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TRIP REPORT: JetBlue Flight #15 (A321) JFK-SFO June 15, 2017
*WARNING* I wasn't planning on writing a TR for this flight, so my apologies for the vertically oriented pictures.
Background: This report covers a recent school music ensemble trip to San Francisco. We spent a week there exploring everything the city had to offer and performing for certain organizations. My school's music ensembles had so many people combined that we had to buy purchase two separate itineraries on both jetBlue and Delta. Thus, my routing was booked as:
Flight 1: [B6 15, JFK-SFO, Airbus A321-231, Even More Space] - YOU ARE HERE Flight 2: [B6 916, SFO-JFK, Airbus A321-231, Core] - NO REPORT
This report will cover the flight from JFK to SFO in an A321 in a bulkhead Even More Space seat.
Pre-flight activities I woke up at 3:30 to get to JFK airport and arrived just outside of the iconic former TWA terminal adjacent of T5.
T5 is a very modern and spacious terminal. It has rows and rows of self-service check in kiosks as well as several check-in counters. After checking in on the kiosk, I brought my bag over to the self-service bag drop.
My flight on the FIDS.
I had booked an "Even More Space" seat before this flight so I had access to TSA pre check. TSA pre check and the low volume of travelers at this time got me through security in just 5 minutes. After leaving security, I decided to explore jetBlue's T5 that I had heard so much about. T5 has three separate concourses, all connected to a central pavilion lined with shops and restaurants.
jetBlue also has a dummy IAE V2500 engine on display here!
My flight would depart from gate #24, which was a very short walk from security.
I went to get a coffee at the Starbucks next door, and when I came back, the aircraft was ready for boarding. I unfortunately missed the boarding call for Mint and Even More Space passengers because I was still paying for my drink at Starbucks at that point. I ended up boarding with most of the other guys in my group.
Obligatory fuselage shot.
Most (if not all) of jetBlue's planes feature free in-flight wifi provided by EXEDE available in all classes. jetBlue likes to call this "fly-fi."
Today's aircraft would be N968JT, an A321-231/SL delivered to jetBlue in September of 2016. Ship #968 is named "Mint for Each Other."
Boarding through the advertisement-plastered jet bridge. I hate how jet bridges in US airports aren't made out of glass. All the airports that I've traveled to in Asia offer transparent glass jet bridges. Glass jet bridges really make aircraft photography A LOT easier and don't have the cramped feeling of plastic jetways, in my opinion.
My seat. The blue mood lighting gives the aircraft a welcoming feel.
This aircraft is equipped with personal air vents; a very welcoming touch.
The PTV is mounted on an arm that folds out from the armrest. Furthermore, the IFE controls are located on the side of the non-movable armrest instead of on top of the armrest itself, like other non-bulkhead row seats. When I plugged in my earbuds, I found that they produced a little static background noise, though this disappeared for some reason about halfway into the flight.
In row 6 (bulkhead), there is literally an infinite amount of legroom. The only downside of this row was there was no floor storage; however, because there was nobody else in my row, I essentially had a whole overhead bin at my disposal.
Every avgeek's hobby - mounting a GoPro on a plane's window is TOTALLY normal, right? :D
Doors were promptly closed 15 minutes before our scheduled departure time and Patrick, one of the FAs working the economy cabin, came over to introduce himself. Patrick in my opinion is one of the most responsible and skilled FAs that I have met during my entire life (more on him later).
We took off just 2 minutes behind schedule on runway 13R and immediately made a 180-degree turn to the west.
After 4 minutes, the aircraft passed through 10,000 feet and the FAs immediately sprung into action. Drink orders were taken by hand, with the FA returning with a tray with your drink on it. Much more efficient than the drink cart method in my opinion. Having an entire row to yourself means that you can use two PTVs!
I decided to start with The Space Between Us (2017), a newly released science fiction film.
Halfway into the movie, I decided to check out the lavatory, which was located just to my left. It was kept very clean throughout the entire flight.
The Inflight Marketplace, a self-service bar full of drinks and snacks, was also opened up at this time. Contrary to its name, the inflight marketplace is free for all passengers. I also tried to connect to jetBlue's wifi. It is free, but you need to create a TrueBlue account in order to use it. The wifi speed was very fast (download speed was roughly 4mb/sec), not like the crap wifi on United's 777-300ERs. I discovered the hard way that you need to log in on flyfi.com in order to be able to use it. The wi-fi was very good nonetheless and I can't think of any other airline that offers free wi-fi to all passengers for the entire duration of the flight. Yes, I know that my phone says 8:00 PM - I accidentally set the time to be 12 hours ahead of what I would've liked it to be. Oops. ;D
I believe that jetBlue has one of the most professional and well-trained airline crews out there. In the beginning of the flight, I asked Patrick about the aircraft's tail number, which I forgot to obtain by looking at the airworthiness certificate posted above the L1 door. Roughly 30 minutes after departure, Patrick returns with a small piece of paper with the aircraft's registration and delivery date written on its top. What Patrick did was extremely thoughtful and shows that jetBlue has trained its cabin crew to interact with and care about their passengers. Although this was a very small act, small things do go long ways.
Some pictures of the beautiful United States landscape. There was a lot of bumpy air as we flew over the Rockies.
About 20 minutes before our scheduled landing time, the captain initiated the descent from 35,000 feet. We lined up with runway 28R and performed a smooth touchdown 3 minutes before our scheduled landing time.
Our flight parked at gate A10, which required the pilot to make a 180-degree turn from the taxiway in order to line up the gate. Unfortunately, this gate is one of the hardest to line up to at SFO (I've had trouble parking here in FSX!) so the Captain eventually gave up and turned off the engines to allow a tug to position us correctly. :D
After the flight, the first officer showed me around the cockpit and had a chat with me about the aircraft's systems, operating conditions, etc. I was surprise by how low the A321 cockpit's ceiling was - I hit my head on the overhead panel (I'm 5'9" btw).
