5 Reasons I'm Loving Jet Blue

[marnie]

Traveling with kids is a challenge under the best of circumstances. Getting up at 4 a.m. to drive to Buffalo (about 90 minutes from my Fairview home) to fly to JFK and then Tampa brings a whole new set of anxieties.

However, my brother loves Jet Blue for flying with kids, so we decided to give it a try.

First, flying with individual TVs is a great gift for parents and kids alike. She could watch SpongeBob while I took in Law & Order and the woman next to us watched Animal Planet. Bring your own headphones or pay $2 to an honor box and buy a pair of Jet Blue's.

Second, we were stuck on the ground at JFK for 1.5 hours for electrical problems ... not pleasant, but the TV helps. The airline employees told us every bit of what was going on ... advising us to call family and friends to warn of the delay and suggest the Web site where they could track the flight.

Third, Jet Blue has 36 channels -- and inflight movies for $6. The airline comped the movies because of the delay.

Fourth, they have Wi-Fi in the airport, which is great for a working mom trying to tie up ends in the office.

Fifth - Don't ignore the $25 upgrade to the extra-legroom seats. These are particularly nice on a 3-hour flight to Florida (and when you spend an extra 1.5 hours on the tarmac).

Most people don't have nice things to say about flying these days. And I've been on those flights (like my last trip to Florida). But this is one airline that understands customer service and families.