What is Up With the U.S. Airlines Right Now? Are They Having a Mini-Meltdown? -

Yesterday, I wrote about my friend’s delayed JetBlue flight from Florida to New York last night and the importance of always keeping on top of your flight status in case it goes out early. Well, wouldn’t you know it? The flight ended up getting canceled and my friend and her husband spent over five hours in the airport. Most of their time was spent trying to get her bag back. It was a total sh*t show as her JetBlue flight wasn’t the only one delayed or canceled. And it wasn’t because of weather. The airline wouldn’t provide a reason, which is a little fishy. But I do know she regretted checking a bag because of the hassle and time of getting it back

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I received several emails from readers with their own stories, including one from reader Jeff who wrote: "Jetblue is having major problems out of Westchester." Every flight is late. Every Jetblue flight is late today. There are no other airlines that show late flights. The weather at HPN is perfect. This is an airline issue. Are they short on pilots or crew?

My sons were supposed to fly to Guayaquil from JFK yesterday. The flight was canceled after being delayed for 4 hours. My son had to wait another 3 hours to get his luggage back and then be put in a new plane. After spending an hour checking in at the airport, his new flight was delayed by another 3 hours and 1 minute. The story is still developing. He was supposed to attend a wedding tonight. He's not sure if he'll go to Ecuador or not. There have been many flights that have been delayed or canceled. The airline is not doing a good job of telling people about the flights and how they can get a taxi back to the city. A lot of people were crying last night.

I think it is crew and staffing related, but not just Westchester Airport. There were 83 cancelations and 630 delayed flights yesterday. It's not even noon in Los Angeles today. There have been 53 canceled flights and 446 delayed flights.

The worst part is that JetBlue isn't even close to leading the way amongst U.S. carriers in terms of delays. Southwest Airlines has the most canceled flights and delays today. Delta has 206 delays and American Airlines has 251 cancelations. Southwest blamed an IT error.

Dozens of flights were canceled yesterday and today by Alaska Airlines, which saw off-duty pilots picketing in several major cities. More cancellation were possible through the weekend, as 15,300 passengers were affected.

Alaska Airlines warns that their call centers are experiencing long wait times. You can change your flight online. Don't call if you are not traveling today. Thank you for your patience.

I contacted American Airlines to book a trip to Hawaii using miles. My wait time for a call this morning was between three hours and forty minutes and four hours and twenty minutes, which is the second highest behind Concierge Key. That is insane.

If you aren't traveling today or tomorrow, it's best not to call. Here are my tips if you are traveling and experiencing a delay.

If you can, you should pack your patience, snacks, and avoid checking a bag. It's always best to travel with carry-on only whenever you can, because a checked bag was the most frustrating thing about my friend's flight cancelation.

My friend who had her flight canceled didn't get a hotel or transportation provided, but she did receive an email apology while still at the airport.

We would like to apologize for the hassle you experienced on the flight. Your experience did not meet our goal of offering you the best in air travel and we apologize.