Among the most popular suggestions has to be the "I'd like to be able to fly from one sector to another without jumping"

For a number of reasons this isn't feasible, (not least of which that a sector is 3 dimensional, while the sector grid is 2-dimensional)

However, perhaps this can be implemented in different ways, if there were 1-way wormholes inside of systems that could jump you around where you wanted to go, without all the mucking about through ion storms (which if this were implemented, could be allowed to become much more prevalent in grey)

Furthermore, new wh's could open up randomly in certain hot spots, and jump you to a random location in the universe. It would be a risk, but then that's what would make it fun.

Rather than wormholes, what about rail launchers? You enter into something that looks like a race tube and it accelerates you up to, say, 5000m/s, and zooms you into whatever sectors its destination is. Since you're not using a warp field, ion storms don't interrupt you. Nations could even charge for the use of their rail launchers. And perhaps, once in a while, they could malfunction and send you somewhere else.

That's an awesome idea, roguelazer! Hehe. Like getting shot out of a cannon!
sunday Sunday SUNDAY!
Watch the Amazing LeberMac as he attempts to break the record and jump 12 systems this time!
/me straps on his helmet.

I also really like Shape's one-way wormhole idea. AND the randomly-appearing WH idea. That would definitely open up some more interesting navroutes.

/me likes the rail launcher idea for intrasystem jumps

I think the jump-objects with random destinations in the universe should be wh's though (The stellar systems on our universe map are not necessarily even in the same galaxy)

I didn't mean random destinations in the universe so much as I meant overshooting or undershooting your destination by a few sectors.

Roid warping will take on a whole new meaning.