Life could be worse. I’m on the 6:05AM flight to Miami tomorrow morning from Reagan National (DCA). My AAdvantage Elite upgrade has cleared (seat 4B). And what’s wrong with a job that sends you to Miami for work? Nothing….except Tropical Storm Fay. I’m flying into Miami, renting a car, driving to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with a colleague and then on to Boca Raton. This was a short-notice trip, and I could not get into Fort Lauderdale on any flight before noon tomorrow. So Miami it is.

I’ll be reviewing my American Airlines flights and my stay at the Embassy Suites Boca Raton this week. That is if Fay doesn’t get in my way. Should be an interesting few days.

Yes, that’s right, as I posted last night, there really is a person behind this blog. MJ On Travel is now Marshall Jackson On Travel. Why did it take three years to figure that out? Well, there are a lot of reasons. As I’ve posted before, I continue to work “around” the world of aviation, and I plan on keeping it that way. I had to work through some decisions about what I could post about and what I could not. And while posting about the issues I work on everyday would be enormously interesting and enlightening to many, I just can’t do it. But I’m very fortunate to be blessed with the gift of travel through work and play, and I’m going to talk about that all I damn well please. And I have a lot to say about air travel, rewards schemes and life on the road.

American Airlines AAdvantage program is my miles program of choice, while Starwood Preferred Guest wins the hotel war. My backups are Delta and Hilton. Oddly enough, I spend more nights in Hilton Hotels than Starwood based on number of locations, but Starwood will always be my first choice where they have a property. So my miles and points advice/opinion is most likely to be geared towards these four programs, with a smattering of others thrown in from time to time.

I’ll soon have some cruise experiences to share. My bachelor party will be aboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas in September, and the beloved and I will be honeymooning on Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas in October for a fabulous 11-night repositioning itinerary from Baltimore to Tampa with stops in Charleston, the Turks & Caicos, Samana, D.R., Cartagena, and Grand Cayman. These will be my 13th and 14th cruises respectively, so look for some cruising advice from time to time as well.

Wow! Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’m feeling wordy and inspired so I’ll stop for now. In the meantime, I’ll repost my aviation experience resume for your review. I’m looking forward keeping this blog exciting and informative. Thanks for reading, and be sure to tell your friends to check out mjontravel.com.

Commercial Pilot (and as my bio states…Diabetes took care of that)
-2,000 hours total flying time
-1,000 jet/turboprop
-Soloed at age 16 and flew on from there

Maintenance and Engineering/Quality Assurance Auditor
-Station safety and surveillance
-Repair and overhaul supplier safety and surveillance
-Fuel supplier safety and surveillance

Manager – Customer Service
-Passenger and Ramp Operations
-Security Coordinator
-Environmental Coordinator
-Regulatory Liaison
-Station Safety Manager
-Airport Automation Coordinator

The New York Times Business Section has an interesting article on frequent-flier credit cards today. The article questions the continued worth of these cards in the face increased mileage requirements and co-pays to use your miles. It’s a legitimate argument, but I still find these cards add value for me. As I’ve mentioned before, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express is my favorite card for everyday spending, and the article even makes reference to its popularity among “rewards program aficionados.” Guess that makes me an “aficionado.”

These cards aren’t for everyone, and if you’re prone to carrying a balance from month to month, stay away…far away. Interest rates are far higher than you might be able to obtain on other types of cards. I’ll refrain from a lecture about the evils of credit card debt on this blog, but suffice it to say, I pay my rewards card off weekly, not monthly, and recommend you do the same. (OK…I didn’t refrain from lecturing)

There are several strategies to leverage these cards to pad your miles balances and not have a terrible impact on your credit score. I’ll post about those soon. In the meantime, check out the article, and evaluate which card works for you.

The time has come. It is time to introduce myself. Yes, there is a name behind this blog, and now there is a name on this blog. MJ does stand for something……

Marshall Jackson on Travel.

The folks at protravelgear.com have launched a fantastic sale. If you are in the market for any travel products, click here and check out what they have to offer including the new PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones which I recently reviewed.

American, British Airways and Iberia have signed a “Joint Business Agreement” with plans for increased cooperation for travel between North America and Europe.  The carriers, along with Royal Jordanian and Finnair plan to file for antitrust immunity with the U.S. Department of Transportation today.

American’s press release can be reviewed here.

Good news for AA fliers and Boeing fans. American Airlines has arranged with Boeing to accept six additional 737-800 aircraft in 2010. This means that American will accept 36 737′s next year, and 40 in 2010. American’s press release can be reviewed here.

Note: Post edited 11-29-2008 to repair broken link.

MJ On Travel is pleased to review the latest noise canceling headphones from PlaneQuiet. The PlaneQuiet Platinum is the latest in a line of noise-canceling headphones from the PlaneQuiet brand.

I tested the new Platinum headphones on a recent business trip, and can report that they performed flawlessly whether connected to the inflight entertainment system or my personal music player. Noise canceling was excellent, and I could hear no discernable difference in the performance of these fine headphones and my other headphones which cost nearly three times as much.

