I’m on vacation this week, so here’s a little “Best of” content based on your searches of the blog. Alaska Mileage Plan is a great program and I can certainly understand why you’re interested!

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had people mention to me about how they fly American a little and Delta a little….and occasionally they have to go to Seattle or somewhere on the west coast a little and then look me in the eye and say, no mileage program is ideal.  I always respond with the same question, “have you thought about Alaska Mileage Plan?”  Usually, I get strange looks, or in the case of one close family member…..a look of “are you stupid?”

Well, the answer to that question, like all questions is…opinions vary.  That said, I’m right about this one.  I never cease to be amazed by the number of people who refuse to think ever so slightly out of the box when it comes to mileage earning.  Alaska’s Mileage Plan has a list of partners that is nothing short of impressive.  Become a member of Mileage Plan and earn miles on American, Delta, British Airways, Air France, and several more.  Better yet,burn those miles on the same partners.  And of course, Alaska has a pretty nice network on the west coast all on its own.

I have to admit, the Alaska Mileage Plan option is something I think about often.  I haven’t been able to justify a move from Delta and American into Mileage Plan just yet, but this is certainly something I think about every year….heck…..every day.  Right now, I fly Delta enough to justify crediting to SkyMiles to earn elite benefits with Dela.  I’m not sure that will last forever.  Alaska Mileage Plan is a viable option for many travelers, probably many more than are even aware that its a good option.  When you’re evaluating your options for mileage earning, don’t forget about Alaska Mileage Plan, no matter where you live.

I’m on vacation this week. The first thing I reach for when I travel is my American Express Platinum Card. Here are just a few reasons why I “don’t leave home without it” and neither should you.

As you know, I’ve been a proponent of the American Express Platinum Card for sometime.  Frankly, if you travel at all, you should at least consider adding the Platinum Card to your wallet.  If you fly American, Delta, or US Airways, even better.  Why?  The Platinum Card will get you access to these airlines’ lounges on the day of travel if you hold a boarding pass on their flights.  In the case of US Airways, they’ll grant you access to the US Airways Club whether you’re flying them or not.  Continental Airlines has been a longtime participant in both the Platinum/Centurion lounge access program as well as an Amex Membership Rewards transfer partner.  As of September 30, 2011, that relationship goes away as Continental moves towards full integration with United.  Oh well, life goes on.  So let’s talk about why this card is an even better deal for travelers.

Amex made some changes to the card last year which they marketed as “The Next Generation” of the Platinum Card.  I blogged about those changes then, which included a $200 dollar airline “fee credit” per year, a 20 percent bonus on travel purchases made with Membership Rewards points, and a new travel app that includes a subscription to TripIt Pro, a $49 dollar value.  That’s something, but recently, Amex has rolled out even more enhancements to the Platinum Card product that are worth real money.

First, the lounge access program now includes Priority Pass Select membership.  This adds access to over 600 lounges worldwide.  Notably, the Select level of membership does NOT include access to Continental and United lounges that participate in the Priority Pass program.  No doubt a nod to Chase, which is the issuer of both the Continental and United mileage credit cards.  Still, this is a real enhancement.  Second, if you decide to register for theGlobal Entry program, a US Government offering which allows you to bypass lengthy customs and immigration lines at certain US airports, Amex will credit the $100 dollar application fee back to your account.  Finally, Amex no longer charges its Platinum and Centurion Card holders that annoying foreign transaction fee when making purchases overseas.  So now you’ll be saving 2.7 percent on foreign purchases when using the card overseas.  You can read American Express’ presser on these enhancements here.

At $450 dollars per year, this Card isn’t for everyone.  But if you are a frequent traveler who is likely to purchase a lounge membership from one of their lounge partners, the lounge access alone basically pays for the card.  Couple that with the real enhancements that Amex has made to the Platinum Card, and there’s no question that many travelers should carry this card in their wallets.  I know I do.  Not to sound corny, but I never leave home without it.

I’m on vacation this week, and may even do a little light blogging from Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.  In the meantime, take a look at today’s Best of MJ on Travel post about blogger Brett Snyder’s fabulous Cranky Concierge service.  Yes, I’m using Cranky Concierge for this trip!

