It's always an interesting feat when you see an airline have some really bad news, yet its stock rallies. UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) did just that, with its shares rising yesterday by $0.74 to $38.67 on bad news. Yesterday was a partial wipe-out travel day if you were a passenger trying to go from point A to point B in the morning on a United Airlines flight, UAL's passenger unit. The company blamed a computer malfunction for delays and cancellations of nearly 300 flights from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. EDT. Other than "computer glitch," there were no other explanations.

Did UAL hire Johnny from 'Airplane' for the "Just Kidding!" unplugging of the radar scene? No, obviously not. But it sure goes to show just how a problem that affected JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) over major delays can be a PR nightmare if not handled properly. The difference is that when a problem comes up with a regional or smaller discounter it can knock the entire system out of whack for days. When there are 3,600 flights per day with UAL, the complaining is a bit more diluted and a bit less permanent.

If this turns out to be an isolated event, nobody will even remember this in a few days. Airlines do have one thing going for them: Air travel is much more of a hassle compared to pre-9/11 when you could show up 30 minutes before and get through security lines easily. There are also fewer flights with empty seats. The airlines know they can get away with close to anything now.

Just two days before, the company had given a higher forecast for airline revenues and narrowed cost projections, although it is also seeing the same trend of strong international traffic and a softening domestic market.

Jon Ogg is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.; he does not own securities in any of the companies he covers.

JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ:JBLU) canceled 68 flights scheduled to come in and out of its hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport today because forecasts were calling for the region to get hit with as much as 7 inches of snow.

The storm may not be as bad as originally thought. Forecasts this morning on Weather.com are calling for 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. Did JetBlue overreact? Maybe. But the low-cost airline has good reason to be cautious.

JetBlue's performance is under an electron microscope following the disastrous performance on Valentine's Day in which people were trapped on board planes for hours that never took off. Chief Executive David Neeleman has apologized more than Bill Clinton, Michael Richards and Mel Gibson combined and has offered what he calls a Passenger Bill of Rights that gives vouchers if their flights are delayed.

All hope isn't lost for JetBlue. Judging from the huge response to my previous post, the airline has plenty of fans. The public is fickle though.

People aren't stupid. They understand that airlines don't always run on time and that luggage gets lost. JetBlue will lose the goodwill it enjoys if the public starts to think that it doesn't know what it's doing.