Archive for February, 2009

I admit to belonging to more than one frequent flyer program. I also admit to earning miles in more than one frequent flyer program. Today, I will point out something every USA based frequent flyer member should consider doing. Signing up for United Mileage Plus with only one thing in mind.

United is the only airline to partner with a grocery store. Thus members can earn miles for shopping for what they need the most in their lives.

United Mileage Plus partners with the Safeway family which includes the following grocery chain stores:

• Safeway
• Dominick’s (as a Chicago native this is the one I most frequent)
• VONS
• Genuardi’s
• Pavilions

You earn 125 United Mileage Plus miles for every $250 spent before tax at any of the above stores (some products like milk & alcohol don’t count towards the $250 spent.) All you need is a store club card (which works at all the store brands), and make sure you register.

Now this is the important part and a reason why I’m posting this. MEMBERS WHO ARE ALREADY REGISTERED NEED TO REVIEW THIS.

United is requiring us to re-enroll with the program before February 28, 2009 so we can continue earning our miles. It takes just a few seconds and can be done here. United isn’t reminding anyone via email, but at least you can count on this blog. =)

 

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Whoever says that airline customer service is dismal, has not been paying attention to how low Best Buy can go.

Just because Circuit City went out of business, it does not give Best Buy the right to mess with their loyal customers.

 What’s the big deal, you ask? Back in October 2008 I purchased a Canon 50D Digital SLR camera. I did so in Best Buy and I scanned one of these triple points coupons. I even saved a copy, because I knew this sort of thing would happen. The points never posted. Simple enough to fix, right? WRONG!

 

You’re required to wait about 30 days from the purchase date, so I did. The base points posted, so I knew there was a problem with the promotional 3X points. I called the Premier Silver number and they created a case for me. So far so good. Weeks later I get a call from a guy who claims I purchased this online and used a gift card. Ha! I then decided to email back (since their email support team also handles cases) to which I got reply asking me for details from my receipt. I provided the information. I then got a reply saying they can mail me a copy of my receipt. Huh? I reply again saying I’m missing points not a receipt. They ask me for details from my receipt again. It’s back and forth like that a for a few days. Sometime they tell me I don’t get triple points with this purchase and sometimes they say I got all my points. Very convenient since I can only look back ninety days which has passed and they think they can feed me this junk. It’s all fun and games until today.  Just a few minutes ago I got this wonderful reply which came unsigned. I don’t even who wrote this. Maybe the CEO of Best Buy? Brand Anderson, are you mixing up Valetine’s Day with April fools? LOL!

Hello Mark

How are you this evening? Mark, I have done a little research on this request you have made and I must say I am very surprised at the amount of points in your bank! I see the most I have ever seen, 75,000  WOW! I am afraid due to this amount of point accumulation, you have reached the absolute maximum that Best Buy can offer! If you would like to begin redeeming these points for certificates, we can then begin to add more points to your account. As it is, this is as high as we can permit any accumulation. I am terribly sorry about this Mark.

I would like to offer you the steps in redeeming these points for certificates. It will take 250 points to receive a $5.00 certificate.

1. www.myrewardzone.com
2. using your member id and password, log on
3. choose My Account (at the top of the screen)
4. Click on Issue Certificates.
5. Type in the amount of points to convert to certificates or amount of the certificate
6. Print by clicking on My Certificates.

 

Are you kidding me? There is no such thing as a points cap. Some of their rewards cost 300,000 points. It’s not in the rules and not a single Best Buy employeed confirmed this. And for the record, I only have about 20,000 points since I spent some last year. This has to be the mother of all foolish customer service responses! I’m thinking, what on earth has just happened here? I love how the person says “WOW”. I have to admit, that’s very classy! When I emailed Best Buy’s customer service, I didn’t know I was looking for an IM buddy. I’m also hurt by the fact that I wasn’t wished Happy Valentine’s Day. Best Buy doesn’t love me. Well, I guess they never loved me to begin with…

 

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Three Marriott resorts are set to open in 2009, and all three are in unique, one of a kind places that are certainly worth the wait. Well… I’ve been patient so hurry up already!  I have almost half a million Marriott points and I’m thinking it’s time to redeem some of them.

