Posted by Seth on August 18, 2010 under All You Can Jet, AYCJ, News | 
You mean there’s more than one?
Indeed, there is. Not only does JetBlue have their All You Can Jet pass available again (in two different flavors) for 2010 but Sun Country has a similar pass available. So which one, if any, is right for you? Here are a couple deciding points:
How often are you going to fly?
Seems like a simple question, but this is really the crux of the decision tree. If you’ve got more than two round-trip itineraries in mind then you can start to consider the pass. Anything less than that and the deal is almost certainly not going to work out in your favor. Sure, you might make it work on the random already high-priced trip that you want to take next month, but those payoffs are going to be less common.
Where do you live?
If you live in Minneapolis then the Sun Country Fall Free for All pass is worth considering. If you do not, it is probably not. Their route network simply isn’t broad enough to cover enough other locations. Unless you happen to live in one of their other cities and are flying to Minneapolis a lot in September, then maybe.
If you live in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles (such that Long Beach is convenient for you), Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando or near Washington Dulles then the JetBlue AYCJ pass is worth considering. Hardly a surprise as those are the main hubs of the carrier. And, similar to the Sun Country pass, if you happen to be flying to those cities a bit during the month then it is potentially a good deal.
How far do you want to go?
Flying locally (say NYC – Rochester)? Probably not a great deal unless you’re going to do it every day. Those flights are still generally inexpensive so the pass isn’t particularly compelling. Even some of the NYC/Boston – Florida routes are still reasonably priced and not really compelling. For folks flying lots of longer flights – mid-con/transcon and Caribbean or Latin America routes – the pass is quite compelling. The international routes still require paying taxes so the costs will climb a bit, but the airfares will still be cheaper.
How tight is your schedule?
Got a real job and no vacation time? You’re certainly not going to use the passes effectively for long weekends or crazy holidays. But if you’re commuting for meetings or site visits then the passes save some serious coin. If you’re going to try to squeeze trips in on the weekends then the Friday/Sunday travel requirement is probably going to bite you to the tune of an extra $200. Still not so bad considering that those flights are generally more expensive anyways.
Oh, and the Sun Country pass lasts a full week past the JetBlue AYCJ pass so that helps amortize the costs a bit as well.
How do you feel about taxes?
Death and taxes – facts of life, right? Well, in the case of taxes on these passes, only sortof. The JetBlue AYCJ pass includes all domestic taxes, passenger facility fees, random governmental surcharges and other stuff. In other words, so long as you stay in the USA (excluding Puerto Rico) you’ll fly for free once you’ve paid for the pass. Sun Country is charging all those little fees for each trip booked with their pass. The costs should be relatively low – less than $10 on most tickets – but it can add up.
On the international (and Puerto Rico) travel front, there are also a number of governmental taxes charged. You’re going to be paying those either way, up to $100 on some routes. You’re going to be paying that whether you buy the pass or not, though, so I call that a wash.
How set is your schedule?
The JetBlue AYCJ pass is much more flexible than the Sun Country pass for change fees. Once a flight is booked on the Sun Country pass all changes will cost up with fees ranging between $50-75. On the JetBlue side, any changes more than 3 days out are free. That means you can make and change reservations as much as you want, so long as you’re a few days out from travel. Unless your schedule is very fixed, the Sun Country pass could actually become very expensive.
How obsessed are you with earning points?
If the answer is anything above “barely” then these plans are probably not compelling. Neither plan will permit unlimited frequent flyer point accumulation; both are fixed. For JetBlue it does not appear that the flights will earn GoBig or GoLong bonus thresholds, either. If you’re in it for the points you’re not going to benefit from these passes.
| |
AYCJ $699 |
AYCJ $499 |
Sun Country $499 |
| Date limits |
Any day between 7 September and 6 October, inclusive |
No Friday or Sunday departures |
Any day between 7 September and 13 October, inclusive |
| Route Network |
60 destinations; codeshare/interline flights excluded |
29 destinations |
| Extra costs |
None for domestic (non-PR) flights; government taxes for international/PR flights |
PFCs/segment fees on all flights; government taxes on international, too. |
| Change/Cancellation Fees |
None for 3+ days out; $50 inside 3 days. |
$50-75 for all changes. |
So, which pass is right for you? Maybe none of the above. I know that the $699 AYCJ pass is right for me, but I also plan to be flying most of the 30 days.
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Posted by Seth on August 17, 2010 under Trip Reports |
Wrapping up my main afternoon in Accra, Ghana I headed back to my hotel, the Afia Beach Hotel. Located just west of Independence Square on the water front the hotel is a good combination of price (rooms started at USD$65/night) and quality. The restaurant on property offered up both local and western dishes that were tasty and the 625ml beers were only GH¢3.25 (~USD$2.25) so having a few through the afternoon was hardly a bad deal. The hotel sits on a small bluff up from the beach, providing easy access for a walk in the sand or soaking your toes in the Bight of Benin if the fancy strikes you. The beach is not a swimming beach at all though it is used as a regular thoroughfare and gym for many of the locals.
Sitting on one of the benches at the hotel, reading my Kindle and drinking my beer, I was treated to watching locals playing a bit of footie out in the sand. Not real matches but guys out running and exercising, working on some ball handling skills and otherwise just having some fun as the sun went down on another lovely afternoon in Ghana.
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Posted by Seth on August 17, 2010 under All You Can Jet, AYCJ, News |
JetBlue’s wildly successful All You Can Jet promotion – unlimited flying system-wide – is back for 2010. The new version has a couple minor tweaks versus the original but it is mostly the same. Last seat availability with a 3 day advance purchase/cancelation requirement. Oh, and bookings will be handled online this year. Thank goodness!
The main difference is that there are two different price points: $499 or $699 with the cheaper option only allowing travel 5 days/week, excluding Friday and Sunday.
Like the original AYCJ the points earning potential is fixed so this isn’t a great way to boost your TrueBlue account. But it is definitely an awesome way to fly.
Now to decide which version I should book and to dust off my All I Can Jet blog!
www.aycj.com
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Posted by Seth on August 16, 2010 under Trip Reports |
Although not rich in traditional tourist attractions, Accra, Ghana still presents a number of sights and activities for visitors. Maybe not enough to consume several days on the ground, but plenty to fill an afternoon or two. And when all else fails, the people watching opportunities are spectacular. The people I met were wonderfully welcoming and friendly, if not a bit over-eager to take a few extra cedi off a tourist. Still, the exchange rate is reasonable enough that it wasn’t too much of a problem.
One of the best known sites in town is Independence Square. The square is really just a large parade grounds, with some bleachers surrounding the vast central area. Used mostly for rallies and such, the square is often deserted making for some interesting photo opportunities. There is also a memorial in the square and Independence Arch in the traffic circle just inland form the square. Not really a ton to see, but it is one of the main landmarks in the city and certainly worth paying a visit. Don’t be scared off should one of the security suggest that photos are prohibited and try to exact a fine from you. Your choice whether to fight it or pay the couple cedi, but either way you’ll likely be fine. I was also fortunate to meet a few other tourists while snapping photos at the arch, a rather fortuitous meeting in the end.
The most popular neighborhood in town is Osu. Just inland from the shore and north of Independence Square, Osu has shops, restaurants and residences covering a broad swath of the populace but mostly in the middle-class range. Lots of tourists out and about in the area and plenty of shopping and dining choices, from local fast food to some more upscale restaurants that are still reasonable values. I had both lunch and dinner in the area and both meals were quite good. The dinner was at Buka, a more upscale shop that I chose mostly due to it being listed in the Brussels Air in-flight magazine. Great grilled fish, start to finish. Watch out on the salsas. They were HOT.
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Posted by Seth on August 13, 2010 under Trip Reports |
The fetish market in Lomé, Togo was everything I expected in many ways. It was also one thing that I didn’t really expect at all: smelly. Very, very smelly. I guess that’s what happens when you have animal carcass, bone and other bits piled up in the equatorial Africa sun and I should not have been so shocked. Still, the smell hit me pretty hard as I stepped out of the taxi to visit the market. At least I knew the stuff was real.
When I set out my itinerary for visiting Lomé the only item on the agenda was the Fetish Market. Whether that was due to a lack of creativity and imagination on my part of a lack of other options on the city’s part is hard to say. Still, given my other experiences in town it is probably just as well that I didn’t have a lot of things planned during my overnight there.
The market itself reminded me a bit of a badly organized flea market. Each proprietor had a table set up in front of their shop with a relatively similar collection of wares and then also a hut to provide some shade and a place to wait out the tourists like me. Somewhat surprisingly to me I did actually see one other family there shopping. Hard to know for sure if they were really out visiting the pharmacy that afternoon or imported to give me something to take photos of but they seemed genuinely interested in the various animal bits they were surveying.
Like the couple guide books had indicated, visiting the fetish market was actually a rather simple process: pay to play. As soon as they saw me step out of the taxi cab the driver and I were approached and told what the price would be for my visit. The bargain price of 7,000 CFAs (~USD$14) got me access to the site, a guide and the ability to take as many photos as I wanted. I was even treated to a private session with one of the resident shamans – white magic only, of course – to explain some specific treatments that might be useful to me. Yeah, the price is stupid high – and included a small kick-back to the driver that I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to notice happening – but I was in Togo to see the fetish market and the price wasn’t horribly exorbitant so the cash traded hands and the tour began.
My guide spent the next roughly 30 minutes taking me from stall to stall around the dusty, pungent space. He pointed out the wide variety of animal remnants present. Heads of many different small creatures were prevalent. I saw small animals like cat, dog, monkey, snake and turtles. There were also larger animals like antelope, hyena, ape and elephant represented, though these larger creatures were generally only in one stall, not in all of them. Even merchants of the occult have their specialties.
I also got to learn the differences between the dolls used for sacrifice (not nearly as decorated – why would you if you’re just going to burn them??) and those for ceremony and protection. The former are above while the latter are below.
There was also the collection of guys sitting under the shade of tree on the edge of the market, passing the time with a game of dice and small stones in bowls That was actually quite a bit more interesting to me than learning what particular special power the foot of an elephant possessed but I didn’t want to offend my guide so we continued on.
After the show of all the booths it was time for my consult with the boss. Through the translator/guide I was introduced to six different tokens, each used for a specific type of protection or benefit. There was the seed of the ebony tree, for example, which provides for peaceful dreams and clarity of thought. A small clay statuette with feathers provides protection over the home so long as you let it smoke a cigarette once a year. Fortunately for the non-smokers of the world it is also possible to just sprinkle a bit of water on it to get the same effects. The trinket to protect me on my travels – decent odds on converting that sale to a white guy in Togo, I suppose – and the talisman necklace to protect me from harm in general.
Following the explanation of the six regular offerings I was shown one special option. a twig that would ensure virility. Yeah, like I didn’t see that one coming.
It was also explained to me that the pricing system for these goods was determined by the gods, not by man. The shaman had four shells that he would cast three times. The shells would tell him the price that the gods felt was appropriate for my healing and protection. I was, of course, free to negotiate if I felt the gods were trying to overcharge me. I passed on that part of the demonstration and excused myself from the market at that point.
The entire experience was about what I expected. The piles of animal bits were neat to see, even if the whole thing had quite a strong kitsch quotient. And I wanted the photos. That was enough to justify the trip to Togo for me, even with the other troubles I had while there.
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Posted by Seth on August 12, 2010 under Trip Reports |
I’m in Brussels right now waiting out the 4ish hour delay on my flight to Philadelphia on US Airways. So far they’ve mostly done things badly, but perhaps the worst part is that in order to actually speak with someone useful required clearing immigration and going to the ticket counter. Yes, they have an agent near the original gate who is handling rebooking of affected passengers. But she is unable to answer simple questions like “Is a 60 minute International to domestic connection in Philly legal?” or “Why can you not provide access to the EU-mandated phone call that I am permitted to make?” Her two comments were, “Go to the ticket counter,” and “That is not my job.” Funny thing is that she’s sitting at the counter with a US Airways name tag on and “helping” passengers who are affected. Seems quite a bit like it is her job.
So off to immigration I go. I relate my reason for passing through to the officer (“Apparently that is where the only competent employees are”) and he laughs a bit as he stamps me in. I make it to the check-in counter where I’m told by someone else that I really should go to the ticket sales window since I’m not checking bags. At least there was no line over there. The guy refused to consider any reroutes (“We don’t do that on this sort of ticket” but no explanation of what “this” is) but was kind enough to show me the documentation in my record for the cause of delay (mechanical) and that I’ve been protected on another flight tomorrow morning. Oh, and he also suggested I write down his name since this is his last day on the job and I cannot do anything to him. Classy. At least he was willing to have a conversation as opposed to the single agent US Airways assigned to deal with the 40ish folks in line when I finally left the air-side part of the terminal.
If everything works out perfectly I won’t be needing to take advantage of the protected booking. Given the operations so far, however, I’m not betting in my favor.
Posted by Seth on August 10, 2010 under frequent flyer, News, points |
Alas, the coupling isn’t nearly as sexy as it could have been.
Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic are slowly moving forward in their relationship, with the British half announcing today that customers flying on the American carrier’s flights will be able to credit their travel to the Flying Club frequent flyer program rather than Elevate if desired. This is a nice improvement, especially given the breadth of other partners that Flying Club has for good earning potential. Still, it is limited in several ways to the point of being less than great news.
For starters, flying on the less expensive fares will only earn half credit; only the most expensive fare classes like refundable Main Cabin fares or Main Cabin Select will earn full credit. That’s unfortunate but somewhat understandable, especially considering the similar limitations that Virgin Atlantic applies to their own flights and to other partners. Additionally, the partnership is only for earning: no redemption on Virgin America yet. Plus, it is only in one direction: no earning in Elevate for Virgin Atlantic flights. Turns out that you can earn in Elevate for flying on Virgin Atlantic, too. The rates are miserable – as low as 10% on some fares and maxing out at only 60% – but at least the option is there.
Still, for someone who doesn’t mind the fuel surcharges that Flying Club charges on redemptions and who has lots of Hertz rentals and Hilton stays, the ability to rack up points in Flying Club isn’t all that horrible. And being able to add the occasional Virgin America flight to that pool rather than abandoning it in Elevate is a nice option.
Growing partnerships are always nice to see, even if they are not perfect. This development certainly falls in to that category.
Posted by Seth on August 9, 2010 under Trip Reports |
I’m throwing in the towel. Conceding defeat. Packing up an going home (well, not until tomorrow). Lomé, Togo has defeated me and my irrational sense of invincibility. Indeed, I now have precisely one country on my “do not return” list and Togo is it.
Maybe it is because of the schmucks who tried to rob me while I was getting my visa in order at the border. Sure, that was partly my fault. I played right in to their game. At least they were bad at it and I managed to catch them and recover the cash. Still, not a great way to start a visit.
Maybe because the border crossing experience – even before the attempted robbery – made a Tijuana to San Diego crossing 20 years ago look organized and functional. And my memory was that it was anything but. The guy in charge walked off twice with no explanation, once while holding my passport. At one point another guy, this one in civilian clothes, just sat down at the desk and started processing the visas himself rather than wait. Oh, and their idea of records is a paper ledger. Nothing electronic to be seen.
Maybe it is because the best thing to do in downtown is to hang out on the beachfront promenade and apparently that’s too dangerous to do on my own as a white guy here.
Maybe because going out alone after dark is considered ridiculously unwise.
Okay, I knew that last one before I got here so maybe I shouldn’t hold that against the place since I made the choice to visit anyways. Still, it seems that he cards are heavily stacked against anyone who wants to visit Togo without an organized tour. And I’m not entirely convinced that would help enough to make it worthwhile.
I leave in the morning. It cannot come quickly enough. The Fetish Market was cool (photos and details from that coming tomorrow) but I’m not sure it makes up for the rest of the experience. At one point while planning this trip I considered taking the midnight flight from Lome to Accra but I wrote it off as a silly move and depriving myself of the overnight experience here. I now believe I would have rather enjoyed such deprivation.
In short, Togo has earned a place on my “do not return” list. It is currently the only country on that list. Even Trinidad is just on the “dislike” side of the ledger, not all the way to the “never again” column.
p.s. – Mom & Dad, I know you’re likely reading this. I’m fine. Really. A bit bitter and annoyed, but I’m fine.
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Posted by Seth on August 9, 2010 under Trip Reports |
As we finally pulled in to the parking lot in Aflao, on the border between Ghana and Togo, the crowds grew and touts started clamoring at our car. Clearly being the white guy made me a target. It was an unfortunate end to what was otherwise quite a nice ride across the eastern edge of Ghana. The road is mostly paved, and the parts that aren’t are under repair. There wasn’t too much traffic, though part of that is because we got out of Accra early this morning and beat the local mess that occurs daily. And there were cute little towns every five or ten kilometers along the way.
Okay, calling them towns may be a bit of a stretch, but there are clusters of buildings, some more permanent than others, nestled alongside the road and a decent number of people generally milling about in between them.
I got to cross the Volta river (no photos; the side rails are too high and get in the way). I also saw people with all sorts of stuff stacked on their head, on carts, on bikes and on motorcycles making their way into or between the towns.
There were cows crossing the traffic, people working the fields, folks in the rice paddies and even a group of guys out freshwater fishing. Truly a little bit of everything going on.
Oh, and kids are always cute.
The ride to Togo was great, I wish I could say the same about my stay there, though that story will have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say I now have a country on my “never again” list; that’s a first for me. At least the photos mostly came out well.
Posted by Seth on August 8, 2010 under Trip Reports |
I’m sitting in my hotel room in Accra, Ghana and I’m pretty sure I don’t even need the air conditioning that they offer. It is mid-August in equatorial Africa. How is it possible that the weather is actually wonderful? My entire understanding of the world is unraveling in ways I did not think possible.
Initial impressions of Accra are very positive. The airport is decent enough for the amount of traffic it serves. The collection of Gulfstream jets with US registrations was interesting, to be certain, but there is plenty of money here so I’m not all that surprised. And the hotel sent a guy to pick me up at the airport so I didn’t have to negotiate with the taxi touts other than to get them out of my way. Very enjoyable initial experience.
Arrival at the hotel – Afia African Village – was handled very well and within 10 minutes of arrival I had my toes in the ocean, enjoying the sand and water. Lots of locals out on the beach. Some were doing laundry, some commuting and some dancing and exercising and just hanging out with friends. Everyone had a good time.
They say not to drink the water here – some even caution against the local bottled water. Given the options available I’m not really one to argue with such logic. I just pop open a nice cold Star Lager and enjoy what comes along. And then another when it is time for dinner.
Quite a nice dinner it was, too. Local fresh tilapia and banku. The waiter thought I was a bit strange for ordering the local dish but it was quite delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection and the the banku was, well, interesting. Somewhere between grits, polenta and a lead weight, it is definitely a filling grain source. I can understand why it is so popular based on its ability to fill a stomach. And with the local hot sauce drizzled on top it even has a bit of flavor that isn’t horrible. I wouldn’t want to try to live on the stuff, but as a side dish to go with a great fish it is certainly a good option.
And to come full circle from the beginning of the post, the weather. It is wonderful. A bit warm when I arrived but the hotel is right on the beach where a breeze keeps things tolerable. And once the sun went down the temperature dropped with it. Sitting at dinner it was almost cool out. Africa is full of surprises and I’m just getting started. Off to Togo tomorrow and more fun there!
