Too good to be true???

sherpa
Mon, 10 May 2010 14:24:32 +0000

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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

Thanks in advance.