I’m catching up on travel news following vacation, and this has already been widely blogged about in too many places for me to “hat tip.”

American Express has signed a new lounge partner for its Amex Platinum (and Centurion) Card products, US Airways.  Card holders will now be able to access US Airways Clubs by presenting their Platinum or Centurion Card.  And in a unique wrinkle, access to the US Airways Clubs will not require you to travel on US Airways that day.  In other words, you can be flying American from Charlotte, but access the US Airways Club there with your Amex Platinum or Centurion Card.  That’s a pretty good deal, and makes the Platinum Card product which I carry even more attractive for a traveler.

Hello all from the American Airlines Admirals Club at JFK International Airport.  Mrs MJonTravel and I have returned from our 3 week Roman holiday and Mediterranean cruise.  I have so much to write about I can’t even see straight.  As promised, I’ll have a full review of the cruise as well as my American Airlines Business Class experience.  Not to mention hotel reviews of the Hilton Hotels in Venice (good) and Rome – FCO Airport (mediocre).

I had really hoped to blog more while I was away, but (affordable) internet access was more challenging than I’d hoped.  Looking forward to getting back in the blogging groove.  Stay tuned.

While I’m away, I’m reposting some of your favorite content based on visits to the blog.  Today, I pontificate on what I feel is the greatest airline myth in the history of mankind – that airlines regularly cancel flights due to low load factors.  This reminds me, look for a new series on air travel myths when vacation is over.

In my opinion, the # 1 airline myth is….. that airlines cancel flights due to low load factors.

First of all, when was the last time you were on an empty flight? Second, canceling flights “willy-nilly” just because loads are low simply does not work at a modern network airline where airplanes and crews need to be in place.

There are number of factors an airline considers when it must make a cancellation decision. Among those factors are the reacommodation options available to Customers, equipment routing issues, crew routing issues and many more. Load factor is a consideration from the perspective of the reacommodation options available for the displaced passengers. In other words, it’s easier to reacommodate 30 passengers than 300. If there are two flights, one booked to 30, the other to 130, and the flight with 130 passengers experiences a maintenance problem, it would not be unusual for the airplanes operating these flights to be swapped so that the lowest number of passengers is inconvenienced. Not fun if it happens to you, but from a big picture view, I think it makes perfect sense.

I certainly do understand why your average airline passenger would be suspicious. I think the airlines’ other odd business practices (such as the goofy way they price their product) tend to make one naturally suspicious of anything they say.

While I’m away on vacation, I’m reposting some of your favorite content based on visits to the blog.  Today, I offer my best advice to travelers…..  don’t yell.

This may be a lengthy post. Let me begin by apologizing in advance if I sound lecturous, or as if I don’t understand the frustration of modern air travel. Trust me, I get it. Remember, I don’t work for an airline anymore!

But I have to ask you again. Did you really have to yell? I’m talking about a disturbing trend I’ve witnessed at the airport. It’s the tendency of passengers (and one or two airline employees) to basically lose their natural minds in public when things don’t go their way.

Travel is no doubt frustrating when things go south. Weather, air traffic control, aircraft maintenance, etc., etc., can interfere with your life. Missing little Johnny’s birthday because the plane is late or not operating at all is simply not a good scene. But these things do happen, always have, and always will. All too often of late, the result of the receipt of bad news is a expletive laced verbal tirade directed at the nearest airline employee about how much they suck, their employer sucks and how the traveler will have the employee’s job, etc.

Now…stop and imagine with me for a second. You are driving down the road, your car stalls, and you are parked beside the road with your dead car. Roadside assistance shows up equipped with the tools need to get you moving down the road again. Do you yell at roadside assistance? I don’t think so! Then why do so many travelers yell at the one airline employee who has the tools they need to get them moving down the “skyways” again?

Stop the yelling! When things go wrong, the one person you want to be nice to is the agent who holds the keys to the kingdom of getting you rebooked on another flight. Keep that in mind, have a backup plan to suggest to the agent if you can, and most of all…be nice. Trust me, speaking from some experience on the subject, two things your average frontline airline employee dreads the most are a delayed flight or a cancelled flight.

Believe me, I know there are some really bad apples out their in the barrel of airline employees. And I know that they can sometimes take a normally meek traveler to the madman zone just by opening their mouth. But they are fortunately the exception, and not the rule. If you happen to run into one of those bad apples, do yourselves and the folks who travel after you (and probably this person’s fellow employees) a favor and let the airline know. While one complaint won’t generate any real action, a chain of complaints that demonstrates a real trend in bad customer service will certainly get the attention of airline managers.