Notable items:

- The headphones are extremely comfortable, feel light on your head, and I did not find myself wanting to take them off at any time during the flight to give my ears a rest.

- The headphones come with a dual-plug audio adapter for inflight entertainment systems that require such a plug.

- The PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones are not required to be switched “On” to listen to music. This is an extremely attractive feature as I’ve noticed that many flight attendants are applying the “no electronic devices” restrictions during takeoff and landing to noise canceling headphones.

- Priced at $99.95, the PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones are an unbeatable value.

While the PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones lack the “buzz” of certain other brands, they work well. Frankly, they are great! If you want the “name brand” headphones, by all means, purchase them. But if you are in the market for new noise canceling headphones AND a good value, I offer my wholehearted recommendation for the new PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones.

Purchase your own PlaneQuiet Platinum headphones at ProTravelGear.com

Expect prognostication of gloom and doom in response to American’s recently announced changes to mileage requirements for AAdvantage awards as well as a new fee of $50 dollars for domestic upgrade awards from discounted coach fares. I don’t want to sound like an apologist, but the recent changes do not deter me from earning AAdvantage miles. From my perspective, American continues to offer the best award availability of the legacy airlines. Frankly, I have never failed to get the award I was looking for when using AAdvantage miles. Do I like the fees? No. Will I pay them? Apparently so if I want to use AAdvantage miles.

My advice is the same as it’s always been. Earn miles, and more importantly BURN them. Do not bank miles in anticipation of some use far away in the future. I frequently use the 15,000 mile domestic upgrade option on AA for flights that are at least 3 hours in length. I think that’s a good use of miles. I frequently find myself booking at the last minute, so I was stuck with American’s goofy $50 dollar “expedite” fee anyway.

If you feel you can no longer support changes being made to your frequent flier program of choice, stop earning non-flight miles with the program, and move your credit card spending to something else. My recommendation is the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express. Not only are you earning Starpoints for hotel stays, Starwood offers the fantastic option of transferring your Starpoints to many airline programs on a one for one basis (United and Continental being notable exceptions). That’s a good deal for me, and I’ve made the SPG Amex card my credit card of choice for all of my purchases. There are other options as well, American Express Membership Rewards being just one. These points also transfer to many frequent flier programs, and can be used to purchase travel directly as well as a myriad of other items from coffee pots to stereos.

I expect the last holdout on mileage increases and award fees, United, will implement its own version of the recently announced changes at American, Delta and others very soon. These programs will continue to evolve. But don’t fret. You do have options. Think it over and do what’s best for your particular situation.

I recently completed a four-night stay at the W Atlanta Midtown, and am pleased to offer my review of this hotel.

Check-in

There is no typical hotel counter setup at the W Atlanta Midtown. Cheerful representatives await your arrival positioned behind multiple podiums, each able to accommodate two hotel staff members. I was greeted by a personable lady, who immediately welcomed me to the hotel, and verbally recognized my Starwood elite status upon entering my name in the computer. After giving me the rundown on getting to my room (you have to use your room key in the elevator to access every floor) I was sent on my way within just a few minutes.

The Room

I was provided with a “Wonderful Room” on the 11th floor of the hotel. Not terribly far from the elevators, but far enough to not be bothered by them. The room was equipped with all of the amenities one might expect, including a large LCD TV, wireless and wired internet ($14.95 per night plus tax), and a liquor setup, complete with martini shaker that I didn’t make use of. The overall decor was trendy and functional, with a comfortable W Signature queen-sized bed. The bath was equipped with a spacious walk-in shower, complete with Bliss Spa amenities. There was a separate dressing area.

After-hours

The lobby bar, known as the “Living Room” was packed and lively each night. Drink prices were at the upper end of normal for a hotel of this caliber. One plus is that the lobby area offers free wi-fi, which I took advantage of each night. Service at the bar itself was fine, but I found it to take a little too long to get a drink if you were located elsewhere in the “Living Room.”

Spice Market offers inspired cuisine, while Randy Gerber’s Whiskey Park is on the second level of the hotel for those looking to take things up a notch. Sadly, I didn’t try Whiskey, but will plan on doing so next time.

Outside the hotel and just around the corner, I found Shout and TAP to be fantastic dinner options with good food, and good service at each…and good beer at TAP.

Getting Around

I purchased a Breeze Card from MARTA immediately upon landing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. I used MARTA exclusively for my trips to the office and to/from the airport. The Arts Center station is less than a ten-minute walk from the W, and there’s a Starbucks on the way. Traffic in Atlanta is notoriously awful. Keep your sanity in check and take the train!

The Verdict

I am a Starwood Hotels fan, and this W Hotel did not disappoint. If you can tolerate the drink prices, and over-priced internet (make use of the free wi-fi in the lobby if you can), the W Atlanta Midtown a good option if you have business in downtown/midtown Atlanta.