Posted by Seth on March 31, 2010 under News | 
6 Comments to Read
And it just so happens that the winner of the trip was from a comment posted here on The Wandering Aramean. Congrats to Jonathan Heckman and have a great time in Australia; I’m looking forward to a post card.
And now back to the regularly scheduled coverage of random travels and industry news…
Posted by Seth on March 31, 2010 under frequent flyer, News | 7 Comments to Read
American Airlines and jetBlue announced an agreement today that will see the carriers begin to sell flights on each other’s metal and also shift a number of landing slots around. American will cede eight slot pairs at Washington, DC’s National Airport to jetBlue in exchange for twelve slot pairs at New York City’s JFK airport. jetBlue will remain the leading carrier at JFK measured by frequencies even after this swap. At the same time, in conjunction with the five slot pairs at National that they are expected to acquire from US Airways, jetBlue will be able to build a significant operation up very quickly at the airport starting late this year.
In addition to the slot swap the two carriers have announced plans to offer interline connections to each others’ flights at JFK and in Boston. American Airlines’ customers will be able to leverage jetBlue’s position as the leading domestic carrier at both of these airports by booking single tickets through for routes where AA doesn’t offer service but jetBlue does. At the same time, jetBlue customers will be able to book connections onto AA’s international flights through the two airports. American is second only to Delta in international operations at JFK, offering connections to London, deep South America, Tokyo and a number of destinations in continental Europe. AA is also a leader in the transatlantic market in Boston.
It should be noted that, at this time, the agreement does not specify code-sharing between the two carriers or interline ticketing beyond the very specific destinations. It is a very limited partnership, at least for now. Mostly it means a single ticket can be issued for the connections and that luggage can be checked at the originating jetBlue station for outbound long-haul international travel.
Of course, any discussion such as this one leads to questions about additional tie-ups in operations and in the loyalty programs. And, this announcement still leaves plenty of opportunities and options, but no definitive answers on most of those issues. Will jetBlue be joining up with OneWorld, the global alliance that AA is a major player in? Not right now but the future is wide open? What about jetBlue’s interline agreements with partial owner Lufthansa and with Aer Lingus? Both of those will continue as they have been operating previously. Oh, and still no details on how the frequent flyer loyalty programs will integrate in terms of earning points or other benefits across the new partnership.
For American this seems to be a move to retain market share in the transatlantic market. They currently offer very few onward destinations for passengers connecting through JFK who aren’t staying in New York City. The move will allow them to increase that coverage significantly with a minimal investment. For jetBlue the ability to attract customers who are keen to travel more outside the Americas is a significant hole in their route network that they will be able to better fill now.
In many ways this partnership seems to be placing jetBlue into a role similar to that of Alaska Airlines. They provide a broad regional coverage and partner with a number of different airlines from a variety of alliances. They don’t have to declare loyalty to just one alliance and they don’t have to fully integrate their loyalty scheme with those programs. They forge alliances of convenience and partner to fill strategic gaps. Customers from both sides win and the airlines are able to grow without significant capital outlay.
At this point it probably doesn’t make too much sense for jetBlue to join one of the global alliances, particularly given their strong position at JFK and Boston and their ability to strike opportune partnerships to improve their route footprint with whichever partner presents that opportunity to them at a particular connection point.
Posted by Seth on March 31, 2010 under Trip Reports | Be the First to Comment
Although quite tempting, we ended up not chartering the helicopter while we were in Panama City this past weekend. But that didn’t stop me from grabbing a few shots from above on approach while returning from Mexico City. The weather was somewhat ridiculously hazy but in many ways that just added to the beauty of the views.
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| Looking down on the Amador Causeway and the southern entrance to the Panama Canal just before landing at Tocumen airport |
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| Casco Antico in the foreground and the rest of Panama City behind, just before turning onto final approach to Tocumen airport |
Seeing a city on final approach or during takeoff is still one of my favorite views.
Posted by Seth on March 30, 2010 under Trip Reports | Read the First Comment
Carne de calle – street meat – is not an adventure that should be undertaken lightly. There are very real risks associated with it but there area also ways to mitigate those risks and make a pretty good guess as to potential exposure. Vendors that have a means to ensure the cleanliness of the plates they serve food on are a much safer bet, for example. In Mexico City most use disposable plastic sleeves over the plates. High volume is also a good sign as it means the food is fresher and spends less time sitting out waiting to be cooked or cooked and waiting to be served, the two times that food is likely to have the bacteria that will get you sick growing in it. Finally, I go for places that have a lot of locals there. Not a guarantee of food safety, but generally a pretty good vote on quality.