I know it’s hard to do, but keep your cool out there. Getting mad won’t get you home any quicker. So, I’ll ask you again…. did you really have to yell?

Thank goodness for sea days!  I’m on vacation, and as fun as touring exciting new international cities is, I need a break.  I love sea days, and I’m not sure I’d mind at all if I spent 11-nights on Equinox entirely at sea.  This ship is simply beautiful.  Frankly, I’ve sailed on bigger, but certainly none better.  As great as the cruise has been, I’ve already noted a few areas in need of improvement on Celebrity’s party, but don’t think for a minute that any of that has spoiled my vacation.

Did I tell you that the ship is beautiful yet?  I know I did, but I wanted to make sure you heard me.  It’s gorgeous.  The glass balconies, the interior centrum, the staterooms, the Martini Bar, the pool area, the spa and the solarium, all are tastefully done, and beautiful.  Our Aqua Class stateroom is quite comfortable, functionally designed, and pleasant.  Storage is adequate, and the shower panels are a nice touch.  Stateroom service has been excellent.  Celebrity’s style doesn’t include towelie animals and chutzpah, but it is refined and elegant.  The pillow menu, the daily refresh of bottled water and iced tea along with fresh fruit are a nice touch.

While the specialty dining experiences have been wonderful, I’d be a little remiss if I didn’t offer a bit of constructive criticism to Celebrity.  Our first main dining room experience was for brunch on day 3 of the cruise.  The food was fine, but for whatever reason, the service was severely lacking.  I recognize that cruise lines of all shapes and sizes are adding emphasis to their specialty restaurants, and that if you want a truly special dining experience you are going to have to pay the upcharge to dine in one.  That said, I think the cuisine and especially the service in the main dining room should still exceed that of your average local TGI Friday’s. 

Sadly, that was not the case during our brunch, where dirty plates sat piled on our table, and “service” left a lot to be desired.  Our request for brunch mimosas were met with surly indifference by the waiter when he realized that the six of us at the table had purchased Celebrity’s premium all-inclusive beverage package.  (Something that I will write more about in my full review)  It was obvious that the waiter was more concerned with pawning off our service request on whatever junior waiter he could con into retrieving our drinks than serving his guests.  I can’t pretend to fully understand the mechanics of how wait/bar staff receive their pre-paid gratuity when serving a drink package holder.  However, I have picked up on a lot of tell-tale signs during our cruise that the bar staff has an “issue” with Celebrity’s drink packages.  My apologies to them for walking on board the ship the first day and immediately spending over $1,000 dollars plus a 15 percent gratuity for the 2 of us for the 11-night cruise.  I digress, but I will opine more on this after the cruise is done.

I do want to note that for lunch today, MrsMJonTravel and I dined in the main dining room, and the service experience was the polar opposite of brunch.  So hopefully, the brunch experience was a one-off deal.

Lodging in an Aqua Class stateroom means our primary dining venue is the specialty restaurant, Blu, and not the main dining room.  Dining in Blu has been a highlight of the trip, with fresh and artful cuisine, consistently splendid service, and a great atmosphere.  Our other specialty restaurant experiences have included Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest.  Both featured food that was out of this world, but our service experience in Silk Harvest left a bit to be desired.  It was obvious that the kitchen and the staff were overrun with business, a fact for which our waiter apologized for.  But suffice it to say that a little slowness in delivery did not detract at all from the wonderful meal.  Our table of 4 enjoyed numerous appetizers, sushi, and a mix of main course offerings that were phenomenal.  Tuscan Grille, the Italian Steakhouse, was equally enjoyable.  I went for the ribeye steak which was out of this world.  Our dining experience there was so great that our party of 6 has made reservations again for the last night of the cruise.  We’ve yet to try Murano, but don’t fear, we will in a few days, and I will report on that experience when I post my full cruise review.

Enough on eating.  Ports of call so far have included Santorini and Mykonos, Greece along with Istanbul and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey.  Santorini was a true gem, a place where I’d like to return for an extended stay sometime.  Istanbul was exotic, exciting, and wonderful.  A city I’d love to return to again sometime for a short visit on another cruise.  But Kusadasi and the ruins of Ephesus are among the most wonderful spots I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.  Our visit was made so much more memorable by the experience of a private tour arranged through our fabulous travel agent, Michelle, of McCabe World Travel, in McLean, Virginia.  Our party of six was able to enjoy visits led by a private guide to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and so much more, including a private lunch featuring fantastic Turkish cuisine.  We were transported between touring sites by private, air-conditioned coach.  I cannot say enough about our private tour, and how much more enriching our experience in Ephesus was because of it.  I’ll say more when I write my full review of the cruise, and will post some pictures too.  But in the meantime, if you are cruising to a unique new port of call, do yourself a favor, avoid the cruiseline mass tours, and make arrangements for a smaller tour.  You will be glad you did.

