A much more serious delay

The delay had become more serious for Norman Auerbach, 66, who took a trip to New York City last weekend to see his son and grandchildren before he was scheduled to undergo a heart bypass and mitral valve repair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday.

His planned flight back with JetBlue on Monday and another flight on Wednesday were both canceled. After countless calls trying to get through to the airline to rebook, he got booked on a JetBlue flight from LaGuardia Saturday night that lands in the early hours -- too late for his surgery.

That's when he posted a Twitter message to JetBlue about his dilemma. When CNN called JetBlue, a customer support team member contacted Auerbach and booked him on a Thursday morning flight home out of Newark.

"I was really impressed with her efforts and also her follow up, WOW!" he wrote Wednesday night, in an email to CNN. "I was also amazed at the power of Twitter ... It's a whole new dimension in communication and collaboration."

JetBlue customers needing special assistance can call a special needs phone number (855-ADA-LINE or 855-232-5463). Many other airlines have similar numbers posted on their websites.