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I see families rolling through all the time at DFW and that boggles me considering it's almost always busy. Then there's the random people who get bumped up to pre and they hold up the line since they don't know how it works. I suppose it's also a Sunday morning, and I'm lucky I haven't gone through a small airport where they close the line/don't have one.
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Jul 13, 2014 14:59
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air- posted:I see families rolling through all the time at DFW and that boggles me considering it's almost always busy. Then there's the random people who get bumped up to pre and they hold up the line since they don't know how it works. "Keep your shoes on." "Keep your shoes on." "DO I NEED TO TAKE MY SHOES OFF???"
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Jul 13, 2014 15:10
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Precheck is an expedited security lane, not a priority passenger lane. Their goal is for the majority of passengers to get precheck in the long run. It'll just take time for people to learn the new rules. And I'd guess once most people have precheck the airlines will pay for separate priority precheck lanes like they do now for normal security. In the meantime I enjoy not getting groped or scoped, even if there is sometimes a small delay.
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Jul 13, 2014 16:00
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I flew out of BUF the other day. They had 3 lines, PreCheck, Standard, and one for people from standard getting put into PreCheck. The people with PreCheck weren't getting as held up by us plebes in the standard lanes.
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Jul 13, 2014 16:14
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Guy Axlerod posted:I flew out of BUF the other day. They had 3 lines, PreCheck, Standard, and one for people from standard getting put into PreCheck. The people with PreCheck weren't getting as held up by us plebes in the standard lanes. I'm hoping they start doing something like that at my home airport (AUS). It's only been bad a couple of times, but the more people get put into PreCheck, the worse it is because most people, for reasons passing my understanding, turn into blithering idiots when they darken the door of an airport.
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Jul 13, 2014 16:33
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sellouts posted:To help expedite passengers during busy times. Really? Probably just the timing but I've flown out of MCO maybe 5 or more times since the beginning of 2013 and the cattle shoots are always packed and there is no one at the Pre line so I glide right through... I always think discounting everything else lovely about MCO and the Micky Mouse flights it owns for Pre. 10,000 kids and UA bag drop suck tho so MCO is on my lists of places to avoid if I can do JAX or RSW or TPA. My smallest is CHS, where the TSA is just configured to end up being a cluster gently caress any how, and then they hand you a pink check mark card that means you get to keep your jacket and shoes but the metal detector is still tuned to bust you on watches and belts. Plus you still have to remove your liquids and laptop. It took them a year to roll it out at CHS. Like any small airport the TSA takes their job REALLY loving SERIOUS, it's just a parody of itself. I flew back and forth a lot to South Carolina last year.... i dislike that podunk airport. Belldandy posted:"Keep your shoes on." lol, just like in europe... the americans are so trained they panic, fearing the rod of embarrassment being scolded by a mall cop when told to do something different. I'm practicing being really nice and educating the crowd that doesn't even seem to know why they are in this line. They need a premium lane for Pre at SEA, for sure. I'm really tired of the 2 japanese grandmothers i always get stuck behind. For now, even with the kettles, Pre is way faster. Pre and the expansion of Pre proves that security is theater and nothing more.
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Jul 13, 2014 18:31
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Yep. Last time I was there (Memorial Day) the lines were so packed they stuffed pre full of families. It was ugly coming in (when I walked by) and on the way out when I had to go through it.
