The Chicago Tribune‘s “What’s Your Problem” column comes up empty trying to help some Haitian aid workers who were forced to overnight in Miami and pick up hotel costs because of an American Airlines schedule change. [T]he rooms are expected to cost about $450, money the volunteers had hoped to spend to help sick Haitian children. “It’s hard, because all of us keep putting our money in, and we’re like, man, this could go to a much better purpose,” Walsh said. “That would be a lot of X-rays and a lot of lab work.” Wow, sick kids. And how do American’s PR geniuses respond to the newspaper?An airline spokeswoman told the Problem Solver that the company’s policy is to refuse to distribute hotel vouchers in case of canceled or rescheduled flights. “That’s just the way…

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Via Hotel Chatter, the London Telegraph carries a piece on where celebrities honeymoon.Chains like One & Only Resorts and famous resorts like Sandy Lane are common. The point of the article, it seems, is how superstars and the super rich live beyond the rest of us. But comparable properties are available… for free… with enough miles and points. One & Only may not have a points program, but Marriott points can be used for Ritz-Carlton stays (and for that matter, so can Amtrak points). And Starwood certainly has some high-end properties. While La Taha’a Private Island makes the list of resorts in the article, I’d actually argue that Bora Bora Nui, where I stayed on points in June, is superior. And the new St. Regis — opening this June — should blow it out of…

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I spent Sunday night at the W Los Angeles in Westwood. It’s a nice hotel and I had no problem getting an upgrade. All rooms are supposedly suites, but the standard room is a 350 square foot offering that they call a one room suite. To my mind that doesn’t qualify, so fortunately they offered me something that does. It’s a W so the lobby is a hip lounge, though not too active on a Sunday night. The pool area must be a scene most of the time, but the was unseasonably cold even for February so it was more or less deserted with only one person on a lounge chair and only one cabana occupied. The W was guilty of one of my major hotel pet peeves. They didn’t do a turn down service.…

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Domestic first class is just about a (somewhat marginally) bigger seat. Once upon a time there was a nice meal, probably a steak option and maybe a shrimp appetizer, and a made-to-order ice cream sundae to look forward to. Now you’re lucky if the food resembles the worst of what used to be served in coach. But not all domestic premium products are equal. I’d give Continental the nod for domestic food service, with United still occasionally doing a decent job under admittedly difficult financial circumstances (and additional kudos for their transcon p.s. service between JFK and both San Francisco and Los Angeles). United gets my overall nod for domestic premium offerings simply because of the amount of widebodies flying within the United States. And with the exception of the domestic configured 767-300s and a…

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Sunday night I went to dinner at Grace in Los Angeles, which was recommended by several Flyertalk.com members. I liked the decor and atmosphere. It felt a bit like walking out of one W (in Westwood where I was staying) and into another (the restaurant) with the color scheme — especially in the back dining room — and music. The food was generally good, though whatever seasoning they coated my foie gras with was burnt slightly. It took almost half an hour for my entree to come out after my appetizer was cleared. And one of the stranger things I’ve seen lately, they came around to brush crumbs off the table a couple of times during the night… and brushed them right onto the floor. That’s a first for me at an upscale U.S. restaurant.…

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Airlines are generally anxious to poach the business of competing carriers’ elite members. As a result, many are willing to match the status that one has in a program with like status in their own loyalty scheme. Usually this is an unpublished, unmentioned benefit. However, USAirways has the process on its website. We will be glad to review your Dividend Miles tier status in light of your tier level with another airline. Please fax a written Preferred Exception request, along with current tier documentation for the other airline, to 305-370-3513. It is important to include your Dividend Miles account number, your email address and a daytime telephone number so that we can contact you after your correspondence is reviewed. That USAirways is willing to do this comes as no surprise. It’s mentioned, along with several…

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