An ex-airline guy blogs about airlines and travel.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 20, 2010 under Bonus Miles/Points | 
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Check back Monday morning, March 22nd, for your chance to win a trip for 2 to Australia’s Gold Coast courtesy of Boardingarea.com and the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card. Get some advance scoop on this fantastic opportunity by clicking here. And be sure to return to Marshall Jackson on Travel Monday morning!
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 19, 2010 under Delta Air Lines, Safety and Security, Travel Tips | Be the First to Comment
Word to the wise. Flew Delta out of DCA this morning on the 6:40am launch to Memphis. At 5:30am, the security line was backed a quarter of the way to the next concourse, and by the time I got close to security, I’d say the line was well on it’s way to being much further down DCA’s beautiful National Hall. I haven’t seen lines like these at DCA in years. Word was that it was like that the morning before as well. Anyone know what gives? Spring Breakers? Just that much more business since NWA’s operations joined Delta at DCA? Comment to the blog if you know the scoop.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Bonus Miles/Points, Commentary / General Info | Be the First to Comment
You read that right, beginning Monday, Marshall Jackson on Travel readers along with readers of several of my fellow Boardingarea.com bloggers will have the opportunity to win an indescribably awesome trip to Australia courtesy of American Express and Boardingarea.com. Check back Monday morning for the scoop, and details on how to enter.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 18, 2010 under Commentary / General Info | Read the First Comment
MrsMJonTravel and I are booked on the 6:40am Delta flight to Memphis tomorrow morning, where we’ll connect on to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Visiting some friends over the weekend, and seeing the Black Eyed Peas in Tulsa too! We fly back Sunday afternoon, and then I turn right around Monday and fly back to…..wait for it….. Oklahoma City! Why not stay in Tulsa, and just drive to OKC? Well, when I booked the Tulsa trip, I didn’t know I’d be in OKC next week. In fact, I just confirmed the OKC business trip 2 days ago.
It’s a little difficult for me to combine personal and business travel for reasons that I won’t get into on the blog. So I’ll just do the turn and collect the miles. I’ll be in OKC for 8 days, and staying at the Sheraton Oklahoma City. I should have a review of the hotel ready by midweek. My project will keep me in OKC over next weekend. Any suggestions on what to do while I’m there? I’ll certainly go see the Oklahoma City National Memorial. What else?
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Continental Airlines, Credit Cards, US Airways, United Airlines | Be the First to Comment
I received a credit card offer in today’s mail that made me feel the need to blog. In exchange for an annual fee of $89 dollars, I am pre-approved for a US Airways Premier World MasterCard with “Dividend Miles Select.” The signup bonus is 35,000 miles. I won’t be applying as I haven’t flown US Airways in over 2 years. I’m not mad at them, I just focus my flying and mileage earning on American and to a lesser extent, Delta. I had not heard of Dividend Miles select, so I did read the offer pretty thoroughly. “Select” privileges include:
I suppose this isn’t a bad deal for the person who flies just enough for flying to be annoying, but not quite reach elite status. But the $89 dollar price point is troubling to me. Why? Most people can afford that, which makes me wonder if this doesn’t run the risk of making access to US Airways’ First Class check-in lines and Zone 2 boarding more like a carnival than the privilege that they are meant to be.
Personally, I think the Continental Presidential Plus World MasterCard from Chase is a much better model for providing an enhanced package of benefits to travelers. Presidential Plus cardholders receive a Continental President’s Club membership, and Continental’s “Elite Access” privileges which include early boarding and priority baggage handling plus a whole host of other benefits. With that much to offer, it’s no surprise that the annual fee is much higher than the US Airways card at $375 dollars per year. But the annual fee also has another benefit, it likely serves as a deterrent to the card being obtained by huge masses of people and prevents the dilution of elite benefits for lower level elite fliers. Access to First Class check-in lines and priority boarding are the 2 things I value most in elite status on any airline. I think the Continental product does a much better job of protecting the elite benefits of those of us who can only attain low and mid level elite status.
Another card that offers a bit of access to certain privileges is the Delta Reserve Card from American Express. In exchange for a lofty $450 dollar annual fee, cardmembers receive access to Delta’s Sky Club on the day of flight. A notable difference between this card and the Continental card is that those card holders receive an actual membership in the Continental President’s Club while Delta Reserve holders are merely granted access to Delta’s club, just like an Amex Platinum cardmember receives. The card does have some other benefits including Medallion Qualifying Mile bonuses for reaching certain spending thresholds and priority for Medallion upgrades within your status level. Personally, if I flew Delta enough to obtain more than Silver Medallion status, I’d likely carry this card, if for no other reason than the upgrade priority.
United also offers a handful of cards that offer access to varying levels of privileges. Depending on the card, you can receive a Red Carpet Club membership, or my favorite, access to United’s Economy Plus section. Some of the cards also offer elite qualifying mile bonuses for reaching certain spending thresholds. You can read all about each of United’s card options here.
Those are the cards of the domestic mileage programs that offer access to enhanced benefits for travelers. If you know of others, feel free to comment to the blog. Each of these has its good and bad points, and if you fly one of these airlines regularly, you should at least consider one of these products. That said, I think the Continental Presidential Plus MasterCard from Chase is the best of the bunch. No way I’d be without one if I were a regular Continental flier.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 15, 2010 under Commentary / General Info, Starwood Preferred Guest | Be the First to Comment
I recently completed a 3-night stay at the wonderful W Seattle hotel as part of a business trip to the Seattle area. I really enjoyed the hotel, and am happy to have the opportunity to share my thoughts with you. I did not take any pictures as I only travel with my iPhone, which for all its greatness, is really lacking when it comes to the camera department.
