Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 29, 2008 under Royal Caribbean | 
Tomorrow, October 30, we set sail on our 11-night cruising honeymoon. We can’t wait! But we are going to have to wait a little while longer it seems. Our travel agent called to let us know that she had been contacted by Royal Caribbean to advise that Grandeur of the Seas had encountered high winds and seas off the coast and as a result could not maintain full speed. This is going to delay the arrival of the ship by about 2 hours. So we won’t be boarding until 2PM. No fun, but we are ready to go!
I may try a little blogging from sea, so stay tuned. A more energetic posting schedule is forthcoming after the honeymoon!
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines |
Delta and Northwest have merged creating the biggest airline on the planet. Details here.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 27, 2008 under American Airlines |
Just received an email from American Airlines announcing a significant, but expected change to the AAdvantage program. Effective January 1, 2009, AAdvantage members will accrue actual mileage for flights less than 500 miles. In other words, if your flight is 231 miles, that’s what you get. No more 500 mile minimums. Elite status members of the AAdvantage program are exempt from this change and will continue to accrue a minimum of 500 miles for each segment. You can review more details of this change on AA.com.
This change protects American’s best customers while potentially reducing the number of available miles in the “market” for seats. It could be a good thing in the long run and in a perfect world. Unfortunately, we all know the world isn’t perfect. So I’ll wait and see. For now, AAdvantage continues to be my miles program of choice with the best reward seat availability when I’ve tried to use miles.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 26, 2008 under Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines |
I’m catching up on some old-news. Had that small issue of a wedding over the weekend that otherwise occupied my time! And yes, it was successful! My bride planned a truly great event.
But on to business. According to this thread on FlyerTalk.com, reciprocal upgrades are coming to Delta/Northwest in fairly short order. Good news! We’ll see how it works in practice. I’m sure there will be some kinks in the beginning, but I’ve found the reciprocal upgrade process between Continental and Northwest to work well.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 22, 2008 under American Airlines |
Old news by now, but American Airlines has announced an order for 42 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This is good news for AA fliers. Of course, there’s a catch. The order is contingent upon reaching an agreement with American’s pilot’s union to actually operate the aircraft. While American says they are confident that they will reach such an agreement, I can’t help but think there will be some drama between here and reaching that agreement. You can read American’s announcement here.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 19, 2008 under Credit Cards, Southwest Airlines |
I don’t post about Southwest very often. However, now that I live inside the District of Columbia, BWI is a viable travel option for me. Couple that with Southwest now serving Dulles, and I now find Southwest to be an attractive alternative. I’m not much of a fan of the whole boarding process, but in truth, I’ve found the recent changes they’ve made to boarding make getting on a Southwest plane slightly less junglesque. While I like the ability to sit in First Class, Southwest is a fine airline for short and medium-haul flights.
Rapid Rewards, Southwest’s frequent flyer program does not work like most mileage schemes. Basically, you get one credit for each segment, and after you amass 16 credits, they generate a Rapid Reward electronically that you can then use to “buy” a ticket. There are some unique ins and outs of the program that I’m only beginning to explore. In the meantime, here’s a link to a fantastic offer for the Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Card from Southwest. First charge gets you 16 credits, enough for one award ticket.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under Commentary / General Info |
As I’ve posted before, I’m temporarily off the road. Yours truly is getting married in six days so I have a bit going on. I’ll try to post when I can if something pertinent comes up though. And I’ll certainly offer reviews of our honeymoon cruise, return flights home, etc. We’re doing a quick American Eagle hop to Raleigh right after our return from the cruise, and then the following Monday, I’m back on the road.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on under American Airlines |
Hats off to View From the Wing for this info.
You can get yourself 150 AAdvantage miles for watching a simple video online. Click here. And get yourself a few more by presenting yourself in a Bose store. Details are available on the website.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 13, 2008 under Credit Cards |
My credit card and miles post really created some interest. Not sure if that was because readers are interested in miles and points or whether the “credit crisis” has created interest in anything credit related. Oh well. I thought this article in today’s New York Times was very informative. It’s about improving your credit score. Read on….
Updated October 19, 2008 to add:
I’ve found a rather interesting blog on the subject of credit. Check out creditmattersblog.com when you get a chance.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on October 11, 2008 under Credit Cards |
You may have read my post about American Express eliminating the domestic 2 for 1 airfare program as a Platinum Card (and Centurion if you’re a real Daddy Warbucks) benefit effective 11/15. I have never used the program, so I’m not that annoyed. I certainly understand why others might be a little miffed though. The annual fee for the card is a hefty $450 dollars afterall.
But the Platinum Card can still be a good deal for many. I count myself among those who continue to benefit from carrying the card. I primarily fly two airlines, American and Delta. For $450 dollars, I receive unlimited lounge access on both carriers on the day of travel. Frankly, that pays the annual fee for yours truly right there. You can add the cruise privileges program, Starwood Gold status, Fine Hotels and Resorts and a list of others as icing on the cake for me. So I will more than likely keep the card when it comes up for renewal. But lose the lounge access, and I’ll offload the card in a hurry.
I haven’t really explored the benefits of the Membership Rewards program from American Express. I suspect it might have some utility for me, but for right now, I’m happy to concentrate most of my spending on the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express. If I start to get bored with amassing frequent flyer miles and hotel points, I’ll reconsider Membership Rewards.
