JetBlue TrueBlue - Stork Flight

My daughter is expecting a baby in early August and I plan on traveling from Tampa to NY a few days early and bringing her and the baby back with me in a few weeks. I have a tentative date to depart, but it could be earlier and my return date could vary as well.

I usually travel Jet Blue or Delta. It seems that Delta charges $150 for a changed ticket, Jet Blue $100. Any other suggestions? I have 250,000 AM EX points. Is it better to use those points in terms of flexible dates? I would have the points transferred as I do have Delta miles and Jet Blue points, but not enough for the trip. Suggestions welcomed!

Congrats on the upcoming grandkid!

I'd consider either a reward redemption on B6 (no close-in ticketing fee) once you know or just buying the one-way seats when you have dates. The former depends on availability while the latter hopes that the fares are reasonable. If you have a few days' advance notice the fares haven't been that bad in the FL-NYC market lately, IME.

I'd be very wary about buying in advance and then changing, especially since the change fee also requires paying the fare difference, so it will be more than just the $100/150. And you'll potentially be hit twice with the change fee - once in each direction unless you change the return at the same time as the outbound.

You know, this would provide an interesting marketing idea for an airline. Sell tickets to family members of people expecting babies a month or two out and then they can pick the dates of departure and return closer to when the baby arrives. I would imagine you'd find a fair amount of retirees doing this. You figure a baby can arrive any (during a normal pregnancy) upto 2 weeks before or after the due date - a whole month's window.

Southwest starts flights from LGA this summer. No change fees, but you still have to pay the fare difference unless you buy an unrestricted 'Anytime' ticket. I think it'd probably require a flight change though so this may not be suitable.

You know, this would provide an interesting marketing idea for an airline. Sell tickets to family members of people expecting babies a month or two out and then they can pick the dates of departure and return closer to when the baby arrives. I would imagine you'd find a fair amount of retirees doing this. You figure a baby can arrive any (during a normal pregnancy) upto 2 weeks before or after the due date - a whole month's window.

Does the ticket expire if not used within the +/- 2 week window? Otherwise what is the motivation for the airlines to offer such? Or would you just charge enough extra (but not full Y) on the ticket to make up for that? And is there enough of a market to justify the discount over a flexible ticket to make up for the potential lost revenue?

I think that would be a market. Everyone I know if flying hither and yon for grandbabies.

Anyway, what is B6? Sorry I am not up on these.

Also, did not know SW is going to LGA. This is fantastic for me, as I go to LGA all the time from TPA and need no frills. I prefer Jet Blue, though and wish they'd go to LGA. Likely?

I think that would be a market. Everyone I know if flying hither and yon for grandbabies.

Anyway, what is B6? Sorry I am not up on these.

Also, did not know SW is going to LGA. This is fantastic for me, as I go to LGA all the time from TPA and need no frills. I prefer Jet Blue, though and wish they'd go to LGA. Likely?

B6 is the IATA code for jetBlue. And jetBlue does fly to LGA, but only from West Palm Beach, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale.

Southwest (WN is the IATA code, not SW) is going to be flying from BWI and MDW to LaGuardia. If you don't mind the connection then I guess they'd be an option for you.

And I believe that there is a market for the flights but I'm not sure that they could drive revenue above and beyond what they're getting anyways.