JetBlue Airways

Stuck at the Airport goes to London

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Tower Bridge at night – Courtesy London Partners

The Stuck at the Airport team is in London this week on a trip organized by our friends at Gatwick Airport (LGW).

The assignment?

Find out if it’s easy to land at Gatwick Airport on a flight from the U.S. See if it’s easy to take public transit to and from the airport to London, Brighton, and other nearby destinations. And find fun things to do.

As they say: tough job, but someone has to do it. And Stuck at the Airport is up for the challenge.

Here’s how our journey is going so far.

Seattle to New York

Our ride from our home base airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) was on JetBlue, to connect to one of JetBlue’s flights to Gatwick.

The airline begins service between Boston and Gatwick on August 4, and we’ll be on the inaugural flight out of Gatwick. So stay tuned for details from that adventure.

But first: the TWA Hotel

We chose an overnight layover at JKF so that we could stay at the TWA Hotel, which is oh-so-conveniently connected to JetBlue’s T5 terminal via elevator and a red-carpeted flight tube that is the perfect passageway to the 1960s.

The hotel is built inside the restored and reimagined Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK and has restaurants, bars, retail outlets, and some fun 60s throwback activities in the lobby.

There’s an infinity pool on the roof (fees apply) and, out in the back on the ‘tarmac, there’s a Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A that has been transformed into a cocktail lounge. This summer, guests and visitors can go roller skating rink or ride bumper cars on the hotel’s tarmac as well. (Fees apply).

You don’t need to be staying at the hotel to enjoy the lobby and tarmac activities. And many activities, including photo ops in cool spaces, Twister, and long-distance phone calls on retro pay phones, are free.

Arriving at Gatwick Airport

The JetBlue flights to Gatwick Airport leave JFK at around 7:30 pm and land at Gatwick the following morning at around 7:30 am. That means you can plan a full day in the city.

Our flight landed early, so I was glad Gatwick Airport had arranged for me to rest and refresh at the onsite YOTELAIR London Gatwick Airport.

This was the first YOTEL to open in the United Kingdom – way back in 2007 – and offers short-stays (from 4 to 8 hours) in very compact ‘cabins’ that are perfect for naps, a refresh after a long flight, or an overnight if you have a very early flight or late arrival.

Each cabin is super compact, with a bed, bathroom, small desk, WiFi, USB ports, mood lighting, smart TV, and a little bit of storage space. (You can also leave luggage at the front desk, or ‘Mission Control.’)

I had everything I needed for a refresh and even discovered a small fold-out stool hanging on the back of my cabin door just as I was leaving. Coffee, tea, and bottled water are complimentary at the front desk and guests can borrow alarm clocks for wake-up calls. Meals can be ordered and delivered as well.

Here’s a snap of Gatwick Airport’s mascot, Gary Gatwick, checking out the Yotel cabin. You’ll see more (lot’s more) of him during our London visit as he’s my travel partner for the week.

Gatwick to London in less than 30 minutes

It’s always a delight to have an ‘aha’ moment when traveling and learn about a tool or service that you know will change your travel habits.

In the past, I’ve always arrived in London at Heathrow Airport and headed to town via the London Underground, known as the Tube. The new Elizabeth Line seems like its speeds up the travel time, but in the past, the ride from Heathrow to central London could take up to 45 minutes and become very crowded as it got closer to the city, especially during rush hour times.

But traveling from Gatwick Airport to London on the Gatwick Express was far easier and way more pleasant.

The ride from the Gatwick Airport train station to Central London’s Victoria Station on the direct Gatwick Express was a 30-minute breeze.

I liked that this is a train (not a subway) and that the train station is easy to access, with a major upgrade on the way. Trains run every 15 minutes and travelers can use an Oyster smartcard to pay for rides. Prices vary by time and type but are discounted 10% when purchased online or via the app.

Trains from Gatwick also go to the Sussex coasts, for example, Brighton and Eastbourne.

It would have been easy to transfer to underground Tube lines once I arrived at Victoria Station, but my hotel was an easy 10-minute walk and along the way, I passed the Victoria Palace Theatre, where Hamilton is playing.

As I mentioned, Gatwick Airport mascot Gary Gatwick is my tour guide this week, and he received a very enthusiastic welcome at the check-in desk at the St. James’ Court.

Our agenda this week will include a lot of touring in London, Brighton, and West Sussex – all places easily accessible from Gatwick Airport.

So please stay tuned as we catch up on our adventures each day. Have some tips on places we should go? Please add them to the comments.

Airlines continue coronavirus response

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Alaska Airlines has added a “Peace of Mind’ cancellation and fee waiver policy to help travelers worried about what might happen next with the coronavirus.

The peace of mind waiver doesn’t apply to flights you may have booked months ago, only for new bookings.

But if you book a flight prior to March 12 and then decide by that date to change or cancel your trip, this might help. If you decide to cancel, Alaska is offering full travel credit for a flight up to one year from the issuance of your credit. Although fare differences when you rebook will appy.

