The lawsuit claims that JetBlue was negligent both in serving the extremely cold dessert (alleging it served food “at a temperature below what is reasonable or safe for consumption,”) and by failing to inform her that the dessert would be cold, describing it as a “dangerously cold temperature and solid state.”
The ice cream sandwich in question was a “chomp size” strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwich manufactured by Nightengale Ice Cream Company. While most JetBlue fare classes do not include meals, they do include complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. However, for transatlantic routes such Quinonez’s flight from NYC to Paris, basic service includes a “chilled” main meal, as well as dessert and complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Guests in JetBlue’s “Mint” fare class have access to a wider range of meal and snack options. It’s not known what fare class Quinonez booked when the incident occurred.
Though it may seem a bit unusual, it’s not the first food-related lawsuit against the airline in 2024. In May, a woman filed suit against JetBlue for $1.5 million after claiming a flight attendant spilled hot tea on her during turbulence, leaving her with significant scarring and burns on most of her body. That case is still in litigation.
Threat of potential lawsuit could be one of the reasons some airlines have stopped serving select items. In August 2024, Korean Air announced it would stop serving fan-favorite ramen noodles, citing the risks caused by increasingly intense turbulence to passengers eating hot soup at their seats.
Photo: JetBlue
While it’s unclear if Quinonez’s lawsuit has any chance of success, it’s yet another bad piece of publicity for the airline in the last year. JetBlue’s public woes range from a February 2024 incident in which two JetBlue planes collided on a tarmac in Boston to engine failures in January and March to an October incident in which a JetBlue plane collided with a baggage container. 