The Consumerist is running a contest to determine which airline is worse.

How did I vote: US Airways.  They seem to lead the race to the bottom and Doug Parker seems to push for unbundled pricing more than the other CEOs.

Once you get on the plane there is nothing like the Delta experience as far as legacies go.  Delta added WiFi and has seat-back TVs while US Airways took out that crappy Cranium trivia that I’d memorize and look smart on my next flight.

I used random.org to generate a random number.  It generated 177 so Michelle will move onto the next round for a chance to win a trip to Australia.  Thanks to everyone for such great comments.

Now that I have my new driver’s license I’ve been submitting name change requests to everyone.

American and Avis have been the easiest so far…just fill in the info and that’s it.  Others will accept faxes, others e-mail.  Now to wait and see all the updates trickle in.

So far the worst name changer is Citi Credit Cards.  I have 2 photo cards with them.  The policy is that names can be changed online unless you have a photo card which requires a new signature.  I submitted my new signature over a week ago and while everyone else I changed names with since then has sent me new credit cards (AMEX, my bank, my non-photo citi card), the accounts with the photo cards still reflect my old name.  I tried just changing my name online as well.  Apparently that + an iPad purchase = fraud.  Citi fraud alert seems to call me regularly now.  It makes me want to move even more off the pathetic program that is Thank You Points.

Set the counter.  I just overnighted my passport, photos, etc to the passport agency to get a new passport and finally get a passport card.  The goal is to just carry my passport card and leave my passport book at home unless I’m actually flying internationally.  I’ll smash the PP card so the RFID is inactive, but I think I’ll leave the RFID active in the passport book because I have issues at immigration as it is.

My progress changing my Frequent Travel accounts

(for the next sectionproof = a copy of the wallet-size marriage license, without proof = I just said change my name)

• AirTran Airways- faxed them with proof on 3/28, account updated first thing on 3/29.  They added a middle initial to my A+ account and my travel agent doesn’t use middle initials or titles which has caused issues with Airtran before.  We shall see…
• American Airline – I guess thanks to the Secure Flight name B.S. they have a form on their website to update both first and last name without proof as long as a last name change is due to marriage or something else.  I filled out the form on 3/28.
• Avis – Just change the name of the profile and wait. Changed 3/28
• Delta – Faxed proof early 3/29 and account updated in the evening 3/29.  I’m not sure if I can get a new SkyClub card or not.  I requested a new Gold Medallion card.  I have a flight in my old name next week.  Let’s see how that goes.
• Hilton HHonors – I faxed them proof  on 3/29 and I’m waiting.
• jetBlue – I can’t find anything on their website.  Since individual points expire after 12 months without their AMEX I have no points with them.  They are also usually not conducive to my clients since they are all MidWest or West coast so I may just create a new account with them.  It will take the same amount of effort.
• Marriott – One part of the website said write, another said write or call.  I faxed proof to the customer service number on 3/28
• National – faxed proof early 3/29 and changed on 3/29
• Priority Club – They claimed to accept fax, call, or e-mail so I e-mailed my proof on 3/28 and my name was updated on 3/29 although it was cutoff.
• Starwood Preferred Guest - I didn’t write anything down.  I don’t know if  I ever submitted this or not.

Not yet submitted – I have flights this week and next booked on United/US Airways so I haven’t submitted my United one yet…

Thanks to everyone who entered.  I will be picking my submission using a random number generator.  That person will go into the drawing with the people selected by the other participating bloggers.

I will also compile the best tips into a post so you don’t all have to dig through all submissions to find your own nuggets.

For all of you window seat fans out there here is a good read about why we love the seat we do.

With This View, Who Needs Legroom?

I wouldn’t say the aisle has more legroom.  really you are taking up space from passers-by and causing accidents for flight attendants with carts.  I like the guaranteed head space from the window.

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 I ended up teaching her a few things.

She had been traveling in her position for a year of weekly travel and 2 rentals a week. She pulled up to the gas pump only to realize the fuel door was on the other side. “Didn’t you just look at the arrow” I said. “The arrow?” she asked. Yes! The arrow by the fuel gauge that points to the fuel door. I drive an Audi and that doesn’t have an arrow, but I can’t remember any rental without one. Even the Aveo I got in Missouri that didn’t have any power still managed to splurge for a strip of paint to tell me where to put the gas I didn’t use but would be charge for without a receipt.

Save yourself some difficult maneuvering next time and check the arrow.

Not a real movie review, but I did find it interesting that pop culture would feature a TSO as the type of dead end job loser for this movie. The movie did portray even supervisors as unprofessional. A pretty lady enters the checkpoint and doesn’t alarm at the metal detector, yet the male supervisor insists on wanding the lady. The movie actually never portrays TSA in a positive light and constantly hints to it’s low paying dead-end job status.

