Three days in advance

Three days can feel like a long time.  Or it can feel too short.  The All You Can Jet pass from JetBlue had some gotchas when planning flights three days in advance.  The terms of the pass stated you could cancel and book flights up to three days in advance with no penalty.  It gave a lot of freedom and could make for some crazy travel plans.  Any cancellations within three days often meant bad news.

Once you passed the three day mark, you faced either a cancellation fee of $50, or worse, being stranded for at least three days.  The cancellation fee wasn’t a surprise, and is actually more generous than fees other airlines charge.  It still stings in the wallet when you have to cancel unexpectedly.

What I found more frustrating was the three day advance booking requirement.  Suddenly the freedom of flying that the pass offered became very restrictive in the middle of the chaos.  In Portland, Maine, when I got stranded due to a cancelled flight, it would have been awesome to take another flight to a different destination instead of feeling like I wasted a day.

A problem I experienced, and probably countless others, was calculating three days ahead.  Sure, it isn’t hard to count three days ahead, but when you’re exhausted and don’t think clearly, you start doubting what day it is.  Further complicating the 11:59pm EST deadline was what timezone you were in.  And the hour or more wait time to talk with the overloaded AYCJ desk, which was the only authority that could make changes, at times made it nearly impossible.

Am I upset about how it went?  I’d like my money back for the cancellation that was charged after an excessive wait time on the phone that pushed it into the next day.  Other companies, such as TripIt and Hertz, automatically forgive an hour “extra”.  Things happens.  As for the three day advance booking requirement, that’s what I signed up for.  My only wish would have been able to make changes within the three day window.