View from the Wing

Via Online Travel Review, Robert Mugabe commandeered an Air Zimbabwe plane to take him to Mozambique, causing the plane’s passengers to have to wait six hours at the airport for their flight.

No great surprise, that’s how things work in that part of the world (and his wife has been known to take the national airline’s planes on shopping trips), though I get annoyed at news stories referring to dictators as ‘President’ as though their governance entails some form of legitimacy.

Still, the one thing that’s rather shocking is the non-chalant explanation for the whole affair:

“Mugabe’s plane probably developed problems. Most Air Zimbabwe planes are not working as there are not enough parts to repair them.”

Virgin America is offering a free companion with a paid ticket.

Book an itinerary for two and use promo code DIGGNATION by December 7, 2007 for travel through March 19, 2008 (with December 19, 2007 through January 6, 2008 and February 14, 15 and 18, 2008.blacked out for travel with this promo).

Here’s one primarily for the Canadians. Signup up with Safeway’s Canada website to receive emails will be rewarded with 100 Air Miles.

TripAdvisor is giving away free Freedom Baggies. Since it asks for your Tripadvisor username and password, presumably one per person (or at least per member).

Via Online Travel Review, Zambian Airways will stop flying to Zimbabwe effective November 30. Among the causes cited is Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation.

British Airways, Swiss Air, Lufthansa, KLM, and Air France have also pulled out of Zimbabwe.

I wouldn’t go as far as Jared Blank in saying that the country is “nearly cut off from the outside world.” I’m no expert on intra-African travel, but a quick check of Amadeus (and many smaller African discount carriers may well not list their schedules in the GDSs) shows Air Botswana, Air Zimbabwe, South African, Comair, Normandie Aviation, Kenya Airways, and LAM still flying to Harare.

Air Zimbabwe even still flies twice a week to London-Gatwick despite previously having to cut its only profitable route out of fear that its Boeing 767-200 operating the route would be repossessed for nonpayment.

Inflation runs somewhere between 7000% and 25000% (the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe has predicted 1.5 million percent inflation, and the government has stopped publishing official inflation estimates). Unemployment is over 80%. 60% of the country’s wildlife has died since 2000. Over a quarter of the country’s population has fled.

• Megan McArdle on the causes of poor performing high speed trains in America. (Hat tip Marginal Revolution.)
  

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  Robert Stack on the true meaning of Thanksgiving (getting bumped) (Hat tip Cranky Flier.)
  

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  A Slate photo essay on the architectural history of U.S. hotels. (Hat tip Claire.)

Earlier in the month I had my first-ever visit to the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.

Originally I had planned to stay at the Phoenician, but my wife sought to make spa appointments in advance and when she finally managed to have someone call her back they weren’t helpful or willing to describe their offerings. An unhelpful spa attendant before arriving even (when you’re looking to spend real money on additional premium services) didn’t bode well for the property. And since reports of upgrades there are mixed at best except during their lowest of low seasons in the dead of summer, we decided to bag the property and switch to the Kierland.

Certainly the Westin isn’t as luxe as the Phoenician. Just looking at photos on the various trip review sites will attest to that. But advance reports were good so we decided to check it out.

The Kierland certainly lived up to expectations. We arrived to a lovely Casita Suite upgrade, a separate bedroom and living area with a kitchen and balcony off in a secluded part of the property.

And the hotel offers a club lounge, something the Phoenician does not. We only visited for breakfast so I can’t comment on the evening offerings, but it’s a lovely spot with friendly service (albeit a bit small, and perhaps breakfast should include smoked salmon, but these are minor quibbles).

The resort also has the adjacent “Villas” timeshare operation, so naturally we had a call from the concierge with a ‘welcome gift’ (i.e. timeshare come-on). We ignored the message on our phone, and they didn’t push further.

My wife reports that the spa (four treatments cost about $650) wasn’t really all it’s cracked up to be, with half the treatments mediocre and a busy staff who simply point to the comment cards instead of doing anything to rectify the problem. But that’s a minor complaint, and just requires attenuating expectations. Spas in the United States rarely measure up, especially for the price, and we should just stop building them into plans.

The hotel itself apart from the spa was lovely. Most importantly for my preferences, Platinum recognition was excellent — a suite and a full service club lounge.

Valet parking is $24 a night if I recall correctly, but self-parking wasn’t far away at all and free. The lobby got a bit noisy at night, but the Casitas were far enough away from the action that they were quiet (a reasonably walk or a complimentary golf cart ride gets you there easily).

All in all, recommended and I’d definitely return on my next trip to Scottsdale.

Skywest out of LAX was delayed for me on Wednesday evening last week. That’s a standard risk taking scheduled flights late in the evening, of course, as delays rack up through the day. And of course a brief delay on my final connection was the worst thing that happened to me on my way out for the Thanksgiving holiday, even though I flew out of Dulles around 5pm on Wednesday evening (and I know better!).

Surprised when the announcement came on that a scheduled one hour-plus flight wasn’t going to have any beverage service “due to the short duration.” This wasn’t Los Angeles - Orange County (going away early in the New Year) or even LA - Oxnard. And it wasn’t on a turboprop, either. Certainly an hour-long flight on a CRJ can offer limited meal service at least, some water or coke perhaps if not Biscoff cookies? Now, the return flight on an Embraer 120 had drink service, so it’s not policy for the route. Either a lazy flight attendant or Skywest didn’t have catering load drinks. Admittedly the flight was late, but they didn’t do a faster than normal turn so there’s really no excuse.

