Recently, I flew Alaska Airlines on a transcontinental business trip. These flights were the first I’ve taken on Alaska in many years, the previous flight being on 737-200 Combi from Dutch Harbor to Anchorage. That was during my airline life, so miles and points for that flight were not a thought. For these flights, they certainly were. Alaska is unique in that they have well-developed frequent flier relationships with numerous airlines including American and Delta. I could choose to credit my miles to Alaska Mileage Plan, AAdvantage, or SkyMiles. After some thought, I went with Delta because of the outside chance of an upgrade as a Gold Medallion. In retrospect, I should have gone with AAdvantage. I wasn’t anywhere close to getting upgraded on either flight. There were over 50 elite status holders of some description on my outbound flight, according to the agent, and I don’t know how many there were on the return. However, I did see my position in the upgrade queue in Seattle thanks to Alaska’s gate monitors. I was number 7 of 7 for no available seats. I did appreciate the early boarding opportunity though.

I found the travel experience with Alaska to be quite pleasant. Both flights were operated with newish, wi-fi equipped 737-800s. Ground and inflight personnel were uniformly polite and pleasant. I had an exit row aisle on the way to Seattle, and a row 17 aisle seat on the return. Can’t put my finger on why, but I found Alaska’s coach seats to be more comfortable than most. For the exit row flight, there was more legroom of course, but also the added bonus of normal armrests with the tray in the seat in front of you. The result was no narrowing of the seat to an uncomfortable squeeze. The padding in the seats seemed just right. On a recent exit row flight on a US Airways 737-400, I found myself feeling like I needed to go into traction after a 2 hour flight. After two 5-hour or so flights on Alaska’s aircraft, I was not in any pain. I expect seats are as subjective as food, so this is just my opinion, take it for what you will. Flight attendants did 3 beverage services, and 2 buy on board meal runs in addition to renting digEplayers, an inflight entertainment device. I did not try the digEplayer, since I had plenty of movies to watch on my MacBook, but I couldn’t help but think “what a nice idea…..I wish US Airways would offer that.”

The only “disappointment” if you can call it that was my visit to The Board Room in Seattle. Recognizing I was flying the Wednesday before Christmas, I’m not surprised it was a little crowded….but it was really crowded. I was traveling with a colleague and I did not identify any 2 available chairs in the place. We left after searching both levels.

In summary, Alaska offers a very pleasant coach experience. I did not check luggage so I can’t speak to their baggage delivery times. Checking in online or with my iPhone was a snap. All personnel I interacted with were friendly and personable. Buy on Board food seemed a cut above other airline offerings, and inflight service was frequent. I’ll look forward to my next flights on Alaska Airlines.

Reader S writes:

“Thanks for all your insights.
I live in Seattle and wanted to know what your thoughts are on which airline frequent flier plan I should focus on.
We travel 3-4 times a year.  We mainly like to go to Hawaii, California with occasional trips to Asia (Korea) and Europe.
Thanks a bunch!”

MJ on Travel Responds:

“Thanks for your email. This is just my opinion, but I think your
location and places you want to fly fit perfectly with Alaska Airlines
Mileage Plan. They offer flights to the destinations you mention, and
for the destinations that they don’t serve, Korea and Europe, you
could fly Other airlines including AA, BA, or Delta and credit your
mileage to your Alaska account since these airlines (and others) are
partners with Alaska.

Consider the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card as well. Not only
will you earn extra miles, the card comes with an annual $99 dollar
companion certificate valid in any class of service.

You can find details about Alaska’s mileage program, partners and
credit cards at alaskaair.com/mileageplan.”

This is the synopsis of a recent email conversation with a reader edited for content and clarity. What do you think of my suggestions and what other tips would you have offered?

Reader A writes:

Hi Marshall,

I’m a high school teacher with a child in college and one in high school.  I am researching the points system in hopes of finding a way to take my family on a big vacation, such as Hawaii, or similar.  My credit score is excellent.  What would your suggestions be of how I should get started.  I main expenses are gas, groceries, dining, utilities, of course tuition and clothing.   Thanks for your help.

MJ on Travel Responds:

Hi. Thanks for your note. Let me ask you a couple of questions…. What airport would you normally fly out of, and is there an airline where you already have a bank of miles? Do you have any airlines that you prefer over all others? 