Enough of the lesson on spotting good street meat. Let’s get to the good stuff. On the trip to Mexico City six weeks ago I ended up going for the guy operating a small cart just in front of my hotel. But that was a Monday morning. This trip had us in town on a Sunday and a Holy Day at that. Not much of a chance of that working out (and I was right – he wasn’t there). Instead we ended up about a mile up Paseo de La Reforma, at one the main square near the Hidalgo Metro station. There were a few dozen folks set up cooking in the plaza giving us a wide variety of choices. Tacos or quesadillas? Pork or beef or chicken? Each vendor had their own specialty and picking one to eat at was no easy task. One vendor made sure to point out the options he had available – both pork and pig – while others simply called to us inviting us to sit down.
We finally settled on one of the vendors and ordered up sampler platters – three tacos of chorizo, pork and chicken. Add on a soda (the Coke is still made with real sugar in Mexico) and some chipotle salsa that they had out on the tables and we were in heaven, all for about 40 pesos (~$5) each.
Between inhaling the food and enjoying the local flavor we found ourselves in a discussion of just how much fun it is to find little dining places like that. We were surrounded mostly by locals out enjoying their day and fully absorbed in their bit of life. It was essentially full immersion, without anyone really minding that a couple of crazy tourists happended to be plopped in the middle of their life. Phenomenal.
We actually were going to hang out for a second round, this time at one of the quesadilla shops, but we were out of time and already late getting back to the hotel to gather our bags and head to the airport. Truly a shame, though it does give me something more to look forward to for the next trip.
Posted by Seth on March 29, 2010 under Trip Reports | Read the First Comment
Palm Sunday is apparently special in the Reforma district of Mexico City. Beyond the fact that it was a holy day and the scores of folks walking around town with their Jesus statues and palm fronds, it was also apparently fitness day. The road – one of the main thoroughfares in town – was closed to vehicular traffic. There was a running race on one part of it while the rest was open exclusively to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The city government had booths set up along the road with free bicycle rentals and a number of other entrepreneurs had set up temporary shops selling gear and offering bike repairs.
In addition to the bikes on the road, there were a couple aerobics stands set up along the road. Open for public participation, they had music booming, instructors up on stage guiding the participants and hundreds of participants, some more into the experience than others. Ranging from young kids simply bouncing along to the beat to at least one guy who was perhaps having way too much fun improvising his own dance steps to the rest of the crowd simply doing their best to keep up, the aerobics setups were almost as big a hit as the cyclists.
And then there were the three of us. Fitness was not at all on our minds as we walked along the road trying to decide what to do for the ~2.5 hours we had on the ground before it was time to head back to the airport during our brief stay in Mexico City. Sure, we got some exercise during our walk, and we did consider waiting in line to get bikes, but we gave up on that due to the limited time available. Instead we undertook one of my favorite pastimes: dining on street meat. More on that to come…
Posted by Seth on March 29, 2010 under Trip Reports | 7 Comments to Read
My first trip to Panama City was almost exactly one year ago. I was rather smitten by the city then; I fell for it hard. Even with the lack of decent signage on the streets it is relatively easy to get around and the people are wonderful. So is the food. I truly didn’t think that I could enjoy the city any more than I already had. Fast forward to yesterday and it turns out I was wrong. The city is getting better as it ages without losing much of the charm or friendly feel that made it so wonderful last time around.
It probably didn’t hurt that for this trip we had a guide and driver, Blad. Sure, we had some miscommunications that resulted in him not showing up for an hour or so after we thought he would, but that just gave us an opportunity to start drinking local beers earlier in the day. And we did. A lot. Having Blad drive us around meant we had no worries about a designated driver so all five of us were able to thoroughly enjoy the various drinking opportunities, along with the other tourism bits. I’m generally not a huge fan of a guided tour but in this case it was a private guide who was willing to do pretty much whatever we wanted. We revised the itinerary several times, even after we showed up, based on the time constraints we had. He was also willing to deal with specific special requests we had, like the need for a van to carry five of us rather than cramming in to a smaller car. And the need for that van to have a cooler and the first stop after leaving the airport to involve acquiring beer for that cooler. Yeah, it was like that, and it was wonderful.
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| One of the many custom paint jobs on the buses in Panama City |
Our first stop on the day was a restaurant on the Amador Causeway. The causeway was built from landfill from the dredging of the Canal and connects three small islands off the coast of the city proper. For most of the past 100 years the Causeway was the property of the United States, serving as a CIA listening post base for the US’s operations in South America among other famed responsibilities. Now it has been developed into a series of parks, hotels, restaurants and discotheques. There is also a Smithsonian research post on one of the islands and a number of marinas, including ferry trips to some of the nearby islands. Oh, and it also still serves as the gateway to the Canal, offering magnificent views of the ships passing through and of the Bridge of the Americas, the main north-south crossing for the Canal and the Pan-American highway.
