…unless you truly are a masochist who is a glutton for punishment.
However, while both feet are firmly planted on the ground, you might want to watch the videos posted in the Impressive Airline Videos (cross wind landings…) thread.
WARNING: These videos are not for those who are sensitive or get queasy easily. If you feel even the slightest bit queasy from reading this moving text, DO NOT VIEW THE VIDEOS IN THIS THREAD!!!
Imagine if you were reserving a room for yourself at a hotel via its Internet web site, when you find that you can reserve a room specifically designated for disabled persons at a less-expensive rate — perhaps potentially saving you greater than $100.00 per night.
Would you do it?
FlyerTalk member toomanybooks faced this quandary. which is why the OK to book handicapped room if able-bodied? Elite upgrades? thread was launched.
Both able-bodied and disabled FlyerTalk members have already responded to this thread, discussing scenarios as to not only debate the proper way to handle this situation, but also how other situations are handled, such as able-bodied people and their usage of parking spots and bathroom stalls designated specifically for disabled people.
If that was not enough, tall people, “people of size” and other people also weigh in on the topic as well. As you probably guessed, the discussion in this thread was rather passionate at times.
Read the thread and see what you think — then decide for yourself…
…but you may get voluntary “bumps” from airlines.
In addition to the plethora of threads found scattered throughout the airline forums pertaining to voluntary and involuntary bumps, be sure to read what’s the secret to booking on oversold flights?, which started as a question by this FlyerTalk member with an appropriate name for this topic: I love the bump.
I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing like finding yourself having some extra time to reach your destination, only to be offered the opportunity to be voluntarily “bumped” to a later flight, especially if that flight is not much later than the original flight on which you were originally scheduled to be a passenger.
Airlines sometimes overbook flights for various reasons and request volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for some compensation. That compensation can be in the form of a cash voucher, meals, lodging, a credit of an amount of miles or points, an upgrade on your next flight, a free flight, or a combination thereof. The best — and weirdest — thing of all is that when you thank the airline official who gave you the compensation, more often than not that person will thank you because you actually did the airline a favor!
For example, I had received a $300.00 voucher on Northwest Airlines due to volunteering to be “bumped” from an oversold flight. I used that voucher to pay for another flight, from which I again volunteered to be “bumped” due to weight restrictions. I received another $300.00 good for a future Northwest Airlines flight!
With a little planning and a lot of luck, one can actually profit from being “bumped” if one knows which flights at which times stand the greatest chance of being oversold or being restricted due to a weight limit.
Read the what’s the secret to booking on oversold flights? thread to hear what other FlyerTalk members say, as well as relate their experiences and advice. Instead of goose bumps, you might just get airline “bumps”…
FlyerTalk member Oceanbound222 wants to know.
People do take toiletries from hotels for different reasons. I do because their size is convenient for travel in case I visit somewhere that may not have the toiletries I want or need.
If you do take toiletries from hotels, how many do you take, how often do you take them, and why do you take them?
“I too take the toiletries but for a different reason”, says FlyerTalk member 24.05.2004 in this milepost. “I spend about 80-90 nights in hotels and have customers in SJO and MGA. I take a care package of the toiletries with me when I visit and drop them off at a couple of local charities that deal with homeless street kids. The organizations love it when I appear with my bag of goodies (usually include some other things I have purchased for them like laundry soap, etc). I presume that my room rates cover the hotel’s expense of providing the toiletries and I get to pass along some kindness where it is definitely needed.”
Other FlyerTalk members also said that they donate the toiletries found in their hotel rooms.
I would think that by logging this entry, I may save the toiletries from becoming extinct if people would simply leave them alone, as the taking of toiletries is the root cause of their rapid depletion in numbers. Besides, until now, I never knew that toilets grow on and come from trees…
FlyerTalk member Middle_Seat has an interesting marketing idea for the airlines in the wake of recent restrictions pertaining to what is permitted in carry-on items as a result of increased security measures.
“With so much publicity about no water and no gels allowed in carry-ons, I wonder why no airline hasn’t seen it as a marketing opportunity?” Middle_Seat wonders. “I’ll bet Crest or Colgate would jump at the chance to give away free toothpaste samples to a grateful, upscale group of folks. As for the bottled water, if bottles cost 33 cents each (a guess) and you hand out 300 per flight, you’ve only spent $100 per plane. Yet, suddenly you become the airline that cares about its pax (even those in coach)…I can hear the background music in the TV commercial right now.”
I can hear it too, Middle_Seat — as well as some of the new airline slogans:
On the other hand, MKEbound has a similar idea, except it involves hotels instead of airlines…
…as it would be a waste of your time to read this.
However, if you do, urine luck!
Take the plunge and read this story about FlyerTalk member El Boocho, who must have exclaimed “Oh, sheet!” when he found that his bed was … well … moist, to say the least.
Let’s just say that he discovered “gold” accidentally — in its liquid form, apparently left as a blanket statement by someone else.
Wait — it gets bladder, folks! I kidney you not!
After being bowled over by the odor, El Boocho was flushed with anger. He aimed to complain to management of the hotel property, who tried to have El Boocho pipe down about his discovery. El Boocho was too drained to move to another floor, but he was somewhat relieved when management offered him 5,000 bonus points for his troubles.
