disneywlf
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2010
Blue Skies Are Definitely Ahead...Despite A Bumpy Start Part 2 (1/10/2016)
After entering Terminal 5, the jetBlue Terminal at JFK, I made my way upstairs via the escalator to the Departure Level as quickly as OJ Simpson did in the old Hertz commercials. While the check-in line looked lengthy, I waited only about ten minutes. While I was waiting, I could see that the security line was much longer than usual (compared to other times in this terminal or at Delta Terminals 2 and 4 at JFK) and since I still had the opportunity, I purchased Even More Speed via the jetBlue application, which would grant me access to the Pre-Check line in order to increase the chances of making my flight for an additional $10 (free if you have an Even More Space Seat or higher fare).
When my turn came, I was helped by Ashley, a very polite and professional agent. As she was checking my bag, inspecting my drivers license and boarding pass, and reprinting my boarding pass to reflect my Even More Speed purchase, we talked about how long it took to get to the terminal. Ashley mentioned she had heard about the unusually high congestion outside the terminal too and said that some of her coworkers were affected by the traffic, which was likely due to a car accident. By 7:50AM, I was on my way to security and thankfully, the purchase of Even More Speed proved to be the best decision I made that morning, as I was through security in seven minutes and assisted by Officer Gordon, who was very friendly and enjoyed a laugh with me after my Nasacort and 3-ounce bottle of saline nose drops set off the metal detector. By a little after 8:00AM, I was in the secure area of the terminal and far less anxious than I was, as I knew I would make my flight! Since I have not been in Terminal 5 in a while, I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I loved the modern feel, spaciousness, many amenities, and that it is not too spread out (I'm looking at you Delta Terminal 4 at JFK ).
With time to spare, I decided to plane spot and had a grand time! I first saw two jetBlue Airbus A320s and a LAN Boeing 767-300 near Gate 22:
I then spotted two jetBlue Airbus A320s, including N775JB sporting a Jetblue Honors Our Veterans Livery:
Next, I spotted N584JB, a Jetblue Airbus A320 at Gate 28 that arrived from Santiago, Dominican Republic as Jetblue Flight 336 and was departing for St. Lucia-Hewanorra International Airport as Jetblue Flight 881
I then went to the new T5 Rooftop, which was pretty cool (it even has a pet relief area for those people traveling with their four-legged friends) and is also partially covered, so I stayed dry. From there, I spotted a British Airways Boeing 747-400 heading to London-Heathrow, United Kingdom, a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 heading to Hong Kong, and the nose of a Jetblue Embraer E190.
Since the free snacks on Jetblue would not fill me up alone, I decided to head to the Food Court.
I had originally wanted to go to Lucy's Asian Kitchen for an Asian inspired bowl, but they were not open yet, so I went to Cheeburger Cheeburger, which is a tried and true option for me. I used the easy-to-use touchscreen to order a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with all of the vegetable toppings plus mustard and I also picked up a bottle of water. Since there was no option for no bun, I let the friendly and helpful employee cooking the food know and he was happy to take my request! While I was waiting, my mother called. She let me know that she got home OK despite the rain and that by the terminal exit, there was indeed a car accident, as my check-in agent Ashley had mentioned. I told her that I was glad to have gotten through the terminal very quickly considering the circumstances and I agreed with her, as she was glad too! I then received my food, paid about $10-$11 in change for it. I continued to talk to my mother until about 8:50AM, which was about when my plane was scheduled to board. I told her not to worry about picking me up at JFK when I came home, as I knew how stressful it was for her to drive me to JFK and that I would either use the AirTrain to LIRR or a car service depending upon my timing when I came home, so she would not have to drive. Mom was very thankful and she wished me a wonderful trip before I got off the phone, as boarding time was near at Gate 22, where my flight left from.
Here's N589JB, aka "Blue Skies Ahead," a Jetblue Airbus A320-200 which inspired the title for the series of threads concerning my departure day travels and is quite fitting, as despite a rough start, it all ended well.
