I just flew JetBlue yesterday from their new “T5” terminal in New York’s JFK airport to Pittsburgh. If you missed my live tweeting (boy that’s a weird verb on paper), check it out here.
If you’re rushed on time, basically my conclusion was that this terminal is a great improvement–it’s the “space age”, consumer-friendly type of decor and approach that JetBlue has become known for. However, there are a few hiccups here and there, for instance, in having only 5 of the 20 security lines open (and this was on a Friday afternoon, one of the busiest times of the week). The lines in general were long for everything–security, the food court, all except the checkin counters because JetBlue was clever enough to put in a bajillion automated checkin machines.
One of the biggest features that the company is trying to play up, and that I agree with, is the utter selection and hipness of the food. No grimy MacDonald’s here; the burger joint I went to even had a wine selection, which was a first for me. However, the actual burger was quite dry and obviously grilled hours earlier. Plus it was something like $8 for a 7 oz “medium”. Ouch.
But don’t worry, this terminal has plenty of stuff to distract you from the pricey food. There’s just lots of little amenities that add up to a big deal. For instance, the counter you see on the left (where you can plug in your electronics or pay for Internet usage on their machines) are all over the terminal. There’s also free wireless that’s blazing fast, even though I saw hundreds of passengers on their laptops and I’m assuming busy clicking reload on JetBlue’s “live-blogging” efforts.
Then there’s just the sheer availability of seating. You won’t have to fight for a seat by the gate anymore, as the terminal is arranged in such a way that it’s a short 2-min walk to any particular gate from the central food court area. And the brilliance of this arrangement can be seen in the almost library-like atmosphere here, with plenty of super-clean tables in all sorts of manners (and plenty of seats left … have I mentioned the spaciness!?)
Overall, the place is very airy and quite reminiscent of Norman Foster’s new Terminal 3 at Beijing International Airport. Except it won’t take you 30 minutes to walk from one side to the other (not an exaggeration at all). So kudos to the architects for creating a dual sense of intimacy and space here. The only downside is the walk to the Air Train will in comparison seem like a death march. It took a whole 4-5 minutes for me. Yikes!
So the next time you fly out of JFK, try to score a seat on JetBlue. Just come a few minutes earlier to get a grip on the extra-long security lines and if you’re hungry for food / all sorts of alcoholic options. But I did overhear one JetBlue rep say that the wait should decrease in the weeks to come.