When readers shared their own travel tips and several really stood out as worth highlighting. Erndog said, Invest in a ‘power brick’, something to keep your phone and/or tablet charged,while traveling. For an iPad, be sure it has at least 2 amp output Fortunately most of the planes I’m on have seat power, and even standard outlet plugs — my Empower adapter died after many years and it’s an outdated enough technology I didn’t want to replace it. Flying American’s older planes without power isn’t the only time I need extra juice. I do get a solid four hours of battery even watching movies and while online with inflight internet. There will be plenty of MacBook Air fans in the comments probably singing that machine’s praises for battery life, but it’s not a viable solution…
About Gary Leff
Saudia Business Class Trip Report: Saudia Lounge, Riyadh
Pakistani Correspondent continues her guest post describing the experience flying Saudia business class, which she redeemed using American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Delta. Here’s her previous installment: New York JFK – Jeddah Saudia Lounge, Jeddah and Jeddah-Lahore CIP Lounge in Lahore, Pakistan Lahore – Riyadh And now P.C. continues with her visit to the Saudia lounge in Riyadh Welcome to Kind Khalid International Airport, Riyadh. As soon as my inbound plane got to the gate, people starting lighting up: Riyadh is a smoke-friendly airport. There were no signs about transit passengers or lounges or gates. Nevertheless, it was much easier finding the Saudia lounge and the airport had more to offer than Jeddah did. It had an odd coffee shop (which offered Wifi), and a few jewelry stores in the duty free area.…
Travel Tip: Why Paper Still Matters in an Electronic Age
When readers shared their own travel tips and several really stood out as worth highlighting. Harlan V. said, When traveling abroad, always PRINT OUT your ticket information. I got stuck in a place where I didn’t speak the local language and needed proof of an onward journey. While I couldn’t TELL them, I definitely could whip out my travel info and SHOW them that I would be leaving the airport soon. This has saved me a few times! There are many times it helps to have a printed e-ticket itinerary, and even a printed boarding pass. An itinerary can be helpful: Getting into the airport Many airports in Asia — such as Male and Manila — will have security checking for itineraries on the way into the terminal. Showing your onward travel plans at immigration.…
Why United’s $1.1 Million Fine for Long Tarmac Delays Prove the Absurdities of the Government’s 3 Hour Rule
The U.S. federal government’s tarmac delay rules prohibit an airline from allowing a domestic flight to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without deplaning passengers. Wandering Aramean does a great job explaining the federal government’s recent fine of United for several violations of this rule on one day in July 2012 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. He concludes that United was so deficient that the situation underscores the need for the government to play a role. Historically I’ve been pretty cynical on the 3-hour rule based on the theory that that airlines should be able to put in place a program and manage it themselves rather than have a government-mandated version. It seems that United failed doubly in this case, both by not drawing up a feasible plan and then by not bothering…
Bits ‘n Pieces for October 26, 2013
News and Notes from Around the Interweb: How to get more luxury out of your vacation without spending a lot: Part 6 of 6 Really good post about customer service China Southern’s newly-announced route between New York JFK and Guangzhou, China will be a useful options for redeeming Delta Skymiles in business class to Asia. Hopefully award availability will be as good as it is on their Los Angeles flight (which isn’t as good as it used to be, and the New York route will be operated by a smaller aircraft, but this is still a welcome addition). Air Canada Aeroplan’s online shopping portal isn’t usually the most rewarding, but through October 28 they’re offering 5 points per dollar. You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign…
Get Free Instant Top Tier Elite Status With Sofitel, Novotel, and More!
In case you missed one of the past opportunities for Le club Accorhotels instant top tier Platinum status for new account signup, free instant top tier Platinum elite status from Leclub Accor Hotels is back. How to Sign Up This offer won’t last long, usually just a few hours once they start getting lots of signups but sometimes a little longer. You must open a new account, it cannot be applied to existing accounts. And when you do so you must use an email address that’s not currently on file with them. Even if you don’t frequently stay at Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Mercure, and other related properties frequently, you never know when you might find yourself in one and having top tier status can’t hurt. What Platinum Status Gets You Platinum status usually requires 60…
Getting Where You’re Going By Cab When You Don’t Speak the Language.. Without Being Taken Advantage Of
When readers shared their own travel tips and several really stood out as worth highlighting. VC said, Make sure to take a business card, piece of hotel statinonary, or a print out you brought from home with your Hotel’s name and address in case you need a cab later in the day. Much easier to just give the cab driver the exact name and address especially in international destinations. When I’m headed to a city I’m unfamiliar with, where the language isn’t one I can ‘fake’ I will usually print out my own copy of the hotel’s address in the local language if possible. It’s easy to get complacent and think of English as a universal language, but even in cities where business is frequently done in English taxi drivers and service workers outside of…
Saudia Business Class Trip Report: Lahore – Riyadh
Pakistani Correspondent continues her guest post describing the experience flying Saudia business class, which she redeemed using American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Delta. Here’s her previous installment: New York JFK – Jeddah Saudia Lounge, Jeddah and Jeddah-Lahore CIP Lounge in Lahore, Pakistan And now P.C. continues with her flight from Lahore to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Once again, the business class cabin was empty! I could pick any seat I wanted and have all the pillows. Apparently, they had to balance the plane so they moved 3-4 people from economy to join the cabin. The seats were spacious and this time the audio worked! The journey started with some green tea For breakfast, I got the lentil and lamb stew aka mushed up baby food (bad choice) Also, the pictures does not lie: there…
1000 United Miles for Insurance Quotes
Allstate will give you 500 United miles each for getting an auto insurance quote and getting a home insurance quote. The offer is valid through December 31, and miles for a home policy quote will not apply to condo or renter policies. Walking through the vehicle quote process it didn’t ask me for a social security number, which is good, and it pulled vehicle information from existing databases which made things easier. But the site hung up on the adding drivers page. You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest deals. Don’t miss out!
United Sued for Pirating Music for its Inflight Entertainment System
Sony has filed suit: According to a complaint filed in New York federal court, the defendants are duplicating sound recordings and music videos, installing the allegedly infringed copies to servers located on board aircraft and then transmitting performances to passengers. All without paying any baggage fees. While a bit sensational, and a fluid area of law, it appears that is outsourcing relevant parts of the management of its inflight entertainment technology — such as obtaining content for its systems. The article claims a rights management company acknowledged to Sony that unlicensed content was being used, and was attempting to negotiate to make good on this. The lawsuit then may be a negotiating tactic. United is the bigger pocket here than the entertainment company they’re outsourcing to, though I’d guess there’s some sort of indemnification in…
