When doing a mileage run, or even a complex itinerary with tight connections, it is always reassuring to know if your next flight is on the same aircraft. Check out this thread for several handy tips to find out if this is the case.

An FTer birthday this week – wish sftrvlr happy birthday on September 16.

A FT Do in the next 30 days – what does poetry, flying the space shuttle, living history, a state fair and mileage running have in common? They’re all activities at PHX Do October 13-14

A FT Do in the next 3-6 months – surely the most misnamed FT DO ever, the London Detox Do is on January 13 2007.

Something from the talking heads, err Talk Board – some recommendations for Randy for the next election and skchin asks for a forum for Korean Airlines.

Something random – 1000 places to see before you die? Agree, disagree with the selection? A waste of time or something you really must tick off?

Continuing the color theme, it seems United boarding passes are going all white as GoingAway reports here.

Apparently color does matter to Cathay Pacific. How? Find out in this thread.

FlyerTalk member and seasoned traveler drtravels55 warns: Be cautious of using airport pay phones!

Find out about the experience of using a credit card to place a local telephone call at a pay telephone at the airport in Seattle — as well as what happened next.

I remember that day vividly.

Due to the unpredictable nature of my business, I usually fly everywhere I go, even if my destination is within driving distance, because I never know if I will need to fly out directly from where I am at that moment.

Bizarrely, for some inexplicable reason unknown to this day, I made an unusual decision to drive the three-hour trip east on Interstate 20 to Augusta instead of fly from the Atlanta area.

I was training several employees at a medical college on how to use their new equipment.

About an hour or so into the training, I received word third-hand about an airplane hitting one of the towers of the World Trade Center. As a native New Yorker who has flown into New York many times, I knew that the flight path into LaGuardia Airport sometimes had aircraft fly close to the World Trade Center on approach to land, so I figured this was an accident.

Then, in concurrent reports, I heard about the affected tower collapsing, the Pentagon being hit in Washington, D.C., another airplane crashing into the other tower, an aircraft being hijacked in Pennsylvania, the other tower collapsing…

…the horrible news just kept pouring in and mounting, to the point where we were listening to it via the radio as it happened.

Management at the college decided to pause for a few minutes and have everybody gather in one area to pray together. It seemed like World War III had begun, as we knew nothing about what was happening or why it was happening. All we knew is that life in the United States would never again be the same.

Difficult as it was, I managed to stay focused and complete the training.

Driving home was eerily creepy and surreal. There was virtually no traffic on the highways — not even in Atlanta during the height of “rush hour” at 5:00 in the afternoon — and the electronic overhead variable character signs emblazoned the words “Hartsfield Airport Closed — National Emergency”.

When I arrived home, I finally was able to see video footage of what happened that day. As a native New Yorker, I was furious when I found out that suicidal terrorists had struck and successfully destroyed parts of my “home”. I never wanted to be on top of the tallest buidling I could find or get on an aircraft as much as I did that day to show those terrorists around the world that I am not afraid. How dare they attack my home!!!

My only regret was not first stopping at the airport in Augusta to offer a ride to Atlanta to several passengers who were most likely stranded there due to air traffic in the United States being completely shut down in an unprecedented action.

FlyerTalk members personally experienced the horrors of that infamous day as well. As a close-knit community, worried about the well-being of each other, they posted in the now-legendary Tragedy Roll Call – Please Sign In thread.

smooth is a FlyerTalk member who posted “I am back in the air and it does not feel the same” five days later.

There are many other threads in a plethora of different FlyerTalk forums whose topic pertains to that fateful day five years ago tomorrow — too numerous to list here. However, do a Search on FlyerTalk for “9/11” or “September 11” in your favorite FlyerTalk forum or throughout FlyerTalk to find out the thoughts, opinions, facts and personal experiences about other FlyerTalk members pertaining to September 11, 2001.

May a day like that never happen again.

You are finally going to do it.

Your hands start sweating and your heart starts pumping faster as you prepare for this special moment.

The excitement builds to a crescendo as you are overwhelmed with losing your virginity.

What?!? No — I am not discussing that.

I am talking about FlyerTalk member sharkshooter’s First time in First! Read all about the anticipation leading up to the moment, as well as the questions and the request for advice.

Most importantly, read about sharkshooter’s climactic thrill of getting lucky and finally doing it. You will find that sharkshooter posted “YOW” at least several times as a result — especially after fellow FlyerTalk member zorn posted something about “an enormous but”…

…so do not be embarrassed.

Go ahead — enter the Well, some guest saw my & my lady in the buff this weekend thread unannounced and read about all of the clothes calls where people who nude better about locking their doors to a hotel or motel room left them unlocked anyway.

The stark reality is that it happens anyway — even if the percentage of occurrences is thought to be at a bare minimum.

The lesson on which to latch, however, is that it is key that one locks one’s door if one wants privacy.

If you do not think that my deadbolt humour is adoorable, I will stop — but only for now, and only if you read the Well, some guest saw my & my lady in the buff this weekend thread…

How much simpler can it be to earn miles?

• Receive 150 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles for simply watching a 2-minute video about Bose® QuiteComfort® QC3 acoustic NoiseCancelling® headphones. This offer expires September 30, 2006.
• Receive a voucher for 350 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles for an in-store demonstration of the Bose® QuiteComfort® headphones. Redeem the voucher by October 31, 2006.
• Also, if you decide to purchase the Bose® QuiteComfort® QC2 acoustic NoiseCancelling® headphones, receive 725 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles.
• If you decide to purchase the Bose® QuiteComfort® QC3 acoustic NoiseCancelling® headphones, receive 850 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles.

You may not exactly earn enough American Airlines AAdvantage Miles to redeem for a free trip, but it is a start.

Now hear this: go to the Promo – Bose: 150mi for video, 350 for demo thread for further details. It will be music to your ears.

As a native New Yorker, somehow “New York City” and “budget” just do not seem to go together. I mean, who would think of using “New York City” and “budget” in the same thought or sentence?

FlyerTalk member WillTravel is brave enough to ask about budget accommodations in New York City in the New York City budget accommodation thread. In fact, WillTravel is so brave that his alleged FlyerTalk counterpart, HaveGun, was too afraid to even register on FlyerTalk as a member — at least, to my knowledge, anyway…

Are there really places in New York City where one can stay on a budget — that is, besides in a cardboard box on the street near the curb, or on a subway grate covered with newspapers?

Find out by reading the New York City budget accommodation thread.