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Jul 13, 2014 20:27
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Did people clap when you landed at MCO? This is for a study... There is a high frequency of landing clappers on MCO flights (parents matching enthusiasm of their children). I hate clappers. Also why I don't like Southwest. WN = too much clap to land ratio. I die a bit inside when it's grown rear end adults clapping for the landing.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:15
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I flew on southwest once and not in a while. No clapping on virgin. We had a generator click off over Texas which killed the IFE but they were able to reboot. I wouldn't have minded the diversion to Austin.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:44
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Aristotle Animes posted:Did people clap when you landed at MCO? This is for a study... I've only had clapping once (SW flight), after an especially rough landing at MDW in a storm.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:45
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Belldandy posted:"Keep your shoes on." To be fair, the first time I did pre-check however many years ago this was pretty much my reaction too. It's been drilled so hard into people's head for over a decade that it is all people know. What's worse than clapping? As soon as we touched in CMH down the pilot came on and said "Welcome to O-H-" and whole plane yelled back "-I-O". loving Ohio State, never seen so many people so proud of such a mediocre school. kansas fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 00:00
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sellouts posted:I flew on southwest once and not in a while. Don't ever get sucked into them. As far as being the business person's choice? Wait till you have an IRROP. They have zero ability to handle cancellations. The simplest problem results in them telling you to gently caress off and come back tomorrow to fly finish your itin. Book on you on another airline? HAHAHA what other airline? This is a hellhole, no one flies to SAF but we do because savings. We're not your grandma's airline! We've got a fresh approach which ditches things like hubs that help keep operations running. Their flight crews are happy, which is nice. I like happy crews and WN takes care of their people.
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Jul 14, 2014 01:29
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Yeah I am almost a million miler on AA but I don't travel anymore for work regularly. I appreciate the legacy carriers for irrops. I'm just out of the game to get to exec plat and have to really have an unexpected level of travel to get to plat in my current role. And having only 130k left in ff miles makes me really hesitant to get sucked into that game again when my favorite award was removed. That being said runs to sjc JFK and ord have been great on VX. And for whatever reason southwest is always more pricy out of lax and in mornings their terminal is the worst. so no thanks.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:13
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air- posted:So turns out TSA converts precheck lines to regular security lines when they are busy. In that case, what's the point of having a separate expedited screening line? Just seems rear end backwards to me, yet not surprising considering it's TSA after all. I was leaving Boston, and was headed to the premier line, when the lady checking tickets saw that I was precheck, and said it's faster in that line. I only saw four in the premier line ahead of me, but I figured maybe it'd be a walkthrough in precheck. Which was kind of true, there was no one in the precheck line at all, but there was a 20-minute line to get to the person who directed you into either standard/precheck. Holding up my ticket and pointing to the listed precheck at them didn't get me in ahead. Somehow Logan is worse than MCO, that takes dedication.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:44
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Abugadu posted:I was leaving Boston, and was headed to the premier line, when the lady checking tickets saw that I was precheck, and said it's faster in that line. I only saw four in the premier line ahead of me, but I figured maybe it'd be a walkthrough in precheck. Which was kind of true, there was no one in the precheck line at all, but there was a 20-minute line to get to the person who directed you into either standard/precheck. Holding up my ticket and pointing to the listed precheck at them didn't get me in ahead. Somehow Logan is worse than MCO, that takes dedication. Which terminal were you at? There are a lot of horrible things about Logan, but the worst one by far is the fact that there is zero consistency between the terminals, which aren't connected on the airside.
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Jul 14, 2014 11:49
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Gigantic mult-city clusterfuck trip. Get upgraded on all routes except the one with the 777 
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Jul 16, 2014 02:16
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Welp, it's official, I'm joining the business travel ranks. Got a 30% raise from my lovely government job, get to work from home, and travel is not to exceed 50% in any given month. And all working in an industry that I'm excited about, so I'm pumped. To all you seasoned vets out there, what are a couple of things you couldn't live without as a frequent business traveler? Apps, gadgets, luggage, etc.
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Jul 16, 2014 21:12
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To piggy back on the gadget request does anyone have a sleep mask they would recommend for travel?
