Gary has a fascinating post on today’s American Airlines media event announcing its forthcoming enhancements to their business class seats in the 777-200 and 767-300 fleets. As has been suspected in some circles, American will be eliminating the First Class cabin from the 777-200 fleet and installing full flat business seats. These are very nice seats, all of which will offer direct access to the aisle as opposed to American’s current configuration, which even features a center seat in Business Class on the 777 and being trapped on the window in the 767. In short, a guarantee that if you are in one of the window seats or the dreaded center seat on the 777, you will need a jar of vaseline and a parachute to have any hope of successfully extracting yourself from your seat for a trip to the restroom or to simply stretch your legs. Here’s a shot of the proposed new business seats courtesy of AA.com:

Pretty snazzy looking, especially compared to what they have now. While American is eliminating the First Class cabin from its 777-200s, the new 777-300s that begin arriving later this year will feature First Class cabins and updated seats like those depicted here, again courtesy of AA.com.

In other news, AA will complete the installation of wi-fi for its domestic narrowbody fleet by next summer. That’s longer than I would have hoped for, but it is nice to know that a firm date is in mind. As I’m sure you know, I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for American. It is good to see the airline making long overdue investments in its product. You can read American’s press information on the topic of its fleet enhancements here.

Just in from US Airways:

Buy an annual membership in the US Airways club and get 2 free months. Additionally, you will receive 2,500 Preferred Qualifying Miles as a bonus.

Enroll online at usairways.com

Enter promotion code CLB14

Here are the Terms and Condtions

“Offer valid March 28 – April 3, 2012. Offer available to new US Airways Club annual memberships and US Airways Club memberships that are eligible for renewal. Promotion code ‘CLB14’ must be mentioned or entered when enrolling or renewing the membership in the US Airways Club to receive the bonus miles. New club members and club members renewing that use promotion code ‘CLB14′ will receive a 14 month membership and 2,500 bonus Preferred-qualifying miles. For new club member enrollments, the $50 initiation fee will be waived. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Purchase must be made online. Please allow up to 7 days for processing. All US Airways Club and Dividend Miles terms and conditions apply.”

I would only take advantage of this offer if I were thinking about joining the club anyway. 2500 PQMs are icing on the cake. I access the US Airways Club with my Amex Platinum so a club membership would not be worth it for me at this point in time. Of course, if they offered this late in the year, and I was 2,500 PQMs short of status…..well, you know.

Is it me, or is US Airways starting to put itself together? I’ve blogged previously about my positive experiences with the airline over the past several months, and today, things got even better. First, US Airways announced that it will begin nonstop service from my home airport, Washington National (DCA) to San Diego, California (SAN) in June. And then I learned the news I’ve really been waiting for, US Airways will finally move forward with inflight wi-fi across most of its mainline (A319/A320/A321) fleet AND Embraer 170/175/190 fleet. That’s awesome!

US Airways currently offers wi-fi on its A321 fleet. With the latest announcement, US will add wi-fi capabilities to its other Airbus narrow body aircraft and add GoGoVision capabilities which will offer customers access to movies, TV shows, games and other great content. This is good news for US Airways customers. I only wish the timeline for rollout to the mainline fleet was a little more aggressive than a fall 2012 start with completion in 2013. Guess I’ll take what I can get.

These are very positive moves by US Airways, and go a long way in making up for its paltry inflight entertainment offerings on domestic flights.

American Airlines announced this morning that they will be adding a “premium economy” section to their aircraft. These seats will be known as Main Cabin Extra and will be available for sale for a fee ranging from $8 to $108 dollars depending on the length of the flight. These seats will be available to Platinum and Executive Platinum members of the AAdvantage program and those who purchase a full-fare economy ticket for free. Additionally, Gold members will receive complimentary access through the end of December 2013. I assume they’ll have to pay the standard upcharge after that point.

In addition to an extra 4 to 6 inches of legroom, Main Cabin Extra customers will receive priority boarding. These seats will be available on American’s new B777-300 aircraft this spring, and will be introduced to the rest of the fleet within 18 months. You can read American’s press release on the new product here. Personally, I think this is a positive development for American, and one that I expect had to happen with the new United and now Delta offering similar products. Will US Airways do something like this? Hmmm.

