Doubts

This past weekend, Hurricane Irene wrecked havoc on the east coast.  To be honest, I’ve never experienced a hurricane, and hope I never do, so my vision is of lots of wind and rain, causing roofs to blow off and trees to fall thanks to various news reports.  The closest I’ve come to a strong force of mother nature is a tornado, and that was far off in the distance.  But the pictures the news reports show don’t make either force look gentle or inviting.

The airports in New York were shut down on Saturday and Sunday, affecting a number of JetBlue flights.  According to JetBlue, 1,252 flights were cancelled between Saturday and Monday.  People who found themselves stranded got on Twitter and Facebook to share their frustration with the rest of us.

This would have been the third year that JetBlue would have offered the All You Can Jet (AYCJ) pass. Sadly, it was modified into what could be a much better deal, called the BluePass, making for a whole new ball game. Between the steep price increase, the logistics of leaving from Boston (or the metal shack next to an airstrip, Long Beach), and the three-month length of the pass, just to mention a few, the pass isn’t worth the cost and benefits this time around.

JetBlue has added a few new routes to the list of places one can travel to since AYCJ.  I’ve been thinking about where I would go if the pass is offered again this year (alumni have their fingers crossed), thanks to some chatter from fellow AYCJers.

When I think of Alaska, I think of snow, cold, and ice, so cold that cars don’t start.  I’m probably completely wrong about that, and this would be one spot on my itinerary.  I hear there’s gold in Alaska!

Okay, it seemed like a great idea. Flying anywhere JetBlue flies for 30 days on the All You Can Jet pass. I mean, how hard could it be. Pick a spot, get on the plane, get off the plane. Rinse and repeat. For 30 days. Great idea!

I guess the fact of having the freedom to fly to over 60 different destinations, and the endless possibilities of what could be waiting at each destination overcame any practical common sense (at 3am, unable to sleep). I started off by scraping 425 flights off JetBlue’s timetable, departing on the 16th of September. Yeah, it took some time. It seemed like the perfect way of stringing flights together. That plan failed when I realized (late in the planning process) that some flights aren’t offered on Saturdays. Doh! Big time Doh! Leaving earlier than expected at 5:25pm on a Saturday night didn’t leave much time for sightseeing when you thought there was a late flight at night. Three hours can make a big difference.