I’m on vacation this week, and may even do a little blogging from Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.  But just in case, take a look at today’s Best of MJ on Travel post about why it’s good to make nice with airline employees at the airport.  They might just save your butt sometime.  Read on.

I’m on vacation this week, and may even do a little blogging from Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.  But just in case, take a look at today’s Best of MJ on Travel post, a cruise review of Mariner of the Seas, one of my favorite ships.

I’m on vacation this week, and may even do a little blogging from Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.  But just in case, take a look at today’s Best of MJ on Travel post about Alaska Mileage Plan, a program we should all at least run the math on from time to time….even if you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest or the rest of the west coast.

I’m taking a few days off over the Christmas holiday.  I’ll be doing a little blogging here and there, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this Best of MJ on Travel post about airline rewards cards.

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.

I’m in a long-term work training event that is taking more of my time than I’d anticipated.  As a result, I’ve been unable to maintain a consistent posting schedule.  Only one week left, but in the meantime, please enjoy this Best of MJ on Travel content. What makes it the best?  Your interest.  “Best of” content is based on your views of each topic.

I’d say the answer to that question depends on who you are and where you want to go.  I’m not going to render an opinion, I just want to share my first experience using this option with you.  Delta’s Pay With Miles program is only available to SkyMiles members who carry the Gold, Platinum or Reserve Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express.  I think it’s pretty clear to regular readers of this blog that I like Delta Air Lines just fine.  However, Delta SkyMiles leaves a bit to be desired in my book when it comes to award availability, and especially my favorite award spend, upgrades.  That said, Pay With Miles worked out OK for me this week, and I thought I’d share the details.

A little background might be useful.  Mrs MJonTravel and I are traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma in March for a weekend visit.  We’re gonna see the Black Eyed Peas while we’re there too!  In any event, I need to depart on Friday, March 19th and return on Sunday, March 21st.  I’d like to leave most anytime on Friday as long as we are there by 4PM or so, and I don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to come back on Sunday morning after the concert.  Frankly, this is a trip that I’d rather not use any miles for but after pricing the trip, I quickly concluded that miles were the only way I’d ever do this.  Why?  I’m sorry, but I’m not paying over $700 dollars for the 2 of us to get to anywhere in Oklahoma for a weekend!  Southwest wanted over $1,100 dollars to depart from BWI and change planes once or twice.  No, I’m not making this up.  I did find a sub 200 dollar fare on Delta, but I had to return at 5:50AM.  Out of the question!

Straight SkyMiles awards were pricing out at 40,000 roundtrip on delta.com and nwa.com with the same horrid schedules as that sub 200 dollar regular fare.     A decent schedule was going to cost me 50,000 miles per ticket.  40 to 50 thousand miles to connect to an RJ in Atlanta for trip to Tulsa?  No thanks.  I decided to take a look at the Pay With Miles options, and suddenly things began to look a little more promising.  I pieced together a schedule that met our needs with a fare of $338 dollars each.  Choosing the pay for miles option gave me choices of using as little as 10,000 miles each for a $100 dollar discount each all the way up to 35,000 miles or $350 dollars off each fare, in other words, free.  I went with 30,000 miles and paid $38 dollars each for our tickets.  Not a bad outcome, especially considering the same itinerary I booked priced out just now at 60,000 miles each!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t prescient enough to check the price of a straight award booking for our exact flights when I made the purchase.  I’m certain it was at least 40,000 miles which kind of makes me wonder what the heck is up with Delta’s pricing and fare logic?  I can do a straight award booking and pay 40,000 miles, or do Pay With Miles and book the same trip for free with 35,000 miles.  Seems off to me.  In any event, Pay With Miles is just another option, and it worked out fairly well for me this time.  I know there are better spends for miles, but I’m OK with the decision I made.  You can read all about Pay With Miles on Delta.com, and judge for yourself.  You might also check out Gary Leff’s thoughts on this program when it first hit the scene.  Very useful as were the links to others’ opinions on the subject.

I’m in a long-term work training event that is taking more of my time than I’d anticipated.  As a result, I’ve been unable to maintain a consistent posting schedule.  Only one week left, but in the meantime, please enjoy this Best of MJ on Travel content. What makes it the best?  Your interest.  “Best of” content is based on your views of each topic.

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’?

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?