A JetBlue flight on Wednesday made headlines, as a passenger onboard tested positive for coronavirus.
The situation took place on JetBlue flight 253 from New York JFK to West Palm Beach, which landed around 8:30PM.
The passenger wasn’t feeling well and took a coronavirus test before getting on the JetBlue flight. During the flight the passenger learned the results — he tested positive. He informed the crew upon landing in West Palm Beach, so it’s not entirely clear how much time lapsed between when he found out and when he told the crew.
Prior to and during the flight he didn’t inform anyone at the airline that he was awaiting results from the test.
Once this was disclosed, authorities in both West Palm Beach and New York sprung into action:
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey started cleaning immediately based on security footage, including of the check-in counters and kiosks, security checkpoints, gates, restrooms, etc.
- Palm Beach Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, and passengers were assessed; those in the vicinity of the passenger were advised of monitoring procedures, while other passengers were released to go home and given directions for calling the health department with medical concerns
Given the passenger’s decision to fly while awaiting test results, JetBlue has made the decision to ban the passenger from future JetBlue flights. Per a statement from the airline:
“Last night’s event put our crewmembers, customers, and federal and local officials in an unsettling situation that could have easily been avoided, and as such, this customer will not be permitted to fly on JetBlue in the future.”
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