And the answer is:

Thank you so much for replying to me .  Normally, we either fly from Greensboro or Charlotte which are the closest (about 2 hours away) or Raleigh.  We do not fly often.  Maybe once a year.  Neither my profession, nor my husbands requires us to travel.  In fact its just the opposite.  Both of our professions keep us very close to home.  I don’t have a preference on airline.  I did a little research on the Chase Saphire Preferred Card, and the reviews are very good on it.  I just need to make sure that the cards I apply for will earn points for the items I purchase monthly. THANK YOU so much for your help.  I am REALLY excited to learn but very conservative about making good decisions financally at the same time.

And MJ on Travel offers:

There are a lot of ways to go at this, and I will offer a few thoughts.

First, I’m a big big fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Ultimate Rewards points are very useful, with 1 to 1 transfer to some big mileage programs like United and Continental (soon to be just United), British Airways, Marriott Rewards, and more. You earn double points for travel and dining. If you got that card, which is currently offering a 50,000 point signup bonus AND the United MileagePlus Explorer Card (I’ve seen 40 and 50,000 mile bonus offers for that) you could have 90 to 100,000 United miles right there. Have your husband apply for the same 2 cards and you’ve got 180 to 200,000 miles. 

Living where you live, you might consider one of the US Airways MasterCards too…if you fly US Airways? You could also fly US Airways and credit your mileage earning to your United account since they are both in the Star Alliance too. US Airways miles are pretty good because you can spend them on Star Alliance carriers. US Airways can get you to Hawaii from Charlotte via Phoenix too. Just something to consider.

What I’ve written here is by no means the only way to go at free travel. Just something to think about. Feel free to write back with questions, clarification, anything you need.

Just a brief note to wish everyone a joyous holiday season! I hope you were able to celebrate with those closest to you. MrsMJonTravel and I spent the weekend with my mother and other family in North Carolina, and will be heading back to MJ on Travel World Headquarters tomorrow. Flying the 2005 Mini Cooper so no 500 mile segment minimums for this trip!

I hope 2012 brings you the best of everything!

You might remember that MrsMJonTravel and I are traveling to Europe next year to celebrate a certain unnumbered birthday. We are flying over on the big day, spending a few days with friends, and then traveling up to Venice where we will board the then brand new Celebrity Reflection for a 14-night cruise from Venice to Barcelona. I posted previously that I had nabbed 2 first class seats on United from Dulles to Rome next October, and was waiting for return flights to open up in mid November.

Well, the calendar finally ticked forward far enough for me to start looking at availability. For the return trip, there are no real nonstop options from Barcelona at this time, so I knew I’d be connecting. Furthermore, I followed Lucky’s advice and used the Continental website to perform my search. Not that I ever doubted, but boy was he right about it being a better way to book awards than United.com. Of course, November isn’t exactly a peak travel time for US-Europe travel, so I’m not surprised that availability was out there, but I have to say, it was easy to find exactly what I wanted.

For the return, I was thinking Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich. There is no First Class availability right now, but Business is available and I nabbed 2 seats. A321 service to Frankfurt and then 747-400 service from Frankfurt to Dulles. Continental.com could not assign seats so I rang up the Continental elite line and retrieved our Lufthansa confirmation numbers (we are in separate PNRs for the return) then gave Lufthansa a call. Row 3 on the A321 and row 1 on the 747-400, which I’m pretty pleased about. Something about riding in the nose of a 747 appeals to me. Also, I’ll keep an eye out for First Class, and if availability happens to appear, I might switch to that. Business is plenty acceptable for a trans-Atlantic flight, but this is an important trip for us, and a visit to the First Class terminal in Frankfurt would be icing on the birthday cake for sure.

Note: This is reposted from 12/24. The original post went missing due to a technical error.

I just completed a 3-night business related stay at the W – Seattle, and thought I’d share a few details of the stay with you. I think it’s important to note that the hotel’s lobby and restaurant are undergoing a major renovation that will not be completed until March 2012. I found the rest of the hotel to be just fine, but the lobby scene is a big deal at most W hotels, including this one. Just know it will be a little quiet there until March 2012.

With that out of the way, on to some details regarding my stay.

Getting There

The hotel is accessible by public transportation, but our business needs this week required a rental car. Be advised that parking at the hotel is $37 dollars per night plus tax.