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Jul 16, 2014 21:38
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Fryhtaning posted:Welp, it's official, I'm joining the business travel ranks. Got a 30% raise from my lovely government job, get to work from home, and travel is not to exceed 50% in any given month. And all working in an industry that I'm excited about, so I'm pumped. off the top of my head: Apps: - TripIt. Some people think that the tripit pro upgrade is worth it, but I thought it was meh - FlightView. Flight tracking, ATC delay info, weather conditions, etc - Uber. for cities where you can take car service instead of renting a car - Genius Scan. in case your company makes you keep copies of receipts (its not a bad practice to follow regardless, in case your expense auditor calls you out on something) - Dark Sky. or any other good weather app Gear I don't go too gear crazy, but there are things that I always keep in my laptop bag. - Cellular data hotspot. If your company will let you expense one, it's great to have if you don't want to deal with trying to find a readily available hotspot. - External battery pack / phone charger. They're cheap as hell (like $20-40 on amazon) and can be a life saver - I usually pack twice as many phone/tablet chargers as I need in case I forget/lose one or a co-worker asks me to borrow one - I always keep a small pouch with medical supplies.. advil, antacids, eye drops, band aids, lotion, etc. I've never had TSA give me any grief about the really small bottles like eye drops - Earplugs and a sleeping mask - Sewing kit Other tips - Sign up for the right travel related credit cards and do the right research. Personally I have a Marriott Visa, SPG Amex, and Delta Amex, but choose cards for loyalty programs that you know you'll be using - http://thepointsguy.com/ is a great travel website. The owner is a little vainglorious but he has great insights / tips - If you know you'll be staying at the same hotel week over week, keep a gym bag there on the weekends to store your gym shoes, toiletries, etc. Basically anything you don't need to lug back and forth. I spent a year doing the grind between DC and NYC and I never packed anything other than a change of underwear and dress shirts. - Don't be an rear end in a top hat. Seriously. Go out of your way to be nice to your black car driver, the gate agent, all airplane crew, the lobby staff at your hotel, your hotel porters, etc etc. I could write a novel on how many unexpected benefits and nice surprises I've gotten just by being nice and asking people how their day is going, etc.
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Jul 16, 2014 21:52
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Tyro posted:To piggy back on the gadget request does anyone have a sleep mask they would recommend for travel? I love this one. http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Comfort-Size/dp/B001TUZSMU/ Adjustable, washable, and very soft and comfortable
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Jul 16, 2014 21:54
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Fryhtaning posted:To all you seasoned vets out there, what are a couple of things you couldn't live without as a frequent business traveler? Apps, gadgets, luggage, etc. Not too specific, but my major stress relief is to have travel stuff completely separate from at home stuff. Toothbrush, shaver, other toiletries, chargers and anything that's not in my laptop/work bag already. Then pack everything you need except clothes back into your bag when you come home. Next time you travel the checklist should be: 1. clothes, 2. laptop bag. Takes a little investment but I never forget anything and packing takes literally 2 minutes. If you get a black samsonite or other common brand and ever check it, make it stand out in some way. Not just so you can detect it quickly but to prevent the two other guys with the exact same model to take a hike with it. Which reminds me, still need to get that MegaDeth patch for mine. sink the biz posted:- TripIt. Some people think that the tripit pro upgrade is worth it, but I thought it was meh It is meh for the price they're charging, but it saved my butt once on a gate change so I'm keeping it for now.
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Jul 16, 2014 22:34
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Buy a halfway decent bag by which I mean a travelpro crew9 of some kind or better. Seconding "don't be a dick" it really also makes you feel way better about whatever poo poo is going down.