After lunch (breakfast, really, since we all slept on the redeye flights into town) we headed north, up the Canal to the visitor center at Miraflores. The operations of the Canal and the locks still leave me in awe even a year later. I could easily sit and watch the ships flow through for hours. Well, it would be easier if there were shade on the fourth floor observation deck where the views are really the best. But it is still completely worth the trip up to the locks for an hour or two. Seeing a ship descend 18 meters in mere minutes and then be moved along to the next section of the Canal with such precision is amazing, especially given the tight tolerances they are dealing with and the fact that it is pretty much the same system that they used 90+ years ago when it was originally built. The fact that the large container ships passing through pay more than a quarter million dollars each is also pretty impressive. The canal clears about $5MM daily in revenue from the fees charged to ships making the transit.
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| The old operations building at Miraflores and one of the hudredss of crew that pass the boats through every day |
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| Controlling the passage of a ship through the Canal with a locomotive and tie lines |
After visiting the locks the value of having Blad as a guide truly showed itself. I know the route on the roads between the Causeway, Miraflores and Casco Viejo (our next stop) but Blad delivered a surprise for us. We pulled off the highway and onto a series of back roads and eventually to a parking lot pretty much directly under the Ponte des Americas, the Bridge of the Americas. Even better views than are available from the Amador Causeway and the ability to walk right down to the water if you want. The area is used by fishermen, too, as a launch point and for cleaning the daily catch. That definitely adds to the aura (and smell) of the spot. But the views are phenomenal. Definitely worth adding it to the tour itinerary, assuming you can find it.
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| Looking out at the Bridge of the Americas |
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| Fishing boats on the shore serve as reminder that the Canal area is used for more than just cargo |
As the afternoon wore on we headed back down into the heart of Panama City and the Casco Viejo. This section of town was the most changed sine the visit last year. There was a lot of construction then and there is still a ton today but the effects of the regentrification efforts are clear. A number of new restaurants, cafes, shops and hotels are now open in the neighborhood while the open presence of druggies and prostitutes is diminished a bit. Don’t get me wrong – they’re still definitely still present and noticeable – but overall the neighborhood is more visit-able than just a year ago. In addition to walking along the sea-wall and enjoying the sunset views over the Pacific Ocean we also stopped in for a quick drink at one of the new restaurants, Sibaritas Club. Prices were definitely higher than other restaurants in town – more in line with what you’d pay in the USA, not in Panama – but not outrageous by any means. A meal for two with a bottle of wine would run around $75, depending on just how much you choose to eat. But the wine selections are quite nice and the menu and food looked great (we didn’t have time to eat).
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| One of many birds in the Canal area |
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| A couple using the Casco Viejo as a backdrop for a bunch of photos |
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| Another bird on the shoreline with the Bridge of the Americas in the background |
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| One of many restored facades in the Casco Viejo |
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| And a not no restored yet facade, too |
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| A couple enjoying the view of the Multicentro section of town across the flats and the bay |
And then our 7 hour sojourn in Panama City was complete. Yeah, it was a bit rushed and we were exhausted from the partying all night Friday night and then going straight to the airport and only sleeping a little bit on the plane and then diving right back into drinking again. But it was still a great time and an opportunity to see that Panama City is getting better with age. Guess I’ll have to come back, again.
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| Sunset across the bay. Time to head back to the airport! |
Posted by Seth on March 26, 2010 under News | 4 Comments to Read
One of Southwest’s recent commercials has a bunch of their baggage handlers flashing their painted chests at an AirTran plane with the slogan “Bags Fly Free” spelled out. Cute, right? Well, the folks at AirTran have a bit of a sense of humor about the situation and they’ve responded online with this “ad” that they would run if they really cared. Or so they claim.
I love when the airlines have a sense of humor about themselves and their competitors. Behaving too seriously just isn’t believable.
Posted by Seth on March 26, 2010 under News, points | Read the First Comment
On Monday I announced an opportunity to win a free trip to Australia’s Gold Coast, thanks to American Express and BoardingArea.com. There are a whole bunch of entries already out there but still plenty of time to get your entry in if you haven’t yet. Head over to my original post for the contest and enter there. Then click over to the BoardingArea page for the contest and get the 19 other entries you’re allowed with all the other participating bloggers. Couldn’t be easier!
