For the second installment of our 4 part series on innovation cases that will be presented at World Innovation Forum New York on May 5 & 6, 2009, I would like to tell you about a recent visit to JFK Airport during which I had the pleasure of flying out of the newly opened and reinvented Terminal 5 (T5). I was only sorry that my plane was precisely on time which meant that I had no time to enjoy the new T5 experience. Yes, you heard me correctly, I was SORRY that I was NOT delayed! If you have not yet been to T5, you have to make it your business to fly into or out of New York on JetBlue at your next opportunity. Spearheaded by Rick Blatstein, CEO of OTG Management, the travel experience on Jet Blue and through Terminal 5 at JFK has been reborn.
T5 opened last month and is unlike anything we have seen or experienced to date. I believe that it will be a model for the rest of the world as airports around the globe rush to upgrade the experience for travelers who begrudgingly trudge through terminals. Not only is everything at T5 brand new, sleek, and state of the art - something travelers in and out of NY are unaccustomed to - but also, the terminal is full of great shopping and dining at restaurants featuring cuisine of world renowned chefs. I predict that T5 and Jet Blue will become a destination and carrier of choice, finally relieving passengers of the feeling of being held hostage by the airlines. Instead, passengers will decide that they need to fly Jet Blue and they need to fly out of T5.
Included in a recent press release about T5 and issued by JetBlue was the following:
"From day one Terminal 5 will welcome more than 30 percent of JFK's annual customer traffic," said Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways. "The terminal is designed specifically with our customers in mind, and we have created a new standard in both comfort and service that everyone can enjoy. Its unique amenities will create a stress free on-the-ground experience for JetBlue customers that will match the innovative and award-winning experience JetBlue is known for in the air."
Although there are many innovations incorporated into T5 such as a large central security checkpoint capable of accommodating 20 screening lanes, free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal, and grandstand seating under a 40-foot-diameter digital ring of LCD monitors perhaps the best is the gate area program called re:vive that allows customers to use touch-screen monitors to order meals for delivery to the gate areas. Here is a picture that I took of re:vive when I was there.
Centered at the top of the terminal, notice the OTG logo. OTG Management is the company which is overseeing all food and beverage concessions at T5. The way in which OTG conceived, proposed, and executed this concept is an innovation in and of itself. Rick Blatstein, OTG's CEO will be joining the roster at World Innovation Forum next May to describe the ways in which his project at T5 is illustrative of major innovation theories such as Clayton Christensen's Disruptive Innovation and Renee Mauborgne's and Chan Kim's Blue Ocean Strategy.
Having been to T5, I can honestly say that if I have to suffer a flight delay, there is nowhere I would rather spend 5 hours waiting for a flight than at T5. With that in mind, please tell us your worst airport experience...
Oh, and to learn more about Rick's session and the entire World Innovation Forum program, please visit www.wifny.com.
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