Checking in

Arriving at the hotel just before noon, there were no crowds waiting to check in. I was immediately assisted and within a minute or 2 was on my way to room 2320, a “Fabulous and Cool Corner Room.” Oddly enough, this was the exact same room I was given during my last visit to the hotel in March 2010. Also, the hotel was offering a “green” option of opting out of housekeeping for up to 4 days in exchange for 500 Starpoints per day. I went for that….but for just 1 day!

The Room

Well, the room was unchanged from my last visit. It was fabulous and cool. Touché. Seriously, it was a good room, with a partial bay view. It seemed more spacious that normal rooms because of its location on the corner, which includes a long “hallway” of sorts at the entry then along the windows before you get to the “living” area of the room. I really like this particular style of room, which was equipped with a large LCD TV, chaise lounge, and of course, great W bed. The work area was very large, well lit, and comfortable. I receive complimentary internet access as a Starwood Platinum, otherwise, access is $14.95 for 24 hours. In a change from my prior visit, access is complimentary in the lobby area. Since I was unable to post pictures during my last visit, here are a few shots of the room. My apologies for the lighting in some of the shots.

I really liked the bath at this hotel. It’s not uber-modern like many of the more recent W’s, but the lighting and furnishings were to my liking.

Around the Hotel

The lobby of the typical W is the first thing I talk about at most W’s, and I’m sure this one will be the same and then some when renovations are completed in the spring. The hotel has a video presentation running with artist renditions of the way the lobby area and restaurant will look when done, and I think it’s going to be good. In the meantime, the hotel has established a temporary bar and restaurant offering a limited menu on the second floor. I was also able to get in a couple of good workouts at the hotel’s gym which was well-equipped with cardio and strength training equipment.

I also identified a couple of great spots for dining and imbibing. One, great for watching a game and drinking a beer, and the other (which I try to get to every time I’m in Seattle, is a pretty darn nice spot for great oysters, other seafood, and steaks. The Owl & Thistle, slightly hidden near Pioneer Square is a wonderful spot. Try the Ninkasi IPA with a Reuben! For finer dining, I always seek out The Brooklyn, on 2nd Avenue, between University and Seneca. I like this restaurant a lot, and this visit just reinforced my feelings. Steaks and a Bakers Dozen of oysters really hit the spot!

The Bottom Line

This hotel is a favorite of mine in Seattle and I look forward to visiting again, after the lobby remodel (or “Re Wonder” in W language) is complete. The staff was very pleasant and helpful, and you need not “wonder” whether or not I’ll be back. You bet I will!

A reader comment yesterday really reminded me that I need to speak to this. In a word, up to this point and for the immediate future, I have not accepted any kind of credit card referral income. Yesterday, I posted 2 paragraphs about how much I like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, and in that post I included a link to the application for the card. A fellow BA blogger emailed me that he noticed that I was apparently not participating in any referral program, and would I mind including his link. I didn’t mind, and I added it. In retrospect, I should have added a note to the post that I had done so.

In my reply to the reader comment (which I really appreciated) about referrals, I stated that “every word ever written here has been my unvarnished, unpaid for, honest opinion which everyone is welcome to agree or disagree with at their leisure.” That remains the case this morning, and will continue to be what I do as long as I blog. I do want you to know that at some point in the not too distant future, I will begin accepting referral income for credit card applications. When I do, this will be fully disclosed. Additionally, I’m going to talk to the folks at Boardingarea about helping me set up an “ethics” page if you will where each credit card referral link that might pay me will be listed along with any gifts I might receive from travel providers. Further, if I become aware of any richer offers than the link that I have listed, I will disclose it on the blog.

I doubt that I will get rich by doing this as you are probably aware that I’m not nearly as much of a credit card flipping enthusiast as many….but I’m learning. In any event, I wanted to get this out there so you’ll know where I stand and what’s coming in the future.

The headline says it all. After 3 weeks of carrying my new Chase Sapphire Preferred, and using it exclusively, I have to admit that I really love it. Aside from the obvious things like it looks and feels really cool, the all-around acceptability of your basic Visa card is helpful. (NOTE: That’s not a dig on Amex. My Amex Platinum Card remains my favorite T&E card) Not to mention, there’s no foreign transaction fee.

