After quite a bit of confusion regarding the terms & conditions of Hyatt’s upcoming Faster Free Nights promotion, the rules have finally been clarified to allow the earning of Faster Free nights when selecting miles as your earning preference. So if you’re a United 1K and choose to earn miles instead of points for your next Hyatt stay, you can earn 5,500 Mileage Plus miles per stay (500 base and 5,000 bonus), along with 2,500 Mileage Plus miles after every two nights. In addition to that you’ll earn one free night after every two stays. Registration is required (follow links above), and the 5,000 mile 1K bonus is only good through October 31, so book and stay quickly.

So let’s do the math: 5,500+5,500+2,500=13,500 miles for two stays. Valuing those miles at 1.5 cents a piece, we’re looking at $200. That alone should cover the cost of two hotel nights at your local Hyatt Place. Add that to the free nights you’ll earn, and this is probably the best promotion out there right now.

Now, if only we could talk the manager of a Hyatt Place into giving us a “corporate rate” and not requiring us to check-in. Get busy calling those local Hyatt Place hotels, folks…. ;)

It’s refreshing to once in a while read an article which is supported by facts, numbers, and is all around rational. Yeah, that would exclude articles like this one, or any other article suggesting one should beg for free upgrades, dress nicely, or come up with a special occasion to tell a gate agent about. So that’s why I appreciate Scott McCartney (as usual). Here he wrote a simple, straightforward, and factually correct article (except for one minor mistake) about how to “snag” an upgrade. I was a bit worried when I read the word “snag” in the headline, but that was unfounded.

Anyway, good job, Scott McCartney!

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Yeah, didn’t think so. Me neither. :D

Through October 14, American is offering 150 miles for watching a two minute video and answering one question about the new Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphones. If that’s too much work you can just go straight to the post video survey. If you go to a Bose store for a demo, you can earn an additional 350 miles.

Oh, and what the heck are six to eight “business” weeks?

On October 6-9, Sheraton will be offering the chance to win a free night at one of their 86 renovated US properties. It looks like they’ll be giving away thousands of rooms, so this might just be worth participating in. Stay tuned till October 6.

Remember how the Westin Charlotte was offering 500 Starwood points to anyone that became a fan of them on Facebook? Well, kudos to them, because the points actually posted. The promotion was only advertised on the in-room TV’s, although there was no restriction stating it was only for hotel guests. As a result about 500 FlyerTalkers became fans on Facebook one evening, and the next morning they closed the promotion.

Either way, the Westin Charlotte deserves some props for honoring this promotion. Ultimately it was the right thing to do, and I’d certainly consider staying there if I were ever in Charlotte, despite not being a Starwood kind of guy. I am a sucker for Heavenly Beds, though…. ahhhh…. zzzzz….

It’s time for a reader photo. Thanks to Megan for sending in this one.

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Correct Answer: Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA
Winner: FortFun

If you’d like your photo featured, please email it to me at onemileatatime@hotmail.com, along with the correct answer.

Well, it looks like we’ll finally have a book about Captain Sully soon:

In January 2009, the world witnessed one of the most remarkable emergency landings in history when Captain Sullenberger brought a crippled US Airways flight onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all of the passengers and crew aboard. The successful outcome was the result of effective teamwork, Sully’s dedication to airline safety, his belief that a pilot’s judgment must go hand-in-hand with—and can never be replaced by—technology, and forty years of careful practice and training. Highest Duty is the intimate story of a man who has grown up to embrace what we think of as quintessential American values—leadership, responsibility, commitment to hard work, and service to others. And it is a narrative that reminds us that cultivating seemingly ordinary virtues can prepare us to perform extraordinary acts.

Now all we need is a movie. ;)

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I’m being sent a review copy, so this might just be the first book I’ll be reading cover-to-cover in a while. I’ll report back.

British Airways was nice enough to forward a menu for their new Club World London City product.

Here’s the menu for New York to London:

The Sleeper Service

Welcome onboard this Club World London City
Sleeper service to London.

All paper used on the production of menus for British Airways is made
from an environmentally friendly source from sustainable forests.

