Ocn Vw 1K

This thread was previously closed temporarily for maintenance, review, and moderator discussion as to its future.

The thread has clear value to many UA forum readers who've used the JFK-SFO/LAX product and are now facing the news in Post 1 that UA is discontinuing all operations at JFK on October 25, 2015, and moving its p.s. service to EWR. That was our main incentive in re-opening the thread.

We've cleaned up many recent off-topic and unduly personalized posts. We reserve the right to clean up earlier rounds of such posts. Going forward, we'd request and expect that discussion concern the effects on members' travels of the move of UA operations from JFK to EWR, including p.s. and avoid: 1) any unduly personalized discussions of other members; and 2) any off-topic discussions.

For the United forum Moderator team, Ocn Vw 1K.

Jet'Dillo

It's hard to have a "favorite" airport in NYC. EWR has its issues but logistically is way better for getting into mid-town than JFK. The shuttle/taxi situation is better getting in/out of EWR and they've got the Airtrain into Penn Station. Friends and family will actually come pick you up @ EWR, rather than ..... at you for making them drive all the way the hell out to Jamaica.

There will be some nostalgia for JFK. I get that.

I have some good memories of trips over The Pond in PMUA C and JFK<->SFO on UA P.S. but UA is in EWR now and that's just kind of that. So are most of the other *A carriers. I see LH,SK, OS, TP, and others there all the time.

I'm actually looking forward to this because of the increased frequency to/from SFO.

Jet'Dillo

Bing!
I hate the TATL 752s going out of EWR, but I've sat in my share of them because I had a conference starting at 0900-1000 in Berlin, Hamburg, etc. the next morning, so that 0735 arrival totally beat missing the first half-day or having to get there the day before and swallow an extra hotel night.

Jet'Dillo

Let's be honest here, the true HVFs are actually on a G6 or BBJ in/out of SFO/LAX to wherever they need to be.

cestmoi123

As I've noted upthread, EWR and JFK are within a couple of minutes of each other by train from Penn Station, with JFK generally having the advantage (even disregarding the frequency issue). Plus, JFK can take you by train many other places in Midtown than Penn Station, EWR can't. For car/taxi, depends on time of day, but they're again, often a push, depends where you are in Midtown.

As for friends and family, I would never ask my friends or family to pick me up from the airport. If I did, the convenience would depend heavily on where I lived - in Manhattan, it's again about a push between the airports.

Bottom line, I think JFK has the edge in terms of transport convenience from Midtown - at worst, it's even with EWR.

cestmoi123

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I know someone who used to commute NYC-LA weekly. Typically took the company plane out and commercial First back. Kept his commuting costs down to only $50-75k/week.

pbartp

I think it is telling that DL will discontinue LAX-EWR-LHR. UA concedes JFK to DL and DL concedes EWR to UA. Everybody wins. And by "everybody" I'm not so sure customers are included.

kirkwoodj

+1, basically the only reason I take my chances with EWR anymore.

Richard Chen

Debating EWR vs JFK due to geography is too personal a decision with too many personal factors which come & go over one's lifetime.

Too many other factors go into the choice:

• hard & soft products - JFK offers more options in both on the said routes
• loyalty program - tie: much redemption power & some personal history decide it
• transit convenience - tie: purely personal choice
• connecting power - JFK wins handily for domestic & international amounts
• airport layout - tie: debatable, personal preference
• cost - tie: debatable, but JFK's more options & not being a captive audience mean generally lower fares

SS255

I saw a former co-worker at a wedding over the weekend. He's currently commuting from LAX-JFK twice a month -- usually on UA; sometimes on AA. His destination is the Lincoln Center area. He was bemoaning UA's announcement, and told me that when UA pulls out of JFK he's moving all of his business to AA. He refuses to fly into EWR.

kirkwoodj

Very interesting here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-airlines.html

Always Flyin

UA is not increasing frequency between EWR-SFO. UA is simply dropping JFK and moving the planes over to EWR. For the time being, at least, until UA decides (like they haven't already) that it can make more money cramming more people into normal domestically configured aircraft. The 757s will then be retired and you can visit them parked in the desert.

Ocn Vw 1K

Per post 976, above, we had to close this thread earlier because, among other reasons, it attracted excessive off-topic posts.

Just today, we've had a significant thread drift into private jet air travel not related to UA's move from JFK to EWR. Those off-topic posts have been deleted.

We're moderating this thread actively to ensure that it serves the membership by discussing information relative to what UA's pullout from JFK means to members' travel, so that members don't have to read another 1000 posts to find out key information in order to ease their travels. Thank you for understanding. Ocn Vw 1K, for the UA forum Moderator Team.

cerealmarketer

Yup - Everybody but AA.

They are the odd man out in the two NYC power poles.

Meanwhile DOJ is starting a collusion investigation into the airlines in general...

http://news.yahoo.com/justice-depart...--finance.html

Doubt the proposed slot swap prompted this but interesting timing.

chinatraderjmr

So many here talk about how easy the train is, etc...... Let's be honest, airlines make most of their money from business Travellers. With a number of well known exceptions FT has a disproportionately high number of self funded (and younger) Travellers

Most business Travellers I know (and see) so not take public transportation to the airport. EWR may be just as convienant from Penn station by train but JFK is more convienant by car from most of the city & certainly Queens, Long Island, etc.

At the same time CO started making a good name for itself, many business were moving out to NJ for tax and other reasons (hence, CO was more convienant for many). This is no longer the case.

**One side note, transcons this summer may in fact be better from EWR due to massive JFK delays (closing one runway all summer). But as usual UA will miss the boat as by the time JFK service ends, the runway should be fixed
(That runway closure is truly a mess. I landed in EK last Saturday & it took 70 minutes to taxi to the gate - partially due to low visibility with the heavy rain but according to the Capt, the runway closure caused taxing aircraft to take turns going in opposite directions. (At least the luggage only took 15 min. My biggest complaint with UA at EWR Is the luggage service. Waiting an hour for bags to come off a short domestic flight is absurd