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Good to know; thanks guys! How long does it normally take to get from EWR to midtown? 30 min? TheLizard fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Apr 30, 2013 |
# ? Apr 30, 2013 01:05 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:52 |
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TheLizard posted:Good to know; thanks guys! Yeah, 30-45 minutes or so. P.S. One thing that doesn't suck about RDU is the BBQ (pork), a good one near the tech areas: http://www.yelp.com/biz/smokeys-bbq-shack-morrisville And this place rocks as well but is more near the """"downtown"""" area: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-pit-raleigh Basically, be prepared to be fat and bored. Belldandy fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Apr 30, 2013 |
# ? Apr 30, 2013 01:37 |
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I am an idiot. I just wanted to clear the air with that. Inflight GoGo wifi is changing my life. If you fly as much as people in this thread fly and aren't on it, you are an idiot too.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 17:07 |
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Shbobdb posted:I am an idiot. About a year ago I realized that I could use the iPass (the service my company uses that lets me connect to pretty much any hotspot from a major provider) to connect to GoGo inflight. That was an amazing day for me.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 17:12 |
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I'm headed to Vancouver, BC in about two weeks. There are no direct flights there, so we'll be doing a layover both ways. I've been to MSP several times and it's fine enough, but does anybody have experience with SLC? Just trying to decide which airport is best for the connecting flight. There were a couple layovers in LAX, too, but there was only 45 mins between flights and that just seems like a bad idea.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 18:41 |
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Shbobdb posted:I am an idiot. As an FYI UA has terrible wifi coverage. If that is important to you consider AA or DL. Not sure if US does it.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 19:10 |
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US has WiFi available on 89% of its fleet according to their website. They oddly don't list the A330s on there but that might be because they were already equipped with it from the start. I swear the A330s all have it, all my trans-Atlantic flights have had WiFi I think... I've never purchased it so I'm not 100% sure. http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/wifi.html?c=glam_00697&re=1
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 19:27 |
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Morby posted:I'm headed to Vancouver, BC in about two weeks. There are no direct flights there, so we'll be doing a layover both ways. I've been to MSP several times and it's fine enough, but does anybody have experience with SLC? Just trying to decide which airport is best for the connecting flight. There were a couple layovers in LAX, too, but there was only 45 mins between flights and that just seems like a bad idea. Which Terminal in MSP? Terminal 2 (Humphrey) is a barren wasteland, Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) is enormous and has a shitload of stuff. And what airline? When I was travelling from Vancouver to MSP the only flights had a bunch of connections. What we did is take the train (Amtrak Cascades) from Vancouver to Seattle and then flew out of Seattle. If you can get a direct flight to Seattle that might be something to look at.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 19:56 |
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FISHMANPET posted:Which Terminal in MSP? Terminal 2 (Humphrey) is a barren wasteland, Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) is enormous and has a shitload of stuff. And what airline? When I was travelling from Vancouver to MSP the only flights had a bunch of connections. What we did is take the train (Amtrak Cascades) from Vancouver to Seattle and then flew out of Seattle. If you can get a direct flight to Seattle that might be something to look at. We're taking Delta. Seems like we'll land in terminal 1 if we go to MSP. How long is the train ride from Seattle?
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 20:02 |
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It's 4 hours by train, though it only leaves twice a day, 7:40AM and 6:50 PM. They also run buses, but I wouldn't recommend that. Also sometimes they'll cancel the train because of track conditions and put you on a bus anyway, but it's actually shorter by bus. Customs is nice because you don't get stopped at the border anymore, there's a customs place in the Vancouver station. It's also a gorgeous ride, and riding in business class can make you feel downright civilized. It's certainly not the fastest way to get there, but if you've got the time to kill it's a nice experience. My wife and I took a train MSP > Portland > Seattle > Vancouver > Seattle for our honeymoon, then flew from Seattle back to MSP. E: Oh yeah here's the schedule: http://www.amtrakcascades.com/Schedules.htm
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 20:07 |
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Business class train is, by far, my favorite way to travel. It's like sitting in my living room with food, booze, wii-fi, cell phone signal and uh... What else do you need? Oh yeah it's slower than flying, but there's at least one trip I do often where it's shorter to take the train when you account for the drive to and from the airport and security. Although I expect Canadian trains to start doing security stuff shortly...