Check in
The hotel was a $35 dollar cab ride plus tip from SEA, and traffic was no issue due to our mid-day arrival. The hotel is located on the corner of 4th and Seneca with the main entrance being on 4th street. The cab dropped us at the Seneca entrance which happens to be the most convenient if you have bags as its on the same level as the front desk. This entrance also happens to host the valet parking entrance.
The only wait for check in was for the 2 colleagues I was traveling with, so no issues there. The desk attendant was quite friendly, took the time to thank me for my Starwood Preferred Gold status, and had me checked into my Fabulous and Cool Corner Room within a minute or 2.
The Room
My room met the expectations that its “sales name” implied, “Fabulous and Cool Corner Room.” Located on the 23rd floor, the room was typical W, equipped with the great W bed, functional and well-lit work area, and comfortable chaise lounge. I had a city and partial bay view from my location. Wireless internet access is $14.95 for 24 hours, and the desk offers a wired connection as well. The bath was large and equipped with the standard Bliss products, but there was no “chi-chi trendy walk-in shower,” just a standard tub, but it did the trick.
The room was well taken care of by the housekeeping staff, and turndown service occurred like clockwork every night while I was away at dinner.
Dining
We made it out to some really great restaurants while in town. I’m not a foodie, so I don’t know how to describe our restaurant experiences except to say that they were good to excellent. Two were within walking distance, and one required a drive. Just a few blocks from the hotel, you’ll find Brooklyn Seafood, Steak, and Oyster House. Located at 1212 2nd Ave, Brooklyn was excellent. All of my colleagues enjoyed their entrees, and my bone-in ribeye was cooked perfectly and loaded with flavor. Our server, Nick, was the best! Directly across Seneca from the hotel, was Shuckers. Located in the Fairmont Hotel, Shuckers provided good food, good service, and it was of course, close by. Salty’s on Alki Beach, was an easy drive from downtown, and well worth the effort. Good food, friendly…really friendly service, and a great view of downtown combine for a great time. Not to mention, I snapped this picture of a Boeing 787 flying over downtown.
A Boeing 787 Over Seattle
While I didn’t try it, the hotel is home to Earth and Ocean. I look forward to dining there on my next visit to Seattle. We did try some lite snacks from the bar one afternoon which were prepared by the restaurant, and they were very tasty.
Around the Hotel
For me, the centerpiece of the hotel was the W Bar and Living Room. Awarded “Best Hotel Bar” by Seattle Weekly, the slightly edgy vibe of the lobby bar and trademark W Living Room was the perfect meeting place to discuss the day’s events and plan for the next day’s business. Great drinks, and great service. Thanks Greg! Note: Unlike some other W’s, the hotel does not offer free wi-fi in the lobby “Living Room,” but there is an option for 1 hour of access for $4.95, which I took advantage of for a couple of quick email checks when the BlackBerry or iPhone just weren’t enough. There’s also a Starbucks directly across the street from the hotel.
I made use of the hotel’s reasonably well equipped gym on 3 days out of my 4 day visit. The gym had modern equipment, and an adequate amount of space. While I was never alone, the gym was never crowded.
Random Observations
The Bottom Line
I liked the hotel a lot. If a W is available at my destination, it is always my first choice. The W Seattle is no different. I will be back. If you have any questions, or have your own experiences at this hotel to share, feel free to comment to the blog.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Commentary / General Info | Be the First to Comment
Sorry for the lack of new content over the weekend. I had to take an unplanned trip down to North Carolina due to a death in the family. So….I just didn’t get around to posting this weekend. I did start writing my review of the W Seattle, and will have that up very soon. Thanks for your patience.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 11, 2010 under Commentary / General Info, Delta Air Lines, Starwood Preferred Guest | Be the First to Comment
Hello from the A Center Delta Sky Club in Atlanta. Arrived here just before 3PM after a really great flight aboard Delta flight 1052 from Seattle. My Medallion upgrade cleared at the gate, the 757 was equipped with on demand video, in seat power (that was a little spotty), GoGo Inflight Wi-fi, and really great First Class flight attendants. What more could one want in a flight? Alas, it wasn’t to last. My 4:20PM connection to DCA is now a 5:55PM connection and that’s a slight uptick from the 5:45PM departure that was posted when I landed.
I’ve had one of the more successful business trips of the year, and am looking forward to completing the week. I’m also anxious to complete my review of the W Seattle, which was the hotel of choice for this trip. Not only did I have a great stay, but my colleagues mostly seemed to enjoy it as well.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on March 9, 2010 under Commentary / General Info | Read the First Comment
While dining this evening at Salty’s on Alki Beach in Seattle, I looked out the window and was delighted to see something above Seattle’s Skyline that impressed this airplane geek. A Boeing 787 on final for Boeing Field. Taken with an iPhone at dusk, so I apologize for the quality, but you get the idea.
A Boeing 787 Over Seattle
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Starwood Preferred Guest | Be the First to Comment
Hello from the beautiful W Seattle. I arrived on Monday afternoon for a weeklong business trip. So far, I’ve found 2 great restaurants and 1 great hotel. My stay at the W has been very nice. I’m in a corner room on the 23rd floor with a nice view, and can’t find a thing to complain about. The W Seattle is one of the older W properties, and I’ve seen a couple of signs of age, but certainly nothing that would make me want to stay anywhere else for my next visit to Seattle. I look forward to posting a full review of the hotel when I complete my stay.
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