EWR or JFK for UC experience?

Just trying to decide whether to fly from JFK or EWR, and since it doesnt make a whole lot of difference to me, I thought I might just go for which ever offers the better experience.
I will always choose JFK for BA, but I am not familiar enough with VS out of NY.

Which Clubhouse is better?

quote:Originally posted by clubman
Just trying to decide whether to fly from JFK or EWR, and since it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me, I thought I might just go for which ever offers the better experience.
I will always choose JFK for BA, but I am not familiar enough with VS out of NY.

Which Clubhouse is better?



JFK vote here after my experience at Christmas [y]

[HighFlyer]

Another vote for JFK, and I'd be surprised if that wasn't the unanimous result. JFK is a very stylish Clubhouse with hot food, a full bar and some of the staff are real assets. The EWR Clubhouse is a lot smaller than JFK's operation and IIRC has some restrictions on hot food because of its location.

JFK Clubhouse is lovely - what isnt so lovely is the usual hour wait on the tarmac at JFK while queuing to take off (so EWR can be preferential in that respect), though if you are in UC and in no real hurry then that shouldnt matter so much.

Thanks,
Sarah

Newark is nasty. Fly out of JFK... The lounge is a lot nicer, and you'll have a much better experience getting through the airport.

Bon Voyage!

Just arrived home this morning from JFK & enjoyed the delights of VA's clubhouse. Whilst not on the scale of LHR it's an all around very pleasant experience. I've never flown out of Newark so can't comment on that.

You know, I kinda like EWR. Last time I was there the chef came out with the food, the buffet was excellent, there is a bar, the wait staff will bring anything to your seat, and all around they made it a very accommodating experience.

In comparison, the JFK clubhouse is larger, better lit, has views, but I find the staff can be a bit hurried and impersonal. Added to this, it really needs a makeover - especially the showers / lavatories (pipes handing off walls, cracked tiles etc. do not make a nice experience).

All in - I'm 50:50 and to be honest I'd choose whichever had the more convenient flight.

Here's a consideration: arriving into JFK from somewhere else in the US, or will you already be in the New York area? Flights at JFK, inbound and outbound, have been much worse than usual this year. If you are arriving the same day as your VS flight out, go to EWR. You'll have a better chance of arriving on time and enjoying the CH before your flight out.

What's the point of getting to JFK so late you can't use the CH at all? It's usually #1 or #2 on the list of flight delays year-round. American internal airlines mostly stink at on-time arrivals. Been there and done that one myself!

JFK - Who can pass up the fridge full of Ice Cream?

Is the EWR Clubhouse still landside?

It's been two or three years, but unlike SFO (also a landside CH location) I remember EWR being horrible getting through the security.

H

quote:Originally posted by zootvd
Newark is nasty.


How dare you![V]

100% agree that Newark is nasty. As someone else pointed out, the downside to JFK is the hour long wait on the tarmac as you taxi around the airport. If possible, never take the last flight out of JFK as the delays get longer as the night goes on.

I agree with baldbrit about trying not to take the last flight out of JFK if possible.
I always think to myself that IF it as cancelled then there's no chance of getting a VA later flight tht evening. If you take an earlier flight that is cancelled (highly unlikely though) then you have a chance of geting your backside on a VA later flight.
I have to say that all the staff I have encountered at JFK CH have been very polite & friendly.[:D][^][y]

Well I might have never flown UC, but I've had nothing but good experiences from VS018, the EWR morning flight. Almost nonexistent, or at least very short, lines at security and relatively minor taxiing delays. Both airports are pretty horrible in the afternoon.

[ChuckC]

I'd actually vote for EWR. While the JFK CH is a great space and the food and beverage offerings are good, EWR's a more accessible airport with less chaos overall, and the transportation options to/from NYC are the same as JFK. As for the Clubhouse at EWR yes, it is small. Though a windowless space it is comfortable. There is a nightly buffet with both hot and cold offerings, trolley-delivered hors d'ouevres and desserts, a full bar and the same newspapers and magazines we like at JFK.

Chuck-

quote:Originally posted by Howard Long
Is the EWR Clubhouse still landside?

It's been two or three years, but unlike SFO (also a landside CH location) I remember EWR being horrible getting through the security.

H


EWR is landside - security is not so bad and certainly for my last few flights better than JFK. As a frequent New York flyer here are my pros and cons:

Flights:
JFK wins of course, more in the evening and therefore better choice especially if you miss an earlier booking.

Clubhouse:
JFK is probably better overall but I find the shabbiness of it rather offputting, EWR is more personal IMO.

Delays:
EWR wins here hands down, JFK is horrid for taxi-ing and general delays (e.g. immigration on entry too). This alone makes EWR preferable to me.

Planes:
Evens - both have a mix of 346s and 747s though I see that the VS010 to JFK is now a 343 so I'd avoid that like the plague.

Airports:
JFk is better for the facilities, food choices and shops than EWR where these are much more limited - e.g. if you don't go in the clubhouse, which I do. That said - every time I go to JFK I think why the f*** does Virgin have to use gates 28, 30 and 32, they are so far to walk to, even Ukraine air gets a shorter walk. But then VS does gates 36+ at LHR which are a hike and now I hear remote gates at MAN ... it's clearly a VS thing to make their customers walk a long way ...

Crew:
Lovely gals and guys as ever!

[Decker]

I don't like the fact that there is only 1 WC at EWR so if someone is hogging it....

Originally posted by slinky09
every time I go to JFK I think why the f*** does Virgin have to use gates 28, 30 and 32, they are so far to walk to, even Ukraine air gets a shorter walk. But then VS does gates 36+ at LHR which are a hike

I always assumed that the crappy gates was a logistical thing about parking the A346? They do sometimes use the new A380 piers too at LHR.

H

By the way, I found that on EWR's website and JFK's website they have average TSA security wait times for each security area in each terminal. You'll have to play with it a bit since it updates for the day of the week you're currently on and only shows a window of about +/- 1.5 hours.