Unlimited car washes, unlimited talk time, unlimited theme park visits, and now unlimited flying. In this all-you-can-eat world, does unlimited really work?

Jet Blue certainly thinks so. Today, Jet Blue announced it’s All-You-Can-Jet program that allows for unlimited flights for $599 a month. The promotion begins September 8th and will end on October 8th as a test on whether this is a viable long term program. This promotion brings up an interesting concept that consumers everywhere seem to be buying into: getting a good deal. More importantly, consumers think they are getting a good deal; some will, but most will not. Just like the unlimited talk time plans that mobile providers have introduced, the deal only makes sense if you would otherwise exceed the other available offerings. Because of this, some users are able to save money, but most others end up overpaying for what they use, but still feel as though they are getting a good deal and justify their purchase that way.

Having a low price is not always the key, although it will attract attention, but value seems to carry a greater weight in the mind of consumers. Sure, a cheap airline ticket is great, but if it only gets you a trip to the next nearest municipal airport, it does not have much value.

This economy is training consumers to not just be price minded, but to be value minded. Bringing value, whether it is in the quality of the product or service or if it is in the experience the consumer has, is a smart position to strive for as a retail company. Keep price in mind, but keep value as the focus.