Is JetBlue pass a good deal? Maybe
Posted
Aug 13 2009, 04:07 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Everybody in the travel world is talking about JetBlue's new All-You-Can-Jet-Pass for $599, which gives you unlimited flights for a month. Is it a good deal or isn't it?
It depends on where you want to go and how many trips you want to take.
For a business traveler who flies frequently between two points on the JetBlue map, it might be a good deal, Sarah Morgan of SmartMoney notes. It might also be a good deal for people in commuter relationships, someone flying weekly to check up on aging parents or even someone who has friends and family in a number of JetBlue cities and wants to spend a month visiting them all.
Bing: Jet Bue
With the pass, you can pick any flight with available seats, even if the cheap seats are sold out. Taxes are included for domestic tickets but you'll need to pay additional taxes for trips to Puerto Rico and international destinations.
The pass is good for travel between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8 and must be purchased by Aug. 21. To purchase the pass, you must become a TrueBlue member. You have to call to purchase passes and book your flights (1-800-538-2583), but the airline won't charge its customary $15 fee for phone bookings. Travel must be reserved three days in advance and cancelled three days in advance to avoid fees. You can see the rest of the fine print here. JetBlue doesn't charge a fee for the first checked bag. The second is $30.
JetBlue has tried a number of marketing tactics to boost travel lately, including offering refunds to travelers who lose their jobs after they've booked tickets, giving triple miles to frequent flyers and announcing deals on the microblogging service Twitter.
Air passes aren't unusual, but most of them are restricted to travelers who don't live in the region or must be bought in connection with an international ticket, notes the Independent Traveler, which has a comprehensive list. Travelers from Europe can get passes to travel around the United States that aren't available to U.S. residents.
If you've got plenty of time to travel and really want to cover some ground, consider an around-the-world airline ticket, one of the best deals around, which is usually good for a year of travel. Prices start around $1,500 -- which is what we paid for an around-the-world ticket in 1988.
Or, you can get a Greyhound Discovery pass for $499 for 60 days or a USA Railpass from Amtrak for 30 days for $579.
Related reading:
Airlines that won't survive swine flu
5 minute guide to travel deals
The secrets behind crazy airfares
Air passengers need a break
