Father of bride sues charter jet company for $2.25M

A Connecticut car dealer claims that a charter jet company almost wrecked his daughter’s wedding plans when it failed to provide a suitable aircraft last summer to fly four members of the wedding party from Westchester County Airport to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Robert E. Crabtree Jr., the operator of Colonial Toyota in Milford, Connecticut, accused Jets.com of negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, in a complaint filed April 26 in Westchester Supreme Court. He is demanding nearly $2.25 million in damages.

“It was a complete embarrassment and emotionally catastrophic to have to deal with the Jets.com error,” the complaint states, “let alone, Mr. Crabtee had to tell the groom’s parents, on their way to their son’s wedding, that they could not board the scheduled flight.”

Jets.com, which is based in Manhattan’s financial district and has an office at the county airport, did not respond to emails asking for its side of the story.

Crabtree retained Jets.com to fly seven adults from Westchester to Wyoming last July and to return three days later with eight adults.

One of his businesses, Gold Coast Aviation, operating as Colonial Motors in Milford, had previously paid Jets.com more than $780,000 for charters.

Crabtree emailed a list of passengers for the first flight, including their weights, the day before departure. But when they got to the airport, according to the complaint, the pilot said he could only carry three passengers safely and he had never seen that aircraft reserved for seven adults.

It was imperative for Crabtree and his wife to take the flight, the complaint states, because they were coordinating deliveries at the wedding venue.

Jets.com offered to provide another aircraft for the stranded passengers, according to the complaint, but Crabtree booked a less expensive charter with STA Jets on a plane of the same make and model.

He says he cancelled the Jets.com return flight in time to avoid a cancellation charge and booked the return with STA Jets.

But Jets.com allegedly billed him for the return flight and added a 3.99% surcharge on a charge card, bringing the total to $40,158.

Crabtree is demanding $2 million for alleged infliction of emotional distress and another $247,520 for alleged negligence, breach of contract, conversion of pre-paid credit and fraud.

Crabtree also claims that American Express Company refused to eliminate fraudulent Jet.com’s charges on his credit card account. He is demanding $68,658 from Amex for alleged negligence, breach of contract and fraud.

An Amex spokesperson did not respond to an email asking for the company’s responses to the allegations.

Crabtree is represented by Armonk attorney Thomas B. Decea.