We hope you enjoyed the pre-flight supper in the
lounge this evening. Tonight’s menu is designed around
helping you maximise your sleep on this short overnight
flight, enabling you to arrive in London well rested and
ready to start your day.

If you wish to settle down and sleep shortly after take
off you may like to have a look at our breakfast options
available to you when you wake up in the morning.

Good night.

NightCap

On tonight’s flight, we have a selection of night cap
options for you to choose from should you wish to eat
something to help you settle down and get some quality
sleep before our arrival into London.

Four cabbage slaw with pequino peppers
topped with smoked duck and caramelised onions
or
Croque-monsieur
or
Bruschetta sandwich with goat’s cheese

Wildflower and honey cheese cake

Please accept our apology if your first choice
is not available.

Club Kitchen
Should you wake up and feel hungry during the
night, we have a selection of tasty treats including
crisps, chocolates and biscuits available in the
galley area for you to choose from.

Please ask our crew for a drink from the bar,
or you may wish to enjoy a hot drink. We have
a choice of tea and freshly ground coffee.
We also offer a selection of herbal teas.

Prior to Arrival

We will be serving you a light breakfast
approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes
before our arrival into London City.

Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit

or
Special K with dried berries
Warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup
Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Your choice of coffee or tea

City Breakfast

If you wish to maximise your sleep during the
night, we won’t wake you up if we see you are
still sleeping soundly. When you do wake up,
we have our City Breakfast option available up
until 20 minutes before landing, which you can
eat on descent or on your journey into the office.

Chilled fruit juice

Fresh fruit

Breakfast pastries

Here’s the wine list:

Wines

Please ask your crew to advise you of the choices
available on today’s service.

Champagne Cocktail
Kir Royale
Crème de Cassis gives this cocktail its distinctive taste
Buck’s Fizz
Crisp, dry Champagne and naturally sweet orange juice

Champagne
Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top
Generous nose, with toasty and buttery aromas
Ayala Brut Majeur NV Champagne
Elegant and lively, with delicate fresh and fruity notes

White
Terra do Gargalo 2007 Monterrei
Intensely flavoured with lemon, lime and apple
Marmesa Vineyards Chardonnay 2006, Edna Valley
Appetising and dry, with an aroma of white peaches
Château de Rully 2007, Rully
Lemony, smoky and taut
Arboleda Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2008
A super-refreshing dry white

Red
Montes Alpha Syrah 2006
Flavours of spice and blackberries, rounded off
by soft, silky oak tannins
Château Bournac 2005
Pretty and succulent, from an outstanding vintage
La Haute Marone 2007, Gigondas
Essence of spicy Grenache, intense and full-bodied
J. Lohr, Los Osos Merlot 2006, Paso Robles
Scented, rich blend from California’s Central Coast

A selection of traditional and modern drinks
to suit all tastes

There will be a complimentary bar available
serving alcoholic beverages and soft drinks.

And here’s the menu for the London to New York flight:

Welcome aboard this Club World
London City service to New York.

British Airways is proud to be working
in collaboration with Roast to design
and develop your onboard menu today.

Roast is a popular restaurant drawing on
the best of Britain’s seasonal produce and
cooking traditions set in a landmark building
in London’s oldest surviving food market,
Borough Market, just by London Bridge.

We have created a dynamic food development
team combining the years of inflight catering
experience of British Airways with Roast’s
head cook, Lawrence Keogh.

As a British airline passionate about food,
we are delighted to embrace Roast’s food
development philosophy. Using British
ingredients wherever we can, placing
emphasis on the sourcing and provenance
of products, we intend to explore dishes
and recipes that also highlight seasonality.

From succulent spit roasts and deeply
flavoured puddings cooked over days,
to organically grown salad leaves that have
real taste, British cooking can rightly take
its place on the international stage.

We have the great pleasure of taking this
philosophy and bringing it to life for you
to enjoy onboard today.

All paper used for menu production is made
from an environmentally friendly source
from sustainable forests.

London City – Shannon

Shortly after take off, we will be serving
you an appetiser and drink service on
our short journey to Shannon.

Appetiser

Welsh Carmarthen ham with Cox’s
apple potato salad with pea shoot

Shannon – New York

Shortly after take off, whilst we prepare
your lunch order, we will be offering you
a selection of drinks from the bar to
enjoy with your meal.

