JetBlue is slammed for charging elderly couple $5,200 for lie-flat seats that wouldn’t recline during seven-hour flight – then offering them just $400 travel credit even though neither wants to set foot on airline again

JetBlue is being criticized for charging an elderly couple $5,200 for reclining seats that don’t recline and then offering them only $400 in travel credit in compensation.

Wally and Meredith Stevens decided to treat themselves to a trip to California for their 60th anniversary. The couple was excited to travel from New Hampshire to SoCal to visit their two sons and granddaughter.

Since they were 83 years old, the couple purchased JetBlue’s “Mint Class,” which offers an “exclusive sleep experience” so they could get comfortable and get some rest before the flight from Boston to SoCal — which can take up to eight hours .

The ‘Mint’ experience cost a whopping $5,200 in total, but included seats that reclined completely to provide a flat surface of almost two meters that forms a comfortable bed for passengers.

However, when the couple boarded the plane on November 3, they realized that Wally’s seat was stuck halfway upright and flat, and Meredith’s was fully upright.

Since they were 83 years old, the couple splurged on JetBlue’s “Mint Class,” which features an “exclusive sleep experience,” so they could get comfortable and get some rest before the flight from Boston to SoCal — which lasted until can take eight hours.

The ‘Mint’ experience cost a whopping $5,200 in total but included fully reclined seats

The ‘Mint Class’ offers other benefits including pillows, blankets, eye masks and earplugs, luxury meals and free drinks – but all the Stevenses wanted was a comfortable seat.

The flight crew was able to straighten Wally’s seat, but none of the seats reclined.

On the return flight, Wally’s seat reclined fully, but again Meredith’s did not.

The experience was not what the elderly couple had hoped for or paid for.

JetBlue did not offer alternative seating for their passengers and said the plane was full… in both directions.

There were no seats available in any of the carriages, not even in the carriages.

Instead of offering a discount on the airfare due to the inconvenience and not providing the experience they advertised and charged the couple for, they offered $400 in JetBlue credit.

Not only did the credit represent only eight percent of the original cost, it is useless to the Stevenses – who will never set foot on a JetBlue plane again.

Wally was shocked at how the major airline “actually” handled the problem.

“For us it was disturbing and demoralizing, but apparently not for JetBlue,” he said.

When the couple boarded the plane on November 3, they realized that Wally’s seat was stuck halfway between the upright and relaxed positions, and Meredith’s was completely upright.

The ‘Mint Class’ offers other perks including pillows, blankets, eye masks and earplugs, luxury meals and free drinks – but all the Stevenses wanted was a comfortable seat

Mint customers who discover their seats are broken (a “rare occurrence,” the airline says) sometimes decide to stay in the defective seats to reap the other benefits of the experience, JetBlue told the Boston sphere.

But the elderly couple decided not to sit in their broken chairs, they were given no choice.

JetBlue eventually upped its offer to $1,200 in travel credits, but this was still useless for the 83-year-olds who have no plans to travel with the airline ever again.

The airline also knew at least a few days in advance that the seats were defective and didn’t even inform passengers, the Boston Globe reported.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.