I got ready, called down to check on a shuttle then headed downstairs to checkout and have a quick breakfast before heading to the airport.  The ride to the airport was short as the airport is across the street.  I had a good talk with the driver who was from Dallas, TX and says he misses his son who lives there.

At the airport, Robert checked me in after waiting about ten minutes behind five people.  He only checked me in for that leg though.  I asked for the other leg, but he said I had to do it at JFK.  I then headed to the TSA and cleared without any incident.

I remembered that the last time I was here, there was a US Airways Club.  I am a Presidents Club member with Continental Airlines and I know that as a new Star Alliance member on Oct. 27, 2009, Presidents Club members can use the US Airways Club come October 27, 2009.  I popped into the Club and the nice lady there said I could use it early.  Cool .

The Club is pretty nice with some muffins, juices, a bar and a Flavia coffee/tea machine and the usual airport Lounge stuff.  Wi-Fi is provided by T-Mobile at a charge.  I stayed there for a while and chilled just before the flight. I headed out at 7:44a just before brewing some lemon tea, but not before taking this picture.

At the gate, everyone was getting ready for the flight.  At 7:48a, a guy came running up to the gate for his flight to Boston at 8:00a.  Only that flight had the jetbridge pulled already.  He was none too happy.  When the agents came up from the jetway, I could see him trying to get onboard.  It was kind of fun to watch.  They did eventually re-book him on my flight at 8:20a via JFK.

I boarded late and took my seat after saying hello to the flight attendant who looked very familiar.  I got settled in on N763JB, an Airbus A320 called “Unforgettably Blue.”

Before we left the gate, Captain Tom told us that our flying time was 1:03 and that we should make it to JFK early.  I was skeptical though as arriving at JFK does not really happens.  He continued to introduce his co-pilot Jason and the cabin crew, Anthony, Nick and Susan.  They were the same ones from my flight from Orlando to Buffalo yesterday.  He concluded by saying that we would cruise at 21,000′.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge joining Staten Island, NY to Brooklyn, NY

We pushed back at ontime at 8:20a and was airborne by 8:31a.  It was absolutely beautiful while heading down to JFK.  We passed right over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge which connects Staten Island with Brooklyn, then we passed over Far Rockaway and came in for a landing into JFK at 9:36a.

As we taxied up to the gate, I noticed sixteen airplanes waiting for takeoff; good grief.  Our Captain had said that JFK was experiencing fog, but it should not affect us on landing.  Although I did get a tweet from @wanderingarmean saying that his flight was taking on extra fuel in case of delays coming into JFK from Houston-Hobby.  Unfortunately, he would arrive after I departed, so we would miss each other. I told him I’d wave to him as we passed each other.

A Cathay Pacific (CX) Boeing 777-300ER at the gate in JFK

We got to our gate at 9:49a, eight minutes late as we had to wait for an airplane to get pushed back.  The final leg of this All you can jet venture is at hand in less than two hours.

How is your Sunday morning going?

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I checked twitter and e-mail and then got dressed via the noise of airplane engines climbing out of Orlando Airport right on cue at 6:00a.  This hotel needs soundproof walls.  I enjoy the noise, but I’m sure others do not.  So no “10″ rating for you La Quinta.  Another point deduction is for false advertising.  You said, you have Hi-speed Wireless Internet, but you neglected to say it was only in the Lobby.  You need a cable for the rooms.  The devil is in the details.  Other than that, it was a great stay.

I checked out and had a quick complimentary breakfast of a bagel, a muffin and grabbed a small tub of yogurt.  It was time to go to the airport via the 6:30a shuttle.  We pulled out making our first stop five minutes later at Alaska Airlines.  A couple was heading to Idaho on Alaska, the lady mentioned via Washington D.C.  Cheap fare I guess.  There is no easy way to get to Idaho really.

I chose to check-in via a person and was ushered to the much shorter Bag Drop line.  The agent, Robert greeted me, asked my destination, checked my driver’s license and then produced a boarding pass.  I told him that I did not get the return (as you remember, this happened in Austin last weekend as well).  I guess something is amuck with jetBlue’s system as the agents have to do something extra for connecting flights to be checked in in one entry.

He took back the boarding pass, checked it for the confirmation number and a few seconds later produced the two other passes for the return journey as well as the Orlando to Buffalo portion.  I then went off happily to the gate.

Security was not too bad and I breezed through it without incident then taking the waiting train to the 100s gates where I plugged in and connected and to the Internet.  It is time to start blogging.

As I waited at the airport for my flight, the David Letterman news is all over the TV.  How many different aspects can there be?  There is even a twitter reference, geez.

Boarding started about 7:42a.  I was almost the last to board and as I did, the gate agent noticed my #AYCJ button and gave me a woohoo!  Onboard, I said hello to Joe the flight attendant at the door.  It took a while to get to my seat as people were getting their acts together.  Just a note, don’t put your seatbelt on if the window seat is empty and boarding is not yet complete.  More than likely someone is coming for that seat.  This was the case in a few rows including mine.

We soon pushed back early at 8:06a and headed out to runway 17R-35L.  We were #3 for takeoff behind a jetBlue Embraer 190 and a Southwest Boeing 737-700.  A8:16a, we were off for Aguadilla, PR (BQN).

The folks next to me never said a word to me the entire flight, they just watched TV the whole time.  As a matter of fact, they never said anything to each other and they were traveling together.

Speaking of TV, they showed three free movies, well two Ice Age was shown in Spanish and English plus Year One.  Breakfast came soon after takeoff; the usual animal crackers, potato chips, cashew, etc. and drink of choice.  There were also offerings for a pillow and a blanket for  7 USD and headsets for those who did not get them outside for 2 USD.

I was checking out the flap positions on the wings and took some pictures.  Yes, that kind of stuff is fascinating.  It was interesting to see all the positions and imagine the pilots initiating the command in the cockpit.

It was great to see the first sight of Aguadilla, PR (BQN) perched atop the cliff off in the distance.  We negotiated our way in and landed nice and sweet at 10:45a.  I did notice the jetBlue Airbus A320 that came in from New York-JFK waiting for take off at the threshold to the runway.  I think it was a little delayed leaving.

Aguadilla, PR 03Oct., 2009.  We pulled up to the jetway-less terminal building which is basically just a hangar at 10:46a; but a beautiful hangar though that is 212′ above sea level.  I deplaned and asked permission to take pictures from the Officer nearby.  It was granted happily.  I thought I could just go to the gate, but alas the two areas were separate.  So I went outside.  I figured since I was already outside of security I should just say hello to the ticket counter agents.  They were very pleasant and even agreed to take the picture you see here.

They printed my boarding pass after which I ran outside to take a picture of the airport.  This airport is really small. Actually, it is an old hangar which is 212′ above sea level.  I then came back inside and cleared security which was a breeze since I was the last person to come through.  After the TSA, I went through Immigration who asked me where I’m from.  I told him and he said go ahead.  Puerto Rico is kind of odd with that.  You don’t need a proof of citizenship to travel there, but they ensure that when you are going to the U.S. mainland you have the legal rights to do so.

I then went and sat in the departure gate area which is just this huge room.  Off to one side is a tax free shop serving mostly alcohol; another odd thing about traveling to Puerto Rico.

In front of me are the gates for Spirit Airlines, jetBlue and Continental.  I did see that headsets were free, similar to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic; they were the old headsets.

Boarding started in a few minutes and was split between the front and the rear stairs.  I had a chance to take the rear stairs, which was really cool.  As I walked out I saw the jetBlue Airbus A320 that was heading to New York-JFK take off.  I’m not sure why it was waiting so long for takeoff clearance as I had seen it on landing.

I boarded through the rear stairs and the two flight attendants there recognized me from before and asked if I had a good time and where was I headed next.  I said yes and advised I was heading to Buffalo, NY.  I made my way to my seat as the cold air condensed throughout the aircraft.  People were really fascinated by all that and took lots of pictures.

The door closed at 11:27a and we pushed back at 11:30a.  Hector, Luis and Joe took care of the safety demonstrations as we took a short taxi out to runway 8 then taking off at 11:38a.  It was beautiful you could clearly see that the airport was at the top of a cliff with the beautiful beaches below.

After takeoff, the flight attendants announced that headsets were 2.00 USD and pillow and blankets was 7.00 USD.  The movies were again free since we were out of range of the entertainment satellite.  The movies today were Ice Age – Dawn of the Dinosaurs, State of Play with Ben Afleck and Year One with Michael Cera and Jack Black.  I chose to watch Year One.

Our service was a bit delayed due to some turbulence, but once it started I was ready for the animal cookies and cashew nuts, my all time favorite.

The descent started a while later and I could get a good view of the airport and downtown Orlando on the way in.  The Orlando area is like Houston is goes forever and a day.

N505JB, “Blue Skies” landed at 2:07p and taxied into our gate by 2:11p.  Fantastic.  I guess I could have caught the other flights I was thinking of such as the 2:40p to Newark, NJ (EWR).  But I did not want any anxiety today so I just took the easy way out, Buffalo, NY (BUF) for wings.

How have your Saturday been going?  Did I mention how much I loved the Aguadilla, PR area?  I have to go back and soon.

You can always follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mskonfa1990 as I continue to fly the world one weekend at a time.  Also, you read what others are saying about All you can jet on twitter at http://twitter.com/#search?q=aycj.

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jetBlue’s schedule does not work so well when you live in the great state of Texas sadly. I wanted to do Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI), but that means a day off as the return flight does not connect well with my flight back home. I did however come up with an itinerary that takes me back to Buffalo, NY early enough to take the local bus downtown to have some Buffalo wings at the famous Anchor Bar.

Here is what I came up with, lame I know, but the real goal is to log Aguadilla, PR (BQN). If I could have made it back to Houston after that I would, but on Saturdays there is no late flight, only the 11:00a:

1. 03OCT Orlando, FL (MCO) to Aguadilla, PR (BQN)
2. 03OCT BQN to MCO
3. 03OCT MCO to Buffalo, NY (BUF)
4. 04OCT BUF to New York-John F. Kennedy, NY (JFK)
5. 04OCT JFK to Houston-Hobby (HOU)

Usually the e-mails come right away with the details of the flight information, but not today. I’d feel more comfortable if I could ensure that it is correct.  If it is, they will just have to fix it at no charge.

The agent gave me crap about my routing saying I cannot depart twice from Orlando in the same day.  I told her I was connecting through Orlando, so it was fine.  She then fixed it and continued.  Oh and this weekend I did change my existing flight home, so unless I misconnect or something, no $100 fee.

So while I’m flying around the Caribbean and the U.S. this weekend, what are you up to?

Follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mskonfa1990 for constant updates.  Also, you read what others are saying about All you can jet on twitter at http://twitter.com/#search?q=aycj.

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Unfortunately, the New York-John F. Kennedy, NY (JFK) to Long Beach, CA (LGB) flight at 3:45p on Sat. is booked solid.  In addition, the one at 2:30p which goes via Las Vegas, NV (LAS) only gives me a 26 mins connecting time from my Aguadilla, PR (BQN) flight.

I can’t risk a misconnect as @jetBlue is really strict about missing flights and re-booking.  Apparently, if you miss a flight you have to wait three days to re-book.  How silly is that!  So with that said, the next weekend’s routing is booked albeit a boring one:

1. Austin, TX (AUS) to Long Beach, CA (LGB) 26 Sep. 2009
2. LGB to Oakland, CA (OAK) 26 Sep. 2009
3. OAK to New York-John F. Kennedy, NY (JFK) 27 Sep. 2009

Are you jetting off somewhere for the weekend?

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I got ready and made it downstairs for the shuttle to the airport. I greeted the front desk clerk who said he is the driver and will be ready in a few minutes.

At 5:30a, we departed the hotel and had a great conversation on the way to the airport. Once there, I checked-in for the flight without any issues. The agent Stephen was really cool as he noticed my button. We had a short “All you can jet” conversation as he checked me in, also printing my boarding pass for the Orlando to Newburgh flight later that day.

I spent the next few minutes walking around the airport. I was really looking for a “Welcome to Rochester” sign, but did not find one.

I then went through security meeting a TSA guy who had the same birthday, but not the same year as I do.  I inadvertently chose the security line with the new X-ray machines. I had to take everything out of my pockets including paper items. I then held my arms above my head and then got zapped with rays. This is the new machine that shows your anatomy to the viewer. I asked if I could see the image and was told no. There was some person in a back room looking at it. Apparently, my “All you can jet” button showed up so they had to pat down my upper body.

I used this once before in London-Heathrow and I was able to see the picture. It does show every contours of your body, just so you know.

I completed the process and then made my way to the main area of the terminal. It is a beautiful new terminal; they have a clock in the middle with 12 countries names around it. They also have the first air traffic control tower as well as models of a few airplanes.

I was a bit hungry due to the lack of dinner last night, so I had a breakfast burrito minus the sausage from McDonald’s. I then made my way down to the gate and checked e-mail using the free airport Wi-Fi.

Boarding started soon and I boarded saying hello without any All you can jet recognition. It was the same airplane from last night’s flight, an Embraer ERJ-190, “Mi Corazon Azul,” N307JB.

I sat next to a gentleman who was returning home after visiting his son to help with a project. It was a great conversation indeed. As it turns out he lives in the same town in which I did my Masters.

We were out of there at 7:01p after leaving the gate early. It was already light out and one could see all the frost as we reached for the skies. I’m a pro at jetBlue’s offerings now and chose tea and water with some Animal cookie, my favorite. I wanted some cashew nuts as well, but I don’t think the lady heard me.

I fell asleep as I was really tired, but awoke for the landing into Orlando International at 9:16a and was at the gate at 9:24a. I said my goodbyes and exited what was a pretty decent flight.

Orlando International airport
As I’d been here last week, I knew exactly where to go to plug in my computer and phone.  I checked e-mail, checked out the photos I had taken as well as information about Newburgh airport as it concerns ground transportation.

Soon, it was time to board flight 576 at gate 101.  I had a window seat on this one and my efforts to get a better seat were rebuffed by the gate agent when I asked.

Once onboard N629JB, “Bright Lights, Blue City” an Airbus A320, I took my middle seat.  Soon, a couple arrived, the wife taking the window seat and the husband the aisle.  In a few minutes, the wife asked me if I wanted the window or the aisle.  I chose the window of course.  What a nice couple.

We then chatted for a bit about a similar situation I had on a flight from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, BC Canada.  On that occasion, the couple talked across me the entire 14.5 hours!  It was a nightmare flight.

We closed up at 11:34a , six minutes early and headed out for the runway taking off at 11:44a.  It was a great flight up to Newburgh with LiveTV as well as cookies, chips and cashew nuts plus some drink.

It was beautiful seeing Newburgh as we started our descent.  One could also see the Hudson River off in the distance.  It was 2:10p when we touched down.

I could see a Kuwait Airways govt. Airbus A310 airplane at the old terminal.  It seemed so huge next to everything else.  We pulled up to the gate at 2:14p.

I deplaned and headed out to the arrivals area. I made my way outside and found the bus stop.  The next bus was at 4:57p which won’t work.  I went back inside and asked the clerk about alternate means of transportation.  She indicated that it was necessary to take a cab to the Beacon train station.  The next train was at 2:57, but I was not going to make that one.  Instead I had to wait for the 3:57p.

The cab showed up eventually.  Apparently, they cannot wait at the airport due to some issues they had a few years back.

The cabbie was pretty cool and laid back.  We chatted all the way to Beacon as he told me about his town.  Adding that the guy with the TV show about the choppers was just up the road.

At the station, I bought my $13.00 ticket to Grand Central station and waited.

Have you been to Newburgh, NY?  What are your thoughts on Newburgh, NY?

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New York, NY 19 Sep., 2009

After snapping back to reality, I started looking for signs to the trains. It was a bit confusing and overwhelming, but eventually, I saw a sign to the NYC Subway. There I checked my routing which seemed a bit complicated and time consuming. I did not even see any signs for for to get to the Long Island Railroad whech would have taken me to Jamaica Station where I can catch the JFK AirTrain to the airport.

A bit annoyed, I headed for the streets deciding to take the bus which left from just outside the station. The lady told me that there would be one at 5:40p which was perfect. I bought my 13 USD ticket and waited in line with about four others.

The bus showed up late at 5:45p and we left at 5:55p.  We got stuck in traffic a little as we went through the Midtown Tunnel as we left Manhattan for Queens, NY.  There was also traffic on as we passed by Astoria, Queens.  The driver took the service road at this point, making only minimal stops or slow downs.  Before I knew it, I arrived at JFK Terminal 7 at 6:24p!  This was pretty impressive.  As Terminal 5 was just two terminals away, I disembarked, tipping the driver as I did so and made my way to Terminal 5.  So I went from Grand Central Terminal to JFK Airport in 29 minutes.

What’s the longest has it ever taken you to complete this journey?

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I went up to the waving gallery to see what planes were at the gates.  There was only one, a Continental Airlines (CO) Boeing 737-900ER.  This was the plane I saw flying by on my way into the airport.  I took a picture and waited a bit looking around at the runway.  There were a few other people up there as well.

Eventually, I went back downstairs and checked in for my flight.  I had to ensure that my bag was scanned for agriculture first though.  By now it had started raining so I could not take a better photo of the terminal.

I did see the Metro bus so I went over and spoke to the driver to get some details.  This is the bus that costs about 4 USD (130 DOP).  The driver did mention that I can just walk up to the street and take a local car into Puerta Plata or Sosua for 50 DOP or so.  Good information to know for the next time since the taxi fare to Puerta Plata is 35 USD and 25 USD to Sosua.

The interesting thing is that the price for the taxis are listed in USD in Puerta Plata airport but in local currency in Santiago.  These two airports/areas are like night and day.  Puerta Plata is clearly for the tourists as it has the beaches.  Even the cab fare from Puerta Plata to Santiago is inflated at 100 USD compared to 70 USD for the reverse trip!  It is a shame that the prices are so inflated just for the tourists.  This is not uncommon in the Caribbean though.

I was hungry, so I had a beer and a local pastry which was both good.  I then entered the secured area after filling out immigration and customs documents once more.  Then cleared security and Immigration.

As soon as I got in this area, I was rushed by people sellign duty free stuf, geez.  I left that area and made my way to the gate.  I was really trying to find a currency exchange, but saw none.  I did see a cool sign on my way to the gates though, you can see it here.

Once I got to where the gates were, I saw the currency exchange booth, crafty to place it here.  Although they are expanding the airport so I think the part where I entered is the new part.

While I waited at the gate, a Corsair Boeing 747-400 showed up.  This was a crowd pleaser.   Lots of cameras came out of nowhere.  It was awesome to watch.  Then the Continental Boeing 737-900ER left for Newark, a Jetstream 31 from the charter company SAP Group arrived as did a Thomas Cook Airbus A330 and finally a Boeing 767-300 from First Choice.  Lot of activity in a few minutes here.

The gate agent made an announcement that if there are any All You Can Jetters in the boarding to come to the podium, so I did.  She then asked me if I preferred the seat I had.  I told her unless she wants to give me a better one and she did.  Thanks!  We then started the boarding process.

I did notice that headsets are free here in Puerta Plata.  I think they are trying to get rid of the old ones though as they looked different.  Customers were impressed and annoyed though oh well, can’t please all.

It was time to board N708JB, “All that and a bag of Blue Chips” an Airbus A320 saying hello to the flight attendants as I head to my seat.  We pushed back eight minutes late and headed out to the runway taking off eight minutes later.  Soon, we were airborne which provided an excellent view of the airport and the town below.

Once we levelled off on this 3:20 flight, we got served drinks as well as the standard cookies, chips and cashew nuts.  There was DIRECTV, but it does not work when offshore so it was not until we were very close to Florida that it kicked in.  You figure tht it is sattellite it should work anywhere, but you have be within ‘x’ miles of the U.S.

We soon started our descent in JFK and landed safely at 5;43p  taxiing to the terminal arriving at 6:04p twenty-six minutes early.  We actually went to Terminal 4 as Terminal 5 does not have immigration facilities.  I could not remember that being announced earlier, but I may have missed it.

JFK International airport

I exited the aircraft and headed for the Immigration counters.  I was looking for the Global Entry kiosks and found two of them.  I chatted with the officers as I completed the less than a minute process.  The Immigration area was not full at all, but it could have been.

I exited Customs, then headed upstairs to the AirTrain.  I stopped for a bit on the departure level to check out the operations.  Lots of people were leaving for international destinations as Terminal 4 has most of the international airlines serving JFK.  I was so in my element here.

