Summary
- RDU and NYC are well connected with multiple carriers. The airport lounges and virtual cafe are convenient and enjoyable.
- Boarding on JetBlue was delayed but organized. Even More Space seating was comfy. Entertainment and WiFi were simple and reliable.
- Coffee and cheese made the flight enjoyable, and the crew was gracious and attentive.
The capital of North Carolina and the New York City area are quite well connected, with multiple carriers offering daily connections. As I recently completed a status match with JetBlue, I was excited to see if the experience measured up to the expectations.
Breakfast and Boarding
I arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) well in advance of my flight to New York City, having previously checked in on the JetBlue app. This allowed me to input my Known Traveller Number, which was displayed on my virtual boarding pass with the TSA PreCheck indicator.
Note: Breeze Airways and Sun Country Airlines moved to Terminal 1 in April 2024.
The TSA PreCheck line was swift and painless, and I was able to leave my shoes on. Once airside, the gates are all organized intuitively along one concourse. The airport has three lounges: an Admirals Club, Delta Sky Club, and a United Club. Since I was not flying on another carrier and there were no third-party or Priority Pass lounges, I went to the virtual cafe.
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The getREEF Virtual Food Hall is one of my favorite parts of the airport. It provides preorders and ordering at the kiosk for a range of eateries across the airport. The combined order is then prepared and placed in a locker. Once ready, the service sends you a text message with the access code (and optional QR code) to unlock the lockers with your food.
Boarding was delayed due to the inbound plane arriving later than expected. Announcements were made at the gate and through the mobile application with the updated timings. Airport personnel ran onto the ramp as soon as passengers disembarked to clean the aircraft, and boarding commenced in a timely and organized manner.
Raleigh-Durham International: North Carolina’s Second-Busiest Airport
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is not only vital for North Carolina but the United States’ Mid-Atlantic region too.
The flight was mostly full in economy, but there was plenty of space in the Even More Space section. I had been presented with the option to choose an “Even More Space” seat during the online check for no additional charge as one of the perks of Mosaic status, which I promptly took advantage of.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
The Airbus A220 on the route is configured in a 2+3 seating arrangement, and as I had nobody in the seat next to me, it made for a spacious and comfortable journey. The legroom left nothing to complain about, and there was plenty of space for my things on the tray table.
Electricity and entertainment
I could connect to the WiFi, but it did not automatically load regular websites. I went to flyfi.com as instructed, where I was presented with a selection of two ads to watch in order to enable the Internet. Which subsequently worked for the duration of the trip. The power was organized and included two universal chargers and USB-C ports.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
The inflight entertainment system was simple and easy to use. The starting offered simple instructions for proceeding in English or Spanish, and the homepage offered a very easy-to-navigate menu with tiles for each entertainment category and various additional information, including menus, WiFi network information, a meditation section, children areas, games, and exclusive inflight access to NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The airline also has a partnership with DirectTV for live television streaming.
I found the display quite intuitive and enjoyed the way it was laid out. The route map and flight information section was fascinating as it even included the name of the aircraft flying us.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
I had previously noticed a little sign saying “Blue Let The Dogs Out” while boarding, which suddenly made much more sense.
Coffee and cheese (the essentials)
Shortly after takeoff, I smelled a delightful coffee aroma wafting from the galley. The cabin crew came around with a beverage service, followed by a snack cart. I ordered a coffee, which was as good as it smelled, and a cheese platter.
Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying
As a TrueBlue Mosaic 2 member, I was entitled to three alcoholic drinks per flight (all customers receive them on transatlantic routes). I was offered a Baileys to accompany my coffee, soft drinks, and all the other expected options.
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The flight went by quickly, and the crew informed us with regular updates regarding the status of the flight and our arrival time into New York JFK, just under 20 minutes after our originally scheduled arrival time.
Overall, I found the cabin crew to be exceptionally gracious and observant, especially since this was already their second flight of the day, and it was only breakfast time. The coffee, which was Dunkin Donuts brand, was a welcome touch, and the cheese platter was enjoyable as well. I did not stick around to wait for checked luggage to arrive, and I was on the AirTrain JFK to New York City in no time.
