JetBlue announced today that it would allow anyone to fly unlimited from Sept 8, 2009 to Oct 8, 2009 for a flat fee of $599. This All You Can Jet deal, while appealing and fresh, might be a flash in the pan. An average JetBlue ticket from Los Angeles (Long Beach) to Las Vegas each way is $59. Similarly, a flight from San Francisco to New York runs for $139 each way. Both the above fares are non-refundable.

Unless you have a small business, and plan a lot of travel in Sept and early Oct,  and you have a stake in the business where saving every penny matters, this deal might not be for you. During this mad rush, you may not get seats on your preferred flight. You also need to book 3 days in advance, so you cannot just travel spur of the moment. Assuming that an average flight on Jetblue costs $99 each way, you would need to complete 3 round-trip flights just to break even.

So before you rush out and make this impulse buy, price your vacation using JetBlue’s stand-alone prices, and even compare to Southwest Airlines. You might be surprised that this deal is not such a great deal after all.

You truly are free to move about the country. I expect Southwest to come out with something similar soon.