Then for my return I showed up earlier than necessary, there was no wait at security at all, I had checked in online, and I wasn’t checking bags. And with no lounge at this far out stsation, I was at the gate a full hour before my flight… Just as the previous Los Angeles flight was boarding. “Great,” I thought, “I’ll just pop down to LA an hour early and kill time in the Red Carpet Club instead of sitting here. The Skywest employee working the flight, though, said “sorry — I have to get the paperwork done for this flight, you’re too late.”

Say what? I’m at the gate better than 25 minutes before departure and you won’t add me to a flight with open seats? Heh.

Now, it doesn’t really matter, I have a plenty long connection. But I do believe in getting out to my connecting city earlier rather than later, as you never know what’ll happen to the next flight or to weather. I could have pushed it. But I didn’t, I just let it roll off, and I took a seat. I get my blood boiling enough, and as Joe Brancatelli says, “It doesn’t get any better on the road.” Traveling on amateur day, and as long as I make it where I’m going, I’m just not going to get excited or wave around any shiny cards to get my way today.

Virgin America if offering 25% off purchases through December 7 for travel through March 19 using promo code ELEVATE25.

There are some blackout dates and details that vary by route, such as a 21-day advance purchase requirement for Washington Dulles - San Diego. Details here.

Again via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, Chase now has its offer of 20,000 points for signing up for a Marriott Visa (a href=”http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?pdn=marriott_s20k&page=cont&mkid=65DF” target=_blank>personal and/or small business cards).

Free the first year, the personal card comes with Marriott Silver status, and yes you can obtain both cards and even churn them.

Via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, American now offers a co-branded Visa with 20,000 points as a signup bonus (after $250 in spend) and no annual fee the first year.

It’s another card you can pile on top of the personal and business Mastercards for a signup bonus, and since it’s a Citibank card odds-on it’s churnable though I haven’t tested this myself.

Sirius Satellite Radio offers 2500 American miles for signup.

XM just dropped the station I listen to most while driving, when it comes time to trade in my car next year I might have to consider this.

In my last post, I mentioned a premium Continental credit card from Chase that includes Avis Presidents Club as a benefit. It turns out that there’s a website for this offer, and anyone can use it to sign up for an Avis account that will be given the status. And for those that already have Preferred memberships, I’ve heard success just calling per the instructions on the website and having the existing account status upgraded. (Some folks have just opened new accounts for simplicity, as well.)

Avis offers (4) levels of status:

• Preferred (anyone signs up for this, it expedites your rental)
• AvisFirst (one category upgrade, earn free weekend rentals - formerly called ‘Preferred Select’)
• Presidents Club (two category upgrade, guaranteed availability, better service)
• Chairmans Club (airport meet and greet, best available car, etc)

A limited number of Presidents Club memberships come with big corporate contracts, and with the American Express Centurion (’black’) card. Now it also comes with the high-end Continental Mastercard that costs several hundred dollars a year.
And, as I say, that Mastercard offer can be used online. By anyone.
(It looks like you need to use a Mastercard in your profile, because the offer is tied to this Continental Mastercard. So use a Mastercard when signing up, you can always change the card in your profile later.)
It should take a couple of days for the status to be reflected (you’ll sign up and your profile will show preferred but after a couple of days it should become preferred presidents club). As always, your mileage may vary.

The more I look at the Continental Presidential Plus MasterCard from Chase, the more interesting it looks — for a certain segment of frequent flyer.

The $375 (gulp!) annual fee, though $300 in the first year, comes with Continental Presidents Club membership - which also gets you access to Northwest and Delta clubs. The similarly priced American Express Platinum card comes with this same lounge access plus access to American Airlines AAdmiral’s Clubs and other benefits (like the Fine Hotels and Resorts program and domestic companion airfare benefit) not matched by this card.

However, for flyers seeking elite status on Continental, it offers the best credit card elite status perk I’ve seen with any airline: up to 28,000 elite qualifying miles per year through spending on the card, and best of all you can drop those elite qualifying miles into your Continental account in 2,000 mile increments whenever you choose. (It looks to me like you could even save these up for a couple or even three years if you wanted, as they appear not to expire.)

What’s more, the card comes with Avis President’s Club status — which offers a guaranteed two car class upgrade and guaranteed availability. It’s one step below Chairman’s Club and used to be a perk afforded only to Amex Centurion cardmembers and to a handful of lucky beneficiaries through corporate contracts. (Although the benefit can apparently be accessed by anyone online, which I’ll explain in a followup post.)

Finally, a friend emails that the card comes with complimentary Platinum status with Hyatt and fast track to Diamond status (top level Hyatt status in just 6 stays). This benefit isn’t mentioned anywhere on the card website, and I haven’t verified it, but if true would be a real world-class offering that on the whole would seem to justify the price for a Continental flyer.

Now this is downright wrong, since it’s not just obtaining a discount from United - it’s denying that discount to whomever is rightly in possession of the certificate numbers you wind us using. Shame, shame.

I’ve appreciated the emails, the calls, the writhing pains of withdrawal. The last month has been so busy with work and travel and mostly mentally draining. There have been a hundred things I’ve meant to write about… Continental’s mileage devaluation, new credit card offers, this and that scheme or deal. I just haven’t had it in me. But I’ll be back by this week. I promise. So don’t go anywhere!