If you’re following along with my travels this week, this is the final installment. Here are the first three reports:
- Trip Report: Flying United 787 from LAX to Newark
- Uber Shuttle From EWR to NYC: Cheap, Easy and Worth It?
- Staying at Hyatt Place Times Square: What You Need to Know
While I was at IMM at the Javits Center meeting with travel PR from around the world, I decided to take my own advice and get out of dodge before the big storm. American Airlines wouldn’t change my ticket for free since I wasn’t in their timeline for fee waivers. Instead, I booked a ticket for 17,000 miles (plus $5.60) around 5 p.m. to take the last flight of the day to LAX at 9 p.m.
I had to rush back to my hotel, just 0.3 miles away, to pack and check out. Earlier in the day, I researched the most cost-effective and fastest way to the airport. I discovered a new car service called Empower, a competitor to Uber and Lyft. Their prices are 15–20% lower than the others, and if you use my referral code (3VSCE7), we each get $10.
However, looking at traffic, it was going to take over 90 minutes to get to JFK. I realized I could take the subway and AirTrain in less time for a fraction of the cost. I asked my hotel concierge where the closest subway station was for the E-Train, and she said it was just a block away. I headed down the stairs, followed the signs to Uptown, and hopped on the E.
The best part? You no longer need a MetroCard—you can just tap your credit card, smartphone, or smartwatch using the OMNY contactless payment system, which stands for One Metro New York. After more than 30 years, the MTA stopped selling MetroCards.
A single ride costs $3, and I got off at Sutphin Blvd…
…to switch to the AirTrain ($8.50), a short walk of a few hundred yards to Jamaica Station.
I was surprised to see a Tim Hortons in the station, a Canadian staple. My wife was bummed I didn’t bring her back a donut—I’m not sure what I was thinking.
I made the rookie mistake of hopping on the first car of the AirTrain, which was packed, but realized the doors weren’t closing immediately and moved to the next car with a third of the crowd.
The ride to Terminal 8 took about 15 minutes, followed by some walking up and down escalators.
TSA PreCheck had just a short line, so I zipped through security.
Terminal 8 now has improved dining options, including local favorites like Eataly, Zaro’s Bagels (I grabbed one for my daughter for $2.90), and Dos Toros Tacos.
I visited the Admirals Club near Gate 42, which was empty—probably because it’s a little depressing—but the food was good.
I checked the upgrade list and was shocked to see I was number 1 (I’m Platinum Pro). Unfortunately, there were zero seats available in Business Class (we were on an A321T), but four seats were open in First. The agent said I could only be upgraded if Economy was oversold, which it wasn’t.
I then checked with the gate agent at 37, and he said there was still hope if I waited 10 minutes. When my name was paged, I couldn’t believe it—the upgrade gods came through!
A blessing, because strong headwinds made the flight take a whopping six hours and 24 minutes, by far the longest I’ve ever flown. The flight attendant working my cabin agreed.
More good news: I finally found an American Airlines flight with free WiFi! AA just launched a partnership with AT&T for AAdvantage members, and it worked perfectly to help the flight go by faster.
What also made the flight go by faster were the hot fudge sundaes.
As well as the views. The stars were incredible and so was the moon. I just wish I was able to capture it better.
We landed after midnight, coming in over the ocean, which is always interesting. I just wish it had been a direct shot from Hawaii instead of backtracking. With so much construction at LAX, we parked at TBIT, which made for a long walk to the curb.
I saved about $35 by taking a hotel shuttle and then ordering an Uber from there (tipped the driver).
Flight info via FlightAware:
Flight AAL300
Gate Departure: 8:55PM EST
Takeoff: 9:08PM EST
Landing: 12:32AM PST
Gate Arrival: 12:41AM PST
