Back in June I wrote about an awesome deal that will allow people to fly on a private plane for FREE. Yes, Free! The travel based company JetSmarter, was offering a status match to their simple membership (for 3 months) as long as you had 1 million frequent flier miles in a single program or top tier status. For many folks, not very hard to do, although the opportunity did not last long. I was able to jump on the match, although I was not actually sure if I’d actually utilize it. The JetSmarter app allows you to book seats on a private plane that would otherwise go unoccupied. With the simple membership, you can book 1 seat on a scheduled flight in the future, or 2 seats on a last minute positioning flight.
A free flight on a private plane – who would say no to that!? I am a deal person, I hardly ever say no to something free! But I might to this potential “once in a lifetime” opportunity. The thought of flying on a small private plane actually scares me a little. This probably sounds ridiculous to those who know me as I used to fly over 100 segments a year. Out of college I took a job requiring me to be travel 100% of the time and didn’t bat an eye. Last year I flew from Boston to Newark same day roundtrip not leaving the airport with a 30 minute layover just to earn 70,000 JetBlue points. I’ve flown to Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, etc. without thinking twice. I sometimes opt for a flight with a layover instead of a non-stop just to earn bonus points or segments towards status. I’ve even gone sky diving with no hesitation. But for whatever reason, which I cannot get out of my head, flying on a small private jet scares me.
I pretty much forgot about the free flight opportunity with JetSmarter, until my friend Summer at Mommy Points blogged about her recent experience flying private (also using her free membership status match). I must admit, it looks awesome! My husband actually came home from work that day asking why Summer can fly private and we can’t. I looked at him in the eye and said “we can”. I never even told him about this opportunity as it was one I assumed I would never embark on. But maybe I will change my mind. Seeing Summer and a few other bloggers friend’s Facebook feed while flying private is making me slightly jealous right now! Being based in Boston, there are usually last minute positioning flights to New York, Providence, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. If I truly just want the experience of flying private, I could take the 28 minute flight from New Bedford to Providence and easily take Amtrak home from Providence. Or even a not too expensive Uber ride! We shall see though. Typically, I do not fly to experience the flight, but to experience the destination when I arrive. I don’t pay/redeem miles for business class. I’ll fly Spirit or any other knees crunched up into your face flight. I’ll take the bathroom seat if need be. As long as I am going to a destination I want to go to I am good. So to fly just to fly is really not what I look forward to, but for this “once in a lifetime” experience, maybe I’ll do it!
Stay tuned! Have you taken advantage of JetSmarter’s Membership? Where have you flown?!
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Best to take advantage of a leg leaving from where you are (as opposed to going somewhere to catch the flight) since flights can be cancelled at any time, leaving you stranded at the point of departure.
I also wouldn’t book anything (hotels, return flights, etc) non-refundable until you actually arrive at the destination.
Be extremely careful if bringing a friend since if the friend changes their mind after you’ve booked it will probably cost you $1000.
This may not apply to you as much as some of your readers thinking about trying it out.