JetBlue bans a passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 but only told the crew after flying

Advertisement
JetBlue bans a passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 but only told the crew after flying
Jetblue flight NYC to LA boarding
  • An unidentified man boarded a JetBlue plane flying from New York City to West Palm Beach, Florida, while awaiting results from a coronavirus test.
  • The passenger notified the crew after landing at West Palm Beach international that his results came back positive for COVID-19.
  • JetBlue has since announced that they would be banning the unnamed passenger from the airline.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jet Blue has banned an unidentified passenger after he allegedly boarded a plane from New York City to West Palm Beach, Florida, after testing positive for COVID-19. He only informed the crew of his test results after the plane had landed.

Advertisement

"Last night's event put our crew members, customers, and federal and local officials in an unsettling situation that could have easily been avoided, and as such, this customer will not be permitted to fly on JetBlue in the future," the airline said told CNN in a statement Thursday.

The man boarded JetBlue flight 253 at John F. Kennedy Airport and landed at West Palm Beach International Airport on Wednesday night along with 114 other passengers. According to JetBlue, he did not alert anyone at the airline that he had taken a test for COVID-19.

Passenger Scott Rodman, who was sitting next to the man's wife, told WPTV that the wife had told him that they knew about his positive test results before the flight left JFK.

"His wife was sitting in the same row as me and mentioned to others that he wasn't feeling well," Rodman, who wore gloves and a mask on the flight, told WPTV. "She said he had gotten a phone call with his test results right before we had taken off, implying that he had a positive test but not actually saying it."

Advertisement

Upon arrival, the passenger notified the crew that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey immediately began to clean the areas he came into contact with based on security footage, including gates, security checkpoints, check-in counters, kiosks, elevators, and restrooms, CNN reported.

The other passengers on JetBlue flight 253 were briefed by local health officials on the plane for nearly two hours after the plane landed just before 9 p.m.

"Passengers in the vicinity of the positive patient were advised of monitoring procedures," Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said in a statement to ABC news."The rest of the passengers were released to go home," and instructed to call the local health department with any other concern.

The Palm Beach International Airport temporarily closed down Concourse A for sanitizing after passengers on the same flight exited the area. However, the airport will continue operating as normal the day after the incident, CNN reported.

The passenger's condition and his whereabouts remain unclear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended those at high risk of getting sick from COVID-19 to avoid non-essential air travel. New York is one of at least 30 states that have declared a state of emergency in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has swept the country, infecting at least 1,700 and killing 48. New York has reported 328 cases as of March 13.

Advertisement
{{}}