After landing, my group and I collected our luggage and drove off to meet our friends onboard Delta 426, which landed 25 minutes after our flight landed. San Francisco's baggage claim experience again lived up to its efficient standards; I was out the doors of the terminal within 20 minutes after the plane pulled up to the gate.
Bonus : Click here displayhide
BONUS: Some information about my flight that I accessed on FlightRadar24.
Thanks for reading my first Flight Report!
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Verdict
JetBlue Airways
9.0/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering8.0
New York - JFK
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
San Francisco - SFO
9.1/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
JetBlue's A321 transcontinental product in economy is arguably one of the best in the market right now. I was extremely surprised by the high standards of customer service present on this flight, showing that JetBlue has invested a lot into improving their flight crew training program. The excellent DirecTV system, coupled with a good selection of recent and classic movies, made the 5.5 hour flight flash by like a breeze. I would definitely not hesitate to fly jetBlue again for transcontinental flights in the future, especially considering the fact that the overall jetBlue core experience is loads better than United's transcontinental service, which I have flown multiple times already. All in all, this was a very enjoyable flight, and I would like to applaud Patrick, the rest of the flight crew, and the pilots for making my first jetBlue experience an unforgettable one.
14 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thank you for sharing. I'd love to fly jetBlue sometime. Out of all the traveling I've done the past few years, I've never yet flown with them. I'd also love to fly their MINT product one of these days too. That also look amazing!
Thanks for the report, B6 has IMO the best product when it comes to transcon flights.
And just a heads up if you got TSA Pre that was completely random and has nothing to do with your class of service (assuming you're not enrolled in TSA Pre or GE/Nexus)
For not having planned on doing a TR, it sure is pretty complete! Nice job. There's no doubt, B6 (along with VX) has the best Y product on odmestic U.S. routes. PTVs, good seat pitch, wider seats due to operating Airbus and E-190s--what's not to love. They just need to work on opening lounges for Mint customers. Thanks for sharing this first report and welcome!
Thank you! I agree, jetBlue and VX are my two favorite airlines flying the highly competitive transcon routes. To be honest, I would be even happier if B6 follows DL's lead in providing a full meal on these flights - my friends on the DL flight claimed that those meals were satisfying and delicious. Also, one of the FAs told me that jetBlue is looking at the A330neo as a future fleet member - maybe a sign of things to come?
I guess you can edit the warning at the beginning of your FR. Your first picture taken during early morning is beautiful and makes for a good preamble to your report.
"I hate how jet bridges in US airports aren't made out of glass." - Good point. A bit of outside light tends to lift up one's spirit and make the overall travel experience less stressful. Unfortunately most U.S. major airports are below average when it comes to their facilities compared to those abroad.
"The only downside of this row was there was no floor storage; however, because there was nobody else in my row, I essentially had a whole overhead bin at my disposal" - It's an exciting feeling when you find out that you don't have a neighbor once the airplane door is closed. ;)
"Having an entire row to yourself means that you can use two PTVs!" - Just like staying in a twin room with two beds - one to sleep on and the other one to put your luggage on.
"Although this was a very small act, small things do go long ways." - And they leave lasting impressions. Nowadays it's always a treat to interact with a great crew.
I think your bonus should be incorporated as part of your FR because it is flight related. ;)
Thanks for sharing this nice and well written first report with us. Looking forward to your new contributions.
Thanks for your kind words and suggestions, Jetsetpanda! jetBlue has really opened up my eyes to what effective customer service training can do. jetBlue has really set the standards for the competition on transcon routes. Also, thank you for the suggestions. I am at work right now, but once I find some free time, I will edit this report. Thank you again and happy flying.
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And just a heads up if you got TSA Pre that was completely random and has nothing to do with your class of service (assuming you're not enrolled in TSA Pre or GE/Nexus)
Also, one of the FAs told me that jetBlue is looking at the A330neo as a future fleet member - maybe a sign of things to come?
Absolutely fantastic shot at dawn in the beginning.
“jetBlue also has a dummy IAE V2500 engine on display here!“
- Interesting!
Great shots from the cabin, it looks good.
Nice to hear about the great crew!
Breathtaking aerial shots throughout the flight.
Overall it seemed like a comfortable flight, thanks for sharing.
Have a good one, see you!
I guess you can edit the warning at the beginning of your FR. Your first picture taken during early morning is beautiful and makes for a good preamble to your report.
"I hate how jet bridges in US airports aren't made out of glass."
- Good point. A bit of outside light tends to lift up one's spirit and make the overall travel experience less stressful. Unfortunately most U.S. major airports are below average when it comes to their facilities compared to those abroad.
"The only downside of this row was there was no floor storage; however, because there was nobody else in my row, I essentially had a whole overhead bin at my disposal"
- It's an exciting feeling when you find out that you don't have a neighbor once the airplane door is closed. ;)
"Having an entire row to yourself means that you can use two PTVs!"
- Just like staying in a twin room with two beds - one to sleep on and the other one to put your luggage on.
"Although this was a very small act, small things do go long ways."
- And they leave lasting impressions. Nowadays it's always a treat to interact with a great crew.
I think your bonus should be incorporated as part of your FR because it is flight related. ;)
Thanks for sharing this nice and well written first report with us. Looking forward to your new contributions.
jetBlue has really opened up my eyes to what effective customer service training can do. jetBlue has really set the standards for the competition on transcon routes. Also, thank you for the suggestions. I am at work right now, but once I find some free time, I will edit this report.
Thank you again and happy flying.
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