JetBlue is trying to make a splash today as they open their first route from BWI airport, going to Boston. I wrote this week about how the Baltimore to Boston flight demonstrates the growing budget carrier competition at BWI, but it is getting silly at this point.

Today, JetBlue has a limited sale that starts at $9 to and from Beantown, which is lower than anything I can remember.  I haven’t seen a return volley from Southwest or AirTran today, but each has run specials to Boston this year. Southwest started flying there this summer.

Now, the JetBlue sale has its limits. It’s over after today, and only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Sept. 16 and Oct. 18. But still, they’re all starting around $39.

So who wins this battle for Boston traffic? Maybe there’s enough of a market here, if the transplanted New Englanders who crowd Camden Yards are any indication. I grew up near Boston myself, and have benefited from all the competition over the past year to fly me home.

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You’ve probably heard that Ocean City, MD had a great turnout this Memorial Day weekend — the highest number of visitors since ’93. It’s to be expected; the resort town posted higher-than-average numbers in April and early May, and gas prices are down considerably over last year.

It’s no secret that a long weekend in O.C. is a heckuva lot cheaper than the exotic splurges of years past. And Marylanders aren’t the only ones buckling down: a new USA Today poll finds that half of Americans don’t plan to travel much this summer, and a quarter are spending less on vacations thanks to the recession.

I buy it. My traveling companion and I are clamping down on “frivolous” spending, too. But a good deal is a good deal – and we found one we couldn’t pass up at voyij.com.

The travel aggregator found us a room at a four-star hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter for $100 a night. Then we got a sweet deal on airfare through kayak.com, another aggregator that specializes in flight deals.

(Totally unpaid plug: check out those sites. Trust me, it’s worth it!) 

My point being: consumers will continue to seize a bargain, even if it’s not for an essential item. Don’t you agree?

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I’ve heard nothing but complaints about airlines recently, mostly about the extra charges for checked luggage, pillows, blankets and a seat. But supposedly a new study shows that airlines are doing a better job with customer service.

University of Michigan found that passenger satisfaction rose over 3% in the first part of 2009. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s the first time in six years that customer satisfaction has risen.

(Regardless of their “satisfaction,” the number of passengers has dropped and airlines are cutting back their routes.)

Southwest Airlines, a favorite of local business travelers (based on my cursory poll), had the highest score. Continental and US Airways both improved by more than 9%; United Airlines bucked the trend, remaining unchanged at dead last.

So far this year I’ve flown on AirTran (one aisle behind Michael Phelps!) and US Airways, with pretty typical experiences. Have you had better ones?

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