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.

OpenSkies launches NYC – Amsterdam route today — extends fare sale

by Grant Martin on

Today is the first day that OpenSkies‘ new route between JFK and Amsterdam. As of 4PM this afternoon, the inaugural flight from Amsterdam should have landed, and the return flight departs in just a few hours.

In light of their new route (and perhaps a little bit because of the economy), the airline has also announced that they’re extending their fare sale for Prem + seats to an additional 1,000 customers.

It’s probably a smart move on their part. With the economy in the toilet I have very little doubt that demand for premium air service across the pond has gone south as well. By extending their fare sale, they now can get a little more face time on their product and cajole a few wafflers to purchase a ticket.

Anyway, if you’re still curious about the product that OpenSkies has tailored, you can check out Gadling’s review of the airline here, and even enter to win a few premium tickets on the airline. We’re drawing a winner this friday (two days away) Good luck!

Novelty Item Causes Evacuation of JetBlue Terminal at JFK

by Josh Lew on

A suspicious devices that caused security personnel to order the evacuation of JetBlue’s terminal at Kennedy Airport turned out to be a pair of replica hand grenades that were meant to be used as paper weights. The novelty items were found in a man’s luggage during a security scan. Few flights were delayed because the evacuation happened during a slow time of day (7:50am ET). The whole thing amounted to little more than a 25-minute hiccup in JetBlue‘s schedule.

Security was extra tight because the UN General Assembly is currently in session. Was their heightened state of alert enough to set the events in motion or should people making the shame-on-you sign at the paperweight man? Most passengers seem to err on the side of caution when it comes to shaving kits, liquids and nail clippers. Therefore, it’s surprising that someone would bring something that so closely resembled at weapon into the airport. Why not opt for FedEx or the good old USPS when moving replicas of explosive devices from one place to another?