Software glitches ground JetBlue fleet

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

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Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

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The hits just keep on coming for the former low-fare media darling JetBlue, which last month took a beating for leaving passengers on the tarmac for 10 hours and then canceling about a zillion flights in the wake of an ice storm.

Now Newsday reports that another nagging problem is coming to a head: The carrier’s fleet of 100-seat Embraer jets is having some software problems that produce “incorrect instrument readings” (yikes). As a result, JetBlue is grounding the planes two at a time and will begin making fixes immediately; the software tweaks are expected to last into April.

JetBlue will replace its grounded fleet with four 50-seat planes contracted out from ExpressJet. Now, I’ve never flown ExpressJet, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess the airline doesn’t rent out planes with leather seats, larger-than-usual legroom, and 36 channels of live satellite television like JetBlue. That lack of perks probably explains the other half of this story: Everyone scheduled to fly on one of the substitute planes will be receiving a $25 travel voucher, according to a report in today’s Toronto Star.

Think JetBlue regrets that whole “customer bill of rights” thing it initiated last month? That document sure is getting a workout these days, anyway.

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