The first one is a destination that I’ve already been to, but I really want to return to- Maldives. I absolutely love the Maldives, there’s no place like it! Marriott is supposed to open a Renaissance property at the end of 2009. When I went to the Maldives, I stayed at the Conrad Rangali Resort, so I’m curious as to how the Marriott property will fare in comparison. The fact that the press releases states that all villas will have a private pool sounds very enticing. I don’t think anyone should do Maldives without a private plunge pool! This a photo I took at the Conrad. I stayed at the Deluxe Beach Villa with a private pool.

 

The next property, is the JW Marriott Fiji Resort & Spa at Momi Bay. It hasn’t opened yet, and given it’s history, the current scheduled December 2009 opening date will likely be pushed back once again. I’m annoyed by the fact that this property was supposed to open in 2006, then in December 2007 which was changed to July 2008 and now December 2009. Marriott isn’t offering any updates, and there were some rumors of this project going completely bust due to lack of funds and problems with the Fijian government. It would be such a shame if the project was abandoned- Marriott’s coverage of the South Pacific region is dismal. Aside from a few Marriott properties in Australia, there is nothing in New Zealand, The Cook Islands or French Polynesia.  Fiji has to work or they won’t have a chance to compete against the other major brands like Sofitel, Hilton or Starwood.

 

Last but definitely not least, is the Ritz Carlton Molasses Reef located in Turks & Caicos. Something closer to home. This was personally reccomended to me by a friend who used to work at the US Airways Headquarters in Tempe, AZ. He was an “eastie” so he managed to (non-rev, I guess) to the Caribbean quite a lot while he worked at US Airways’ Crystal City Headquarters prior to the merger. He said Provo was a great city and that island was so beautiful, mostly because it was quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of tourists, casinos and mega resorts. Sounds lovely. Sort of reminds me of St. Kitts which was like that too. Besides, looking at pictures the island seems very clean and peaceful, while the water in the sea has a Maldives-like turquoise blue quality.

 

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I was just about to go to sleep when I got a text message from CNN about a Continental plane crashing. I decided to get back online and look it up. Turns out it was CO flight 3407, an Express flight operated by Colgan Airlines, coming in from Newark, NJ.

From what the media is saying, it seems that this will not have a happy ending like US1549. 

The Buffalo News has reported:

Forty-nine people reportedly died when an aircraft identified as a Continental Airlines flight crashed into a house in Clarence Center shortly after 10 p.m. last night, starting a huge fire which poured thick smoke throughout the hamlet.

Unconfirmed reports from a source at Buffalo Niagara International Airport said that the dead included 44 passengers, four crew members and a person on the ground.

County Executive Chris Collins said that there may have been as many as 50 people aboard the plane and crew members had reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Several injured people were taken from the scene to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.

 

There will be a news conference at 4AM Eastern Time on Friday, February 13, 2009. At this point, Continental is advising to call the following numbers,

• 1-800-523-3273
• 1-800-621-3263

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the passengers, crew and people on the ground, as well as their families, friends and loved ones. May those who were involved in this accident, rest in peace.

-Mark

I’ve had the hardest time buying tickets for my upcoming trip. You see, I am going to Hawaii in April and I need to fly into HNL. My plan was to purchase a revenue coach ticket on US Airways and upgrade using my Dividend Miles as it’s just 17,500 miles each way. The good thing about the mileage upgrade is that it clears you into First at the time of ticketing, and more importantly from the city of origin, which in my case would be Chicago- ORD.

US Airways Hawaii flights are all operated by America West B757′s which offer 14 First Class seats. I say not bad, given that the East B757′s have only 8 in First or 12 Envoy if configured with Envoy!

I planned a simple ORD-PHX-HNL-PHX-ORD, but as you know with my trips, the way they are booked resembles nothing how they were planned. PHX-HNL has two flights a day per direction on US and there were absolutely no upgrade seats. None! I’m not flexible at all, so I politely declined the agent’s offer to look around.

