Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for June 2015.

Who Knew The 1st Thing George Bush Should’ve Done Leaving Office Was Sign Up for a Starwood Account?

Former President George W. Bush says “I miss some things about being President. I miss having a shower on an airplane.” (HT: @tarheeljason) There are some things that are unique about Air Force One. Electronic countermeasures and the ability to jam enemy radar Flares hidden in the wings A fuselage that can withstand a nuclear blast on the ground A gym But a shower just isn’t one of those unique things. Etihad’s Airbus A380 has a private shower for passengers in ‘The Residence’ and a shower for passengers in the First Apartments. You can book First Apartments using American AAdvantage miles. I have several bookings for when the New York JFK – Abu Dhabi flight starts operating with an A380. They fly London – Abu Dhabi and Sydney – Abu Dhabi with the plane as…

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When You Want to Book American Tickets Through Online Travel Agencies Instead of AA.com

Jun 29 2015

American has eliminated courtesy cancellations of tickets booked within 7 days of travel (they only offer 24 hour ‘holds’ of reservations that are booked at least a week in advance). American may think this encourages booking full fare refundable tickets. It actually just encourages booking American flights through an Online Travel Agency. Here’s why.

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Silvercar’s Secret One-Way Rental Option

Jun 28 2015

I’ve been able to use Silvercar several times recently, largely because they’ve run some great promotions — from specific discount codes for renting at a new location, to discount codes (like ‘FTU50’) which while usable only once aren’t limited to first time customers.

For a rental this week I discovered that Silvercar offers one-way rentals even though there’s no option for it on the website or through their app.

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My Biggest Travel Mistake and Most Embarrassing Moment, Plus a Review of the Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel

Jun 28 2015

I’ve always said if you’ve never missed a flight you spend too much time in airports. Usually the cost to miss a flight is relatively low but if you’re showing up early, each and every trip, you need to add up all that time… it’s a lot.

There are times when the cost of missing a flight can be much greater — like when you’re trying to fly from Australia to the U.S. and there just aren’t a lot of flights. And when you’re doing it on an award ticket in business class. You really do want to show up on time.

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Review: American’s New Boeing 777-200 Business Class Seat

Jun 27 2015

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the inexpensive flight where everyone could confirm an upgrade to business class for free.

Historically when American flies 3-cabin equipment domestically but sells the flights as 2-cabin (anything except for New York – Los Angeles/San Francisco and Miami – Los Angeles) elites and passengers on full fare tickets have been able to assign themselves seats in the business class cabin. That’s business class seating but economy service. Then upgrades are to international first class (with domestic first service).

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Review: Park Hyatt Sydney Opera Deluxe Room

Jun 27 2015

I stayed at the Park Hyatt Sydney back over Thanksgiving, having reserved the hotel before it went up to category 7. I had a decidedly mixed stay, largely colored by an insistence that if I wanted an Opera View room upgrade (not even an Opera Deluxe, let alone a suite) I would have to pay a $100 per night upcharge as a Gold Passport Diamond member.

That was all sorted at the end of the stay, and I was happy to return and give the hotel another shot. I was in Sydney for my cousin’s wedding, and the location of the hotel is actually perfect for me since it’s right by the ferries that take me out to the suburbs where they live.

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