As a JetBlue employee who travels frequently to (and from) SLC I can tell you that once daily flight to JFK is without question JetBlue's hardest flight to pass ride on. I battle to get on with employee priority and more often than not, don't. Buddy pass riders don't stand a chance. Many nights there are upwards of 40 people on the standby list with just a handful of unsold seats. Imagine 2,100 JetBlue employees in SLC all jockeying for a few seats on a once daily flight. It's a nightmare, but that's how the pass riding game is played, and the employee who gave them the buddy passes should have known that. I don't give buddy passes to my SLC friends and family because there's no point.
And a lib reader:
I dont understand why is everybody bashing the parents? Is it a crime to travel with no money? You are all refering to parents having no funds with such a disdain that is so sad....come on people more than half the population of the USA is POOR. The airline is at fault indeed, they could have offered a hotel room, if they were concerned about the kids safety, they could've also offered an I-75 or I-90 to another airline,JetBlue simply didnt care....yes my husband has been an airline employee for over 20 years, luckily not for Jet Blue they worry more about their reputation than the wellbeing of a family. As for the relative that gave them the vouches - instead a reprimand he deserves a medal, this person allowed a POOR family to have some sort of relaxation...some of you Well off crtitics should have come to the family assistance instead of bashing them for offering their kids some kind of travel experience. God help us with people like you.
I don’t have a problem with the “lib readers” comment, except for the reflexive “There are so many poor people, it’s terrible!” comment.
I was poor with little kids at one point. I’m sure people looked at me askance, we did things at times that many would almost consider child abuse (kids sleeping all in one bed, asking everyone to give up Christmas presents, etc). Today I have an extremely close knit and happy family.
Well, no, not a crime, but walking takes a lot longer, and any other form of transportation costs money, even driving your old beater. There's nothing inherently wrong in the parents trying to take advantage of a legitimate freebie to take the family on vacation.
The only problem is, they should have had a back-up plan. But, having once been young and poor once myself, having gotten bumped off a military standby flight in Albany instead of my destination in Cleveland, I know I never had one. That trip I would up hitchhiking the rest of the way home.
Too bad the parents had the kids in tow, coming up with airfare for four people when you aren't expecting it can be quite a shock.
Hopefully, this will be a valuable learning experience for them.
Then they had no business flying cross country with their kids. Period. There's a myriad of reasons that one could find themselves stranded and with no where to go while travelling cross country. If you don't have the wherewithal to deal with those circumstances than you deserve to sleep on the floor. if you're travelling with kids and get into one of tose situations you should have your head examined.
My wife used to work for Delta. The perks are amazing!! Can you name another industry with perks that include your family, your parents and another un-related person (usually a spouse - but any individual may be named) who get to fly absolutely FREE, anytime, anywhere ... as long as there is an empty seat?
Then, each employee gets some number of (Enemy) passes they can give to friends, that allow them to travel for very low rates. I mean, if the normal fare is $300 - their fare will be in the $75 range (round trip).
When you opt for this - this is a PERK that someone else earned - and you are a benefitiary of this perk. Sometimes you may wind up sitting up front in First, sometimes you get the center seat against the restroom - and sometimes you spend the day or night at the airport.
But - when you pay next to zero; this is the risk you take. Most people know not to undertake a trip like this, on busy routes, during the high travel portions of the year. These people wanted the trip- free; and apparently felt that they were entitled to something more than the nearly free trip.
Sorry - no sympathy at all. If you can’t afford the hotel room, then you should stay home.