Now the good part. US flies nonstop to four cities in Hawaii: HNL, Maui (OGG), Kona (KOA) & Lihue (LIH) are all daily from PHX. US Airways used to offer LAS (Las Vegas)-OGG, but let’s not get into that. It’s just no longer there and what a shame!  Anyway, PHX-HNL/OGG are both double daily. In fact, last year, when I needed three upgrade seats to HNL and back I had to return from Maui, since HNL-PHX had none.

What I did differently this year. I looked at everything. When you’re desperate, you’re desperate. Or may I should call it creative?

The good thing about Hawaii is that the islands are relatively close to each other, and while competition is no longer the same without Aloha Airlines, inter-island fares are still pretty low if booked ahead of time. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines (HA) codeshares with almost every USA based airline and quite a few international ones too. They have baggage and ticketing agreements, and most importantly during these times of a-la carte pricing, they do not charge for the first bag you check. After all, if they did, tourists would not hop around the islands, HA would loose customers and islands would loose potential tourists and the revenue they could scrape off of them. In return, the Hawaiian Islands would be pretty upset with HA.

Another idea to digest is that US Airways (and I’m sure many other carriers) will allow HA segments at no extra charge (aside from a few $ in taxes). I mean, if the ORD-HNL fare basis is, say $505 round trip, in most cases US Airways will let you route it via multiple stops, meaning you don’t have to fly ORD-PHX-HNL, you can fly ORD-PHX-OGG-HNL using US up to OGG and then HA on OGG-HNL. It depends on the fare rules, but sometimes you can do 3 or 4 stops, meaning ORD-PHX-OGG-KOA-HNL and the base fare is still $505. Remember, all you end up paying extra is a few more dollars in airport and other taxes.

On my dates, only PHX-KOA had upgrade availability, so my outbound was ORD-PHX-KOA-HNL. Of course, as with all mileage upgrades, they only upgrade you on your frequent flyer carrier, so in my case US Airways. Still, I don’t mind a short KOA-HNL where, as a preferred, I still earn 500 miles and another 500 miles bonus for being a Chairman’s Preferred. Return wise, HNL-PHX was also not avalable for upgrades. Only OGG-PHX and LIH-PHX were available for that evening. The LIH schedule fit me better so I routed myself HNL-LIH on HA, and then US from LIH-PHX-PHL-ORD. Why not nonstop from PHX-ORD? Not available, but PHX-PHL-ORD was and the fare only went up by a few dollars, again due to taxes.

In conclusion, I booked ORD-PHX-KOA-HNL-LIH-PHX-PHL-ORD while confirming everything in First instantly (except KOA-HNL and HNL-LIH since it’s operated by HA). What is good is that I paid only $31 dollars more in taxes than I would have paid for ORD-PHX-HNL-PHX-ORD and would have to ride in coach. Plus, think of all the miles I will earn! I told you, the way I plan flights is never similar to how I book them.

Makes me think of last year’s ORD-LAS-SEA-LAS-PHX-HNL-OGG-PHX-SEA-PHL-ORD method of getting to Hawaii.

Now for some thoughts about using miles to Hawaii:

• Just like with the upgrades, think about flying into one of the other islands. You may not be able to have HA on your ticket as an award, but purchasing a seperate coach ticket between the islands shouldn’t cost more than $39+ tax one-way if planned in advanced. Check Hawaiianairlines.com for that! Whatever you do, don’t fly Go!
• If using miles and wanting to fly United, think about United’s flights from DEN, LAX, and SFO which are high in frequency. ORD-HNL will be hard to get.
• Soon you will be able to use miles on Continental Airlines as they will join Star Alliance.
• Not many people know this, but USA based members can use their miles on Air Canada. Air Canada flies daily to HNL, OGG, KOA nonstop from Vancouver, Canada (YVR). They use larger B767/A333 aircraft where coach is easier to book, yet business class more difficult. Air Canada’s B767′s and A333′s now feature fully flat business class seats, so they’re considered “hot”!
• Two other Star Alliance carriers server Hawaii. Air New Zealand flies a B767 three times per week from Auckland, NZ (AKL), while ANA flies a B767 daily from Tokyo-NRT. If ever in that region or you want to stop in Hawaii and fly onward, you can use them. Both offer coach and business class on those specific flights.