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 20:23 |
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FISHMANPET posted:Which Terminal in MSP? Terminal 2 (Humphrey) is a barren wasteland, Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) is enormous and has a shitload of stuff. And what airline? When I was travelling from Vancouver to MSP the only flights had a bunch of connections. What we did is take the train (Amtrak Cascades) from Vancouver to Seattle and then flew out of Seattle. If you can get a direct flight to Seattle that might be something to look at. In the past couple months it's become vastly better with at least a caribou and a barrio. Still eerie, but not as bad as it was, say, 1 year ago.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 20:57 |
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Lyon posted:US has WiFi available on 89% of its fleet according to their website. They oddly don't list the A330s on there but that might be because they were already equipped with it from the start. I swear the A330s all have it, all my trans-Atlantic flights have had WiFi I think... I've never purchased it so I'm not 100% sure. That is awesome considering the impending merger I am facing!
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 21:31 |
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Belldandy posted:That is awesome considering the impending merger I am facing! It is nice. Now if only US birds had power or, fancy the thought, some form of IFE. Though IFE is less important with Internet access and power. UA is rolling it out on the A319 fleet right now and I'm hoping they hurry the hell up with the rest of the mainline birds. It does make it so much nicer on the rare occasions I have to travel for work.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 22:19 |
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last laugh posted:In the past couple months it's become vastly better with at least a caribou and a barrio. Still eerie, but not as bad as it was, say, 1 year ago. Yeah, I think the renovations have made it so much worse because everything closed so it could be rebuilt. Until recently it was just a generic sit down resturant, a convenience store, and a newsstand/giftshop. I'm guessing business travellers are never going to go through Humphrey, unless your company hates you. Only the budget airlines fly there, the big boys are all at Lindbergh.
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# ? Apr 30, 2013 23:03 |
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I can't believe how many stores are in Lindbergh. Its a god drat shopping mall, not an airport terminal.
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# ? May 1, 2013 00:10 |
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Belldandy posted:Basically, be prepared to be fat and bored. I grew up in Buffalo and went to school in Cleveland. I can have a good time anywhere. But yeah, I'm going to get really fat. Sweet tea is my cryptonite.
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# ? May 1, 2013 00:14 |
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I fly into SLC pretty regularly. In my experience, flying to and from SLC is pretty awesome because not many people going there have airline status so the airlines are all with upgrades. The airport itself is nothing special. There is a skyclub if you are with DL (I'm not). I can't think of any restaurants worth mentioning. If you are worried about booze, that is an archaic concern. If your flight gets delayed, the Mormon niceness adds a nice layer of efficiency to getting things rebooked. Don't swear. You will want to swear in the security line (last time I was there, no precheck) and a lot of people who don't fly regularly. That about cuts it. Nothing special.
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# ? May 1, 2013 15:03 |
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Buckhead posted:I can't believe how many stores are in Lindbergh. Its a god drat shopping mall, not an airport terminal. It makes no sense, there are actually ads around town bragging about how many shops there are. Look you idiots, I can't go there unless I'm flying, and in about 10 minutes I can be at the Mall of America with way more poo poo for me to buy.
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# ? May 2, 2013 06:47 |
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I just wanted to backtrack to the Nexus Card application conversation you were all having a few pages back. I saw some helpful info, but a lot of it seems to be more applicable to U.S. citizens applying for the card. Are there any Canadians who could weigh in on the Nexus card application process? Is it worthwhile if you travel to the U.S. at least once a year? I just came back from the airport today and the line-up for customs was painfully-long...
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# ? May 3, 2013 03:28 |
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melon cat posted:I just wanted to backtrack to the Nexus Card application conversation you were all having a few pages back. I saw some helpful info, but a lot of it seems to be more applicable to U.S. citizens applying for the card. Are there any Canadians who could weigh in on the Nexus card application process? Is it worthwhile if you travel to the U.S. at least once a year? I just came back from the airport today and the line-up for customs was painfully-long... It's the exact same process, you have to use the US site to apply. (https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes) For $50, it seems worth it to me to skip the security line, but if you only travel once a year... Meh.