The annual fee for my Amex Platinum Card just appeared on my monthly statement, and this year, just like every one before, I think about it. Is any card worth $450 dollars per year? The answer for now is yes. The card grants me lounge access to the airlines I fly most, American, Delta, and US Airways, and it is very likely that I would purchase lounge access from one of those airlines if I didn’t already get it with the Platinum Card. This, in combination with the Cruise Privileges Program, justify the annual fee for me. That’s just 2 of the many benefits this card offers travelers, so I will remain an Amex Platinum Cardmember for another year. You can read my post on the many other virtues of the Amex Platinum Card here.

One item of note. As I was reviewing my monthly statement I noted that Amex is dropping the complimentary TripIt Pro subscription that was offered with the card last year. Will I renew TripIt Pro on my own? I’m undecided for now.

Disclosure: If you apply for an Amex Platinum Card through the link provided above, I will receive a commission.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

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.

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.

I know, it’s my job to say things that help you out, but I find myself in a bit of a quandry. I would like a new briefcase/bag. I currently have a basic Samsonite “TSA Approved” briefcase that works just fine for a day or two trip. For longer trips, I normally take my Wenger “Swiss Army” backpack. Either bag is great for their purpose, but I really want something else. Preferably, I would have one bag that I could carry for business and personal trips and to the office as a briefcase as well. I need a bag that has lots of room for a laptop as well as other things too like my Bose headset, folder pockets, meds, and enough “stuff” to get me through a solid 5 day business trip. Any suggestions? Help MJ out.

I was excited to learn that the iPhone 4S would be equipped with a much improved 8 megapixel camera. MrsMJonTravel and I dutifully presented ourselves at the Apple Store just a few days after the new iPhone debuted. I called before going to the store just to ensure that phones were available, and they were. We showed up and bought our new iPhone 4S’ to replace our aging iPhone 3GS’.

After hearing how much better the iPhone 4S camera was, I was anxious to try it out. Our recent back to back cruises on Allure of the Seas offered the ideal opportunity to do so. In truth, every photo I snapped during the 14 days aboard Allure was taken with my iPhone 4S. Here are just a few shots. Tell me what you think.

These are just a few pictures I took during our recent cruise aboard Allure of the Seas. The verdict? The iPhone 4S is a reasonably suitable point and shoot camera. It is not perfect, but I found that if I had more than a second or two to focus, the iPhone 4S took decent pictures…..and video. Have you had any experience with the iPhone 4S. What do you think of its performance as a camera?

I’ve tried just about every mileage program “aggregator” known to man, and a few more than that. Most of them offered one or two things I liked and several things I would have done differently. However, I’ve finally found one I really love, Award Wallet. Award Wallet offers a clean and simple presentation of your points balances, and elite status levels for your program and alliance. Award Wallet is free for the basic level, but I gladly donate money to get the expanded service which includes tracking of your expiration dates. Award Wallet is capable of tracking your travel plans, but I use TripIt Pro for that and focus solely on points tracking for myself and MrsMJonTravel. I added her programs to the account after we mistakenly let 10,000 US Dividend Miles evaporate from her account.

Award Wallet now offers a handy little service called OneCard. OneCard is the size of a credit card, and lists each of your program account numbers (up to 30) and contact phone numbers. I think that’s a pretty nifty thing to have in your travel wallet and will be ordering mine soon. Historically, I’ve maintained my program account numbers in my Outlook notepad, and will continue to keep that list. But having a OneCard in my travel wallet makes sense to me.

With so many good things to say about Award Wallet, I have to admit I was a little bothered when I read in The Wall Street Journal recently that American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are making an effort to disallow Award Wallet and other aggregator sites from displaying their content. I speak from experience when I say airlines can be control freaks, so I’m not surprised that they are a little touchy on this subject. That said, I hope they peek through the trees and the forest on this and see the light. Frequent fliers value the services that the folks at Award Wallet provide, and airlines could be stepping on it if they overdo it with their control issues on this subject.

This is big news. Delta Air Lines has announced that it is introducing its Economy Comfort product to its entire domestic fleet, including two-class regional jets! While I haven’t had the opportunity to partake of the product, some colleagues of mine have and felt it was worth the price of gold. By next summer, Delta expects to have the new product installed, and will make it available to Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallion members at the time of booking for free. Full fare economy customers can select the seats free of charge as well. Silver Medallions can confirm Economy Comfort seats at a 50 percent discount at time of booking or select a seat for free at check-in. Fees will range from $19 to $99 dollars for non-Medallions.

Delta’s move in this direction with its international flights must have paid off for them to be doing this domestically. With the 2 largest US airlines now offering a superior economy product, can AA afford to ignore this? Is it time for a “More Room Throughout Some of Coach” effort? Time will tell. In the meantime, I say this is a good move!

Hat tip to Gary.