According to threads on Flyertalk next year the United Red Carpet Clubs and Continental President Clubs will rebrand as United Clubs.

I don’t know why President couldn’t stay in the name, but since the brand colors are blue and gold and CO has blue carpets for elites it doesn’t make much sense to keep the name Red Carpet Club.

At least Delta spiced it up with the word Sky.

Offer details: HHonors members will earn Double Points for stays of 2 consecutive nights, Triple Points for stays of 3 consecutive nights, Quadruple Points for stays of 4 nights or more.

Offer Period: January 03, 2011 – March 31, 2011

-Members must register for the offer at: www.hhonors.com/more

-All eligible stays will count towards the Q1 promo regardless of booking date or check-in/check-out date of the stay.

-Offer is not targeted

-Double/Triple/Quadruple points will not count towards tier status. They are counted as bonus points vs. base points.

-Double/Triple/Quadruple points can be earned on reward stays as long as there are incidentals.

-Member may participate in any of the airline promos and other Hilton HHonors Q1 promotions simultaneously.

-Select Third party rates do not count towards the offer.

-The hotels that are listed as non participating, are the only properties that members will not receive promotional credit for. All other properties worldwide are participating. While we would like all hotels to participate, individual properties do retain the right to opt-out of most promotions based on their anticipated need for promotional support for that quarter.

Also see Loyalty Traveler for his take on all the first quarter promotions

Another blogger makes many good points about airline security.  There just isn’t enough actual threat to warrant the spending we do on TSA.

In terms of my life being brought to a sudden, firey end in an aircraft, the cause is far more likely to be mechanical failure on the airplane or human error in the cockpit or in the airline traffic control room than it is to be a terrorist act. The airline security measures put in place shortly after 9/11 reduced the risk of dying in a terrorist attack well below the non-terrorist risks we accept every time we step on an airplane. There is absolutely no rational reason for the current level of panic-driven insanity, which as far as I can tell, having made many international trips in the past year alone, is not found in any other country, including the world’s number one potential terrorist target, Israel. The only reason I can think of for the panic in the United States is a fundamental failure to appreciate the risks.

The truth is that crap can happen whenever it wants to.  TSA is wasting money going after the potential for needles in hay stacks.  The constant Orange threat level is definitely the boy who cried wolf.

I have  flown on a commercial flight without any security and I survived.  It was Sansa down in Costa Rica.  From San Jose they wanded me and flipped through my bag, but from Golfito you just showed up and hopped on the ~15 seat Cessna.  All they cared about was weight for weight/balance.

This is a great benefit for the Platinum and reemphasizes its position as a frequent traveler card.  If I did more foreign travel and thought those places would all take American Express this would help to justify the annual fee.  I’m sure there are many out there who spend enough internationally to do that.

HT Gary

I know, slow news day.  Towards the end of the year most of my clients are busy with parties and vacation so I don’t travel much during December.

My car was having issues and there are only 2 places in Charlotte besides the dealer who specialize in Audis.  I didn’t have a good experience with the first one so I decided to try out the other one.  It’s pretty far from my house, but right off the light rail so since I could either take a cab, try to bum a ride off a friend, or just suck it up and ride public transit I decided to go with option 3.  It’s a 1.5 mile walk from my house to the bus stop, but once on the bus I had a straight shot to the light rail station at the main transportation depot right across from the basketball arena.  For some reason I always assumed that I’d need to transfer or who knows what so I never bothered with even investigating.

It was 20 degrees F. which is VERY cold for Charlotte so my 1.5 mile walk was as brisk as I could make it.  The bus was supposed to leave the southern end of the route at 8:21 and I am the second stop on the route so when I got to the stop at 8:25 I thought I had missed it…but it came at 8:32.  That’s good for me since the buses run every 40 minutes at that time of day and standing in freezing weather did not sound fun.  I got off at the depot and hopped up the stairs to the light rail.  I could have asked for a transfer from the bus driver, but I wanted a debit for my rewards checking so even though I had paid $1.75 to board the bus (which is payable in bills and coins, not just coins) I used my debit card to purchase a $1.75 ticket for the light rail.  Apparently ticket fraud is so rampant on the light rail I consider it a donation.

Now that I know the bus will take me uptown following the same route I’d take myself I might actually consider taking it in the future if I go to any more sporting events uptown.  The only issue with the bus is the last outbound on my route is around midnight but the bars close at 2 am.

Why do I tell you this?  I take public transit in many other cities.  I was in Toronto last week and didn’t rent a car, but the thought of taking it in my own city seemed odd.  I’d have to connect to go to the airport and the whole walking 1.5 miles with my luggage to get to the bus doesn’t sound like fun, but people in other countries do it all the time.

For many out there you may only visit a Sky Club 5 times a year so this isn’t a bad deal…especially if you don’t get a discount through status for an annual membership.

Shop this holiday offer and enjoy all the perks of Delta Sky Club™ for less. For the next few weeks, until December 31, 2010, you can purchase five One-Day passes for $99.00. That’s a 60% savings of over $150.00.

