by Eric Lipkind

Are you tired of waiting in long TSA lines at the airport? What about waiting for an hour for your luggage? Or even paying to check your luggage? I have the solution for you – flying on a semi-private airline. Better yet, flying semi-private for free.

A semi-private airline is like booking a seat on a private jet, not chartering the whole thing. It offers perks like expedited security, quick boarding, and spacious seating. JSX is an example of a semi-private airline I recently flew with. I flew round-trip from New Jersey to Miami to catch a fantastic Virgin Voyages cruise. JSX flies from nearby Teterboro Airport instead of Newark. It also flies into nearby Miami/Opa-Locka Airport instead of Miami International. These are executive airports, so there are fewer people and less air traffic than at the larger commercial airports.

The Semi-Private Experience

Upon arrival, there is a nice waiting lounge with complimentary coffee, water, soda, and some snacks. I was allowed to check up to two bags for free. Since most flights hold no more than 30 people, there is no need to arrive one to two hours early. JSX says you can arrive 20 minutes before departure time. In Teterboro, there was an additional lounge out in the hangar where passengers could wait as well. When it was time to board, I went through a metal detector. Then, I walked outside to the plane. I boarded via the stairs.

The Embraer jet had one seat on each side of the plane. Seats on one side of the plane also had a table next to them. Once everyone boarded, the door closed, and off we went. In flight, there were complimentary snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) served. Additionally, there was free wifi. Upon landing and deplaning, we retrieved our bags right by the plane within 10 minutes. Everything was so easy and comfortable with no hassle. Interestingly, there were several dogs on board. Most sat with their owners, but two dogs shared their own seat, which their owners had purchased, which I found amusing.

For both pickup and departure, Uber and Lyft were able to come right to the JSX building (I don’t want to say ‘terminal’ as it’s basically a hangar with a waiting room).

Here’s a video tour of my outbound flight:

@the.miles.man

Flying JSX semi-peivate for free. #miles #points #free travel #jsx

♬ Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz

Flying Semi-Private for Free

Now, how did I fly semi-private for free? JSX was running a sale for $494.50 each way between New Jersey and Miami. I had several credits which I was able to combine as follows:

• I joined Club JSX (the JSX loyalty program) through a referral from another member. When I registered my account, I received a $100 credit voucher.
• I had a previously booked flight that had been canceled several months ago. As a courtesy, JSX gave me a $200 credit voucher.
• I have three Chase United credit cards that each come with an annual JSX credit:
  • United Business Club card — $200 JSX credit annually renewed at card anniversary date
  • United Quest card — $150 JSX credit annually renewed at card anniversary date
  • United Business card — $100 JSX credit annually renewed at card anniversary date
• My Founders Card Elite membership included a $250 JSX credit voucher.

When booking the flight, there was no way to split the payment across multiple methods, so I had to call customer service, who happily booked my tickets using all of my credits and the three credit cards. When all was said and done, my out-of-pocket cost was $0, and I still had $11 in credit remaining for a future flight on one of the United credit cards. As a member of Club JSX, I also earned travel credit (around $21) toward a future JSX flight, calculated on 5% of the airfare not paid with vouchers.

When booking a ticket, there is an additional charge to select a specific seat. If you do not pay for a seat selection, you are assigned one at the gate when you check in. However, I did find that the gate agents would change seats to a specific one when I asked, as long as it was still available.

Additionally, providing your United Mileage Plus number when making your booking lets you earn United Mileage Plus miles for your flights. I earned 549 Mileage Plus miles each way. However, you do not earn Mileage Plus PQP towards United status.

Book Yourself a JSX Flight

If you would like to receive a $100 JSX credit voucher, join Club JSX for free.

I am happy to assist you in booking free travel using credit, miles, or points or booking a Virgin Voyages cruise.