tales from the planes...

Funniest things that have happened during my travels:

Middle-aged woman telling her two middle-aged friend that Pluto had been downgraded from being a planet and now there were only 7 in the solar system (maybe she forgot to include Earth?) She then said it had been downgraded to "star status." I must have missed something in my science classes...(If this isn't funny to you, then spend some time Googling stars, planets and Pluto.)

I nearly missed my connecting flight to Tampa because of a gate change. When finally boarding the right plane (and making it 10 minutes late to take-off) the flight attendant made this announcement "This flight is going to Tampa, Florida. If you were planning on going to Fort Lauderdale, then you missed your plane." This was funny for two reason: I had just walked onto the plane noticably late and disheveled AND I had accidentally boarded the plane to Ft. Lauderdale.

The girl next to me on a flight from JFK to Chicago (who was very attractive) was asked out via a note from one of the flight attendants. I did not attempt the suave move of trying to act like her boyfriend. Instead we enjoyed the awkward moments that he walked by for the next 1.5 hours.

I watched a middle aged couple grab each others butts at the terminal. Then, after making me want to gag because of the PDA, they started arguing over where their gate was. The woman stormed off with the husband in pursuit...only to return a few minutes later with the man leading and headed the opposite way. All the while: HUGE signs with directions to gates right in front of them.

Worst moment: not getting any sleep on the overnight back from LA. The two folks next to me were quite large and I couldn't quite fit in my seat. Not a good experience.

-joe

in the middle of the night

I arrived in Long Beach around 10:30 last night and promptly went out for Taco Tuesday with the Costa's. I had fish and steak. They were delicious.

Later on this evening we'll be hitting the Conan O'Brian Show where we are hoping to make our national television premiere. Alex has hatched a plan...we will need much courage (stupidity) to pull it off.

Then, even later this evening I'll be boarding a plane for home. It's an overnight flight. There is a good chance that crazy thing will happen on said plane in the wee hours of the morning.

So, cheers to you and thanks to JetBlue.

-joe

jetblue

A few weeks ago I mentioned that you could get an "all you can jet pass" from JetBlue. For $599 you could buy an unlimited flight ticket from September 8th to October 8th.

I, acting on sheer impulse, decided to grab one. And now, I am happily flying all across the country to visit friends. I figured I'd lay down a post for anyone who may wonder where I'll be during the next month but first I'm going to sing a little praise for JetBlue.

First, they are extremely friendly. Always chipper on the phone. Nice at the terminals. Concerned on the plane. Quality folks.

Second, the seats are LEATHER. All of them. And the leg-room is great. Much more room to move around than American, Southwest or Continental.

Third, the snack and drink are FREE. And you can ask for seconds, thirds, fourths...however much you want. And they hand it over with a smile.

Fourth, satellite TV and XM radio for FREE and you can use any headset. You don't have to get a special set from them. Individual TVs in every headrest. Good stuff.

They're definitely the best airline I've flown. The one downside is that they don't fly everywhere...so you're limited in where you can go. But, if they go where you're going, definitely fly with them.

So, here is my itinerary as of today:

Sep 11-12: Austin, TX to see Chad and Jesse. I met them both on the Yellowstone Project in 2005. It was a good trip. Average cost: $395

Sep 18-19: Tampa, FL to see Travis and Sarah. Travis discipled me for a year in college and recently got married and moved to Florida. Average cost: $209

Sep 22-24: Long Beach, CA to see Alex and Sarah. Alex and I went to Butler together and have gotten to be good friends since graduating. They've been married just over a year. Average cost: $329

Sep 25-27: Minneapolis, MN to the Desiring God Conference. Technically I'm not flying with the pass...but I will be out of town.

Oct 2-3: Buffalo, NY to see Ray and Barb. I met Ray on the mission trip to Philadelphia this summer. We'll be seeing the sites and planning a mission trip to Buffalo for this spring. Average cost: $149

Oct 6-7: Orlando, FL to see Steve. Steve is big, bearded and funny. We will laugh a lot. Little else will happen. Average cost: $179

Which means that without flying anywhere else I'm saving $662 with the pass. Not too shabby.

Happy jetting.

-joe