 

Have a nice clicK life, Aloha,

-Mark

I’m big on “oldie” stuff, so when I heard about Virgin Atlantic doing a commercial set in 1984 I had to see this. Even in current movies, shows, whenever they do flashback scenes I get very “into” it.

So it seems Virgin Atlantic has been flying for 25 years now. Congrats! Lately, there have been rumors of them merging with BMI and joining Star Alliance under Lufthansa’s coaching. Yeah right! Like Branson is going to let “The Wolf” take things into his own hands.

Virgin Atlantic is uniquely linked to US Airways by way of America West Airlines. America West’s limited international service called for a partnership with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic for transatlantic flights. With the US Airways merger, British Airways was knocked off, but Virgin Atlantic remained.

At this point in time, the relationship between the two has considerably cooled. Dividend Miles members do not earn preferred qualifying miles on any revenue VS (Virgin Atlantic) operated flight and it only gets worse when you want to redeem miles. Dividend Miles members can only miles redeem for economy class, meaning no Upper Class award tickets. Given that US and VS barely compete on the transatlantic market is there are reason why should these ties be severed? Maybe, just maybe if VS and BMI do indeed merge, a Star Alliance membership may be the only path to US and VS getting “cozy” again. ORD-LHR-HKG-SYD in Upper Class is what I wanted to do for a while now! And I wanted to do it using my Dividend Miles.

Anyway, here’s the 25- “Still Red Hot” campaign.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Every Summer, US Airways beefs up it’s flights to Bermuda. While PHL service is offered year-round on an Airbus A320, come summer we see birds as large as the A330-300 or the B767 on the route. In addition, seasonal routes from other cities like MCO are offered. Let’s look at the full schedule.

 

PHILADELPHIA (PHL)- BERMUDA (BDA) * DAILY YEAR ROUND SERVICE*- SUMMER 2009 SERVICE ON B757

US1070 PHL (10:15AM)- BDA (1:35PM) B757
US1425 BDA (3:27PM) - PHL (4:45PM) B757

 

CHARLOTTE (CLT)- BERMUDA (BDA) *DAILY SERVICE* FROM MAY 28, 2009- September 8, 2009

US1067 CLT (11:21AM)- BDA (2:49PM) A319
US1047 BDA (4:30PM) - CLT (6:15PM) A319

 

WASHINGTON-REAGAN (DCA)- BERMUDA (BDA) *DAILY SERVICE* FROM JUNE 2, 2009- SEPTEMBER

US981  DCA (8:30AM)  - BDA (11:53AM) A319
US1635 BDA (12:45PM) - DCA (2:08PM)  A319

 

ORLANDO (MCO)- BERMUDA (BDA) *SATURDAY ONLY SERVICE* FROM JUNE 6, 2009- AUGUST 29, 2009

US1104 MCO (11:50AM)- BDA (3:28PM) A319
US1103 BDA (1:00PM) - MCO (2:47PM) A319

 

Summer 2009 schedule doesn’t show the Boston-Bermuda and New York-LGA operating at all. BOS-BDA last operated during Summer 2008, while LGA-BDA last operated during Summer 2007. Both were daily utilizing A319 aircraft.

I also remember US Airways applied with the DOT for permission to fly nonstop from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to Bermuda in 2003. I’m not sure if the flights ever materialized, but here is a press release regarding the flights.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I was just playing around on Singaporeair.com and pricing fares for “R” class between London Heathrow and Sydney via Singapore for a one way trip I could end up taking in July 2009. 

 

 

 

For those who don’t know, “R” class on Singapore Airlines is the Suites cabin on the Airbus A380. You cannot upgrade into the Suites cabin and you can’t use miles to reserve an award for an A380 Suite. At this point in time, only $ talks when it comes to the A380 Suites.

