My take on JFK’s new JetBlue T5 terminal

by Jerry Guo on

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.

Gadling Twitters Jetblue’s T5

by Grant Martin on

With all of this buzz that we’ve been hearing about the new Terminal 5 that JetBlue opened up in JFK this week, we just had to get down there and take a look.

So we sent one of our east coasters, Jerry Guo, out to check out the digs. He’ll be twittering his experience on Gadling’s feed where you can tune in, follow along, and salivate as Jerry checks out the sweet food court, marvels at the tall celings and hobknobs among the culture in the airport bars.

And ladies, ladies, please put your 8 x 10″ black and white glossies away. Mr. Guo will be busy absorbing his surroundings in a spongelike manner as soon as he sets foot in the building, so he won’t be able to sign any autographs for you. If you’d like your picture taken with Jerry, we’ll have a cardboard cutout of him at SXSW next year and you can snap a photo next to that.

Otherwise, you can stay tuned to the Gadling Twitter feed to keep up to snuff on Jerry’s thoughts of T5. He should be there around noon.

JetBlue’s JFK Terminal 5 opens its doors

by Grant Martin on

After a few brief delays, a dry run and countless days of anticipation, JetBlue finally opened the doors of Terminal 5 at JFK today.

The building, a Gensler re-design of the old TWA behemoth, features wide open spaces, new amenities, all sorts of lovely food options and a dedicated home for the once-cramped JetBlue airlines. Blogger Jeremy Kressmann took a look through T5 earlier this fall and wrote it up for us here.

So how are things going so far? Have there been any epic fails like Heathrow’s Terminal 5 that opened up earlier this year?

Things actually seem to be moving pretty smoothly so far. JetBlue launched a liveblog (of sorts) that details some of the features and hobknobbery that’s going on during the first day activities and things seem pretty calm. Sure, you can’t trust content coming straight out of the lion’s mouth, but the blog is at least worth taking a look at for all of the fun pictures and insider looks into operations.

Later this week, our own Jerry Guo will be wandering through T5. Stay tuned to hear his take on the facilities.

New York: Fly on US Helicopter for cheap this fall

by Grant Martin on

If you’ve been itching to get onto one of those nifty US Helicopter shuttles between Manhattan and the airport, you’re in luck: fall fares are on sale and they’re putting prices dangerously close to affordable.

From the usual $120-150 range that the tickets normally reside in, US Helicopter is running a special where you can get a one way ticket between Newark or JFK into Manhattan for only $100. Sure the taxi from JFK is only $40 and the PATH NJ Transit train from Jersey is much less, but those connections can take take over an hour and hey, if you’re late for a meeting you have to get into the city.

I am nearly tempted to jump on a US Helicopter flight this afternoon from Newark into the city — but for now am holding onto my pocketbook. Maybe once I land in Jersey and get my drinking pants on I’ll change my mind.

Galley Gossip: Another amazing flight attendant tip – Hopstop.com

by Heather Poole on

I’ve learned some pretty amazing things from flight attendants, like how to mask the horrible lavatory smell with a single packet of coffee and how to make coffee taste better by using a drop of club soda and an extra coffee bag in the pot. All of these amazing tips lead me to believe that flight attendants are some of the most creative and knowledgeable people in the world. Seriously, you wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve learned in the galley.

On my last trip from New York to Los Angeles, I was instructed on how to choose the perfect eggplant. According to Kim, one of my fellow coworkers, there are “girl” and “boy” eggplants. For real. Because the “boy” eggplants have the least amount of seeds inside, those are the ones you want when you’re making eggplant parmigiana, or an eggplant casserole, which is what I’m going to attempt tonight, thanks to Kim and her Italian recipes.

Each and every time I come into contact with a flight attendant, I learn something new and interesting and unusual. What I learn could be just about anything, really, but whatever it is, that one little nugget of information somehow manages to change my life in some way. Well it happened again. Today.

Today’s amazing flight attendant tip of the day comes from Frank, a Gadling reader who is also a flight attendant for an airline I do not know. He had commented on my post, The best thing about being a flight attendant – Travel! Apparently, travel is the last thing Frank wants to do on his day off. In fact, the best thing about being a flight attendant for Frank are the days off, not traveling on the days off. I have to admit, I like my days off almost as much as I enjoy traveling, which is why being a flight attendant is the perfect job for me. One of the main reasons Frank loves his days off so much is because he lives in one of the most exciting cities in the world, New York. You see when you live in New York City, there’s really no need to travel – that often, not when you have it all at your finger tips, or a short drive away.

But if you are a New Yorker, or are traveling to New York, or any other big city for that matter, and you do decide to venture out, you’re probably going to take public transportation, which isn’t always the easiest thing in the world to figure out, especially in a fast paced city like Manhattan. If you do find yourself lost in an unfamiliar place, do what Frank does and go to Hopstop.com.

Here’s what Frank had to say about the website…

Passing some travel knowledge on to you, Heather. HOPSTOP.COM. Not sure how often you layover in NYC, but this site will be of great benefit to anyone who travels around the city via public transportation. It’s just like MAPQUEST, except it gives you step by step instructions on how to get to your destination (within the city) on “public transportation.” it’s awesome, I never get lost in the city! I take my step by step instructions with me from home (you, your layover hotel) and get to my destination without paying for an expensive cab. What’s great, the site has several other cities. SFO, LAX, ORD, BOS. I use it all the time in SFO.

enjoy, travel safe!

Frank

I have to tell you, Frank, this bit of information could not have come at a better time. I’m an LA commuter based in New York with a two year old son at home, which means for the last two years whenever I’ve had to go to work, I fly in and out of town fairly quickly, working back and forth across the country as many times as possible in as few of days as possible, leaving me little time to take the train from Forest Hills, Queens, where my crash-pad is located, to Manhattan. Now I love the city, yet I haven’t really had the opportunity to experience it the way I used to in years – three years to be precise. Which is why I miss it so much. Why I long for it whenever I find myself spending the night in Queens. Why I dream about taking the subway in and wandering around aimlessly. It doesn’t matter where I go, as long as I go.

Now that my son is a little older, making it easier for the husband to take care of him when I’m out of town, I find myself wanting to slow down a bit and spend a little more time taking advantage of a place that has so much to offer. The first thing I want to do is go to Chinatown for soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai, followed by a walk around Central Park, a Broadway show at night, and maybe even an evening stroll around the village. Hey, a flight attendant can dream, can’t she? Though I do know my way around the city, it has been awhile, so Hopstop.com will definitely come in handy when the time comes. Thanks again for the tip, Frank!