Has anybody recently flown direct from/to Buffalo and Orlando on JetBlue?

[Weather_Lady]

Has anybody taken JetBlue's direct flights between Buffalo and Orlando lately (Flights 85 and 1586)? If so, can you weigh in on whether you had functioning seatback screens? This makes a big difference in what we pack to keep the kids (and ourselves) busy in-flight.

The last two times my family has flown on JetBlue's old (non-retrofitted) A320s like the one running this route, the planes were in terrible condition -- broken tray tables, broken arm rests, non-working reading lights, non-functioning WiFi, and non-working seatback screens, even on a 5+-hour flight to LAX! Apparently JetBlue has stopped fixing these things when they go wrong on un-refurbed planes (in anticipation that within the next year, they'll finally finish the retrofit for the whole A320 fleet). I'm just hoping things in on our upcoming flight might be a bit more... functional. We can live with the rest of the issues, but a lack of seatback screens is a biggie, since that's one of the top reasons we fly JetBlue in the first place.

 

[mariedarling]

i always fly JetBlue non stop to Orlando from New York City Area but i will say it just depends on the plane. Our December trip was a newer plane on the way and an older plane on the way home. it's noticeable but not a crazy difference. Actually on the new plane they had to reboot the entertainment system because something was not working...so it's a gamble either way.

I would suggest you bring tablets/phone for your kids just in case the in flight entertainment is not working? Back up plan!!

on netflix for instance you can Download shows on your device for non wifi situations.

 

[Lilofan]

i always fly JetBlue non stop to Orlando from New York City Area but i will say it just depends on the plane. Our December trip was a newer plane on the way and an older plane on the way home. it's noticeable but not a crazy difference. Actually on the new plane they had to reboot the entertainment system because something was not working...so it's a gamble either way.

I would suggest you bring tablets/phone for your kids just in case the in flight entertainment is not working? Back up plan!!

on netflix for instance you can Download shows on your device for non wifi situations.

I have flown into the airports in the NYC area. Biden is right. La Guardia airport remind him of a third world country.

 

[MinnieM123]

We can live with the rest of the issues, but a lack of seatback screens is a biggie, since that's one of the top reasons we fly JetBlue in the first place.

I'm not from the NY area, so I can't address those specific comments. However, I have only flown Jet Blue for over 10 years at least, and my main reason is because of the TV screens. They really help to make the flying time go by quicker (especially those flights over 3 hours). Over a year ago, I was on one of the planes that couldn't reboot the TV system (just on my side of the plane only!), and the screens went dark for the entire ride. I wasn't too happy about that!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I was on one of the planes that couldn't reboot the TV system (just on my side of the plane only!), and the screens went dark for the entire ride. I wasn't too happy about that!

I hear you! When they told us we wouldn't have any entertainment for our 5+ hour morning flight to LAX, my daughter (who is 11, and full of adolescent hormones that keep her emotions close to the surface) literally burst into tears! We'd never had that issue on JetBlue before, so we were woefully unprepared. I at least had a couple of books with me: my kids had brought nothing but their earbuds on the flight, counting on the screens for entertainment, so we passed around our phones (although the in-flight WiFi wasn't working properly either, so all they could do was play games) and my books, and played Tic-Tac-Toe on napkins, from Buffalo to Los Angeles. (I know, first world problems.) JetBlue "compensated" us with $15 per person credits which can only be used on a future JetBlue flights and expire within a year (so in other words, nothing useful, since we'd already booked our vacation travel for the following year).

I will follow @mariedarling's advice and make sure we have some backup entertainment options, but they'll probably be pretty low-tech so we're not having to charge and bring extra electronics that may not even get used: I'm thinking that for a 2.5-hour flight, a deck of cards and a couple of magazines or a book of Mad Libs should do it. And of course, there's always the option to just stare out the window!