Naturally, I was wondering how much elite qualifying and redeemable miles I would earn in the Dividend Miles program should I choose to book “R” class. You won’t believe it, NOTHING! Iwas stunned!

I will have to look into this and probably contact someone from Tempe. I find it very odd- I’m just not sure whether it’s a typo or if they are serious. I understand no earning miles/ less miles earned on cheaper fares like the BMI “V” fare, but “R” class on SQ? Come on! I’m sure it’s just a typo. Well, I’m hoping! Should report back soon.

 

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I’m very happy with my Treo 800w! At this point, I wouldn’t exchange it for anything!!! I can’t stress that enough.

Regardless, while browsing online, I found a very neat device for those who prefer to keep their phone email free. It’s called Peek and you can learn everything you need to know about it on http://www.getpeek.com/index.htm.

The jist:

• Supports all major email providers
• Can buy online or in-store at Target
• Cost: just under $50 ($49.74 to be exact) for the device and $19.99 monthly for service
• Will work nationwide (I wonder if they mean US48 States or if it includes Alaska/Hawaii)
• Battery Life is advertised as lasting up to 4-5 days at “typical usage” (What is typical for the frequent “emailer”?)

What I think? It looks great! It weighs next to nothing and will fit anywhere. Service on the other hand is expensive and the reliability is questionable. Personally, for me to pick this over $39.99 for unlimited data/web/phone-as-modem for my Treo 800w with Sprint would be foolish. But for those who want their phone to remain a phone, and access email on a separate device, this is a smart and not-so-expensive way to go.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

The following is the entire US Airways transatlantic schedule from both PHL and CLT for Summer 2009. What I found interesting is that all destinations this summer are DAILY.

While looking through the schedules, I realized FRA will now get three A330-300′s daily and photographers will get a chance to snap three of these jets together. The three will be on the ground simultaneously from 10:15AM to 11:10 AM local time, given all three are on time. Also, MUC  for the first time ever, has been upgraded to A330-300 service, while LHR has been downgraded to a 767.

If I recall correctly, US has nine A330-300′s. It seems no spares will be left behind on the ground since all will be in used every evening on these routes:

• PHL-MAD
• PHL-CDG
• PHL-FRA (X2 daily)
• PHL-MUC
• PHL-MAN
• PHL-FCO
• CLT-FRA
• CLT-LGW

I didn’t list the Rio De Janeiro schedules as they are still pending approval from the DOT, but you can read about the proposed schedule in one of my earlier posts.

Here are the 2009 PHL/CLT transatlatnic flights:

 

From Philadelphia, PA

 

PHL-DUB (Dublin, Ireland) Aircraft: B757

US722 PHL (8:40AM)  - DUB (8:15AM+1)
US723 DUB (11:15AM) - PHL (1:55PM)

 

PHL-SNN (Shannon, Ireland) Aircraft: B757

US776 PHL (9:20PM)  - GLA (9:00AM+1)
US777 GLA (12:00PM) - PHL (2:20PM)

 

PHL-GLA (Glasgow, Scotland) Aircraft: B757

US768 PHL (6:45PM)  - GLA (6:45AM+1)
US769 GLA (10:15AM) - PHL (1:00PM)

 

PHL-MAN (Manchester, England) Aircraft: A330-300

US734 PHL (8:45PM)  - MAN (8:45AM+1)
US735 MAN (10:55AM) - PHL (1:40PM)

 

PHL-LHR (London-Heathrow, England) Aircraft: B767

US728 PHL (10:40PM) - LHR (11:05AM+1)
US729 LHR (1:05PM)  - PHL (4:20PM)

 

PHL-LGW (London-Gatwick, England) Aircraft: B757

US728 PHL (6:20PM)  - LGW (6:55AM+1)
US729 LGW (9:50AM) - PHL (1:10PM)

 

PHL-BHX (Birmingham, England) Aicraft: B757

US726 PHL (6:05PM)  - BHX (6:25AM+1)
US727 BHX (8:45AM) - PHL (11:50AM)

 

