TL;DR: Leg 1 of my JetBlue 25 for 25 challenge was a blur of airports, lounges, and one very silly mistake. Over four days, I hit nine destinations, racked up 10,152 miles, spent 22h 55m in the air, and spent $1320.18. Highlights included a $29 rental car in LA, my first major delay, and accidentally missing a flight because I misread the clock.
Day 1: DCA → BOS → BUF → LAX
The adventure kicked off with a Metro ride to DCA and a free lounge breakfast. Not a bad way to start a four-day sprint. A quick hop to Boston earned me a snack in the lounge there before heading to Buffalo for what turned into a 5.5-hour layover. Luckily, Buffalo has not one but two lounges, and I made the most of both with dinner before catching my flight to Los Angeles.
At LAX I scored a $29 rental car deal, drove to a friend’s place, and crashed for the night. Day 1 ended strong.
Day 2: LAX → EWR → PBI
I returned the car and hopped back into the fray. LAX to Newark was smooth, but that’s where things got messy. My connection to Palm Beach was delayed over two hours, and once we finally boarded, we spent another hour on the taxiway waiting to take off. A theme of “hurry up and wait” was starting to set in.
Day 3: PBI → FLL → BDL → RSW → HPN
Because of the delay, I landed in Palm Beach at 2 a.m. instead of 11 p.m. My plan was to grab a rental car and drive to Fort Lauderdale, but the counter had closed at 1 a.m. So I walked around the airport, deciding to wait until 3 a.m. for the first train. At least there was breakfast waiting for me in the lounge at FLL.
From there the day blurred together: up to Bradley, snack in a temporary lounge, then down to Southwest Florida. I found a comfortable chair to catch up on work before flying to White Plains. That flight wins the award for most “gate lice” I’ve ever seen. The gate agent repeatedly asked everyone to step back and give space, but no one seemed to listen. At least the day ended on a high note; family picked me up at HPN, and I spent the night with them.
Day 4: JFK → DCA (…sort of)
Day 4 was where the wheels fell off a bit. I had actually found a fantastic $42 ticket from New Haven to DC, but I completely blew it. I was hanging out with friends, lost track of time, and missed the flight entirely. Rookie move.
Instead, I scrambled and bought a last-minute ticket from JFK to DCA, adding $245 to my totals and forcing me to reshuffle my Leg 5 plans. Annoying, but in the end, everything still worked out.
Looking Back on Leg 1
Leg 1 of the JetBlue 25 for 25 challenge taught me two important lessons: delays are inevitable, and always triple-check the clock. Between the lounges, late-night trains, and family pickups, it was chaotic but fun and exactly what I expected from this project.
Next up: Leg 2, where the adventure continues.
Stats
| Airports Visited | 12 |
| Unique Destinations | 9 |
| Segments (Individual Flights) | 9 |
| Newest Aircraft Age | 1 |
| Oldest Aircraft Age | 25 |
| On and Off the Same Airplane | 0 |
| Aisle Seat Count | 6 |
| Middle Seat Count | 0 |
| Window Seat Leg | 3 |
| Total Distance (miles) | 10,152 |
| Total Time (Air + Taxi) | 29:03 |
| Total Air Time | 22:55 |
| Time Saved (Early Flights) | 1:23 |
| Time Lost (Delayed Flights) | 3:33 |
| Times Through Security | 5 |
| Times Randomly Selected | 2 |
| Times Bag Pulled | 2 |
| Lounge Visited | 6 |
Costs
| Planned | Actual | Difference | |
| jetBlue Flights | $821.49 | $1,066.97 | +$245.48 |
| Other Costs | $172.93 | $253.21 | +$80.28 |
| Total | $994.42 | $1,320.18 | +$325.76 |
| Avg | $124.30 | $146.69 | +$22.38 |