AIRWAYS SPECIAL
5 New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani , New York ’ s US Senator Chuck Schumer , and jetBlue Chairman David Neeleman walk through Buffalo Airport after the airline ’ s first flight arrived from JFK . // JETBLUE
6 jetBlue VP-Corporate Communications Gareth Edmonson- Jones and VP- Government Affairs Rob Land hold up a copy of the Buffalo News , which had a front page article about jetBlue ’ s arrival in Buffalo , as passengers board the return flight to JFK . The author is in the aisle next to Rob Land . // JETBLUE
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After landing on runway 4R , we were greeted by various New York City politicians and had to endure another round of speeches . I instead chose to walk around JFK ’ s terminals ; among the treasures I picked up was a ticket folder from BWIA .
As previous generations of Florida-bound travelers felt when Terminal 6 was National Airlines ’ Sundrome , the moment I boarded the A320 for the flight to Fort Lauderdale , I was delighted to be leaving the damp cold of New York City behind for Florida ’ s sun and warmth . While we waited for pushback , a British Airways 747- 200 , an Aerolineas Argentinas A340 , and a Lan Chile 767-300F landed on the runways behind us . We then taxied south to Runway 31L . A Saudia 747 and a United 767-200 took off , then it was our turn . As we lifted off the tarmac , we had a nice aerial view of the International Terminal and Delta ’ s ex-Pan Am Worldport before turning southwest .
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With the politicians no longer present , the mood on the plane became noticeably more relaxed , and the aisles filled with passengers talking to one another . This made it challenging for the Flight Attendants to serve snacks , which were all colored blue in honor of the airline ’ s name , and complimentary sparkling wine .
Due to haze and clouds , it was hard to see anything until we got out over the Atlantic south of North Carolina . As we started our descent into Fort Lauderdale , I saw the Florida coast on the horizon . Getting closer , I could see the line of high rises along the beach . We crossed the coast just south of downtown Fort Lauderdale , then flew west past
66 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2025 www . airwaysmag . com