El Boocho still has not received his points as of this writing, which impeeded upon his satisfaction. This is simply plumb inexcusable and is intestinement of the lack of attention to detail apparently performed by this hotel property.
Does this story wet your appetite to read more? Well, water you waiting for?!? By all means, read all about it!
I apologize in advance that this thread is not presented in streaming text and graphics, despite the fact that the details are slightly graphic.
Tank you for your understanding…
You read the question correctly.
If your boss requested that you use your personal stash of miles or points for the next business trip, would you use them?
FlyerTalk member Jon Toner encountered this every conundrum, which is why he launched the Boss asking me to use miles for company travel… thread. Angered, he reasoned that the miles he earned are “SCANT compensation to the 100+ days on the road and away from my family”. He does not even want to go on this business trip, let alone use his miles and points!
Not so fast, says FlyerTalk member AAaLot, who adamantly posts here that “the miles that were earned during company travel belong to the company” and that “time on airplane, away from home, etc. are apparently part of the job you accepted.”
Could trouble be ahead with regards to the company, as FlyerTalk member Bonehead suggests here? “Perhaps the company is not doing so well?” he asks.
“If you think you are at all replaceable, and you value your job (and times are tough for lots of folks), I’d unhappily play ball. Lose miles, or lose your job? In this economy?” questions FlyerTalk member BoSoxFan45 here, suggesting not to be hasty with automatically outright refusing and protesting this apparent sudden change in corporate policy.
The last response in that thread was posted on October 25, 2003, which is almost three years ago. Given the cutbacks in services and amenities coupled with the devaluation of miles and points, combined simultaneously with the steady increase in travel expenses and arguably the most restrictive security measures ever implemented and currently in place, I have to wonder how frequent travelers would debate this topic in 2006. I would bet that with the increases in expenses almost surely exceeding the increase in wages that more frequent travelers would consider the miles and points they earn while on the job away from home to be theirs. After all, it seems to take more to earn miles and points while traveling in August of 2006 than at any other time in the history of frequent traveler programs.
More debate, arguments, thoughtful discussion and even suggested tactics on how to avoid confrontation pertaining to this issue can be found at the Boss asking me to use miles for company travel… thread.
FlyerTalk member techgirl first wrote about the Dell battery recall here in this FlyerTalk “blog”.
Well, Dell computer owners are not the only ones that are concerned about their batteries. Apple is now recalling batteries for G4 laptop computers manufactured between 2003 and 2006. FlyerTalk member climbermom was gracious enough to launch the MAC Battery Recall thread to call this to the attention of all FlyerTalk members who are Apple Macintosh laptop computer users and make them aware.
For what it is worth, I have been a devoted Apple Macintosh computer owner for many years. Fortunately, I do not own the laptop computers in question. However, I thought that those FlyerTalk members who have the burning question about the explosive issue of Apple Macintosh laptop computer batteries should be plugged into the latest news and developments.
This is an addendum to what I posted here in this FlyerTalk “blog”…
Tonight, I edited The Definitive “How To Earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles” Thread, which is linked from within the PLEASE READ FIRST: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Anything To Do With Delta thread, to update the information in it.
While editing it, I found out that some changes have quietly occurred.
For example, many properties in the Marriott brand family that used to award 3 Delta Air Lines SkyMiles per US$1.00 spent on qualifying charges now only award 2 Delta Air Lines SkyMiles per US$1.00 spent on qualifying charges.
On the other hand, all Hilton properties now have the option of earning 1 Delta Air Lines SkyMile per eligible US$1.00 spent in addition to 500 Delta Air Lines SkyMiles per qualifying stay, which was the only option previously.
There have been subtle changes on which classes of airfares on many airline partners are eligible to earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles — too numerous to mention here. While in many cases on a number of airline partners, an increasing number of airfares are no longer eligible to earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles, there are some airlines partners that actually increased the number of airfares that are eligible to earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles — albeit, most of the time, only one airfare class was added.
There are many other changes overall that are too numerous — and, quite frankly, rather miniscule — to even mention here. The point is that one should include a check of the “sticky” threads in addition to other sources of information to remain current with the numerous amount of changes that occur in a frequent traveler program that earns points or miles.
The NOT crossing the border thread is, at best, a borderline topic launched by MileageAddict, who is one of the original members of FlyerTalk.
Do you dare live on the edge and post in this thread?
If not, you can always read about fellow FlyerTalk members who were so close to entering another country or other jurisdiction but never actually set foot in it.
I personally do not recall an instance where I have been so close to a border but have not actually crossed it. I suppose that when I visited Iguazu Falls in Argentina, Paraguay would qualify, but it was not as though I was close enough to see it or walk to it. Of course, I could not resist crossing over into Brazil — but that is another story…
The topic of this thread is interesting enough that one should not be bored with the discussion, or get even bored-er if the discussion further ensues.
One question comes to mind: if one actually stepped into that adjacent jurisdiction but immediately stepped back out of it again, would that person become a Double-Crosser?
I would be line to you if I said that posting that question was unintentional…
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