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Video: Nightmare On Virgin America Flight
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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Virgin America has been winning over their customers for the most part, with WiFi and (allegedly) hot flight attendants... but now the airline is under criticism after it took 16 hours to travel from LAX to JFK. Or rather, from LAX to Stewart Airport in Newburgh, 90 miles north of JFK.
The Saturday flight was scheduled to leave at 7:10 a.m. PST and arrive in New York at 3:30 p.m., but the NY Post reports before arriving at JFK, passengers were stranded on a tarmac for seven hours due to high winds. During that time, food supplies got so low that Pringles were rationed out at 4 per person! And those (allegedly!) hot flight attendants turned ugly, one screaming at a passenger, "You are really getting on my freaking nerves! You need to shut the hell up!"
Finally JetBlue came on board their competitor's aircraft and declared, "Ladies and gentleman, we're here to get you off the plane." The heroes bussed the passengers to JFK, where they arrived around 3 a.m.—but as a final burn, the (empty) Virgin plane beat them there.
The nightmare was well documented thanks to that free WiFi! And the CEO of Kontain.com, David Martin, pretty much liveblogged the entire experience.
Between Martin's video updates and Carrie Ann Inaba's Tweets (the Dancing With The Stars star was also on board), Virgin America CEO David Cush apologized—and during calls with the two he promised every passenger would get fully refunded and receive $100 credits. And from the looks of it, Martin has turned this nightmare into a networking experience.
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David Martin
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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