JetBlue Bugs out Early

With a nasty winter storm bearing down upon the US East Coast, airline JetBlue has already canceled 215 flights. That's about a third of JetBlue's scheduled services. About 200 of them originated, terminated or passed through JFK airport. It's being reported that some areas could receive up to 18" of snow, so perhaps the measure is a measured and prudent one.

After a series of flight failures in the week leading up to President's Day, JetBlue unveiled a customer bill of rights that promises vouchers to passengers who experience delays. Some flights have been affected at New York's LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Boston's Logan International Airport. In addition, the airline had canceled 15 flights Thursday night. Passengers whose flights were canceled Friday were offered refunds or a chance to rebook travel through April 30 without paying a fee for the change.

"We've always tried to take a wait-and-see approach with the weather ... believing that people want to get to their destination late, rather than never," company spokesman Sebastian White said Friday. But since the Feb. 14 storm - and the storm of complaints that followed - JetBlue has had "a shift in thinking," he said.