Got my first flights on JetBlue over the Thanksgiving weekend. =20 28 Nov OAK-LGB Flight 243 A320-232 The web page for JetBlue said recommended check in of 90 minutes. = However, I think this is only for people checking in luggage (I only had = a carry-on) for there was no one at the check-in counter at the gate = until about 40 minutes before the flight. Service onboard was below = that of Southwest. No sodas served on this flight (it left at 0850) so = I got some water. The flight attendant handed me the bottle and was = going on to the next row when I asked for a cup of ice. She looked at = me like I was asking for a meal! No peanuts - would have preferred = these over the New York Style Bagel Chip Mix, Blue Chips, and Biscotti. = They served the drinks first then came by with the snack. Would have = made more sense to serve both at the same time. (Two flight attendants = served two sections of the aircraft - one carrying the = juices/water/coffee and the other carrying the ice on the first trip = through then one came through with the snacks). 29 Nov LGB-OAK Flight 252 A320-232 Arrived at the airport 1.5 hours early. Was able to print my own = boarding pass in the terminal without having to wait in line. This was = a good thing because either the airport or JetBlue requires a boarding = pass before going into the gate area. (I saw a sign about boarding pass = required at the entrance to the JetBlue gate area; didn't see one at the = other airlines) Scheduled departure was 1750. Flight left at 19:50 due to an evacuation = of the airport. The airport was evacuated for just over 2 hours, not 90 = minutes like the airport personnel told the media. A person's laptop = tested (falsely) for a bomb. The owner didn't pick it up after going = through security so the terminal was evacuated. It took the bomb squad = over an hour to get to the airport. Unlike the people who got = compensated for a mechanical delay back east, there was no offer of = compensation for people on this flight, although when the plane was = nearly empty at OAK, the flight attendant mad an announcement about = "those people who were talked to will get a credit if they call into = reservations with their flight conformation number." Don't know if this = was refering to credit for their frequent flyer program or for cash. Overall impressions First, it was great to have American citizens who spoke English at the = security checkpoints. They were also polite and helpful. They reminded = people to empty their pockets of all metal, including coins, etc. They = were all alert and had a smile on their face. Having flown on Southwest many times, it's only natural that I compare = my airline flights with them. I believe Southwest has the best service = of any airline I've flown on. With Southwest being a 10 (top service), = JetBlue falls in at about 7.5 to 8. One thing about JetBlue is that they accept e-mail comments and = complaints from their web page. On Saturday, I e-mailed them with my = observations (those mentioned above and a couple of others), then left = the house. I was really pleasantly surprised to find a full answer = waiting for me 2 hours later (not just an acknowledgement of my e-mail = but a full answer!) - and this was on the Saturday of a 4 day weekend! I = wrote back saying thank you for the rapid response. This is something = that I wish Southwest did. I will be flying to LGB on Christmas Day, again on JetBlue. Will be = interesting to see how the service is then. LGB: Long Beach=20 OAK: Oakland David Ross http://home.attbi.com/~damiross/