Official Recognized For Taking On JetBlue Over Nightmare Flight

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Jim Maisano was recognized this week for his efforts to take on an airline on behalf of 200 of his fellow passengers who arrived back home at Westchester County Airport more than 15 hours late.

An official proclamation from Westchester County Executive George Latimer thanking the county's Consumer Protection Director for securing refunds for more than 200 passengers onboard the infuriating Jet Blue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Westchester is a nice feather in the cap for Maisano. The award, however, pales in comparison to the gratitude earned from the frustrated air travelers on the plane with him in April of this year.

Flight 814, originally scheduled to arrive at the airport in Harrison on a Sunday night, instead arrived the following Monday afternoon. A JetBlue spokesperson said at the time the passengers were not aboard the aircraft for the bulk of the lengthy delay. Maisano later confirmed, however, that passengers spent nearly three hours on the tarmac at one point in the oft delayed journey.

SEE ALSO: Flight Finally Arrives at Westchester Airport 15 Hours Late

Shortly after arriving home, Maisano went straight to the top to address the concerns of his fellow travelers. He wrote directly to JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes. A credit to all of the passengers on the April flight was issued a short time later.

The airline said weather in Florida was behind the unusually long delay, causing the flight, which was supposed to depart Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, to not leave the gate until after 10 a.m. Monday morning. Once the weather cleared, the crew scheduled to fly the aircraft had already exceeded the number of hours allowed by the FAA before a mandatory rest period was required, further extending the length of the journey for passengers.

The flying time for the Fort Lauderdale to Westchester County Airport flight normally clocks in at just under three hours. In this case, passengers spent more than five times the amount of time to cover that same distance.