I will close for now.  I’ve got 4 more days of cruise to enjoy, and will look forward to posting a full review of the cruise shortly after I get back home.  But in the meantime, trust me when I tell you that I cannot wait to sail on another beautiful Celebrity Solstice Class ship again.

I’m enjoying a wonderful European vacation this week, including a cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox.  While I’m away, I’m reposting some of your favorite content based on visits to the blog.  Today, I remind readers why airline mileage cards can be worth carrying.

This article, on Smartmoney.com, entitled “Why Airline Cards Aren’t Worth It” prompts a few words from me on the topic.  Many readers already know that I use a handful of rewards credit cards to top off my mileage and hotel accounts from time to time, and recommend others do the same on one condition…..that they pay their bills in full and on time every month without exception.  Refresh your memory on my thoughts by reading my April 2009 post on the topic.

The article focuses on airline cards, and cites annual fees and difficulty in redeeming miles among several reasons not to bother with these types of credit cards.  Granted, these cards typically carry an annual fee, but that is a small price to pay for sometimes sizable signup bonuses.  And many, waive the annual fee during the first year.  For example, the Citibank Platinum Select AAdvantage World MasterCard offers 25,000 miles if you spend $750 dollars within 4 months of acquiring the card.  There’s no annual fee during the first year, and an $85 dollar per year fee thereafter.    Not a bad deal if you’re going to spend that $750 dollars anyway.  While I don’t necessarily condone “flipping” these cards, a number of people have done it, with no damage to their credit standing.  Flipping is the practice of opening an account just to get the miles, then canceling the account at some point in the future before applying for the same kind of account again and getting another set of bonus miles.  If you want more information on the topic, pay a visit to flyertalk.com and search for information.

Maybe I’m the luckiest guy on the planet, but I have never had a big problem redeeming miles.  I use them for upgrades on paid domestic flights and have “purchased” a few premium class tickets domestically with miles.  I will soon embark on my first quest for premium class international travel.  That’s not to say that I’ve never had to be flexible with my dates and times, but to make a blanket statement like you must almost always book 330 days out to have a prayer of snagging a seat as this article implies is simply not 100 percent accurate.

That said, I’ve found some programs to have better availability than others.  Sometimes much better.  And that’s why I continue to stick with American Airlines and the AAdvantage program.  I’ve found AAdvantage to offer the best availablity of all the traditional mileage schemes so I continue to focus my mileage accumulation with that program.  Your experience may be different, and that’s great for you.  No matter which program you choose, don’t ignore the additional accumulation opportunities that mileage cards offer.

This week I’m enjoying a fabulous European vacation, including a cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox.  To fill in the blanks between vacation posts, I’m reposting some of the most widely read content from MJ on Travel.  Today, it’s time to take another look at the airlines’ appetite for “ancillary revenue.”

I’m rarely in unanimous agreement with Chris Elliott’s take on the airlines.  That said, I think his piece on the airlines’ hunt for ancillary revenue is close to spot on.  Except at the end where the word “re-regulation” appears, which is a bandwagon I’m never gonna board.

I don’t mind paying extra for something that truly is a value-added service.  Like Elliott, I think that many of the new buy on board food options and internet meet this threshold.  I’m also a fan of Southwest’s Early Bird Checkin product.  Heck, I don’t even mind the pillow/blanket packages, and certainly not the confirmed flight change fee American recently rolled out.

On the other hand, I know you’ve heard me preach on the sin of paying a fee for the first checked bag.  I’m sorry, but one bag is an inherent part of travel and I continue to believe that JetBlue’s policy of including one checked bag as part of the fare is the right one for not just JetBlue, but the entire airline industry.  The other airlines, except Southwest (2 bags for free), obviously do not agree with my opinion.  And don’t even get me started on charging a fee to purchase a ticket from a person, which I maintain is the silliest idea in the history of mankind.  Even worse than the first checked bag fee.

In summary, I remain unopposed to the concept of unbundling in principal as long as the service that is now being “charged for” can legitimately be considered a “plus up” to the travel experience.  Unfortunately, far too many airlines have fallen all over themselves in charging for any and everything they can think of in an attempt to return to profitability.  And for those airlines, I have a question: How’s that workin’ out for ya’?

I may be trouncing about Europe right now, but you’re still the greatest!

