“This car is unlike anything you’ve ever driven,” my instructor said over the roar of a 560 horsepower engine. That could be the understatement of the year. I was driving a Lamborghini Gallardo around the inside track of Daytona International Speedway, and kept... Read more

Choice Privileges brings back 8,000 points for two stays disguised as a $50 gift card offer. Earn 8,000 points after two qualifying stays from May 23 through August 31, 2013. Choice Privileges promotion registration required prio to completion of first stay. The offer is... Read more

I know this is a miles and points blog, but sometimes when tragedy strikes – especially tragedy that has a large impact on children and families, I can’t help but to make mention of it here.  Even though it is a bit “off topic”, it seems wrong not to. ... Read more

A survey from from the Travel Leaders Group seeks to find “best practices” for airline etiquette as answered by other frequent travelers: If you are seated in the middle seat on an airplane and the people on either side of you staked out the armrests, what would you... Read more

According to Reuters, there is a chance that the Airbus A350 could make a surprise turn at the Paris Air Show 2013. The indications are that due to the limited time in the air if it makes it airborn and passes checks is that the Airbus A350 MSN1 will conduct a flypast and not a... Read more

We all know Delta / Delta partner CRJ100/200 & Embraer145 jets are evil (ok that may be a bit harsh but not by much). I know some readers say they like them but as one who “must” fly them out of South Bend all the time – take my word please they are evil... Read more

(Repost from March 23, 2010) How to figure out where the stupid fuel door is. I started my business travel career as I’m sure many of you did: shadowing someone already in the field. Like the protege in Up in the Air I hoped for a Ryan Bingham to show me the ropes. Instead... Read more

I’ve had lots of experience visiting expensive cities. London, Paris, and New York come to mind. These days I whip out my loyalty card and redeem a few thousand points when the prices are too high to bear. But back in my younger days, before points or status, I had to find... Read more

Earlier in the month, when unbundling was notified by law for Indian airlines to be able to charge for services, I wrote a blog post which mentioned how I expected it would work out. One of the statements I made was: a) Preferential Seating: I am looking at you Indigo, and I am... Read more

A couple of years ago the story went ’round about Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg, a Northwest Airlines Platinum elite who apparently complained too much and had his frequent flyer account shut down. He lost hundreds of thousands of miles (and his elite status) in the process.... Read more

Background: Million Mile Madness was the mad quest to earn a million points in one month. Throughout March, I did everything I could to earn as many points as possible while keeping within my ethical boundaries. During the month, I tracked all of the points that I expected, and... Read more

A year ago I broke down the deficiencies in the Marriott Rewards elite program. Some of those have since been corrected, at least a little bit. Marriott Gold status comes after 50 nights, which is average for top tier status with other chains. Platinum takes a whopping 75... Read more

Hyatt continues to improve its product and service offers this year, which I feel really got their start with the replacement of the White Ginger Portico bath amenities last fall. Although the actual benefits promised by Gold Passport to their elite members haven’t... Read more

Via the Huffington Post: The Burj Al Arab, the “world’s only 7-Star hotel” is redefining the boundaries of the absurdly luxurious by issuing every guest their own 24-carat gold iPad. In fairness, the hotel really didn’t have enough gold as it is…... Read more

I was connecting from Amsterdam to Frankfurt on my way to Shanghai and so enjoyed a A319 operated shorthaul trip with LH. The business class cabin was pretty empty – just three passengers and so I managed to slip in to Row 1 and enjoyed a pretty good view of the take-off... Read more

As I’m still buried in a mountain of user admin in the office, my take on BAcon (as well as the usual extensive – and I mean extensive) trip report is still in the process of being written.   Photos: Birmingham New Street, EI263 to Dublin –... Read more

Unless you’ve been following the blog for a long time, you might not know that I spent four years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 1996 to 2000. If the number one place an American Airlines employee (current, or former in my case) is likely to cycle through at some point is... Read more

I’m always looking for great weekend getaways, and I’ve got a stockpile of bookmarked websites for inspiration.  Often, these bookmarks get buried under more recent findings, but I brushed off my plans for Fallingwater after I saw Travel Bug Diary mention it in her... Read more