Good for one year, these passes make excellent holiday gifts for family, friends and co-workers—even yourself. It’s a great way to enjoy everything our 50 global lounges have to offer, including exceptional amenities in stylish, comfortable surroundings:

* Fully-stocked bars with complimentary beer, wine and cocktails on the house
* A variety of tasty snacks, served all day
* Free Wi-Fi so you can holiday shop, surf, check email or watch a movie
* Personalized flight assistance for all your needs
* Private restrooms (and showers in some locations)
* Wireless printers, fax machines and other productivity tools
* Current newspapers and magazines

This is one gift everyone will love (even if you get it last minute). To purchase, visit any Delta Sky Club location by December 31, 2010, and mention this offer.

I don’t fly Continental very often, but twice this year I was asked if  I worked for the airline after boarding.

The first time was on CO Express.  I asked for a margarita.  The FA asked me if I worked for CO.  I (honestly) said no mostly because I was afraid they had some policy about alcohol.  She replied “oh, you look like a flight attendant.  I would have given it to you for free if you said yes.”

Then yesterday I was seated in the exit row and thought it was interesting that I hadn’t been briefed yet (my side only had me, the other side only had FAs in uniform).  The FA working the flight passed by and asked “Are you a flight attendant?”  I said “no.”  He said “Oh, have you been briefed about the exit row?” and then he proceeded to do the briefing.  I know my exit row responsibilities and don’t need the spiel, but I also don’t want to be the reason for someone to get reprimanded for not briefing me.

I’m not sure why they think I work for them.  Both times I was wearing a wrinkly blue shirt which isn’t the right color and I’d be in trouble for the wrinkles if I did work for them.  I also wear Dansko clogs, but I started that because everyone working in hospitals wears Danskos.  They aren’t very common among flight crew, but I’ve seen a few over the years.

I also see many business men wearing blue button-up shirts and black pants.  Surely I’m not the only lady who travels in such attire.

…Maybe next time I’ll pretend and see what happens.

This is my first trip since before Thanksgiving plus it is international so I made sure I had my passport and my documents so they let me in with no hassle.  I transferred money to my Charles Schwab Investor Checking account since it reimburses ATM fees and had no Forex fees last time I used it.

I have a checking account that also reimburses ATM fees and pays a high interest rate so that is my day to day debit card.  My Schwab debit card stays in extra credit card purgatory.  The problem is that I forgot it before leaving this week.  Oh well.  I can expense the fee on credit cards, but it’s nice to have some cash without paying forex.

I know I’m a little late for cyber monday, but before you shop online this holiday season make sure you check your frequent flyer program for their shopping web portal to earn extra miles.  These are also good for programs where you just need some activity to retain your points.  Not every store is in every portal so you might want to check all your programs before just going directly to the site.

Airlines

Alaskan: Mileage Plan Shopping (http://mileageplanshopping.com)
jetBlue: Shop True (https://trueblue.jetblue.com/group/trueblue/shoptrue)
Continental: Shop OnePass (http://www.continental.com/CMS/en-US/marketing/custcomm/promotions/Pages/onlineretailpartners.aspx)
Delta: SkyMiles Shopping (http://www.skymilesshopping.com)
Frontier: EarlyReturns Mall (http://www.skymall.com/frontiermall/)
Airtran: a+ Rewards Mall (http://www.airtran.com/mall)
Spirit: Free Spirit Mall (http://mall.spiritair.com/)
United: Mileage Plus Shopping (http://www.mileageplusshopping.com)
US: Dividend Miles Shopping Mall (http://www.skymall.com/usairwaysmilesmall/homepage.htm)
Virgin America: The Red Store (http://www.the-red-store.com/)

Hotels:

Hilton:(http://www.hiltonhhonorsearningsmall.com)
Marriott:(https://mrewards.shopmyway.com/?src=MRMALL)
Priority Club:(https://pcrshopping.dbgloyalty.com/)
Hyatt:apparently isn’t one.  Please correct in comments if there is
Best Western:(https://goldcrownclub.bestwestern.com/offers/retailpartners.asp)
Starwood:Couldn’t find a starwood either

Cash:

Also, since cash is king consider a cash rebate site such as Mr. Rebates or Fat Wallet

Contribute to great Atlanta-based organizations and earn up to 15,000 MQMs.

‘Tis the season of giving, so we want to reward your generosity.

Donate at least $250 between December 1 and December 15, 2010, to one or more of the following organizations — AID Atlanta, the Grady Health Foundation or the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project — and you’ll receive Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) in your 2010 balance that will apply toward your 2011 Medallion status. Contribute to each charity and earn:
2,500 MQMs for a donation between $250 and $499
-or-
5,000 MQMs for a donation of $500 or more
Better yet, earn up to 15,000 MQMs if you donate $500 or more to each of the three charities.

Your contribution will support one of these great organizations:
AID Atlanta aims to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life of its members and the Atlanta community by breaking barriers and building community ….https://www.aidatlanta.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=522
Grady Health Foundation supports Grady Memorial Hospital and is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare services for metro Atlanta’s indigent, uninsured and critical care patients…..https://give.gradyhealthfoundation.o…e.aspx?pid=272
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project will honor this Atlantan’s contributions to world peace through non-violent social change…..https://secure.mlkmemorial.org/site/…MK0PwE6LHLZPME
No enrollment is required, but be sure to enter your SkyMiles number when you submit your donation via the charity’s website.

I just barely requalified for Gold, but I think I might still take full advantage of this to get a good start on next year with roll over

HT: Tomphot on Flyertalk