With construction set to shut down I-405 in L.A. this weekend, area residents are crying “Carmageddon,” with some saying what should be a 20 minute trip will take them hou,rs while the highway is closed. So, in an effort to give at least a few folks an option of skipping over this entire mess, JetBlue offered $4 roundtrip flights between Long Beach and Burbank, less than 40 miles away.

A rep for the airline says it began working on the plan Monday for the shortest commercial flights in its history.

“We believe that this flight will not only help ease the traffic congestion and anxiety but also introduce a new stream of customers to JetBlue’s product and service,” the rep tells DowJones Newswires.

We doubt the airline’s assertion that the flights will ease traffic in a metro area of around 15 million people, but enough folks figured that, for $4 it was worth a shot. Tickets sold out of seats on the route within a matter of hours.

JetBlue Aims Promotion At Traffic-Snarled Los Angeles [WSJ.com]

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