Use Flight Connections
https://www.flightconnections.com/route-map-jetblue-b6
- Use this tool to select any airport and see what airports it connects to.
- Look for airports that connect to multiple airports (besides JFK, BOS, and FLL).
- A few examples:
- BUF connects to LAX. Use BUF as a layover from BOS or JFK.
- LAX connects to PBI via EWR. Thats two unique destinations!
- Bonus: take the train from PBI to FLL or MIA for better connections.
- MCO is also a huge hub the the Caribbean.
- A few examples:
- Be comfortable bouncing back and forth between New York and Florida.
- Be careful of seasonal routes, Flight Connections shows them when hovering over an airport when looking at a pair of airports.
Pair Flight Connections with the jetBlue Best Fare Finder
Once you find good, efficient, effective airport pairs on Flight Connections, use the jetBlue Best Fare Finder to find cheap flights between those airport pairs. Here is how I did it:
- I first found routes with connections that weren’t JFK, BOS, or FLL.
- I then opened a few tabs of the Best Fare Finder and picked a month
- I think looked for days that had low fares that where similar across all the tabs
- Example:
- I found a good pair from DCA to MVY, MVY to BNA via JFK, and BNA to DCA via BOS. (DCA is my home airport)
- I then opened three Best Fare Finder tabs and looked month by month until I found two days with low fares (I planned on spending the night it Nashville (BNA)).
- I found two dates that worked and got 5 unique airports as it was my first trip! All for under $500.
- I then did my best to avoid JFK and BOS for the remainder of my legs.
My goal was to find flights that averaged $100 per unique destination (remember to look at the Blue fare) and only spend on average $25 per unique destination in ancillary costs (hotels, cars, trains, etc.). And using this method I got very close. I also have the benefit of working fully remotely so I can make these trips in the middle of the week when flights are cheaper.
Use a spreadsheet for planning and tracking
Tracking is important in this challenge as costs can easily skyrocket (especially those ancillary costs). I made a spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) that works for me that you can download for free. The spreadsheet includes a list of the jetBlue domestic airport codes (for easy searching), and a way to track destinations, layovers, costs and more.