Originally Posted by NYflyer1

The hard product (seat) is the single biggest consideration for a long flight, and the ps seats -- at least in J -- are very good. They're not SQ or CX good, but they're good enough to allow virtually anyone to nap for an hour or two and to find a very comfortable reading/working/watching position for the remaining 4-5 hours of a transcon flight. That's why they commanded premium prices for so long, as much as $4k RT until the last year or so after competition moved in with comparable seats for less money.

I'm guessing UA will dramatically increase its ps fares after the EWR move, exploiting its fortress-hub advantage, and that that is the primary driver for the move. Most bankers/lawyers/industry people etc flying J don't care that much whether they're flying from JFK or EWR -- it's more important to be able to comfortably work/rest on the plane.

And all of the chatter regarding how much more difficult it is to get to EWR from midtown than to JFK is simply incorrect: I've lived in Manhattan for 25 years, and JFK consistently takes longer to reach from midtown than EWR. The Van Wyck has traffic nearly 24/7, and it often is at a standstill for no apparent reason. Earlier this week it took me 1.5 hours at 5:30am to travel midtown to JFK. The Lincoln Tunnel of course has bad traffic too, but unless you're departing NYC at late afternoon rush hour (in which case JFK also could take 1.5-2 hours), EWR is quicker to reach.