- JetBlue and American Airlines have similar rankings in Money's report of the best and worst US airlines, though American Airlines has a slight edge.
- I recently flew round-trip from New York to Austin with one flight operated by JetBlue and one flight operated by American Airlines, and although they were similar, I found that the JetBlue flight had a slight edge in my own experience.
- I flew nonstop economy from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) with JetBlue.
- I flew nonstop economy from ABIA to JFK with American Airlines.
- JetBlue's edge over American Airlines was clear from the start, thanks to JetBlue's location at the state-of-the-art Terminal 5 at JFK.
- My in-flight experience further secured my opinion, thanks to JetBlue's reputation for having the most legroom in US domestic economy class seating.
From the very beginning, Terminal 5 at JFK was more interesting than your average moving walkway.
JetBlue's check-in process at JFK provides an inviting experience for all travelers. I felt valued as a customer as soon as I began my journey.
This had a lot to do with JetBlue's presentation at JFK. Aside from sharing with a few smaller airlines, JetBlue pretty much has its own terminal ...
Source: Travel and Leisure
... which is clean and organized with pops of color.
Different colored lights help direct travelers through the entire check-in process, from getting luggage tags and printing boarding passes ...
... to dropping off checked baggage.
American Airlines' check-in process at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport wasn't anything special.
But Austin's airport is much smaller than JFK, so I expected a smaller, underwhelming check-in area.
At Austin's airport, American Airlines shares a terminal with 14 other airlines, including JetBlue.
But regardless of the significant difference in check-in experiences, waiting to board my American Airlines' flight was similar to my experience waiting to board my JetBlue flight.
While my gate was less crowded for my JetBlue flight ...
... there were still plenty of empty seats at my gate for my American Airlines gate as well.
If anything, I had a much easier time finding my gate for my American Airlines flight ...
... whereas my gate at JFK was in a much larger terminal.
In both cases though, I got to where I needed to be on time. I was at gate 27 for my JetBlue flight ...
... and I was at gate 32 for my American Airlines flight.
For both flights, I was in the last boarding group. I just listened to music while I was waiting for my turn to board.
For both flights, the boarding process ran smoothly.
But when I was waiting in line to board my JetBlue flight, I noticed this neat playroom designed to entertain children. It made me wish I was a kid again, or at least wish I had a kid with me so I could play inside without judgment.
With JetBlue, I was aboard an Airbus A320.
With American Airlines, I was aboard a Boeing 737-800, and they were very similar planes.
Source: Business Insider
JetBlue's Airbus A320 has 162 seats.
Source: Jet Blue
There are two versions of the AA Boeing 737-800. I was on version two — which has 12 more seats than version one — for a total of 172 seats.
Source: American Airlines
JetBlue's overhead bins fit suitcases as big as 22 inches long and nine inches wide ...
Source: Jet Blue
... and American Airlines' overhead bins have the exact same restrictions.
Source: American Airlines
JetBlue's seats were 17.8 inches wide ...
Source: Jet Blue
... with a whopping 34-inch seat pitch. That's more legroom than any other US domestic airline offers in economy seating.
American Airlines' seats were between 16.6-17.8 inches wide, depending on your seat. While the headrests were more comfortable than JetBlue's, the seats on my American Airlines flight were noticeably smaller once I had someone sitting next to me.
Source: American Airlines
Also, American Airlines only had a 30-inch seat pitch, making the overall flight experience a little less comfortable.
Source: American Airlines
But at least American Airlines had a USB port for every seat, which is something my JetBlue flight didn't have. But while American Airlines had power ...
... JetBlue had screens.
Screens are becoming less common on flights in order to shrink economy seats. Many passengers bring their own devices nowadays, and seatback entertainment systems can quickly become obsolete.
Source: New York Times
JetBlue's entertainment options was a perfect example of that. Their in-flight entertainment included a choice of three movies, Direct TV, and Sirius XM.
Source: Jet Blue
They also included access to Amazon Prime Video via your own device, but mine wasn't charged. And none of the movies interested me, so I watched Direct TV.
American Airlines also had many in-flight entertainment options ...
... but only to stream on your own device.
My experience on the American Airlines flight was a bit sickening. There was high turbulence and it was cold ...
... even after I turned off my air-conditioning.
Comparatively, my experience with JetBlue was smooth.
Both flights left on time and arrived a few minutes early.
Overall, I'd say that for these two flights, JetBlue had the slightest edge over American Airlines because of the pleasant check-in process in Terminal 5 and more comfortable flight experience overall.
But I would fly domestic economy on either airline again.