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# ? May 3, 2013 14:14 |
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FrozenVent posted:It's the exact same process, you have to use the US site to apply. (https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes) Another question came to mind. Let's say I'll be in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Say, 3-6 months. Is there a simple, cost-effective way to travel between states via air? I'm thinking of something along the lines of CityPass, but between U.S. airliners that frequently fly between U.S. states. melon cat fucked around with this message at 22:25 on May 6, 2013 |
# ? May 6, 2013 17:05 |
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melon cat posted:Another question came to mind. Let's say I'll be in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Say, 3-6 months. Is there a simple, cost-effective way to travel between states via air? I'm thinking of something along the lines of CityPass, but between U.S. airliners that frequently fly between U.S. states. Budget airlines are about as close as you'll get to that. As far as I know nobody has anything where you can just pay a lump sum to be able to hop on whatever flight you need for a period of time. Your travel options will vary wildly by what part of the country you are in.
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# ? May 6, 2013 18:02 |
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JetBlue used to have "All You Can Jet" which is exactly what you describe. As recently as last year, they had the GoPack, which is a pack of 10 flights: http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/8/28/154339/496/travel/It's+No+All-You-Can-Jet,+but+the+JetBlue+'GoPack'+is+Back
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# ? May 6, 2013 18:26 |
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Pissingintowind posted:JetBlue used to have "All You Can Jet" which is exactly what you describe. As recently as last year, they had the GoPack, which is a pack of 10 flights: http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/8/28/154339/496/travel/It's+No+All-You-Can-Jet,+but+the+JetBlue+'GoPack'+is+Back Thoguh posted:Budget airlines are about as close as you'll get to that. As far as I know nobody has anything where you can just pay a lump sum to be able to hop on whatever flight you need for a period of time. Your travel options will vary wildly by what part of the country you are in.
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# ? May 6, 2013 22:26 |
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If you'll be in the Northeast rail is an option and AmTrak might have something like that. Since I'm in the middle of the country I've never looked into it so couldn't give specifics. Renting a car could also end up making more sense than buying a bunch of plane tickets, depending on how far apart your destinations are.
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# ? May 6, 2013 22:57 |
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Woo, scheduled my Nexus interview! ...first available spot is in late August.
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# ? May 6, 2013 23:29 |
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FrozenVent posted:Woo, scheduled my Nexus interview! Check daily, cancellations happen all the time and you can reschedule it much closer. My initial interview was 5 months out, switched it to 1 month. Closer dates were even up, but I didn't want to have to skip work.
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# ? May 7, 2013 05:18 |
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Cocoa Crispies posted:I'm waitlisted for a business class upgrade for the transatlantic part of my trip to Scotland in a couple months The upgrade for the first long flight went through
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# ? May 7, 2013 12:48 |
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Lonely Wizard posted:Check daily, cancellations happen all the time and you can reschedule it much closer. My initial interview was 5 months out, switched it to 1 month. Closer dates were even up, but I didn't want to have to skip work.
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# ? May 8, 2013 15:00 |
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Late July slot, wooo! I'll keep checking, thanks for the tip.
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# ? May 8, 2013 15:13 |
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I haven't traveled in 2 weeks due to a job change and I think I am losing my mind. It feels like a year. I know this is just the calm before the storm and I should be happy for the downtime but I miss the cold, itchy, reassuring fabric of a 737 seat.
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# ? May 8, 2013 15:28 |
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Belldandy posted:I haven't traveled in 2 weeks due to a job change and I think I am losing my mind. It feels like a year. I know this is just the calm before the storm and I should be happy for the downtime but I miss the cold, itchy, reassuring fabric of a 737 seat. My travel is way down this year due to moving into a new position and I feel the same way. I get antsy when I spend more than a week or two in the office at a time. Last time I went through the TSA line they even were asking me if something was wrong at work since they hadn't seen me in a while (It's a small airport so my freedom grope is always from the same group of 4-5 people).