PHL-LIS (Lisbon, Portugal) Aicraft: B757

US738 PHL (8:25PM)  - LIS (8:30AM+1)
US739 LIS (10:35AM) - PHL (1:25PM)

 

PHL-MAD (Madrid, Spain) Aicraft: A333-300

US740 MAD (6:30PM)  - MAD (8:00AM+1)
US741 MAD (12:50PM) - PHL (3:15PM)

 

PHL-BCN (Barcelona, Spain) Aicraft: B767

US742 PHL (6:30PM)  - BCN (8:35AM+1)
US743 BCN (12:10PM) - PHL (3:15PM)

 

PHL-CDG (Paris, France) Aicraft: A330-300

US754 PHL (6:15PM)  - CDG (7:55AM+1)
US755 CDG (11:30AM) - PHL (1:55PM)

 

PHL-BRU (Brussels, Belgium) Aicraft: B757

US750 PHL (8:35PM)  - BRU (10:25AM+1)
US751 BRU (12:45PM) - PHL (3:25PM)

 

PHL-AMS (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Aicraft: B757

US798 PHL (6:35PM)  - AMS (8:35AM+1)
US799 AMS (10:45AM)  - PHL (1:15PM)

 

PHL-ZRH (Zurich, Switzerland) Aicraft: B767

US710 PHL (6:20PM)  - ZRH (8:25AM+1)
US711 ZRH (10:25PM) - PHL (1:30PM)

 

PHL-FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) Aicraft: A330-300 X2

US700 PHL (4:15PM)  - FRA (6:10AM+1)
US701 FRA (11:10AM) - PHL (1:15PM)

US702 PHL (8:20PM) - FRA (10:15AM+1)
US703 FRA (1:10PM) - PHL (3:50PM)

 

PHL-MUC (Munich, Germany) Aicraft: A330-300

US706 PHL (6:40PM)  - MUC (9:00AM+1)
US707 MUC (12:30PM) - PHL (3:55PM)

 

PHL-FCO (Rome, Italy) Aicraft: A330-300

US718 PHL (6:05PM)  - FCO (8:45AM+1)
US719 FCO (11:15AM) - PHL (2:55PM)

 

PHL-MXP (Milan, Italy) Aicraft: B767

US716 PHL (3:50PM)  - MXP (6:00AM+1)
US717 MXP (10:00AM) - PHL (1:10PM)

 

PHL-VCE (Venice, Italy) Aicraft: B767

US714 PHL (6:25PM)  - VCE (9:05AM+1)
US715 VCE (11:35AM) - PHL (3:20PM)

 

PHL-ARN (Stockholm, Sweden) Aicraft: B757

US752 PHL (8:15PM)  - ARN (10:45AM+1)
US753 ARN (1:00PM) - PHL (3:55PM)

 

PHL-OSL (Oslo, Norway) Aicraft: B757

US788 PHL (8:35PM)  - OSL (10:35AM+1)
US789 OSL (1:00PM) - PHL (3:45PM)

 

PHL-ATH (Athens, Greece) Aicraft: B767

US758 PHL (4:15PM)  - ATH (9:10AM+1)
US759 ATH (11:45AM) - PHL (4:00PM)

 

PHL-TLV (Tel Aviv, Israel) Aicraft: A330-200

US796 PHL (9:15PM)  - TLV (3:30PM+1)
US797 TLV (11:15PM) - PHL (5:10AM+1)

 

 

From Charlotte, NC

 

CLT-LGW (London-Gatwick, England) Aicraft: A330-300

US732 CLT (6:45PM)  - LGW (7:40AM+1)
US733 LGW (10:40AM) - CLT (2:25PM)

 

CLT-FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) Aicraft: A330-300

US732 CLT (4:30PM)  - FRA (7:00AM+1)
US733 FRA (11:45AM) - CLT (3:15PM)

 

CLT-CDG (Paris, France) Aicraft: B767

US770 CLT (4:30PM)  - CDG (6:40AM+1)
US771 CDG (12:00PM) - CLT (3:35PM)

 

Have a nice clicK life,
-Mark