The finish line is in sight.
At this point in JetBlue’s 25-for-25 promotion, my wife Sharon has done multi-city overnights, one night out-and-backs, ground transfers between airports, ridden Brightline, and eaten her way through a shocking number of airport bagels. But for Airport #24, she didn’t need a crazy routing or a marathon connection day. She wanted apples.
Why Only Newark?
While I planned most of the routing for efficiency, Sharon had one specific request for this challenge:
Fly me to Newark. Rent a car. Then I’ll drive to Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck so I can stock up on Stayman Winesap apples and apple cider doughnuts.
So that’s exactly what we did: MCO → EWR → MCO, same day.
Getting There: MCO → EWR (Airport #24)
Sharon headed to Terminal C at MCO, where she walked into an almost-empty TSA checkpoint — a rarity these days, especially with the continuing government shutdown starting to impact airport operations.
She stopped at the Plaza Premium Lounge (they know her by name at this point), then boarded her JetBlue flight to Newark. The plane was one of the older A321s, complete with the legacy seat-back entertainment screens.
The Mission: Apples & Doughnuts
The Unofficial logo of Newark Airport
Arriving at Newark on time, she grabbed a rental car and headed south. Since we both are from the area, navigating Jersey driving quirks (sudden jughandles, “NO TURNS,” and exits that appear two seconds after the ramp starts) is practically muscle memory.
Then… success. Delicious Orchards.
She wandered the aisles, sipped hot cider, filled a bag with as many Stayman Winesap apples as would fit in her carry-on, and grabbed a bag of cider doughnuts for good measure. Mission accomplished.
Going Home: EWR → MCO (United)
For the flight home, Sharon flew United — not because she wanted to cheat on JetBlue, but because United had the best schedule and gave her the most NJ time. Delays started piling up throughout the afternoon, but fortunately, her flight departed only slightly behind schedule and arrived close to on time.
Picture modified to remove passengers standing in aisles.
Running Total After This Trip
- Airports completed: 24 / 25 (EWR added)
- Routing: Same-day MCO → EWR → MCO
- Souvenir haul: Stayman Winesap apples & cider doughnuts
- Airlines: JetBlue outbound, United return
- Remaining: One more airport
One More To Go
Only two more flights stand between Sharon and the finish line: 350,000 JetBlue TrueBlue bonus points and Mosaic 1 status. The final airport is booked — but we have to wait almost a month to fly it because we have a real vacation scheduled in between (and that airport is already checked off the promo list). On to #25.
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