Dean Burri is a former Flyertalk President and organizer of events between frequent flyers and Continental executives. He’s profiled by CNNMoney for his 300 days on the road and 400,000 flown miles a year.He has custom made suits that hold his cigar humidors, but otherwise his travel approaches are not unlike thousands of other road warriors. Nice recognition, cigarman!
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Marriott Goes YouTube
Several hotel chains are making real efforts at using cutting edge technologies. Priority Club was first with a blog, though it’s a pretty awful effort. Starwood is furthest along with its “The Lobby” entry. Marriott public relations is busy pitching their news stories at blogs. And now Marriott has posted a video to YouTube promoting an upcoming photo contest. Pretty amusing and clever entry, too. And I understand it uses real Marriott employees, to boot.
New Membership Rewards Transfer Partners Coming?
It appears as though Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer are new American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners. They show up on the list, anyway, though when clicking for more details you get The reward you requested is currently unavailable. So I imagine this is coming soon.Good news indeed that American Express seems to be adding partners after losing so many over the past several years. Alas, Singapore is a Star Alliance carrier and there are already others in the program, and Air France KLM is Skyteam adding to that alliance’s already heavy representation. A oneworld partner would sure be nice!
Northwest Airlines: ~$211 Vancouver or Toronto to Bucharest with Stopovers and Bonus Miles (upgradable coach)
US$211 from Vancouvery (YVR) or Toronto (YYZ) to Bucharest (BUH) — it’s a $0 fare + fuel surcharges + tax. Bookable at nwa.com or travelocity.com. Book at nwa.com and you should have until tomorrow to refund the ticket if you change your mind, so minimal risk… (It should be a refundable fare in any case, but I haven’t checked this yet.) 2 free stopovers are permitted. Stopovers appear possible at least in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Tunisia (!), Madrid, Vienna, Milan… 7 day minimum stay. It’s a “B” fare — so *potentially* changeable (probably only after travel commences, in order to avoid a refare) as well as upgradable (if space is available) for 15,000 Northwest miles each way. B fares earn 50% bonus miles. This fare won’t last, it’s been available for over 7 hours already…
1000 Bonus Miles on Avis Car Rentals
Avis is offering 1000 bonus miles through the end of the year with several mileage programs: AmericanBritish AirwaysContinentalDeltaNorthwestUnitedUSAirways
Blogging Coverage of my Blogging
I’m quoted in Christopher Elliott’s New York Times article today, though I’m not in it saying anything particularly remarkable.
Convenience Store Clerks Must Truly See it All.
Don’t you just hate it when this happens?
Bangkok: Lounges for Everyone
I doubt this will live up to the Thai government’s expectations (I don’t see a 20% increase in connecting traffic through Bangkok), but it’s still an interesting development that the new Suvarnabhumi Airport includes a lounge for economy passangers — not just lounges for business and first. I’m not sure what the value of a lounge where you’re supposed to get away from the masses is. A lounge for everyone is just the main terminal, isn’t it? So there must be more to the story. But at least the list of available amenities is impressive. The lounge, he said, would include televised entertainment such as films, music videos, sports, documentaries and world news, in addition to Internet services. Passengers will also have a rest area that includes plenty of seating and showers in 18,000 square…
Ghetto Lattes: Getting Value Out of Starbucks
Why am I not surprised this is being discussed on Flyeralk? It isn’t miles and points, but it is getting the most for your buck at an upscale merchant. The Seattle Times reports on Starbucks patrons buying less expensive drinks and upgrading themselves at the condiments counter. If someone pays $2 for espresso, then fills half the cup with milk at the condiment bar, is that stealing? People are saving $1 to $2 a cup — sometimes more, if they use half-and-half or get extra shots — with creative ordering from the complicated menus of the coffee world. …There are lots of ways to save. In one scenario, using Starbucks pricing in downtown Seattle, customers pay $2.05 before tax for three shots of espresso over ice. The same beverage with milk — also known as…
There are so many comments on Amtrak here…
… but they’re all in really poor taste, I should just let this go unremarked on: An Amtrak passenger traveling with her ailing father waited nearly 23 hours and about 1,000 miles to tell authorities he had died so she could avoid the cost of shipping the body home, police said. The train had reached Chicago when Daniel Stepanovich’s daughter told officials that he had died in a sleeper car on Sunday evening, about the time the train was pulling into Glenwood Springs, Colo., said Chicago Police spokeswoman Jo Ann Taylor. … Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said he couldn’t recall a situation in which a passenger’s death went unreported for so long.
