It’s days like today that I wish I had three weeks of vacation and $499 to burn.
JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines are both offering all-you-can-fly passes: a month of travel for one set price. Here’s how they compare:
| JetBlue’s All You Can Jet Pass | Sun Country’s Fall Free For All | |
| Price | $699 for travel seven days a week $499 for travel excluding Friday and Sunday flights |
$499 for unlimited travel, seven days a week |
| Fly between | Sept. 7 and Oct. 6 (30 days) | Sept. 7 and Oct. 13. (37 days) |
| Purchase by | Aug. 20 | Aug. 24 |
| Book flights | At least three days in advance | At least three days in advance |
| Taxes | Domestic included, International not included | Domestic and International not included |
| Change fees | No fee for changes or cancellations more than three days before departure, $50 within three days | Regular change fees of $75 domestic and $100 international apply |
| No show fee | $100 | $100 |
| Major hub | New York City | Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| International locations | Caribbean, Mexico and Bogata | Caribbean, Mexico and London |
| Purchase | At jetblue.com/aycj | By calling (800)359-6786 |
When you break down the face value of each pass, the Sun Country deal looks like a better buy (about $13 a day, including Friday and Sunday flights, compared with $16 or $23 a day on JetBlue). However, with so many hidden fees, including domestic taxes and change fees, the Fall Free for All pass could end up costing a lot more by the end of the month.
On the plus side, Sun Country has a better hub for travelers who live in the Midwest. Most of JetBlue’s flights either start or connect through Boston, New York City, Long Beach, Calif., Orlando or Fort Lauderdale.
Sun Country Flight Map
Does anyone plan to buy a pass this year? If you traveled on JetBlue’s $599 All You Can Jet pass last year, was it worth it?