The movie was funny at times, but I could have survived without seeing it

Okay – it’s finally here.

This giveaway is sponsored by American Express Premier Gold Card Rewards card and the travel experts at BoardingArea.

The prize: Seven nights/eight days hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, activities and round-trip airfare for two people to the Gold Coast of Australia (Queensland). (And the trip is a revenue trip so it is points and miles earning )

Total value = $10,250!

Those that can enter: The contest is open at all United States residents, 18 years and older (void in US territories). For the complete list of full contest details and rules click here

How to enter: Post a comment on this blog post with an answer to this question: “What is your top tip for travelers who want to earn and use their loyalty points?”

You can enter between March 22, 2010 and March 28, 2010. Increase your chances of winning by posting a comment on the other 20 BoardingArea blogs that are participating. Only one entry per person per blog.

After March 28, 2010, I will randomly select one of the comments from this post to move on to the final drawing pool of 20 winners. So go ahead and comment!

Flight Diversions

Fly Gracefully

The Gate

Loyalty Traveler

Marshall Jackson on Travel

Miles Quest

Musings of The Global Traveler

One Mile at a Time

Pearls of Travel Wisdom

Planereality

Points, Miles and Martinis

Points Wizard

Road Warriorette

Things in the Sky

TM Travel World

Unroadwarrior

View From the Wing

The Wandering Aramean

Wing and a Prayer

I was without my work laptop for a month while my hard drive was being replaced and I was vacation.  Even though my work laptop has nothing to do with my blogging, I felt like I was without my brain for the whole time.  Outlook Web Access is just not the same as real outlook when it comes to appointments and contacts.  I’m so lazy with my contacts just popping up with the typing of a few characters so having to find my clients’ address first and copy it into OWA just made me not want to e-mail at all!

Now my brain is back and I have no excuses anymore.  I should be blogging regularly again and hopefully I am less scatter-brained but I can’t guarantee that.

One thing I recommend (or else I’d be scatter brained for the whole year) is to backup your hard drive ESPECIALLY any archived emails regularly.  Due to e-mailing large files a lot my mailbox would be full if I didn’t have autoarchive set to 2 months.  If  I lose my archive I lose A LOT of important stuff for active projects.   Get a portable hard drive.

Stay tuned because Boarding Area is about to run a contest which will give away a trip to the Gold Coast of Australia.

For more information visit: http://www.boardingarea.com/goldcoast/

I took my full marriage license with me on my honeymoon because I was headed straight to work without passing go and collecting $200. I also collected .PDFs of all the forms I’d need to update with my company like new W4s, benefits forms, as well as a name change form. It seems like everything has filtered through except for the IT account changes so I’m not really sure what name to use until my outlook name officially changes.

I was finally home on Friday so I used my window to go to the DMV and get that changed. I headed in with my new SS card, marriage license, and a pay check (since I was updating my address too). I decided to try to go early morning since going over lunch is a horrible idea in NC. They all go on lunch and everyone else who works goes to the DMV so they have 2 people open and a 2 hour line. It opens at 8 a.m. so I headed over at 9 a.m. I was seen by the triage guy after waiting in the first line for 10 minutes, then after he verified I had enough papers (I wish all states would have a primary paper checker to make sure before the big wait that you don’t have to come back). I took my number and sat down. Now the NC DMV only accepts checks and cash and I was unsure what this would set me back. A new license is $32 for 8 years. A replacement license is $10. I had $20 on me so I was hoping it was the latter and it was so I was safe. I did have to get a new picture taken. I wasn’t really prepared for that, but oh well. New license should arrive in the mail in 10 days and the old license is completely intact. I’m not sure what’s the point of central processing if we get unsnipped licenses. The DMV also updated my name and address with the voter administration so that was 2 birds with 1 stone. I wasn’t sure about car registration since that’s a separate office in NC (very annoying!)

After that I headed over to the bank and changed my name there. Pretty easy since I bank with a small bank and I always get great service when I go there.

I had to renew my registration for my car so I got it inspected, returned home, and renewed my registration online. Turns out that they did in fact update that record also when I changed my name at the DMV so my new registration should come in my new name.

After that I printed out forms for all my other banks and copied the marriage license and sent it off. This included Fidelity and ING Direct. I called American Express to get new cards issued. I called their card replacement line and just requested a new name over the phone, no documentation required. I have photo cards from Citi so I had to mail a new signature to them, but otherwise I could have updated it over the internet.

I printed out a form for a new passport, but I need to get some photos taken and I’m slacking about that.

Now I just have to wait until I have some form of ID in my new name and I will begin the process of changing names with frequent flyer accounts which is the whole point I want to get to.