Right now, I’m enjoying a fabulous European vacation, including a cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox.  While I’m away, I’m reposting some of your favorite content based on the number of visits to the blog.  Today, in honor of the joy of traveling with elite status, I thought you’d enjoy reviewing ways to top off your Delta MQM balance.  This post received a ton of hits, so here ya’ go again.

As I wrote earlier, I’m going to offer some insight into the subjects that are most interesting to those who arrive at MJ on Travel through a search engine. This weekend, I’ll be writing on the three most common search terms starting with the subject of Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM’s) in Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program.

This subject has rocketed to the top of reader curiosity recently. This is more than likely a result of the rapidly approaching year end when SkyMiles members are looking to top off their accounts and ensure that they earn, maintain or achieve the next level of SkyMiles Medallion elite status. I know this is a concern of mine as I will be dropping from Silver Medallion this year, and I’m none too pleased about it. But I’m hoping for a better year next year. At least I have AAdvantage Platinum to soften the blow, but I’d rather have elite status on both of my airlines, not just one.

In any event, there are some things you can do (besides fly more) in the remaining weeks of 2008 to top off your MQM’s and fly in style next year, or get a headstart on your MQM balance for next year. If you’re really in need of some MQM’s, I recommend that you consider obtaining one of the SkyMiles credit card options from American Express that offer MQM’s as a benefit. You’ll get the biggest boost from the Delta Reserve Card from American Express. This card comes with a hefty annual fee ($450), but you’ll also get 10,000 MQM’s after your first purchase using the card. Trust me, that’s money well spent if those 10,000 MQM’s mean the difference between Medallion status or unwashed mass status. The card offers other benefits, including Crown Room Club access which can almost justify the fee.

If you can get by on fewer MQM’s, the SkyMiles Platinum Card from American Express is a good, not to mention more economical option with an annual fee of $150 dollars. With your first purchase you will receive 20,000 bonus SkyMiles, 5,000 of which are MQM’s. This is an excellent deal if your close to your next Medallion threshold. Both cards offer various mileage bonuses and benefits, the details of which you can review on the American Express website at the links provided.

There are other opportunities to pad your MQM balance from time to time. Delta is currently running a double triple MQM promotion on its northeast shuttle routes. Registration is required, and you can do so by clicking here. (Updated for the current promo running through 8/31/10.)

Delta runs similar promotions from time to time. If any readers are aware of other opportunities to increase your MQM balances aside from flying, please comment and share them with others. I hope this information is helpful in your quest for SkyMiles Medallion status.

Hello from Naples, Italy!  After 8 hours of touring Rome yesterday, we boarded a train for Naples, where we are visiting our friends who are now living and working here.  On Monday, the 4 of us will make the drive up to Civitavecchia, where we, along with 2 other friends flying in Monday morning will board Celebrity Equinox for an 11-night Mediterranean cruise.

Not thinking, we did not pre-book our train reservation for the trip down to Naples, so we arrived at Termini station at Friday rush hour to find a crowded mess.  We wanted the Eurostar train, but all were already sold out, so we settled for an inter-city train with first class seats, price 54 Euros for the 2 of us.  I should’ve known that was too good to be true as our train mysteriously disappeared from the board about 15 minutes prior to departure.

After standing in a line that made Amtrak look like a paragon of efficiency, we found that there would be no 5:30pm train, and instead, we would have to take the 6:30pm.  And oh, by the way, seating not guaranteed as the train is full.  Long story short, we stood for the entire 2 hour train ride.  Note to self, and advice to you: have your travel agent procure your train tickets in advance of your trip if you know when/where you are going.  I’m very thankful we did this for our train trip to Venice following the cruise.

I know I promised a review of American’s Next Generation Business Class (NGBC) seats this weekend.  I’ve actually started the review, and could finish it today.  But in order to give American a fair shake, and you a more complete picture, I want to wait for our return flight home before publishing the review.  One, I’ll be mostly over missing our connection to Rome on the way to Italy.  And two, our return trip is aboard a 767-300.  So I can give you my thoughts on our 777 J class flight to Italy, and the 767 flight on the return.  I know there are some service differences as I understand American added a few touches to the 767 service because there is no First Class cabin on those aircraft, and I want to have the full experience before I post about American’s NGBC seats and service.  I will say that I had no issues at all sleeping with the slightly less than 180 degree seat on the 777 flight over.  The 767 seat is a bit narrower, so it will be interesting to see if that makes any difference at all in my ability to get comfortable.  So….never fear, a full NGBC review is coming, but not until our trip is complete.