steve100
Feb 22, 00, 10:44 am
I purchased (on the web at Jetblue.com) a $109 roundtrip JFK to Buffalo trip the day before traveling - couldn't beat the price.
2/19/00 - Arrived at the (very distant) JFK Long Term Parking lot ($8/day) at 4:00pm for a 5:15pm flight to Buffalo. Waited over 20 minutes for the 'B' shuttle bus, then, due to the hordes of people, it took over 30 minutes for the bus to get to Terminal 6 - the home of JetBlue. Yes, one of the disadvantages of flying from the monstrosity called JFK....
Since the airline just started flying last week, everybody at the check-in counter was new, but they seemed well versed and did everything by the book. All tickets on JetBlue are Electronic, and after showing ID, FAA questions, etc., they issue you the boarding pass. It was a rather flimsy piece of paper, looked like a cash register receipt which had your seat assignment as well as the one-way fare of $54.50 printed on it.
After proceeding through security, walked towards the JetBlue satellite terminal area. It appears that they are going to have a number of gates there as they all had JetBlue signs on it.. Upon approaching the gate at 5:00pm, no JetBlue agent was there and no plane at the gate either. Finally, at 5:20pm an announcement was made that the plane was delayed and would be in at 5:40pm and new departure time of 6pm.
At 6:10pm, we boarded the plane, a brand new Airbus 320 with grey leather seats throughout (no first class section). The plane was almost filled, pretty amazing since it was the first week of flying. There were no boarding announcements at all, and after everybody was seated, we just sat there until the Pilot welcomed us on-board at 6:45pm. Another 30 minutes goes by, we finally leave the gate at 7:10pm and they take us to get de-iced and the FA’s do the safety announcements/demonstration. Finally, at 7:25pm, we take-off (over 2 hours late).
After take-off, they made an announcement about how exciting it was that every seat is going to have live 24 channel satellite Direct-TV on the seatbacks and you can watch it for only $5, but due to FAA testing and inspection, they aren't going to be installed until 3/1/00. So, they gave us complementary coupons so we can experience the next time we fly. (I did see the TV channel lineup, and there is no ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX, or PBS. It is more like cable channels of CNN, Food Network, ESPN, Golf Channel, etc.)
The brought around drinks of Coke, Pepsi, juices that were already poured into cups with ice. The didn't use a cart, so if you wanted Beer/Wine ($3) or liquor ($4) you had to ask for it and they walked to the back to get it. Another FA came around with a basket of chips and cookies if you wanted those.
Once the plane took-off, the 53 minute flight was easy and uneventful... We did land at 8:20pm, a little under 2 hours late.
2/21/00
The return morning flight was much smoother - the plane departed on-time from the JetBlue gate at Buffalo (Gate #12) and arrived on-time at JFK. Again, entirely packed flight. (The woman next to me managed to get her one-way ticket for only $25... )
Beverage service was orange juice, water, or coffee... Snack service was Bagel Chip mix or blueberry chips.
Upon arrival at JFK, the long-term parking bus was waiting and whisked me directly to my car. This total bus journey was only 5 minutes, compared to the total of 50 minutes of waiting and then travel time when I arrived on Saturday.
All in all, I would recommend JetBlue. Although they do not have a frequent flyer program as of yet, their fares are amazing, the planes are brand new Airbuses, and I'm sure that some of the kinks I experienced on the way out are due to the fact that they are so new - I'm sure that they will be ironed out very quickly. Plus, JFK is either a blessing or a curse – depends on the day!
2/19/00 - Arrived at the (very distant) JFK Long Term Parking lot ($8/day) at 4:00pm for a 5:15pm flight to Buffalo. Waited over 20 minutes for the 'B' shuttle bus, then, due to the hordes of people, it took over 30 minutes for the bus to get to Terminal 6 - the home of JetBlue. Yes, one of the disadvantages of flying from the monstrosity called JFK....
Since the airline just started flying last week, everybody at the check-in counter was new, but they seemed well versed and did everything by the book. All tickets on JetBlue are Electronic, and after showing ID, FAA questions, etc., they issue you the boarding pass. It was a rather flimsy piece of paper, looked like a cash register receipt which had your seat assignment as well as the one-way fare of $54.50 printed on it.
After proceeding through security, walked towards the JetBlue satellite terminal area. It appears that they are going to have a number of gates there as they all had JetBlue signs on it.. Upon approaching the gate at 5:00pm, no JetBlue agent was there and no plane at the gate either. Finally, at 5:20pm an announcement was made that the plane was delayed and would be in at 5:40pm and new departure time of 6pm.
At 6:10pm, we boarded the plane, a brand new Airbus 320 with grey leather seats throughout (no first class section). The plane was almost filled, pretty amazing since it was the first week of flying. There were no boarding announcements at all, and after everybody was seated, we just sat there until the Pilot welcomed us on-board at 6:45pm. Another 30 minutes goes by, we finally leave the gate at 7:10pm and they take us to get de-iced and the FA’s do the safety announcements/demonstration. Finally, at 7:25pm, we take-off (over 2 hours late).
After take-off, they made an announcement about how exciting it was that every seat is going to have live 24 channel satellite Direct-TV on the seatbacks and you can watch it for only $5, but due to FAA testing and inspection, they aren't going to be installed until 3/1/00. So, they gave us complementary coupons so we can experience the next time we fly. (I did see the TV channel lineup, and there is no ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX, or PBS. It is more like cable channels of CNN, Food Network, ESPN, Golf Channel, etc.)
The brought around drinks of Coke, Pepsi, juices that were already poured into cups with ice. The didn't use a cart, so if you wanted Beer/Wine ($3) or liquor ($4) you had to ask for it and they walked to the back to get it. Another FA came around with a basket of chips and cookies if you wanted those.
Once the plane took-off, the 53 minute flight was easy and uneventful... We did land at 8:20pm, a little under 2 hours late.
2/21/00
The return morning flight was much smoother - the plane departed on-time from the JetBlue gate at Buffalo (Gate #12) and arrived on-time at JFK. Again, entirely packed flight. (The woman next to me managed to get her one-way ticket for only $25... )
Beverage service was orange juice, water, or coffee... Snack service was Bagel Chip mix or blueberry chips.
Upon arrival at JFK, the long-term parking bus was waiting and whisked me directly to my car. This total bus journey was only 5 minutes, compared to the total of 50 minutes of waiting and then travel time when I arrived on Saturday.
All in all, I would recommend JetBlue. Although they do not have a frequent flyer program as of yet, their fares are amazing, the planes are brand new Airbuses, and I'm sure that some of the kinks I experienced on the way out are due to the fact that they are so new - I'm sure that they will be ironed out very quickly. Plus, JFK is either a blessing or a curse – depends on the day!