“This room has just way too many power outlets” – said no hotel guest, ever. For past four and a half years I’ve traveled with a power strip in my laptop bag. You can get one for under $10 with Amazon Prime shipping too. It’s the first thing I take out of my bag whenever I get into a hotel room, since almost no hotel room has enough outlets. And it’s also useful in crowded club lounges and by gates where I need to share outlet space with other travelers or need to plug in more than one device (especially before boarding a flight that won’t have seat power, and after draining devices on a previous flight without power). You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign…
About Gary Leff
A Simple Theory of the US Airways and American Merger – and How to Use it to Predict What’s Next
The single biggest focus at American is on integration of two airlines The ‘to do’ list is enormously long, they’re moving quickly and trying to cross as many things off as they can. They’re spending a lot of time talking to each other and not as much time talking to customers which takes longer and can complicate the process. Many people are worried about losing their jobs still. There are two departments doing the same thing across two airlines, and more or less they only now need one. They don’t need two communications shops, they won’t need two cargo operations, or two revenue management departments, or two sets of teams doing promotions for frequent flyer programs. There’s only going to be one database, one IT platform, one catering manager, and so on down the line.…
The Price of Marriott Platinum Status Just Went Down
I’ve shared full details on the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa before. It’s a surprisingly good card for a certain subset of folks, and it turns out it’s just gotten better. The key benefit of the card, I think, is Ritz-Carlton Gold status (which is Marriott Gold status) the first year, and then after $10,000 in spend in each subsequent year. It’s a pricey card at $395 annual fee, but used to have a $200 airline fee credit to offset. The fee credit has been increased to $300. It’s pretty easy to use the credit, so think of it as a $95 fee card with a few hoops to jump through. For $95 and $10,000 spend you get Marriott Gold on an ongoing basis — a mid-tier level to be sure but it requires 50 nights (or…
Which is Worse?
Last month I harkened back to my childhood and asked – about airplane blankets – what’s grosser than gross? Now I ask, which of these is worse? Feet on an American Airlines Domestic First Class Bulkhead Or Feet on the Wall of an Etihad First Class Suite? How Do You Feel About Bare Feet on a Plane? You can join the 40,000+ 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!
Always Print Your Travel Itinerary (All-Electronic Isn’t)
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 Bali, Male and Manila — will have security checking for itineraries on the way into the terminal. Showing your onward travel plans at immigration. You may need to demonstrate you have an onward ticket when being admitted into a country, or for that matter when transiting. Transi security will often need to see either a boarding pass or itinerary. Interlining bags across multiple itineraries. If you are traveling on separate tickets and checking bags, and want the airline you’re checking in with to interline those bags to the next airline in your journey, they’ll be much more willing to do so…
Unsuck Washington Dulles, Fire Jeff Smisek, and 900 Free Alitalia Miles (Bits ‘n Pieces for May 1, 2014)
News and notes from around the interweb: Washington Dulles is a very bad airport. You reach the airport and you’re nowhere near the actual airport. There’s a taxi monopoly that’s terrible for the environment — one cab takes you, and returns empty while another drives there empty to pick up passengers. And now they’re harassing Uber drivers (and not just UberX, either). If nothing else, DC-based flyers really need a hash tag. Last week I said that it’s time for United’s Board to look for new management instead of new customers. The largest local chapter of United’s pilots union agrees. And in the airline industry a pilots union can effectively oust a CEO (as we’ve seen in the past at both United and American). 900 free Alitalia miles for signing up for a car rental…
Here’s How to Ask for — and Get — an Upgrade
I asked readers to share what’s on their mind and not surprisingly one of the questions was about getting upgraded. I’ve shared all of this advice before, but it seemed useful to pull it together and repeat it because it’s not just a reader question it’s one of the most common questions in travel. Airline upgrades are almost exclusively done by formula, with little discretion allowed to gate or check-in counter agents. The only time there may be wiggle room is when a flight is oversold, and while elite frequent flyers may get preference for moving up to a premium cabin, the most important priority is getting a flight out on time. Other than these “operational upgrades” though, upgrades are going to be based on published criteria – not who is nicest, who dresses best,…
How to Get the Seats You Want on Your Next Flight
I asked readers to share what’s on their mind and one reader mentioned being unable to sit with her husband on a recent trip, and wanted to know how to make that work on future travels. Now, it can be really hard to get seats together on flights — flights are full, airlines are charging for many of their coach seats (calling them premium when they’re not really different than other seats — perhaps just not in the back or not middles). During the holidays it gets even harder with more families traveling so trying to sit together (compared to solo business travelers). For most passengers, your ticket doesn’t come with a ‘seat’. Obviously that isn’t literally true, since safety rules require all passengers to be seated. But there’s a limited number of seats on…
12 Great Ways to Save Money on Rental Cars
Airlines and hotels get most of the ink in travel and in terms of getting the best deal. But I rent cars. A lot. I’ve earned status with rental car chains, as well as Her list, my comments. Now, here’s the most important tip to improve your car rental experience. But here’s how you can save money renting cars: Rent off-brand. Fox, Payless, and others will often have lower rates than Avis and Hertz. The question is whether the lower rate is worth the extra hassle, and that’s a personal tradeoff. The lesser known brands may be off-airport in several cities, so more of a hassle to get to the car. (Although off-airport may be a savings in itself, see below.) They don’t all have the streamlined checkout and checkin processes that you can at…
AirTran A+ Rewards Program Ends November 1
Southwest Airlines acquired AirTran and has taken its sweet time in folding the two airlines and two frequent flyer programs into one. But we now have a definitive date. You can already transfer AirTran credits and Southwest Rapid Rewards points back and forth. AirTran accounts will be closed on November 1. You’ll be able to set up permanent linking later in the year so that points from AirTran will transfer smoothly (at 1 credit -> 1200 points, and half credits become 600 points) when the transition happens. If you have an AirTran account and not a Southwest one (or they can’t find your Southwest account), they’ll create a Rapid Rewards account for you. You’ll be better off creating and linking your own accounts later in the year, however, since there’s no risk in winding up…
