I started to write this two days ago from a middle seat in coach on a United flight from Orlando to Newark, five hours after I was supposed to be on a Jet Blue flight 598 to La Guardia. Needless to say, I've had more than enough time to write about what happened — and what didn't happen; the excuses that were given, and what this means to all airline passengers moving forward.

This is a story about airline operational reliability, an antiquated and understaffed air traffic control system, airport capacity and scheduling and let's not forget the search for a reasonable — and verifiable — definition of "weather."