Posted by Seth on March 25, 2010 under frequent flyer, points | 6 Comments to Read
Who knew that the Boston – Baltimore route was so coveted? Apparently Southwest, AirTran and jetBlue are convinced it is. The three carriers have launched a bit of a price and points war on the route this week. For starters, there is the fare – starting from $49 each way plus tax. That’s not too shabby, especially considering the pretty wide open availability of seats at that price unlike some sale fares that are quite limited.
On top of the good price, however, all three airlines are also offering bonus miles on the route. AirTran is offering double A+ Reward points while jetBlue is offering triple TrueBlue points. Southwest is also offering a bonus. Registration is required for both promotions.
Neither offer is enough to get me to go out of my way to fly the route, but always good to know that there are still some pockets of competition where the airlines are vying for your business.
UPDATE: Updated noon Friday EDT to reflect Southwest’s participation in the fun.
Posted by Seth on March 24, 2010 under News | Read the First Comment
For about three hours this afternoon United Airlines offered up a sale in their first class cabin on four routes: Chicago to Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, OR. Travel was only available over Easter weekend, with outbound travel on Friday and Saturday and the return on Monday or Tuesday. The flights priced out around $400 round-trip, plus taxes. Overall that isn’t a bad deal at all, but was it really a brilliant marketing move like some are claiming?
By some I mean Business Week. On their Traveler’s Check blog the magazine has a post describing how
…airlines – especially United – are innovating beyond the traditional weekend specials. That’s good news. One can imagine these kinds of efforts spreading, assuming the math works.
Yes and no.
For starters, United certainly publicized this sale differently than others they’ve offered, but the carrier has frequently offered up first class seats on a number of routes for a similar price and without the incredibly restricted travel dates or sales window. So, yes, it is somewhat new in that they are openly pushing sales of these seats, but they do often offer first class seats at discounted prices. As a random example, Orlando – Detroit is currently selling for $500++ in first class right now, without the terrible date restrictions. Fares of this nature can be found using tools like FareCompare.com’s Y-Up Search Engine.
Beyond that, this new sale happens to have come only two weeks after the carrier dramatically changed the way they handle upgrades on domestic flights. Previously the carrier required their frequent fliers to surrender miles, points or electronic vouchers for most upgrades. This approach resulted in the airline receiving a bit of revenue or at least revenue offset (removing the miles from their ledger) for the upgrades. But as of March 19th the carrier has implemented Unlimited Domestic Upgrades for their elites. Now elites are upgraded based on status and available inventory prior to the flight time, similar to how US Airways, Continental and Delta handle upgrades for their elite travelers.
The new upgrade scheme means that the airline is essentially giving away all of their unsold first class inventory. Yes, they can oversell the coach cabin knowing that they have the extra seats to move folks into but that was always the case. Comparing the two schemes head to head it appears that the new program extracts less direct revenue for the seats in the front of the cabin. So what to do? Make up that revenue elsewhere by selling those seats. Of course, if the seats are sold to revenue passengers then there are fewer available for the elites to get for free and that means upgrade rates will suffer for the revenue gain. Selling the first class seats out from under the loyal customers is most certainly not a good way to ensure future loyalty, something else that the Business Week post suggests in in the works with such sales:
Building customer loyalty can take many forms.
The ultimate irony in this sale is that for flights on those same dates in the coach cabin one would have to pay more – as much as $225 more for the cheapest available coach fares on the same flights that the discounted first class seats were available on. So all those folks buying regular tickets – and they’re probably loyal customers at this point to be buying at those prices – are actually going to be in the back while folks swooping in for the cheap seats will be up front.
Doesn’t strike me as a particularly great way to build long-term loyalty, the type that is profitable.
Posted by Seth on March 24, 2010 under News | Be the First to Comment
The writing was on the wall for this one since a couple weeks ago when Delta, American Airlines and jetBlue applied for exemptions at JFK, followed by Continental applying for exemptions at Newark and LaGuardia. US Airways applied for an exemption for their operations at Philadelphia today.
The claim by US Air is actually pretty entertaining. Basically they’re saying that they pick up so much of the overflow from New York that it overwhelms their facilities. Just 11 flights diverting was enough to throw a spanner in the system.
…on March 13, 11 flights headed for New York-area airports diverted to Philadelphia because of bad weather. The extra demand caused a delay for departures from Philadelphia. This resulted in clogged taxiways and gates…"
These 11 diversions had such an impact that the airport informed the FAA that they were unable to accept any more diversions for fear of completely disrupting operations. For only 11 extra planes on the ground. Something doesn’t add up there.
The exemption applications have become a joke. I truly hope that the FAA denies all of them; doing otherwise would expose the new rule for the farce that it is and there’s no way the FAA is ready to admit that yet.