Lunch

Dedham Vale Farm fillet of beef with
Scottish girolles and Madeira sauce

British corn-fed chicken
cooked in a Somerset cider sauce

Grilled sea bass served with
a roasted fennel and caper dressing

Penne pasta in a courgette
and aubergine tomato sauce
with chestnut mushrooms
and Berkswell cheese

Inverawe smoked salmon and prawns
with new potato and horseradish salad

We apologise if your first choice is not available.
For allergen information, please ask your crew for more details.

Dessert and Liqueurs

We will be pleased to offer you
a liqueur to savour with your chosen
dessert option.

Eton mess

Cornish Yarg and Cropwell Bishop
Stilton with Bath Oliver and Orkney
oat biscuits

Working Lunch

If you prefer to eat later whilst you
finish off some work, we will be
happy to serve you a main meal salad
together with your choice of dessert
from the lunch menu.

Inverawe smoked salmon and prawns
with new potato and horseradish salad

Club Kitchen

After lunch, please help yourself
to a selection of tasty treats including
crisps, chocolates and biscuits
available in the forward galley area
for you to choose from.

Drinks are available throughout
the flight.

Afternoon Tea

We will be serving a traditional
British afternoon tea service
approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
before our arrival into New York.

Sandwich Selection

Roast beef with horseradish cream
and beetroot chutney

Smoked salmon with cream cheese

Mature English farmhouse Cheddar
with tomato

or

Laverstoke Park Buffalo Mozzarella
with roasted figs and Port reduction

A selection of plain and sultana
scones served warm with English
preserves and Cornish clotted cream

Afternoon Tea cake selection
of coffee éclair and lemon tart

Drinks

Tea, ground coffee
or decaffeinated coffee

Selection of herbal teas
includes green tea with jasmine,
peppermint, blackcurrant
and camomile with honey

1. Parks and Recreation. Does United really have to show this east, west, south, and north? All four mainline flights had the pilot episode. Sorry Amy, you’re not funny.

2. Passengers that chew tobacco. Especially when they’re sitting next to you.

3. Embraer 120′s. If anyone disagrees with me, sorry, I won’t be able to hear you because I lost my hearing on this aircraft. ;)

4. Pilots that use “ah” every second word. “Ah…. folks…. ah…. from…. ah…. the…. ah…. flight…. ah…. deck this is…. ah…. your…. ah…. Captain.” Usually there are only a few “ah’s” here and there, but the captain of United 44 last night added an “ah” after basically every word for his whole announcement. Figured you’d have the routine figured out by the time you’re a 767 captain.

5. Passengers that complain about the lack of frills in coach. This alone is a reason I’m considering not booking the exit row anymore. While the main added benefit of Economy Plus is extra legroom, the fact that most people up there fly more than once every couple of years is kind of nice too. When you’re in the exit row on United, seated right behind you are the once a year flyers. Why? Because anyone that reserves row 12 on the ex-Ted A320 obviously booked their ticket 11 months ago.

Nothing pisses me off more than a whole row of passengers doing nothing but bitching like the guy seated behind me on UA99 to TPA this morning did. “They want to charge us for our bags, how dare they. I heard we should just take all our bags to the gate and they’ll check them there for free.” And then, “Huh, I have to pay extra to sit in the exit row? Are you kidding me?” Of course the flight attendant explaining the situation to him followed by “but I only work here” didn’t help either. Those are only minor complaints, but c’mon folks, travel in the past few years is as cheap as it has ever been. For our $29 fares we deserve respect and good customer service, but that’s about it. I probably wouldn’t have an issue with this if I didn’t fly 250 segments a year and had to hear the same idiotic complaints every single time.

As if earning 5,500 United miles per Hyatt stay wasn’t generous enough, there’s now also a promotion for 2,500 bonus miles for every two Hyatt stays (registration required). That means as a United 1K you’re earning 6,750 miles per stay, which is insanely good. Unfortunately this promotion is not combinable with Faster Free Nights, which starting on October 1 is probably a better value if you have good use for free nights between now and next March.

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