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Jul 16, 2014 23:33
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Just smiling and being nice to people really does get you a long way sometimes. And if it wasn't implied from my other recent posts, yeah I'd go nuts if I didn't have TSA precheck (which I got from having Global Entry). I thought it was worth the cash, but see about a way to get that poo poo reimbursed if you can, as well as seeing if your company can provide you with any ways to quickly get status with airline/hotel loyalty programs.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:35
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If you're really going to be traveling a lot, most airlines will let you pay a reasonable amount of money ($100-200) to do a status challenge. Worth investigating. Also, if you decide to pay for precheck, get Global Entry for all of $15 more.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:45
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Nexus is like $50 and gets you GE, if you live anywhere near Canada (or travel in that area)
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Jul 17, 2014 01:01
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Fryhtaning posted:Welp, it's official, I'm joining the business travel ranks. Got a 30% raise from my lovely government job, get to work from home, and travel is not to exceed 50% in any given month. And all working in an industry that I'm excited about, so I'm pumped. You will have some hosed up days. Take a deep breath, don't be passive when the IRROPs come but don't be pushy and mean. Gate Agents have a hard job, don't make it worse and you both have the same goal. If you get status on the airline, Do You Know Who I Am? doesn't work and makes you look silly. Track your in bound aircraft yourself. Don't rely on what the gate agent is telling you. If I look down from the lounge at EWR I can see people lining up ready to board on a plane that isn't even going to land for another 40mins... and the gate won't say poo poo until they pass the original delay time they announced to begin with. Pick an airline/partnership, pick a hotel chain, pick a rental agency and stick with those companies. Loyalty programs are getting pretty lovely but they still have some benefits. Some people are happy with Kayak to meet a budget and schedule. I don't know how they do it. I like calling the elite line and saying get me out of here and they say "you're booked and booked on a back up if that goes wrong, you are going home Mr. A." Picking airlines and hotels is tricky. Pick the one that flies the meets your schedule and is going where you need to go. I have colleagues that try to marry airlines because they like the program or product (seats, service) better: a year later they hate life and wish they weren't invested in X airline that has no presence at their home port. Once you got your carrier and hotel, pick a CC that will boost your awesome vacation power that will pay you back for a lot of the punishment you got traveling.... a vacation in Bali and Tokyo can put a balm on a strained relationship too. Luggage Will never peal me away from Briggs and Riley after having learning the hard way that luggage warranties are bunch of bullshit accept B&R's lifetime guarantee. poo poo, they replaced zipper pulls and cleaned it like new because when the airline tore the front pocket on my 25 incher. That's right, the Airline did it and B&R didn't bat an eye. Good as new. It's pricier but if you are going to do this for a few years, I say it's worth it. Apps Someone said FlightView. I like FlightRadar. A flight app is important for tracking your inbound equipment and not going to the gate any sooner than you have to. Gear I'm not going to do a whats in your bag post. I do travel with gear and I like having all the junk w/cords packed neatly in my grip so I like this http://www.skoobadesign.com/laptop-cable-stable-dlx That and the only other main thing I recommend for essentials is get a good gps. Depending on where you go, the tower assist on your Phone will gently caress you. One minute you are on the freeway in a major city, next you are 50 yards away and one surface streets and then you missed the exit. This will make you late and look bad. And for gently caress sakes don't rely on those pieces of poo poo that come with the rental can. My I love my voice command garmin. So much less stress telling it to find me gas or coffee on the way to a meet.
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Jul 17, 2014 02:17
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Hotels Tonight saved my rear end a few times when I had flights canceled on me and needed to stay in Toronto and nyc without spending a million bucks
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Jul 17, 2014 03:15
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Holy poo poo, someone opened the fire hose of good advice. Thanks all. I guess I'm pretty thankful that I've had consistent light travel for almost 20 years now, since I'm not reading any big surprises. I'm already comfortable in airports and hotels, although rental cars will be relatively unknown to me. I have an AAdvantage Citi card already, since AA has historically been the best airline for me to travel to and from California, where the rest of my family is. I have 160k points accumulated over a few years of light travel and regular cc usage since I've never spent any miles. However, for the eastern US (I live in Knoxville) I'm quickly learning that Delta is a lot better since the Atlanta hub is a puddle jump away and goes everywhere, so I might have to get a Skymiles card and go with both for a year or so until things iron out. If the AA / US Air merger finally completes to where both are on the same rewards program, US Air's hub in Charlotte might tip the scales back. I have a barely-used HHonors card, so I'll probably feel out the options with the competition there as well. Don't be a dick - Christ, do we still live in an era where that's one of the first things grown rear end people need to be told? Some of the poo poo I overhear that gets directed at customer service in general is unreal. Packing tips, apps, PreCheck advice.. much appreciated as well.
