There's a new airline in town. Sounds like a western. Truth is, it's not SUCH a new airline, but it is now in town. Although I'd heard that JetBlue was a great airline to fly, it was only flying out of Long Beach. And anyone who knows anything about traffic in LA realizes sometimes it can take longer to get to Long Beach airport from the valley than to get to the location you are flying to. Or so I thought. I found myself driving to Long Beach recently and realized it really wasn't so difficult to get there, and more importantly it wasn't that crowded. Mind you, I had dinner guests that particular evening and it was five thirty when I left Long Beach to drive back to Studio City. I know I can drive like Mario Andretti at times, but even given that, I found the Long Beach freeway during peak hours was maneuverable. This gave me pause as to why I wouldn't want to fly on an airline that offers $109 dollars each way to New York (for certain flights) And yet, I had yet to fly.

One morning, I saw David Neeleman being interviewed on television. I was enthralled. Here is a man who is interested in making his employees excited to come to work. But wait, the reservationists don't need to leave their house to get there. That's right, JetBlue's reservation agents' work from home. A concept unheard of in the airline industry until now. And they don't get penalized for working at home. In fact, they are valued. This is indicated by their receiving company benefits upon their first day of employment. No wonder they have a good attitude.

Every time I've called to make a reservation the hold is short. Always a plus. When I do speak with the reservation agent, they are friendly, thoughtful and informed. Recently, my husband needed to use his American Express points to fly on a flight. I was shocked to hear the reservation agent not only walk him through the process of setting up JetBlue's TrueBlue account online, but she waited on one phone while he called American Express to connect the account, so that he wouldn't have to call again to finalize the trip itinerary. I'm sorry, but I'm so tired of airline carriers hold times, it's obnoxious and gives me the distinct impression they could care less about saving you time.

Just when I was finally ready to take the plunge and drive to Long Beach to fly JetBlue, a miracle happened. JetBlue opened their flights in Burbank.  If you aren't aware of Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, it is a best-kept secret. The airport is small and easy to maneuver around in. There's plenty of parking both on the lot as well as nearby longer-term parking lots. American flies out of there, Delta, Alaska, America West, United, Southwest, Aloha and now JetBlue. How divine.

After grilling my friendly JetBlue reservationist, Dustin, I was told that their concept is to bring humanity back to the workplace. Oh, yeah, and they're serving Terra Blue potato chips, Munchee mix, and almonds to you while you watch your individual television and sit in your leather seat with extra leg room while they do it. If you want more food than that, you have to bring it yourself. I guess you can only ask for so many amenities when you're trying to bring back humanity.

How refreshing to support a company of which you believe in their ideals.
Happy flying.

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