Also, for those DISers who are travel nerds, here are my flight statistics
**Flight Information:
Origin Airport: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, NY
Destination Airport: Orlando International Airport (MCO), Orlando, FL
Airline and Flight Number: Jetblue Airways 483
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Registration: N589JB aka "Blue Skies Ahead"
Cabin, Seat: Economy, 14F
Scheduled Departure/Actual Departure: 9:29AM/10:35AM
Scheduled Arrival/Actual Arrival: 12:29PM/1:19PM
Origin Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 5, Gate 22
Destination Airport Terminal, Gate: Airside A, Gate 7
While we boarded on time at about 8:54AM, Jetblue was experiencing irregular operations due to the weather as well as the car accident clogging up the traffic outside, as the pilot who was going to be operating the flight to Sarasota, FL, at Gate 23, was running late through security and the flight was going to be delayed. Also, our gate agent announced that for people who did not make the flight due to terminal delays, another flight at about 10:30AM would be available for them to be rebooked on. However, I was excited to fly on Jetblue again because while they are my second most used airline behind Delta, I have not been on them since August 2009, as Delta since then has always been cheaper to the various destinations I fly to (including MCO). While I don't mind flying Delta as I like their front-line staff (flight attendants, check-in agents, and the like), the usually good condition and cleanliness of their aircraft, their many flights out of NYC (JFK and LGA), and their reliability, I was excited to fly on Jetblue again as I wanted to see if they were still as good as I remembered. When boarding, which was organized and quick, was called for my row, James, the gate agent, scanned my boarding pass and wished me a good flight in a cheerful tone. I walked down the jetway and entered the aircraft via Doorway 1L, where I was warmly greeted by Alicia, a friendly, middle-aged flight attendant. As I walked down the aisle, I found the aircraft to be clean and well maintained, but with some wear and tear. I settled in Seat 14F, which was very comfortable and had plenty of legroom.
Finally, I knew I would be almost there . Would all go without a hitch? Find out in Part 3!
After entering Terminal 5, the jetBlue Terminal at JFK, I made my way upstairs via the escalator to the Departure Level as quickly as OJ Simpson did in the old Hertz commercials. While the check-in line looked lengthy, I waited only about ten minutes. While I was waiting, I could see that the security line was much longer than usual (compared to other times in this terminal or at Delta Terminals 2 and 4 at JFK) and since I still had the opportunity, I purchased Even More Speed via the jetBlue application, which would grant me access to the Pre-Check line in order to increase the chances of making my flight for an additional $10 (free if you have an Even More Space Seat or higher fare).
When my turn came, I was helped by Ashley, a very polite and professional agent. As she was checking my bag, inspecting my drivers license and boarding pass, and reprinting my boarding pass to reflect my Even More Speed purchase, we talked about how long it took to get to the terminal. Ashley mentioned she had heard about the unusually high congestion outside the terminal too and said that some of her coworkers were affected by the traffic, which was likely due to a car accident. By 7:50AM, I was on my way to security and thankfully, the purchase of Even More Speed proved to be the best decision I made that morning, as I was through security in seven minutes and assisted by Officer Gordon, who was very friendly and enjoyed a laugh with me after my Nasacort and 3-ounce bottle of saline nose drops set off the metal detector. By a little after 8:00AM, I was in the secure area of the terminal and far less anxious than I was, as I knew I would make my flight! Since I have not been in Terminal 5 in a while, I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I loved the modern feel, spaciousness, many amenities, and that it is not too spread out (I'm looking at you Delta Terminal 4 at JFK ).