I did notice that the old Northwest WorldClub was no longer in this terminal.  It was replaced by one called Oasis.  I also noticed that Delta had taken the place of Northwest’s operations.  Wonder why they don’t use their operations in the Delta Worldport?

I made my way to Terminal 5 via the AirTrain passing a LAN Boeing 767-300 as well as a TAM Airbus A330, actually the one that was signed by all the employees.  It looked really nice. in the setting sun.

At Terminal 5, I printed a new boarding pass for my flight to Rochester, NY (ROC) later that night.  I then entered the terminal.  I needed to find a room for the night and figure out what I’d do for the Newburgh to JFK trip tomorrow.  After much searching I used Priceline and settled on the Radisson.  Sadly when I called I was told that the shuttle stopped at 11:00p ( I arrive at 12:02a) so that would mean a taxi .

Eventually, boarding time arrived for the flight to Rochester NY (ROC), an Embraer ERJ-190, N307JB, “Mi Corazon Azul.”  I settled in after saying hello to the flight attendants.

The Captain came out of the cockpit (which is customary with jetBlue) and advised that the local temperature in Rochester is 45 degrees, brr…good think I am wearing long sleeves.

We pushed back a three minutes early and headed out to the runway.  We were number three behind an Air Europe Boeing 767-300 and a British Airways Boeing 777.

It was a short flight time of 0:45 so we just had some water, coke, diet coke and sprite plus chips and cookies.  we also got a coupon for FREE Hash Browns at Dunkin’ Donuts with purchase of any item.

Soon, we were descending into the Rochester area and touched down at 11:44p arriving at the gate at 11:48p.

Boy I was tired.  I then went outside and saw a Raddison shuttle van, but sadly it had come to pick up someone else for the downtown location.

I then went to the cab stand where I had to pay 18 USD to get to the hotel.  Tomorrow is another fun filled day.

How was your Saturday?

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Knowing I needed local cash for the bus, I changed 20 USD and received about 700 DOP (Pesos) from the local bank at the airport. I then proceeded to the taxi line. I told the English speaking dispatcher/taxi driver in the green shirt as directed by the airline agents, where I was going and he took me to a waiting cab.

It was 18 USD to the city of Santiago and about 70 USD (2,500 pesos, but they wanted 80 USD) to the Puerta Plata airport. I figured there would be a cab cost from Puerta Plata if I took the bus, so I offered 60 USD, but settled at 70 USD.

The overwhelming deciding factor here was timing. It was already 9:45a, my flight was at 2:39p and we had a 2.5 hours or so drive ahead of us. Yes, I took the easy and less stress way out.

Alternatively, I could have walked he short distance to the main road and taken a local transport to the city if Santiago.  That would have cost about 25 DOP (1 DOP is about 0.027 USD).

It was a great and scenic drive to Puerta Plata through the mountains. I got an opportunity to see the city wake up and go about its business. Almost as popular as cars are motorbikes; almost always ridden my a male and about 50% of the time has a pillion rider.  Sadly, I saw a car being removed that had smashed into a light pole breaking it in two.  The car was pretty smashed!

My driver pointed out places of interest from time and we communicated although I have extremely limited knowledge of Spanish. It was interesting but worked very well. The terrain is much like that of the country parts of Jamaica. Also, you can buy fruits from the vendors on the side of the roads.  I wanted to get some mangoes, but the language barrier prevented that from occurring.

As I was getting weary since we had passed through the town of Puerta Plata, I saw the sign to the airport. The airport is actually 18km from Puerta Plata and 7km from Sosua. I looked at the clock in the car and it read 12:05p. We had done really good time I thought, it took about 2:10 and we hit a bit of traffic as we passed through Santiago. I think taking the bus would have really pushed the limits, maybe next time.

Have you ever taken this routing?  I’d like to hear about it.

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I pulled into the Avis lot and a guy came up to the car.  I asked him for his ID and he got mad, what an odd chap.  Anyway he was a legit Avis employee who walked around the car, checked it out and then noted the mileage on my contract, as if I could not have done that myself.  I pulled into the drop off zone, parked the car then went inside to the counter, the guy there charged me more than he should adding that the system always adds the gas charge if you drive under 75 miles.

