Home > Jetsgo > 2004 > Review

Taken January 2004 from Fort Myers, FL - RSW to Toronto - Lester B. Pearson - YYZ

Our ordeal began when we checked in for our return flight from Ft. Myers, Florida to Toronto in January 2004. The flight was scheduled to depart at 9:40 p.m. Note that this particular flight had already been delayed twice before, as it was originally scheduled to depart at 7 p.m.; it was then changed to 9:05 p.m. and finally to 9:40 p.m. We called their toll-free customer service number that morning and then again around 3:30 p.m. to confirm that the flight was still departing on time, and we were told both times that it was. Upon check-in, I asked the desk agent if the flight was still on time and she replied by stating, "Oh, I guess you haven't heard the bad news." I was then shocked to hear that the flight was now scheduled to depart around 3 a.m. I can understand that delays are a normal part of the airline industry, but I was most upset about the fact that this had not been made known to us until I actually had to ask the agent, and if I had not asked I probably would not have been told, as we were already done checking in and about to leave and had still not been told. This information was also not provided on their toll-free number nor was it provided on the airport's flight information screens. We tried calling the toll-free number again to verify if they had the corrected information, but the line was constantly busy and impossible to get through. At that point, we were told to wait until 8 p.m. when the Regional Manager would arrive to explain the situation.

The Manager arrived (late) and explained that there had been delays beginning early that day which created a "domino effect" that ultimately affected our own flight. Apparently the plane had been flying several routes that day, each one being delayed more and more due to weather and de-icing. Here follows an important point: surely JetsGo knew well ahead of time that day that our flight would be delayed, due to this "domino effect" that was pushing back the times for all of the flights that day. How, then, is it that when we called the toll-free number earlier that afternoon, supposedly at a time when JetsGo already knew that our flight would be delayed, were we told that it was still on time? It seems to me that the communication level within JetsGo is very poor. The Manager offered us as compensation for our delay a food voucher worth $15 per person to use at the airport, at a time when only one food establishment was even open. We asked him if it was not possible to lease another plane in order to get us out at a decent time, or to put us up in a hotel, and he replied by stating that was too costly an option for a six hour delay, as that was not considered a major delay. I wonder, then, if it was not more costly to inconvenience 160 passengers, of whom most will probably not fly JetsGo again and not recommend it to their friends and family? I believe the loss of even half of these passengers and their families as customers would be an even greater cost than having gone out of their way to provide us with a flight out that same night. And based on the comments I heard that night, a great deal of people were saying they would never fly this airline again, myself included.

This Manager's conduct also left something to be desired. He did not seem sympathetic to our plight and was even what I would consider to be rude to some of the passengers. For instance, when one passenger who arrived after his explanation asked what was happening, Mr. Couture said quite brusquely that he did not want to repeat himself ten times. I believe that he should explain himself ten or even twenty times if necessary to paying customers who were very confused and irate and needed an explanation and understanding. When another passenger complained, rightly so, about the fact that the flight had been delayed twice before (and had brought copies of e-mails as proof of this), Mr. Couture replied by saying that at least we had been informed of the delays - a fact which was not the point. The point was not that we were informed of the delays, but that we had been delayed twice before already! He also did not seem to want to believe what we were telling him that the toll-free number had said previously that the flight was still on time, that the flight had been delayed a couple of times before, etc.

The plane finally arrived around 2 a.m. and was sitting at the gate for a couple of hours until we started to board. It finally took off at 4 a.m. and we noticed that the air conditioning system was not working, so it was very warm inside. The stewardesses said that the air conditioning had cut out towards the end of the previous flight down to Ft. Myers. The pilot informed us that they were trying to resolve the problem, but half an hour into our flight he told us that the heat was unbearable and that we would have to turn back to Ft. Myers so that they could repair the plane. I cannot explain how disappointed I was at this news, after waiting six hours to finally take off, to have to return back to where we started from, having made no progress (or rather, having made progress, but only in vain). I for one would gladly have tolerated the uncomfortable warmth for only two hours more if it meant getting back home. I wonder why if the plane was sitting at the gate for two hours prior to boarding, how they could not have fixed this problem before taking off. Or at the very least, they should have known it was not resolvable and not even have had us put through the ordeal of taking off and then turning around. I think this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for many passengers, including myself. Upon landing back in Ft. Myers, we first had to wait an additional half an hour inside the hot and crowded plane because there was a problem with the bridge. We were then told to wait one hour until they knew whether or not the plane could be fixed. At 6:30 a.m., we were told it could not be fixed and we would have to be put up in hotels until further notice. So it seems that JetsGo had to spare some expense after all for their customers, probably about as much as if a plane would have been leased the night previously or if we had been found space on other flights or some such arrangement could have been made.

After waiting about one hour to obtain our hotel vouchers, we were put on shuttles and sent to nearby hotels. We were not able to get our baggage off the plane so we had to go only with whatever we were carrying. When we got to the hotel, we were told by the hotel manager not to get off the shuttle just yet, as the airline had informed them that the plane might have been fixed and we would be sent back to the airport. After half an hour of waiting, we were told that was ultimately not the case and so we stayed at the hotel. There was also confusion at the hotel itself due to poor communication, as some passengers were not informed as to how they would know when to go back to the airport. We were told to wait until 3:30 p.m. for a call updating us on the flight, a call which never came and which we had to find out about by asking at the front desk. The agents at the desk complained that JetsGo had not even given them a phone number to communicate with about our flight situation, only a fax number! After all this, we finally were able to take off around 8 p.m. (again late, this time by about one hour from what we were originally told) - nearly a day after we were originally scheduled to leave. We were given a letter stating we would each get a $200 voucher for a future flight on JetsGo as compensation. We will probably take the airline up on this offer out of simple necessity and convenience, but that will be the last time we ever fly JetsGo.

This was the most terrible ordeal we have ever gone through in our years of travelling. We only got about four hours of sleep that whole weekend. We usually fly Air Canada, but wanted to try JetsGo for its lower fares this time. In the end, it was hardly worth it. I understand that delays are a normal part of flying, but this seems to go far beyond a simple delay. It seems to me that part of the problem is that this airline stretches its resources too thin (i.e. having one plane doing several routes between Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Ft. Myers, and Ft. Lauderdale as our plane did that day). Therefore, there will always be a domino-effect if one flight along the way is delayed. This is why a two hour delay that started in Ottawa that morning turned into the six hour delay that ultimately turned into a nearly twenty-four hour delay for us. The ticket agent in Ft. Myers told us that this was a common problem with JetsGo on Saturday evening flights, as they are often delayed since it is such a busy day. If this had been a one-time thing, I would not have minded so much, but this was a flight that had been delayed twice already, plus the flight from Toronto to Ft. Myers had been delayed as well two weeks previously. It seems that flying JetsGo equals inevitable and lengthy delays.