I flew from New York to Los Angeles with Jetblue and saw why people are obsessed with the airline
I took a rideshare to JFK airport in New York City. Jetblue's check-in process is smooth and fairly automated.
All economy passengers get one free carry-on bag, and you can check-in online or via the app. If you don't have any checked bags, you can zoom straight to security.
I like to spend as little time as possible at airports, so I arrived at my gate as my plane was boarding. All I had to do was scan the boarding pass on my phone.
My flight was fairly full, and unfortunately, I had been placed in a middle seat: 25F.
When I got to my seat, I immediately noticed something encrusted on the seatback. I flagged down a flight attendant, who kindly brought me some wet paper towels.
As the flight continued to board, I stretched my legs — fantastic legroom — and checked out my surroundings.
There was a handy touch screen that looked fairly old. A credit card reader below it indicated that it was once pay-to-use. Not anymore.
There was also a complimentary snooze kit with earplugs and an eye mask — something I've never seen before on domestic flights in economy class.
Next, I took a look at the food and entertainment this flight had to offer.
Jetblue is really proud of the fact that it offers two things most airlines don't: free Wi-Fi. It also has free snacks.
Jetblue offers five kinds of snacks on its flights: Cheez-Its, pretzels, Pop Corners, cookies, and Terra blue potato chips.
It would be a while before the snacks were served. I resigned myself to my middle-seat fate and browsed the screen for entertainment as the flight took off.
There was actually a pretty limited selection of TV, although there was a larger selection of movies. I settled on something random to pass the time.
But alas! My screen kept glitching. It simply wouldn't play or respond to controls. I looked at my neighbors' screens, and it seemed only mine was having a problem.
Once we reached altitude, I decided it was time for some mile-high Wi-Fi.
I opened my laptop and turned on my Wi-Fi connection. There was also a three-pronged outlet and USB outlet underneath each seat.
Jetblue's network is called "Fly-Fi". You have to go to the network's website to connect.
Jetblue's Wi-Fi allows for video streaming, and the airline has partnered with Amazon to bring guests Amazon Prime video in flight. However, the Wi-Fi wasn't good enough to stream video with for most of my flight. But it was good enough for me to get some work done — albeit slowly.
Additionally, shopping through the Amazon portal on the network site earns extra TrueBlue points. I went on a shopping spree for succulents.
Finally, the drink and snack cart came by. Unfortunately, they were out of the blue chips, which felt a bit off-brand for Jetblue. What was on-brand, though, was the incredible customer service I received from the flight attendants, who were kind and helpful.
There was a "market" next to the bathrooms where you could pick up complimentary snacks and drinks at any time. But sugar and carbs didn't quite cut it for a five-hour flight.
Finally, the plane began to descend. I was still hungry, cold, and uncomfortable, but less so than I would have been on another airline.
Although the plane wasn't the cleanest or newest and the Wi-Fi was slow and spotty, Jetblue's dedication to customer service really shined through. The inclusion of Wi-Fi, the abundance of free snacks, the extra legroom, and the kind flight attendants made me feel less like a hot body crammed into a seat and more like a valued guest.
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