Family of 4 gets kicked off JetBlue plane after system glitch. What follows is a 14-hour nightmare at Fort Lauderdale airport with no refund in sight

A family of four is calling out JetBlue after the airline allegedly kicked them off their flight and left them stranded for 14 hours.

In a video with over 1.6 million views, TikTok user David Bluver (@davidbluver) shows his family sitting at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The group is clearly distressed.

“This is what 14 hours trapped in an airport looks like @JetBlue,” Bluver writes in the text overlaying the video.

What Happened To This Family On Their JetBlue Flight?

According to the caption, Bluver and his family had a JetBlue flight booked from Fort Lauderdale to JFK. The family consists of Bluver, his wife, his nearly two-year-old son, and his newborn daughter.

Bluver followed standard airline procedure. He checked into his flight the day before, paid for his checked bags, and received his boarding passes.

After clearing security, the family lined up at their gate. They were allowed to board without issue.

“Then — five minutes before departure — three standby passengers appeared in our aisle saying we were in their seats,” Bluver writes.

Confused, Bluver reported the issue to the flight staff. At this point, he learned that “JetBlue had somehow canceled our reservation AFTER we boarded and reassigned our seats.”

“To this day, no one can explain how that even happened,” he writes.

Things Get Worse

Despite this being an admitted mistake on the part of JetBlue, Bluver states that he was told that he and his family would have to leave the plane. If they did not, they would be escorted off. Consequently, the group left.

“We were brought to customer service where we were basically told: ‘Yeah… our mistake. We don’t know how this happened,’” Bluver writes. “Meanwhile, our checked bags — which included important medication for our kids — were already en route to JFK and couldn’t be retrieved.”

Even with this noted, the family was told that they wouldn’t be able to fly out for several days.

“When we said that wasn’t possible, we were told the only way to get home that day was to PAY for four new tickets on a later flight to LaGuardia — even though this entire situation was caused by JetBlue,” Bluver writes.

The group ended up buying alternate flights. However, delays meant that they did not arrive home until 10 PM — “almost 14 hours after we should have been home.”

“JetBlue kicked a young family off a plane they were already seated on because of their mistake, separated us from essential items, stranded us in an airport all day, and then charged us a significant amount of money just to get home,” Bluver summarizes.

“Mistakes happen. How you handle them matters. Stranding a family with an infant and asking them to pay for your error is not okay,” he concludes.

What Rights Does This Family Have?

If Bluver’s recounting of the situation is true, his family may be entitled to more than just a refund.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, passengers may not be “bumped” from a flight after their boarding pass has been accepted and they have been allowed to board. The only exceptions are “if the denial or removal is due to a safety, security, or health risk, or due to a behavior that is considered obscene, disruptive, or otherwise unlawful.” Per Bluver’s telling, this does not appear to be the case.

Once they have been bumped, JetBlue’s policies state that they will be booked on either another JetBlue flight or a flight with another airline. If that is not possible, their policies state that the customer will be refunded.

If this bumping results in a significant delay of their arrival time, the family may also be entitled to Denied Boarding Compensation. Per the U.S. Department of Transportation, arrival time delays of over two hours due to denied boarding entitle passengers to “400% of one-way fare,” though the agency notes that “airlines may limit the compensation to $2,150 if 400% of the one-way fare is higher than $2,150.”

In short, Bluver and his family are entitled to more than what they’ve currently received.

How Can They Actually Get This Money?

To actually get the compensation to which they are entitled, the family should follow a few steps.

First, they should reach out to JetBlue customer service directly. This can be done either by calling the company or getting in touch through the airline’s website.

Second, they should fill out a form with the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP). The form itself is available online, and the Department of Transportation provides detailed instructions on how to prove one’s case with supporting documents.  

Finally, if neither of these options yields results, the family can consider filing a dispute with their credit card company.

@davidbluver This is what 14 hours in an airport looks like. Here’s why. I’m not someone who usually posts about airline issues. Everyone knows travel is chaotic. Delays happen. Cancellations happen. You deal with it and move on. But what happened to my family yesterday was different — and it needs to be called out. Yesterday, my family of four — my wife, myself, our almost-two-year-old son, and our daughter (four months corrected age, born prematurely) — were scheduled to fly @JetBlue Fort Lauderdale to JFK at 9:15am. I checked us in the day before. Paid for our checked bags. Got boarding passes. We arrived at the airport at 7am, checked our bags, cleared security, boarded the plane around 8:30am, and sat down in our assigned seats. No issues. Then — five minutes before departure — three standby passengers appeared in our aisle saying we were in their seats. After confusion with the flight crew, we were told that JetBlue had somehow canceled our reservation AFTER we boarded and reassigned our seats. To this day, no one can explain how that even happened. Instead of admitting the mistake and fixing it, JetBlue told us — a family already seated with two very small children — that we had to get off the plane. We were told if we didn’t comply, we would be escorted off. So we got off. We were brought to customer service where we were basically told: “Yeah… our mistake. We don’t know how this happened.” Meanwhile, our checked bags — which included important medication for our kids — were already en route to JFK and couldn’t be retrieved. At that point, we were stranded in the airport with: • a toddler • a premature infant • limited formula • limited diapers • no access to essential medication The first solution offered? Wait until Monday to fly home. When we said that wasn’t possible, we were told the only way to get home that day was to PAY for four new tickets on a later flight to LaGuardia — even though this entire situation was caused by JetBlue. That flight was supposed to leave at 2:30pm. We didn’t take off until close to 7pm. We finally got home after 10pm — almost 14 hours after we should have been home. This isn’t about being inconvenienced. JetBlue kicked a young family off a plane they were already seated on because of their mistake, separated us from essential items, stranded us in an airport all day, and then charged us a significant amount of money just to get home. Mistakes happen. How you handle them matters. Stranding a family with an infant and asking them to pay for your error is not okay. @JetBlue_Airlines — do better. #J#JetBlueJ#JetBlueAirwaysA#AirlineAccountabilityA#AirlineFailA#AirlineMistake ♬ original sound – David Bluver

Commenters Are Shocked

In the comments section, users were bewildered that something like this was even allowed to occur.

“How is it even possible to prioritize standby passengers is this scenario? Like they are standby for a reason…STANDBY until there are empty seats!” exclaimed a commenter.

“JetBlue could have easily rebooked you guys and refunded you back the money, they make millions if not billions of dollars a year. This is horrible that you went through this,” stated another.

“The fact that they made a mistake and STILL prioritized the standby passengers is insane,” echoed a third. “What is up with airlines these days??? The customer service is atrocious.”

The Mary Sue reached out to JetBlue via email and Bluver via TikTok direct message and comment.

Update Jan. 9, 2025:

In an email, a JetBlue spokesperson wrote, “We have been in touch with our customers to offer our apologies and come to a resolution after their flight was inadvertently cancelled. The customers were rebooked on another flight the same day. We are looking into how this may have happened to ensure it does not happen again.”

The spokesperson later clarified, “The customers’ original flight was inadvertently cancelled and refunded. They bought new tickets that day, which have also been refunded by JetBlue as an apology for the inconvenience.”

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