|
 JetBlue
Becomes Bet Blue as
Oddsmaker Believes
Toilet Bowl Story a
"Load of...."
Unless you've been
living under a rock
or had your head
shoved down a toilet
bowl over the past
day, the story of a
lawsuit lodged by a
gentleman claiming
to have been forced
to sit on a toilet
bowl during a
JetBlue flight has
been circulating the
world over.
JetBlue, which
received horrible
press last year
during a "meltdown"
at its JFK hub
during a Valentine's
Day snowstorm, may
be able to turn this
suit in their favor.
Some blogs are
saying that they
could build an
entire marketing
campaign around the
so-called "toilet
bowl incident".
So
what really
happened?
Probably not
what the complainant
is alleging.
A New
York City man is
suing JetBlue
Airways Corp. for
more than $2 million
because he says a
pilot made him give
up his seat to a
flight attendant and
sit on the toilet
for more than three
hours on a flight
from California.
Gokhan Mutlu, of
Manhattan's Inwood
section, says in
court papers the
pilot told him to
"go 'hang out' in
the bathroom" about
90 minutes into the
San Diego to New
York flight because
the flight attendant
complained that the
"jump seat" she was
assigned was
uncomfortable, the
lawsuit said.
Mutlu was traveling
on a a "buddy pass,"
a standby travel
voucher that JetBlue
employees give to
friends, from New
York to San Diego on
Feb. 16, and
returned to New York
on Feb. 23, the
lawsuit said.
Initially, Mutlu was
told a flight
attendant had taken
the last seat on the
plane, but then he
was advised she
would sit in the
employee "jump
seat," meaning he
could have the last
seat, the lawsuit
said.
The pilot told him 1
1/2 hours into the
five-hour flight
that he would have
to relinquish the
seat to the flight
attendant, court
papers say. But the
pilot said that
Mutlu could not sit
in the jump seat
because only JetBlue
employees were
permitted to sit
there, the lawsuit
said.
In a
nutshell, Mutlu
claims he was forced
to sit in the
bathroom on the
toilet for a long
period of time, then
was eventually let
out by a flight
attendant and
laughed at by most
of the passengers.
Okay,
so if anyone has
flown recently or
regularly, this
story just doesn't
make a whole lot of
sense. Try
getting up to use
the bathroom (for
the purpose it was
intended for) while
the seatbelt sign is
on during a JetBlue
flight and see how
fast one of the
flight attendants
comes running out to
make you take your
seat. I once
observed some poor
woman who really had
to go while the
fight was in a
holding pattern
during turbulence
and the flight crew
chased her back to
her seat (for her
own protection).
Bottom line, no
pilot would ever
risk the safety of a
passenger the way in
which this
individual is
claiming...unless
the world is truly
coming to an end and
everyone on this
flight was a
complete nutcase.
Maybe
the gentleman's
DirecTV with over
two dozen channels
wasn't working.
Who really knows?
The
oddsmakers at
Sportsbook.com
realizing this is
going to be a pretty
funny ongoing story
for weeks, maybe
even months to come,
are contemplating
offering odds on the
"toilet terror at
32,000 feet".
Everything from
OVER/UNDER the date
in which this suit
either gets thrown
out or settled to
the OVER/UNDER date
in which JetBlue
launches its first
ever toilet bowl in
the sky campaign.
Need
I remind our readers
that it was JetBlue
that forced other
airlines to waive
change fees when
inclement weather
was approaching days
in advance (one
would have to wait
until the storm
actually hit prior
to JetBlue's
existence).
They were also the
first to voluntarily
install armor
cockpit doors after
9/11.
They're still one of
the best airlines
out there, which is
why they keep
winning "Best
Airline" year after
year.
Unfortunately, one
of the JetBlue's
faults - though
probably not one of
its own - is that
the airline tends to
attract a lot of
nutcases and needy
people, many of whom
insist on taking the
wrong seat - your
seat - and
thinking you won't
mind sitting in the
middle.
Better than the
toilet seat we
suppose.
----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Published
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
May 14, 2008 12:01
am EST
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