Flying Solo

Catching Up...

This morning marked a departure from our usual travel pattern—I had to fly without my beautiful bride due to my doctor's appointment on Long Island. While we typically tackle the challenge together, this actually worked out well. She had already collected ISP (Long Island MacArthur Airport) from some earlier flights, so this solo trip allowed me to "catch up" and add this destination to the tally.

JetBlue recently added ISP to their schedule, though service is currently limited. They operate once daily from FLL to ISP, with additional routes from other locations in their network. It's one of the newer additions to JetBlue's destination map, making it a valuable pickup for challenge participants looking to reach that crucial 25th destination.

ISP: The Perfect Quick-Turn Airport

Long Island MacArthur Airport proved to be an absolute gem for challenge participants looking to collect destinations efficiently. With just one terminal and about a dozen gates, ISP is a small regional airport vs. a major hub. The compact size means you're never walking far from check-in to your gate.

The TSA PreCheck experience here is exceptional—I never encountered more than a handful of people ahead of me in line, making security a breeze compared to larger airports. For challenge participants on tight schedules trying to maximize destinations, this kind of efficiency is invaluable.

Food options are admittedly limited, with only one sit-down restaurant/ Bar in the terminal. But for quick turns focused on destination collecting rather than extended layovers, ISP is an ideal choice. You can land, grab your confirmation of arrival, and be back on your next flight without the crowds and complexity of larger airports.

The airport's manageable size and minimal congestion make it perfect for those strategic quick hops that are essential to completing the challenge efficiently. It's the kind of airport that reminds you why smaller destinations can be just as valuable as major hubs when you're focused on collecting unique arrivals.

Critical Warning: Partner Flights Don't Count

Here's an absolutely essential caution for all challenge participants: you must ensure you're flying on JetBlue metal. Although certain flights to ISP appear bookable on JetBlue's website, they're actually operated by partner airlines and do not qualify for the challenge.

A perfect example is the BOS to ISP route. While you can book this flight through jetblue.com, it's actually operated by Cape Air, not JetBlue. These partner flights will not count toward your 25 destinations, no matter how legitimate they appear on the JetBlue booking platform.

The same issue affects some flights from HYA (Hyannis) to JFK. There is, as of now, only one flight that is Jetblue the rest are Cape Air. Just because an itinerary is bookable on JetBlue's website doesn't mean it's necessarily eligible for the challenge. JetBlue doesn't operate flights from certain airports themselves—only their partner airlines do.

Pro tip: Always verify that your flight is operated by JetBlue before booking. Look for the "JetBlue" logo in the flight details, or check the aircraft type. If you see regional carriers like Cape Air, these won't count toward your challenge progress, regardless of how you booked them.

This distinction becomes crucial when you're getting close to your 25th destination. The last thing you want is to discover that several of your "qualifying" flights actually don't count, leaving you scrambling to make up the difference before the December 31st deadline.