$15 off JetBlue Holiday Flights!

Get Money Back on Your Already Cheap Airfare

To help with the holiday rush of flights, JetBlue is adding some new planes to their roster starting December 19 through January 6. Unfortunately, these planes have yet to be fitted with JetBlue's LiveTV system. This means that per JetBlue policy, you're entitled at a $15 redemption from your flight ticket. With the FAA allowing electronics for use during whole flights and the amazing tablets, laptops, and phones we have, missing some basic cable on a flight isn't as big of a deal as it once was. Plus, JetBlue will be throwing in some complimentary books, magazines, and playing cards to make sure you don't get too bored on your flight to see your loved ones.

If you haven't booked yet or want to change your flight to take advantage of this free money back, try to get on one of these flights:

Flight Number	Origin/Destination
B6 #3	New York City, NY/San Juan, PR
B6 #4	San Juan, PR/New York City, NY
B6 #661	New York City, NY/Bridgetown, Barbados
B6 #662	Bridgetown, Barbados/New York City, NY
B6 #1103	New York City, NY/San Juan, PR
B6 #1204	San Juan, PR/New York City, NY
B6 #1601	New York City, NY/Fort Lauderdale, FL
B6 #1802	Fort Lauderdale, FL/New York City, NY

Just remember that not all of these flights will be on the new TV-less A321 aircraft - but the odds aren't bad!

- John

Fly-Fi Still Looking Great

12 Mbps (Mega-bytes per seat) 

It wasn't too long ago that JetBlue's Fly-Fi got it's first real test with decent, but not great, reviews. Not too long later they decided to up the ante for a stress test: a flight full of blogging, streaming, Instagramming journalists on a flight that started and ended at JFK for the sole purpose of putting the wireless internet to the test. Not bad for a budget airline.

So what did Engadget have to say? "...the connection was much faster on the plane than it was in the JFK terminal..." which to me is a fairly impressive statement to make about in-flight wifi. Zach, from Engadget, was able to load 720p YouTube videos with only a moment or two of buffering and if it truly was faster than on the ground at JFK, color me impressed.

In addition to the A320s that currently have Fly-Fi, 737s have also begun to be equipped with the service thanks to JetBlue's subsidiary LiveTV. For the time being, Big Blue is still the only airline, let alone the only cheap airline, that is offering these types of speeds for a fair $9 per hour - but that's only if you want to use high definition streaming. Until June 2014, using Fly-Fi for plain old browsing the Internet will be free, as in beer. 

So if you're waiting to board your always affordable flight purchased through JetBlue and see the logo above by the boarding door entrance, you're in for a treat! Relax and enjoy cutting edge Wi-Fi speeds for free courtesy of JetBlue. For more information and FAQ, visit the JetBlue Fly-Fi page.

I'm hoping I get to try it out on my next flight out of JFK, but if have tried it let me know what you think!

Update: Check out BlueTales to find out what flights in the next 24 hours will have Fly-Fi onboard!

 - John

Blue's News Dec 10

What's new with JetBlue

• Thanksgiving may be over and done, but that just means we're in the official holiday season! If you're flying through T5 to get to your family and loved ones, there are a couple seasonal changes to the airport that can make your travel less crazy: roaming carolers, a photo booth, the new Airspace Lounge, and of course a free adult beverage with the JetBlue American Express card on your flight. Check out this and more tips for safe budget holiday flight info at BlueTales.

• Also at T5, until December 20th, Kate Spade is setting up a special pop-up installation to brighten up the decor and will be giving away free prizes!

Post by JetBlue Airways.

• Don't forget you can donate your TrueBlue points that you aren't using on airfare and have double the impact this holiday season thanks to JetBlue matching donations!

• That's all for this week! Stay tuned for an upcoming detailed post on the JetBlue Amex, which I have been waiting to post points to my TrueBlue account for quite some time.

- John

Congress's Air Tax: An Unfair Proposition?

JetBlue Is Against the Proposed Tax Hike

According to BlueTales, on a $300 round trip ticket 20% of the cost, on average, does to fees and taxes imposed upon the aviation industry. Currently flying is taxed under the same sinful area as tobacco and alcohol. Now, Congress is proposing a 100% increase on a TSA tax, from $2.50 to $5.00 and the White house is in support of tripling it. This increase is meant to tackle budget deficits, but has no actual correlation with increased security or personnel hires within the TSA.

A few facts about the current situation:

• From 2007 to 2012, the TSA budget increased 19% even though the number of screens performed dropped by 11%.
• The aviation industry is subject to 17 different federal and state taxes.
• Last year passengers paid nearly $2 billion in security taxes when flying.

Is there a lot more to this than meets the eye? That always tends to be the case when it comes to politics and matters of policy. In this case though, this seems to be a transparent grab at funding increasing for an arm of the government whose usefulness has already been called into question in recent years despite more and more money getting pumped into the TSA's coffers. There is no apparent or explicit benefit that we, as passengers, could be gaining by this increase in security tax. It puts strains on the already fragile airline industry, drives up already expensive ticket prices, and sets a dangerous precedent for future moves of similar nature. 

If you'd like to speak out to your representative about your feelings on the tax, you can do so easily at Stop Air Tax Now and stand up with Airlines for America, the Consumer Travel Alliance, IATA, ALPA, and RAA to oppose the additional taxes. I have taken the short amount of time needed to voice my opinion and hope you do too! Traveling shouldn't have to be un-affordable by way of taxes and now is an opportunity to prevent rising costs.

 - John