Avis, this is the worst thing you’ve done, don’t assume the customer has not filled up and charge the money, how about asking first?  This caused the transaction to take so much longer and the guy getting mad at me when I challenged the amount he was charging me.

Anyway, we cleared that up (he removed the charge after I showed him my receipt for gas at $3.05 per gallon!) then I headed up to the top of the train station and took the JFK AirTrain to Terminal T5 where jetBlue resides arriving at 4:36a.  It was quiet and way too early.  I could see the old TWA terminal in the front of the new Terminal 5 and the old jetBlue Terminal 6 off to the left.  I wonder what will become of Terminal 6; a testament to jetBlue’s success I guess.

I saw some kiosks, but wanted personal attention so I went to an agent and checked in again.  I had erroneously added two checked bags when I checked in online.  I had tried to change it, but there was no way to do so.  The agent was a bit argumentative when I asked her why did jetBlue send me an e-mail to check-in online for the Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic (POP) to New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK) flight but when I tried it, it said that city is not available for online check-in.  I gave up explaining it after three tries.  She was visibly annoyed with me as well.

I cleared security which was sparse and entered the terminal.  As early as it was, there was quite a number of people in the airport.  This flight had a lot of locals on it and Spanish could be heard all over the plane.  It seemed a lot of people were returning home.  I guess Santiago is a place for locals, not vacationers.

I boarded N595JB, “Rhythm & Blues” an Embraer ERJ-190, saying my good mornings as I did so and settled into my aisle seat.  Well, a lady and her young son had actually settled into my seat in error.  She was in D & E but was sitting in B & C, C being my seat.  So I just took D instead.  Soon the young girl for seat B showed up and I told her to sit in E.  She did and we were all set.

We pushed back ontime at 6:00a for our 3:30 flight.  The manual safety demo was done, we taxied out and was airborne at 6:14a.  Beverages and snack were served soon after takeoff; I had some tea with animal crackers before falling asleep as I was so tired.

I was awoken later as I had to fill out arrival documentation; one Customs form and an Immigration form.  I helped the girl next to me to fill it out as well since she was having some issues.  She was also helping out the lady at the window seat.  The girl was quite funny as she could not get her seat reclined earlier as she was pushing the wrong button.  She actually thought that the lady behind her was the one doing it.  I helped her to find the correct button.

I went back to sleep and was awoken again to prepare for landing.  It was 9:04a when we touched down in Santiago which is in the valley, but is about 600′ above sea level in the north of the country.  We got to the gate five minutes later.  In looking out, we were the only commercial airplane at the airport.

I got my stuff together and headed out.  I was glad that we had landed 28 minutes early.  I made my way downstairs and was asked my nationality.  As I have a U.S. passport I had to pay an arrival tax of 10 USD.  I was given a ticket as a receipt then pointed to the next line where the ticket was retrieved.

I then went to an Immigration Officer and was stamped in.  I still don’t get why each booth had two Officers, but  oh well.  I cleared Customs and headed outside.

Yea, new airport number four is accomplished, now I have to get to Puerta Plata right away.

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After checking Google, I noticed that Metro North has a train that I can just make which will get me to JFK about two hours before the Houston flight.  With that in mind, I called my school chum in the Bronx and told him I was finally coming to visit.  His wife seemed O.K. with it, but it means late night for them on Friday night so I think I will rent a car to alleviate that pressure.  Here is the itinerary I came up after calling jetBlue yet a second time.  This time the lady was more pleasant than the last one.

1. Houston-Intercontinental (IAH)-New York-LaGuardia (LGA) 18SEP09
2. New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK)-Santiago, DR (STI) 19SEP09
3. STI-Puerta Plata, DR (POP) via local transportation 19SEP09
4. POP-JFK 19SEP09
5. JFK-Rochester, NY (ROC) 19SEP09
6. ROC-Orlando, FL (MCO) 20SEP09
7. MCO-Newburgh, NY (SWF) 20SEP09
8. SWF-JFK via Metro North/NYC Subway or rented car 20SEP09
9. JFK-Houston-Hobby (HOU) 20SEP09

Follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mskonfa1990 for constant updates.  Also, you read what others are saying about All you can jet on twitter at http://twitter.com/#search?q=aycj.

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