TL;DR: Leg 2 of my JetBlue 25 for 25 challenge was a short but eventful stretch. I hit seven destinations in three days, racked up 4,417 miles, spent 10h 57m in the air, and added $789.97 to the tally. Highlights included booking the wrong flight and somehow making it anyway, hitting my 15th destination milestone in Orlando, and exploring Richmond’s state house and a rooftop Cava before sprinting for a train.
Day 1: DCA → JFK → ACK → JFK → RDU
This leg started with an Uber, since the Metro doesn’t run early enough for my flight. Once at DCA, I headed to JFK and promptly decided I needed a lounge run. That meant exiting security, taking the AirTrain to Terminal 4, enjoying some lounge time, and then going back through security at my original terminal. Probably not the most efficient choice, but definitely worth it.
From there I hopped a quick flight to Nantucket, only to step right back onto the same plane and return to JFK. My layover was short, and soon I was on my way to Raleigh, where a friend picked me up at the airport. Day 1 wrapped up smoothly.
Day 2: RDU → FLL → LGA → MCO
Day 2 got interesting fast. When checking in, I realized I had booked the wrong flight out of Fort Lauderdale — the one an hour earlier than I thought I booked. That left me less than 35 minutes to connect after arriving from Raleigh. Normally that would be a disaster, but somehow I made it with time to spare. Maybe chaos is my new superpower. And somehow I did swing by the lounge to grab some food.
After breakfast in the lounge at FLL and lunch in the lounge at LGA, I flew south again to Orlando. That flight marked my 15th destination of the challenge, a nice milestone to hit on just the second leg. I grabbed the free shuttle to my hotel and called it a night.
Day 3: MCO → RIC
The next morning I took the shuttle back to the airport for a quick hop to Richmond. From the airport I grabbed a bus downtown and had just enough time to explore. Richmond has free public transit, which made it easy to move around without spending a dime. I checked out the state house (very cool in person), wandered a bit, and ended up at Cava, which had a great roof deck.
Eventually, it was time to head back. I grabbed an Uber to the train station and nearly missed my train to DC, but “nearly” is good enough.
Looking Back on Leg 2
Leg 2 had fewer flights than the first but packed in just as much chaos. Between booking the wrong flight, bouncing between lounges, and sprinting for a train, it kept me on my toes. At the same time, it was satisfying to hit the 15-destination mark so early.
Next up: Leg 3, and the adventure keeps building.
Stats
| Airports Visited | 9 |
| Unique Destinations | 7 |
| Segments (Individual Flights) | 8 |
| Newest Aircraft Age | 1 |
| Oldest Aircraft Age | 25 |
| On and Off the Same Airplane | 2 |
| Aisle Seat Count | 5 |
| Middle Seat Count | 1 |
| Window Seat Leg | 2 |
| Total Distance (miles) | 4,417 |
| Total Time (Air + Taxi) | 15:27 |
| Total Air Time | 10:57 |
| Time Saved (Early Flights) | 1:28 |
| Time Lost (Delayed Flights) | 0:25 |
| Times Through Security | 6 |
| Times Randomly Selected | 0 |
| Times Bag Pulled | 1 |
| Lounge Visited | 5 |
Costs
| Planned | Actual | Difference | |
| jetBlue Flights | $593.06 | $593.06 | +/-$0.00 |
| Other Costs | $181.25 | $196.91 | +$15.66 |
| Total | $774.31 | $789.97 | +$15.66 |
| Avg | $110.62 | $112.85 | +$2.24 |