Sleazy ˈslē-zē also ˈslā- (adjective): carelessly made of inferior materials; marked by low character or quality. I do not use the term “sleazy” lightly, but I can think of no adjective more apt for the Air France-KLM Flying Blue loyalty program. I’ve bemoaned the...
Think Twice About Ever Checking Electronic Equipment
Last month on my way home for Thanksgiving my final San Francisco to Burbank flight was on a United Express/Skywest CRJ-200, a 50-seat aircraft with limited overhead space. As I have for years, I checked my rollerboard cabin baggage...
L-Class Lufthansa Intra-Europe Fares Earn 100% RDMs/EQMs on United
I flew on Lufthansa from Milan to Frankfurt Staurday evening on a cheap fare that I thought would earn zero miles. For the heck of it, I added my Mileage Plus number when checking in and was shocked to...
Hey 1Ks–Take Advantage of Confirmed Same-Day Changes!
I made another rookie error yesterday. Learn from my mistake. First a bit of background. Yesterday was United’s Open House and Family Day in San Francisco and I decided to attend at the last minute (a few days before the event). That...
Another Thaw in StarNet Blocking – My Award Trip is Now Complete
It’s too early to tell if StarNet blocking is gone on UA or just on another hiatus, but I was able to book transatlantic Lufthansa flights today–a marked change from last week. As I mentioned in an earlier post...
World’s Most Expensive Cities – 2010
The LA Times recently published a feature story highlighting the ten most expensive cities in the world. Here’s the top 10 list: Luanda, Angola Tokyo N’Djamena, Chad Moscow Geneva Osaka Libreville, Gabon Zürich Hong Kong Copenhagen I was surprised to see three African...
Handy Frequent Flyer Mileage Expiration Chart
While perusing Gary’s blog today, I came across an extremely helpful blog post by Musings of a Global Traveler that tracks the mileage expiration policy for each major airline. It is updated regularly and is chart that is well...
Convenience or Potential VDB?
A VDB is the holy grail for any self-respecting mileage runner. Usually, I will go out of my way to seek them and plan my trips around cities and routes that have tend to be more overbooked than others....
The Folly of Assuming Someone Doesn’t Belong in First Class
It doesn’t happen much anymore, but when I first started to seriously fly on United over five years ago, I was often told: "This line is for First Class passengers." "It’s not your turn to board yet pal." "Son,...
Flying East: Day or Night Flying?
I travel frequently between the East Coast and Southern California and have flown east almost exclusively on redeyes the last three years. A few weeks ago, I decided to fly during the day instead so I could get more...
Double EQMs and RDMs on US Airways through June 15th
Dividend Miles members: sign up here for double elite qualifying miles and double redeemable miles for travel between April 13 and June 15 on US Airways. Unfortuantely, the extra points are only eligible for tickets booked after you sign up for...
In Defense of Overbooking Flights
David Lazarus has another travel column in the LA Times today that is filled with complaints, but lacking substance. This particularly caught my eye: Personally, I can’t understand how any business can get away with selling more of a...
The Authoritative Post on Airline Fees
Although he wrote it in January, the Philadelphia Inquirer just published a column our friend Christopher Elliott did on airline fees in this week’s Sunday travel section. Some of his analysis is spot-on, much of it is…not. First, what makes...
Free Custom Luggage Tags from KLM
A nice offer from KLM. Throw away those boring luggage tags and give your baggage a new look by designing your own, unique tag. You can use a photo of your family, your favorite destination, or, to make it...
Maximizing Your Chances to Effectively Use Your Miles
Scott McCartney has a decent Middle Seat column today in the WSJ on how to maximize your chances to redeem frequent flyer miles. A couple sections particularly caught my eye: On the airline side, road warriors suggest checking alliance...
Another Perk of Traveling: Improve Your Communication Skills
A bit of pontificating from Dr. Klint One of the perks of traveling is the chance to improve your communication skills. I’ve been forced to use my German twice this week in communicating with others who spoke no English...
What You Didn’t Hear on my NPR Interview
Greetings from Lisbon! It’s raining here, but still 65F! I got a kick out of hearing myself on NPR today, but was surprised that only 20 seconds of my 20 minute interview was included. Standard practice I suppose. What...
United Pulls $550 Ontario-Tampa First Class Fare
I sadly announce this evening that United has pulled the "fare of fares" between Ontario and Tampa. For over a year, travelers have been able to book a round trip First Class (A) fare between these cities for only...
Don’t Let Your Frequent Flyer Miles Expire!
Earlier this year I nearly lost all my American Airlines miles due to account inactivity. With AA, your miles expire after 18 months of dormancy and to reinstate them, AA charges $50 for every 5,000 miles plus a 7.5%...
When it comes to Airline Tickets: Book Now, Ask Questions Later
Book now, ask questions later has become my motto when it comes to buying airline tickets. With the 24-hour cancellation policy that all U.S. airlines and Orbitz/Priceline have, if I see a good deal, I buy the ticket–even if...