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# ? May 8, 2013 15:42 |
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Thoguh posted:My travel is way down this year due to moving into a new position and I feel the same way. I get antsy when I spend more than a week or two in the office at a time. Last time I went through the TSA line they even were asking me if something was wrong at work since they hadn't seen me in a while (It's a small airport so my freedom grope is always from the same group of 4-5 people). Maybe thats it. I miss... human touch.
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# ? May 8, 2013 16:03 |
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I just want to vent about my travel agency. It isn't just that they are so very, very bad at what they do but they are also incredibly rude over the phone. I'm in sales. I'm a cheery, happy guy. I'm also super relaxed. So when I ask you to do your loving job like changing a reservation I want you to treat it not like I am asking for Moon-Men from Mars. Furthermore, I may be in a radically different timezone than you are. If I am living in a different day than you are, that doesn't mean that I am crazy. I loving hate that poo poo so much. I'm so happy I got a promotion that means I won't have to deal with this poo poo anymore.
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# ? May 16, 2013 06:53 |
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Shbobdb posted:I just want to vent about my travel agency. It isn't just that they are so very, very bad at what they do but they are also incredibly rude over the phone. I'm in sales. I'm a cheery, happy guy. I'm also super relaxed. So when I ask you to do your loving job like changing a reservation I want you to treat it not like I am asking for Moon-Men from Mars. Furthermore, I may be in a radically different timezone than you are. If I am living in a different day than you are, that doesn't mean that I am crazy. I'm sure there are good travel agents out there; I've just never met one.
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# ? May 21, 2013 16:27 |
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Mackieman posted:I'm sure there are good travel agents out there; I've just never met one. The last one I've dealt with needed upward of eight hours to book a YOW - YYZ flight. Granted it was a Sunday and I'd called the emergency number, but... YOW - YYZ. There are something like 20-30 flights every day. That being said I dealt with one to organize a vacation and they managed to only gently caress up one minor thing so, you know, not bad.
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# ? May 21, 2013 23:55 |
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Just noticed this thread. Quit my job doing 100k+ domestic (US) last year to settle down a bit more. Unfortunately, I moved from an area well served by Delta to one served by AA so I don't have relevant status. Traveling like some kind of pleb is friggen terrible. That being said, the first night I spent away from my wife in 4 months where I was the one travelling was 2 weeks ago. I focused on using the 2nd favorite airline out of my airport that served what I needed for status. So, Delta out of PHX for the last few years resulted in a roughly 90%+ upgrade rate without having top-tier status. Briggs & Riley for carry-ons. The drat thing has been beaten senseless but everything still works and if I ever stop being lazy I can send it in for repairs and they'll basically send a new one back. Don't waste airline miles or hotel points on domestic. Points usage is scaled and you get much more bang for your points in exotic locales and long flights in business class. You can either travel 2 people in domestic first from coast to coast or 1 person in business from the US to Asia. Compare the costs and you're getting much more for your time. Also try to get a credit card, especially if you're cash reimbursed, that'll comp you over airline club membership if you don't get it as part of your status. If you invest /w Merrill their M+ card gives you status at 50k spend with no fee. That'll make the airport stay a little bit nicer. Also the "2nd" story in DEN and MSP (mall area) is awesome. Nobody is there with plenty of seats and outlets.
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# ? May 22, 2013 03:26 |
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Many of my coworkers have had luck calling AA and asking them to match Delta status. One girl moved from Atlanta to Dallas last year and AA basically handed her Plat. Speaking of credit cards, I'm considering dropping my Citi AAdvantage for Chase Sapphire Preferred. I get enough miles from work travel, and I think UR points are way more valuable than what I get from my Citi. However, I don't know if I like the idea of having to book fun travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. I've heard hotels are often more expensive, it's a huge hassle, etc. Thoughts?
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# ? May 22, 2013 03:53 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:52 |
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The value of the Sapphire Preferred is far more in the flexibility of transferring points to multiple airline/hotel partners than it is booking travel through the portal. You get 1.25 cents/UR point in the UR portal, but for example a United mile or Hyatt point are worth about 2 cents. The downside for you would be that, since you have the AAdvantage card I'm assuming that's your airline, the Sapphire Preferred doesn't transfer to AA. Booking award travel through United is so much easier than AA though.
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# ? May 22, 2013 05:26 |