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September 21, 2005

Three Things I Jet About Blue

In which I relate the details of an extremely positive air-travel experience.

Implicit in my decision to move to the Pacific Northwest was the acknowledgment that there would be a lot of airplanes in my future. If I wanted to see my people(s), be it for a holiday, a wedding, a weekend, etc/ et al, I knew well in advance of my move that such adventures would require that I cram myself into an airplane seat and wait patiently for five and a half hours. Time on airplanes was just part of the total cost of ownership of my move.

Between coming out to find an apartment, the move itself, and another trip back east for [reasons unstated], I had already done the trip three (3) times in the past two months. I would not say I had a fantastic airplane experience in any of these cases. They weren't awful, mind you, but they weren't terribly comfortable. I wasn't thrilled.

I did trip number four (4) this past weekend, and unlike the others, it was phenomenal. It was my first trip on JetBlue in three years. Last time out, I have to admit, it wasn't so sweet. Though I would say that encounter had more to do with my foul mood at not being allowed to board the plane because I arrived at the airport fewer than fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure time (I got on the next one, but I wasn't so psyched; also, traffic was a yatch) than anything else.

This trip, though, was outstanding. It was my best airline experience since I got surprise-upgraded to business class on American two years ago on a flight back from London (said positive experience had mostly to do with the after-effects of the prior evening; let us just say that business class was a wee bit gentler on my fragile physical condition at that point). I am now officially a JetBlue fanboy. If you're flying coast-to-coast, especially from JFK, it is absolutely the way to go. My three big reasons why:

(1) Free Wi-Fi At The Terminals: I had half an hour to kill before my flight left. It had been a long weekend (not really; it just felt that way) and I just wanted to chill out a bit. I roll to the (packed) airport bar and order a delicious Brooklyn Lager and settle in for the end of the four o'clock games. I see a sign in the concourse advertising free wi-fi. Okay, I'll check it out. Whip out the laptop and was checking my various fantasy teams in minutes (it was a 3-3 weekend -- not so sweet). I tend to be personally offended by profiteering on internet access at places like airports ($9.95 for a couple hours? Seriously?). It's something that costs them next to nothing to provide, they know they have a captive audience that really wants the product, and so instead of giving it away to build some goodwill, they pounce and extort you. Not JetBlue. JetBlue -- you have earned my goodwill. Keep it up.

(2) I Don't Really Like Soda: I've been at a loss with the airplane drink cart for a few years now. I don't really enjoy soda very much, and I don't like to drink on planes, so I usually just order water. But JetBlue offers me the one soft drink that I do enjoy/ order every time I'm in a restaurant: iced tea (Arizona brand iced teas to be exact). Would it kill the other carriers to add iced tea to the rotation? Is that asking too much?

(3) Are You Ready For Some Football?: we've all heard that you get live DirecTV in every seat on JetBlue. Fair enough. It was a pretty innovative idea when it debuted, and I'm shocked more carriers haven't copied it (though Song gives you Dish Network; also, Song is pretty crappy). On most trips, 36 channels of DirecTV doesn't change the fact that I can't watch TV for five and a half hours. But on a Sunday night? Sunday night = Sunday Football followed by Sportscenter followed by NFL Primetime. Jackpot! I got to watch live NFL football, followed by highlights, for the entire trip! I mean, I was going to watch that anyway! Pure genius!

JetBlue, you are officially back in my good graces.

Posted by thatkid at September 21, 2005 10:36 PM under Biznass

Comments

Posted by: dinho at September 21, 2005 10:46 PM

Posted by: DST at September 22, 2005 1:20 PM

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