Chase is currently offering 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points if you spend $3,000.00 in the first 3 months of card membership, and the $95 dollar annual fee is waived the first year as well. This is a great deal because those points can be transferred to many great rewards programs like MileagePlus and Marriott Rewards, not to mention, you can use them to purchase travel through Chase. Seriously, I’m starting to think that the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the American Express Platinum Card are the only 2 cards I’ll carry semi-permanently. (As long as the benefits remain valuable) I’ve only begun to explore the Ultimate Rewards program, so stay tuned for a future post all about that.

You can apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card by clicking here. Note: I do not yet accept referral income, and this link is directly to the Chase website.

OK, not really. More like flying towards the northwest on Alaska Airlines, but I like the title. I’m inflight on AS 1 now, having just departed from DCA enroute to Seattle. So far, so good with my Alaska Airlines experience. However, I erroneously reported last night that this was my first flight on Alaska Airlines. It isn’t. I once flew from Dutch Harbor to Anchorage on an Alaska Airlines 737-200 combi! I can’t believe I managed to forget about that. So we’ll call this my first routine flight on Alaska Airlines.

I’m crediting this flight to my Delta account, and as a Gold Medallion, I was offered a pre-boarding opportunity. Delta Golds are eligible for upgrades on Alaska, but alas, that wasn’t going to happen. I’m comfortably ensconced in seat 14C, and exit row aisle. It’s in the “non-reclining” aisle, but I don’t care as I rarely recline in coach anyway. The seat is quite comfortable, and the tray tables are in the seat in front of me so I have a normal seat width with makes for a much more comfortable flight than the typical Boeing exit row with the tray tables in the armrests.

I checked in online yesterday morning, and sped through TSA this morning. Boarding was easy and there was plenty of space in the overhead bins. The agents offered customers the chance to check their bags at the gate if “they weren’t needed in flight” and a lot of people went for that. Heck, I was even able to stuff my overcoat in the bin above my seat.

Well, the flight attendants are in the aisles starting service now, so I’ll close. But so far, I’m liking my flight on Alaska Airlines. And oh yeah, the Gogo inflight wi-fi helps too!

I normally wouldn’t get caught traveling this coming week, at least not for work, but that’s what I’m about to do. There are some pressing last-minute needs with a project I’m running at work, and frankly, I’m under the gun to finish the “road work” portion of this project before the end of the year. Therefore, Sunday morning at 5:45am, I’ll be in a cab heading to DCA to catch Alaska Airlines to Seattle.

As much as I don’t want to travel this week, I’m actually looking forward to sampling Alaska Airlines’ product (coach unfortunately). I’m also looking forward to returning to the W Seattle. I really enjoyed my last stay there, and I’m sure this one will rock too! Though I understand the lobby area is being renovated which is unfortunate as that was one of my favorite parts of the hotel.

In any event, look for a full review of my experiences with Alaska Airlines and the W Seattle this week. Wish me luck!

I see Lucky already beat me to the punch with this, but hey…it’s holiday party season and I’ve been celebrating. I received an email this evening from US Airways entitled “Dividend Miles Program Changes” and thought “oh boy.” Honestly, the first thing I thought was they’ve probably dropped the 2 checked bag benefit for Silver members like United and Delta, and of course, that’s exactly what they did. But they also announced a change that I think was an honest to goodness enhancement.

Beginning February 15, 2012, US Airways is introducing a mileage-based Dividend Miles mileage upgrade scheme, and I think it’s a good thing. For as little as 5,000 miles, you can upgrade your flight to First Class, and better yet, Preferred Members are exempt from any co-pays for mileage funded upgrades. You can review the details of this change and others here. Of course, there’s one other thing. The bogus “quick ticketing” window for award travel is being pushed out from 14 to 21 days, so you’ll pay a fee of $75 dollars for ticketing an award trip within 3 weeks of travel unless you are at least a Gold Preferred member.

This makes me wonder if American will make changes to its baggage allowance for AAdvantage Gold members. I think there’s at least a chance that they don’t match while they’re in bankruptcy, but who knows. In truth, I rarely check bags, and if I do, it’s usually not more than one, so this really doesn’t impact me. And I’m happy to see the mileage-based upgrade awards. I think that’s a real enhancement….not an “enhancement.”