Too good to be true???

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I was planning to fly SLC-PHL this Saturday to drive to Princeton to help DS pack and store stuff and help get him home for the summer. I’ve got refundable tickets on Southwest, and I check the internet daily for deals on various airports that would also work (PHL and EWR are best, JFK should work fine).</p>

<p>Today I see that Jetblue has a few flights early this week SLC-JFK at unbelievable prices. So I try to book one to see what happens, figuring it’s a system error, but worth a try.</p>

<p>So I get a nonstop red eye for, get this, $10, plus $11 taxes and fees. When I go to choose a seat, it says only premium seats are left, so I’m given the option of paying for a premium seat or taking whatever’s left when I check in. Not wanting to sit between two fat guys on a red eye I opt for an aisle exit row seat. $40 premium. I figure that in the end this is too good to be true and the system won’t process the payment, etc.</p>

<p>Wrong! In the end I’ve got a NS to JFK for $61 all in, airfare, taxes, seat assignment, payment processed, confirmation number in hand. There were no cheap return fares, so I figure I’ll keep the SWA PHL-SLC for DS and I to come home.</p>

<p>What’s the catch? The Jetblue flight is a Wednesday night red eye, arriving JFK Thursday around 7 a.m. and DS won’t want to see me until after hiis last final Friday, so I’ve got to get out of JFK in rush hour and figure out how to kill a couple days in or around the city or drive to P and hang out.</p>

<p>My first thought was to visit a favorite aunt in Ithaca, but she’ll be out of town.</p>

<p>The other catch is that DW was planning on comming, too, but with the Wednesday departure she thinks it better to stay home with DD. I agree, but while 2 unplanned days in NYC w/ DW would be great, 2 days on my own is less so.</p>

<p>So I’m in a mini-crisis. Take the $10 flight and deal with what may be a trip from hell, or go back to plan A through Philly?</p>

<p>Please give me advice, including how to kill the two days if I fly on the cheap.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>Take the bus into the city. Stay in a relatively inexpensive hotel (test your karma: try priceline?). See a play using the half-price ticket booth. </p>

<p>Or take the train to Princeton (after the bus into NYC) and spend the two days relaxing in the library and touring the local attractions.</p>

3

<p>Jetblue’s offering certain flights for $10 to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Lucky you for stumbling on that!</p>

4

<p>I would fly into JFK and rent a car. Drive east and spend two nights in the Hamptons … preferably Montauk … on the water. Then, drive back to Princeton … probably going around the Staten Island route … but maybe I’d take the ferry and go through Connecticut. I suppose you could alternatively drive to the Jersey Shore … and then head for P’ton.</p>

5

<p>I saw a headline on super air deals and this must be it.</p>

<p>It may be a worthwhile ruse to fill seats for certain flights.</p>

<p>It’s a fair transaction between willing parties - no need to feel guilty.</p>

6

<p>Jetblue does a lot of publicity stunt pricing, almost every week in fact, if you’re willing to make plans on short notice.</p>

<p>(though not always this good or this broad - this week is $10 fares on almost all flights 5/11 or 5/12)</p>

7

<p>Rent a car drive all the way to Atlantic City… (there are buses from NYC to Atlantic City too).</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK !!!</p>