With time to spare, I decided to plane spot and had a grand time! I first saw two jetBlue Airbus A320s and a LAN Boeing 767-300 near Gate 22:
I then spotted two jetBlue Airbus A320s, including N775JB sporting a Jetblue Honors Our Veterans Livery:
Next, I spotted N584JB, a Jetblue Airbus A320 at Gate 28 that arrived from Santiago, Dominican Republic as Jetblue Flight 336 and was departing for St. Lucia-Hewanorra International Airport as Jetblue Flight 881
I then went to the new T5 Rooftop, which was pretty cool (it even has a pet relief area for those people traveling with their four-legged friends) and is also partially covered, so I stayed dry. From there, I spotted a British Airways Boeing 747-400 heading to London-Heathrow, United Kingdom, a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 heading to Hong Kong, and the nose of a Jetblue Embraer E190.
Since the free snacks on Jetblue would not fill me up alone, I decided to head to the Food Court.
I had originally wanted to go to Lucy's Asian Kitchen for an Asian inspired bowl, but they were not open yet, so I went to Cheeburger Cheeburger, which is a tried and true option for me. I used the easy-to-use touchscreen to order a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with all of the vegetable toppings plus mustard and I also picked up a bottle of water. Since there was no option for no bun, I let the friendly and helpful employee cooking the food know and he was happy to take my request! While I was waiting, my mother called. She let me know that she got home OK despite the rain and that by the terminal exit, there was indeed a car accident, as my check-in agent Ashley had mentioned. I told her that I was glad to have gotten through the terminal very quickly considering the circumstances and I agreed with her, as she was glad too! I then received my food, paid about $10-$11 in change for it. I continued to talk to my mother until about 8:50AM, which was about when my plane was scheduled to board. I told her not to worry about picking me up at JFK when I came home, as I knew how stressful it was for her to drive me to JFK and that I would either use the AirTrain to LIRR or a car service depending upon my timing when I came home, so she would not have to drive. Mom was very thankful and she wished me a wonderful trip before I got off the phone, as boarding time was near at Gate 22, where my flight left from.
Here's N589JB, aka "Blue Skies Ahead," a Jetblue Airbus A320-200 which inspired the title for the series of threads concerning my departure day travels and is quite fitting, as despite a rough start, it all ended well.
Also, for those DISers who are travel nerds, here are my flight statistics
**Flight Information:
Origin Airport: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, NY
Destination Airport: Orlando International Airport (MCO), Orlando, FL
Airline and Flight Number: Jetblue Airways 483
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Registration: N589JB aka "Blue Skies Ahead"
Cabin, Seat: Economy, 14F
Scheduled Departure/Actual Departure: 9:29AM/10:35AM
Scheduled Arrival/Actual Arrival: 12:29PM/1:19PM
Origin Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 5, Gate 22
Destination Airport Terminal, Gate: Airside A, Gate 7
While we boarded on time at about 8:54AM, Jetblue was experiencing irregular operations due to the weather as well as the car accident clogging up the traffic outside, as the pilot who was going to be operating the flight to Sarasota, FL, at Gate 23, was running late through security and the flight was going to be delayed. Also, our gate agent announced that for people who did not make the flight due to terminal delays, another flight at about 10:30AM would be available for them to be rebooked on. However, I was excited to fly on Jetblue again because while they are my second most used airline behind Delta, I have not been on them since August 2009, as Delta since then has always been cheaper to the various destinations I fly to (including MCO). While I don't mind flying Delta as I like their front-line staff (flight attendants, check-in agents, and the like), the usually good condition and cleanliness of their aircraft, their many flights out of NYC (JFK and LGA), and their reliability, I was excited to fly on Jetblue again as I wanted to see if they were still as good as I remembered. When boarding, which was organized and quick, was called for my row, James, the gate agent, scanned my boarding pass and wished me a good flight in a cheerful tone. I walked down the jetway and entered the aircraft via Doorway 1L, where I was warmly greeted by Alicia, a friendly, middle-aged flight attendant. As I walked down the aisle, I found the aircraft to be clean and well maintained, but with some wear and tear. I settled in Seat 14F, which was very comfortable and had plenty of legroom.
Finally, I knew I would be almost there . Would all go without a hitch? Find out in Part 3!
Last edited: