Posted by Seth on October 22, 2010 under frequent flyer, News | 
For the past couple years American Airlines has been the dark horse amongst the major carriers in the United States. They’ve been trailing the others in profitability (though they did report a profit in Q3 ‘10) and they’ve been struggling to keep their route network competitive with the other programs that are growing alliances. Things are starting to look up a bit, however, with the ATI deal for OneWorld partners British Airways and Iberia, the interline agreement with JetBlue and most recently the announcement earlier this week on an interline agreement with Canadian carrier WestJet.
The new agreement opens up the opportunity for American’s passengers to connect to flights on WestJet’s network throughout Canada. A total of 25 new cities will be available via connections in six Canadian gateways served by American or American Eagle: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax and Ottawa. The two carriers expect a phase two of the agreement to eventually include connections at WestJet’s US gateways.
The current iteration of the interline agreement covers through ticketing and checked baggage but does not include things like frequent flyer program reciprocity. American and JetBlue have reportedly come to an agreement on the FF front so it is likely that similar negotiations will follow on the WestJet side.
The move is also a big win for WestJet. They have announced intentions to arrange a similar interline agreement with Southwest over two years ago. That agreement proved fruitless, however, and the deal was never actually implemented. The very quick start-up time on this deal – bookings on aa.com will be available starting on November 9, 2010 – should help avoid that this time around.
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Posted by Seth on June 17, 2010 under News |
If you do, and if you live in a hub city for Delta or US Airways (and a few other cities as well), United Airlines has a deal for you. Lots of opportunities out there for flights to Vancouver (YVR) for under $300. I’m seeing the fare from PHL, ATL, MEM, SFO, MSP, PHX, CLT and others. Lots of inventory out there right now.
Even better, it looks like the routing rules on this deal are pretty loose, at least from Philadelphia. I was seeing plenty of three connection options available if you’re in it for the miles. Looks like United has not finished cracking down on all the routing rules quite yet.
Oh, and if you do go, I strongly recommend giving Tojo’s a try. Some of the best sushi in North America, if not the world. I’m a big fan.
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Posted by Seth on March 11, 2010 under News |
Good reasons for flight delays are very few and far between. Still, it seems that Air Canada discovered a pretty decent one, albeit by accident. Call it a passenger revolt that was successful.
Apparently the passengers on a scheduled Vancouver – Montreal flight a couple weeks ago simply refused to board the plane and the flight was delayed waiting for them. The flight was scheduled to depart right around the time that the Olympics gold medal match for men’s hockey went into overtime. Passengers watching on the televisions in the airport terminal refused to get on the plane, choosing to watch the end of the game instead.
Good for them, I say. Every now and then the airlines need to be reminded that the customers are the reason they are flying.
Links:
Posted by Seth on November 22, 2007 under Trip Reports |
I managed to get pulled into a last minute trip out to Vancouver this week. I certainly don’t mind travel, even last minute and for only two days worth of work across the continent, but I certainly have some sleep adjustment issues, especially on the first night. And with only three nights out west before coming back, I didn’t even really try to adjust. So at 6am EST on Monday morning I was awake, and many in Vancouver hadn’t yet gone to sleep yet – it was only 3am there, as evidenced by the late night ski slope having its lights still on.
I was staying at the Renaissance on Vancouver Harbor, and managed to get a great room with a harbor view on the top floor, overlooking the float plane docks. And for a flying nut like me that meant plenty of opportunity to watch the planes taking off and landing in the morning as the sun came up and Vancouver came to life. Lucky me!!
So in addition to phenomenal sushi, I also had great views each morning, and since I was awake anyways, I snapped a couple pictures as well.
Posted by Seth on November 20, 2007 under Dining, Review, Trip Reports |
You can have your Nobu. You can have your Morimoto (though I want a little piece of it since it is around the corner from our apartment and we go there every now and then). You can keep Sushi Yasuda – one of the best newcomers into the American sushi market in recent years. For me, the answer is Tojo’s. A friend told us about Tojo’s 4.5 years ago, and we stopped in on our trip to Vancouver. It was delicious then, and Tojo hasn’t let up on the effort – the offerings were still phenomenal last night. The restaurant is actually listed in the book 1000 Things to do before you die, which is a pretty glowing recommendation, but don’t take it from them – take it from me.
I sat at the counter, so the only menu I received was a cocktail and sake list. I made my selection then one of the three sushi chefs working (no Tojo – he’s in Japan this week) came over for a brief interview of my likes and dislikes before serving the Omakase. And then the real fun began. I went 10 rounds with them, and I think in the end all I can do is call it a win for both of us.
- Tuna in Tojo’s special sesame sauce – Deliciously soft and moist, with a slightly spicy sesame soy sauce and scallions.
- Crab Salad – West coast Dungeness crab meat with sliced apple and daikon radish and a spicy mustard sauce. Lots of flavor and the spice was just enough to give it some bite.
- Special of the night: Wild Sea Bream Carpaccio – This one came with a special dipping sauce, scallions and a chili paste of sorts to flavor it up.
- Steamed Canadian smoked sable and asparagus in a broth – A soup of sorts, this made me feel a bit like I was at brunch the day after a Bar Mitzvah or something like that because of the smoked fish flavor, but the meat was tender and moist and the broth is definitely something that I wouldn’t get at brunch. This was also the first course of the evening where I was instructed in how to actually eat what I was being served. The bowl came with a piece of paper on tip tied down, as well as some garnish. I thought the garnish was a herb I was supposed to eat, so I got corrected on that one pretty quickly.
- The “Golden Roll” – I watched them make a couple of these while I was eating my earlier courses, and I thought I knew what they were, but I’m very, very, very glad that they made another one for me to try. The Golden Roll has salmon, sea prawns, crab and scallops, rolled in rice and egg rather than seaweed. Absolutely phenomenal. The chef was very clear that this roll was only to have a very little bit of soy sauce, and he poured it for me rather than risking a chance of me using too much.
- Giant Clam Hand Roll – Not my favorite, and the low point of the evening, but really because I just don’t like the texture of the giant clam. It had a spicy sauce on top as well, and no soy sauce was allowed per the instructions. The interesting thing about the had rolls was that the chef basically just walked over and handed it to me rather than putting in on the plate; it was clear that it was just for eating, not for display. At this point I think I started to realize that I was in trouble. The chef asked me if I wanted to keep going. I guess this is where the official menu ran out and the ++ part of the fun came in to play.
- Blue Fin Tuna Pair – Thank god I continued on, because the next serving was blue fin. One piece each of nigri from the back and the belly. The chef actually made the pieces “double cuts” with two slivers of fish on each pad of rice, and I thanked him profusely for this (and he nodded appreciatively that I noticed the bonus). The o toro from the belly was buttery delicious and the cut from the back was meaty and rich, just like they’re supposed to be. Again strict instructions on soy sauce usage, though this time I ignored them and skipped it completely.
- Tempura in Cucumber – A first for me: sushi rolled in cucumber. Shrimp & yam tempura along with asparagus, avocado and pineapple, rolled up in a thinly sliced cucumber. Must eat with hands and no soy sauce. The flavor on this roll was interesting, as the pineapple added a distinct sweetness that balanced out the rest of the roll quite nicely.
- Lobster Hand Roll – By far the better of the two hand rolls. A large chunk of claw meat, plus some avocado, tempura flakes and spicy mayo sauce. The other thing about the hand rolls is that you can’t really put them down after you’ve started eating them, so basically you’re holding it for a couple minutes while you eat it. A little strange, but for these flavors well worth it.
- Rainbow Roll – I realized at this point in the evening that my “just one more” shtick was getting old (and that my wallet was getting lighter), so I made my first request of the chefs. Unagi. I don’t care how you prepare it – “Surprise me” – but make sure there is eel in the next round. Boy was I surprised. The Rainbow Roll was an eel and cucumber roll, wrapped in wild sockeye salmon, blue fin tuna and red snapper. Cut into three pieces, this roll was assigned to me for one bite with soy, one without, one I decide.
At this point I really wanted to call it a night, but they insisted on something sweet – “on the house.” I finally succumbed to an apple and sweet potato something, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chopped mixed fruit. It was a good way to round out the evening. While I was eating my dessert the waitress and the chefs had an animated discussion over what I actually had so that she could make sure to charge me correctly. I think they freaked out a bit when I suggested that I could tell them exactly what I had since I wrote it all down, but I’ve gotten over it, especially as I relive the meal again now recounting it.
If you are ever in Vancouver and you like sushi, go to Tojo’s. If you love sushi, come up with some excuse to go to Vancouver, and then go to Tojo’s. It is worth the trip.
