I think all participants would agree that the day was a success. While the experience wasn’t without its small snafus, like the escalator that lurched to a stop while I was standing on it, I think the folks at jetBlue should be proud. They should be proud of their new terminal, which is gorgeous, but also proud that their company’s level of brand loyalty is so high that a large group of people showed up on the weekend, unpaid, to be a part of the trial.

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but almost as soon as I hit “publish” on my previous jetBlue post, the company’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, Todd Burke, emailed me to say hi and thank me for my enthusiasm. I got to meet Todd on-site, thanks in no small part to jetBlue’s Corporate Communications Manager (and web guru) Morgan Johnston. I was only one of the many participants Morgan chatted up through the course of the day. As busy as they were escorting high profile news outlets like The Wall Street Journal through the terminal, they were still as friendly as can be.

And really, that’s what stuck with me during the T5 trial. It was obvious that jetBlue does an amazing job of recruiting employees that are incredibly articulate and friendly. They were having fun! I’m sure they were nervous (Heathrow’s T5 debacle came up in my conversation with Morgan), but it didn’t show at all.

I’ve uploaded a few more T5 photos to the Affect Strategies Flickr account if you’re interested in checking them out. Flights out of JFK will switch from Terminal 6 to T5 in early October, so you’ll soon be able to visit for yourself. Though I wasn’t able to access the old TWA terminal, Morgan says that the Port Authority will eventually open it up for public view.

Thanks again to Todd, Morgan and the rest of the jetBlue team! Happy jetting

A couple of weeks ago, I got an invitation from jetBlue to participate in a “kick the tires” day at JFK Terminal 5. If you’ve flown out of JFK, you have probably seen the mysterious, Eero Saarinen-designed Terminal 5 peeking at you from your seat on the Air Train. It’s been out of use since TWA went out of business in the mid-90s and sitting there, empty, since.

jetBlue purchased Terminal 5 a few years ago, spiffed it up, and built a new terminal directly behind it. And this Saturday at 9am, I’ll be one of a few hundred (thousand?) people pretending to fly somewhere to make sure all the kinks are worked out before the official opening. YEAH!

I can’t describe how psyched I am to participate — as an airline and design buff, a jetBlue lover, and also as a PR pro. I haven’t seen jetBlue make any noise from a PR perspective about this tryout day, though I’m sure they’re doing it because they’re eager to avoid the catastrophe that British Airways Terminal 5 experienced on its opening day at Heathrow. (Note that BA also held a tryout day.)

I’ll give you an update next week on how the day went. My shift starts at 9am. Parking is free, and barbecue will be served for lunch. Now, the important question: should I attend “in character?” I wonder where my fake ticket says I’m headed.

Related Links
Vintage photos of T5 in service
TWA in PBS documentary Chasing the Sun
Gothamist: Saarinen’s TWA Terminal to Reopen?