and have always had good experiences with the crew, both in the handful of Mint flights I've taken and in main cabin. I flew a redeye last month in a non-Mint A320 (I was toward the front of the plane, fwiw) and the service was downright surly, with the flight attendant even telling the guy behind me who asked about his connection that "they're not going to hold the plane for you so I don't know why you booked this" (I reassured him he'd be fine and he was).
As you said, employees are human and JetBlue has an uncertain future as a company but this last flight was my worst JetBlue service experience probably ever.