JetBlue announced a similar program earlier in the week:

“Due to evolving coronavirus concerns, we are suspending change and cancel fees for all new flight bookings made between February 27, 2020 and March 11, 2020 for travel through June 1, 2020,” JetBlue says.

The airline notes that there are no current travel restrictions to the locations they fly. But it seems travelers have jitters and airline bookings are down everywhere. So JetBlue, Alaska and likely others shortly – will be taking action to reassure travelers and encourage them to continue getting on planes.

How are coronavirus concerns affecting your travel plans?

JetBlue’s charming Marine Air Terminal at LGA

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Marine Air Termional at LGA – courtsey Library of Congress

In New York, JetBlue moved all of its LaGuardia Airport flights to Terminal A – the historic Marine Air Terminal – in December 2017.

Courtesy JetBlue

18 flights a day now operate out of this space, which offers passengers a private-terminal feel, a Mamava nursing pod, a CIBO Express Market with plenty of New York-themed souvenirs and Salotto, a farm to table Italian restaurant created by the airport hospitality company, OTG.

To celebrate the first year of operations at the LGA’s Marine Air Terminal, JetBlue and OTG hosted a terminal tour and tasting lunch at Salotto.

Here are some snaps from the day.

Historic rotunda at LGA Marine Air Terminal – Harriet Baskas

Passengers enter the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia through the historic rotunda and pass under “Flight,” a circular Works Progress Administration (WPA) mural by artist James Brooks that was completed in 1942, covered over in the 1950s, but restored in 1980.

Courtesy JetBlue

Check-in and the security checkpoint areas are just beyond the rotunda.

photo Harriet Baskas

A CIBO Express market with plenty of grab-n-go items and New York- themed souvenirs is on the short ramp leading up to the gate areas.

Cibo Express at JetBlue Marine Air Terminal A at LaGuardia. Photo Harriet Baskas

Lounge seating, the 4-gate hold area and OTG’s farm to table Italian restaurant, Salotto, are at the top of the ramp.

Photo Harriet Baskas


In addition to an extensive list of cocktails (starting with an aperol spritz; end with an espresso martini), Salotto’s menu offers a wide range of appetizers (try ricotta toast or the meatballs), sandwiches and more than a dozen varieties of good-sized Neopolitan-style, fresh-made pizzas that range in price from $9 to $16.

Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways top passenger satisfaction survey

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Alaska Airlines and JetBlue have come out on top of this year’s J.D. Power and Associates 2012 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which was released today.

The highly regarded study found that after two years of consecutive industry improvements, overall passenger satisfaction has declined slightly (to 681 index points on a 1,000-point scale—down from 683 in 2011) and that “attributes pertaining to a carrier’s process and people, rather than price, are more highly correlated with passengers’ intentions to fly with an airline again in the future.”

Travelers reported increased satisfaction with so-called low-cost carriers for the third consecutive year (up 3 index points from 2011 to a 754 average), but satisfaction with traditional carriers was down (the decline was 4 points, to 647).

“Passengers want it all,” Stuart Greif, J.D. Power’s vice president and general manager of the global travel and hospitality practice, said in a statement. “The airline industry is caught between trying to satisfy customers who demand low prices, high-quality service and comfort, and contending with the economic challenges of profitably operating an airline.”

In the traditional network carrier rankings, Alaska Airlines ranks highest overall for the fifth consecutive year, performing well in four of the seven factors: boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; check-in; and reservation. Air Canada was just just 1 index point behind Alaska Airlines in this segment, with high rankings in the cost and fees, in-flight services and aircraft factors.

Delta Air Lines moved up two rank positions to third and was the only traditional carrier to improve from 2011, by 9 index points.

In the low-cost carrier rankings, JetBlue Airways ranked highest for a seventh consecutive year, performing well in the in-flight services and aircraft categories. JetBlue was followed closely by Southwest, which performed well in four factors: cost and fees; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in; and reservation. Neither airline charges a fee (yet) for a passenger’s first checked bag.

The study measures overall customer satisfaction based on performance in seven factors (in order of importance): cost and fees; in-flight services; boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservation.

You can read more details here.

JetBlue’s summer reading program

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JetBlue and PBS kids have rolled out a fun literacy program that will not only entertain kids, but help keep the cabin noise level in check.

The program has several elements, but here at StuckatTheAirport.com we’re most pleased to learn that kids on JetBlue flights this summer will receive a free activity kit with reading games, including this fun word find exercise.

Kids and their parents can also download a reading activity kit, create a summer reading list, log reading minutes and do other activities. And for every reader that registers on SoarwithReading.com, JetBlue will make a book donation to a child through First Book, up to 10,000 books.

Soar with Reading will also be giving $10,000 worth of children’s books to one community’s library. Another library will receive $2,500 worth of books and five other libraries will receive $500 worth of books, courtesy of Random House Children’s Books and JetBlue. You can nominate a library and, as a reward, be entered to win a vacation package to the Bahamas.

So it’s win-win-win all around.