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Jul 17, 2014 03:40
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You can get anywhere in the known universe from ATL, and frequency from Knoxville is pretty high. I'd go with Delta (but I am biased anyway, since I am DM). I wouldn't expect Charlotte to maintain quite the size of current, since it's kind of awkwardly positioned between MIA (much better for routing traffic to Central & South America plus the Caribbean) and AA's hubs at JFK, DCA and PHL.
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Jul 17, 2014 03:51
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Get precheck, get a good bag, learn to pack, and don't be a dick. I like Tom Bihn bags.
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Jul 17, 2014 04:11
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I would consider you a hub captive to Delta at ATL. Give up the AA amex and surrender to Skypesos. DL soft product is ok and they are stepping up their lounges (and the price). Packing tip. If you pack shoes, put poo poo in the shoes. Also I love my packing cubes http://www.amazon.com/eBags-Packing-Cubes-3pc-Canary/dp/B005LXPSEY. They don't save space but if you need to tear into your bag for something, you don't have to refold and repack. Also makes transfers to drawers and back pretty quick if you just toss the bag in the drawer. Also eagle creek folder for shirts http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-T...le+creek+folder
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Jul 17, 2014 04:43
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Don't shop around too much and just confidently buy hotels and flights worth your status. If you are spending too much money, they will let you know, but in my experience no one gets a pat on the back for being under-budget. Choose your airline based on the nearest hub. Ease of travel is great, so go for that and stick with it. Once you've got momentum the perks are awesome. I'm a Hilton man and it is great. I know plenty of Marriott people and they love it. But the real winners seem to be the Starwood folks. If I had a time machine, I'd be a Starwood man. Like others said, grab the cards and everything else. Also, consider asking to get a lounge pass. If a flight gets canceled, they can be the difference between making the meeting and missing it. Also, free booze. Wifi Hotspot is a must and should be expensed. If you are going to be crossing a lot of timezones, don't be ashamed to ask for Dr. Feelgood. I'm an uppers man, so amphetamines help get me at my best in every situation. A buddy of mine who prefers downers rocks the Xanax. Another co-worker who is less down with the freakshow loves Ambien. Blame any nosebleeds on dry airplanes.
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Jul 17, 2014 05:55
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:You can get anywhere in the known universe from ATL, and frequency from Knoxville is pretty high. I'd go with Delta (but I am biased anyway, since I am DM). Shbobdb posted:I'm a Hilton man and it is great. I know plenty of Marriott people and they love it. But the real winners seem to be the Starwood folks. If I had a time machine, I'd be a Starwood man.
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Jul 17, 2014 06:55
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Other people cover the main points. There's also a travel gear thread in the tourism and travel thread. It's more geared towards travel hippy backpacker types but there's a bit of useful information as wellAristotle Animes posted:awesome Luggage sellouts posted:I like Tom Bihn bags. They are great but the recent line is so-so (still good). I recommend a Red Oxx Sky train, great zippers and foldable compartment for your suit. I don't do rollers  Apps Gear - bring packing cubes I'm more of a gear head so I will list a few things
Oh and where ever you go, send post cards. It's a bit antiquated but a nice touch. Then get a facebook message receiving said post card.
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Jul 17, 2014 07:27
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Small White Dragon posted:Actually Hyatt is supposedly even better than Starwood, but both Starwood and Hyatt's are not always easy to find. Hiltons and Marriotts, however, are everywhere. I chose Hilton specifically because they treat their workers the best of the big chains. So I'm not even going to entertain Hyatt. Even if it is a discussion about hotel benefits. Edit: quote:Oh and where ever you go, send post cards. It's a bit antiquated but a nice touch. Then get a facebook message receiving said post card. I wish you had posted that a long time ago. That is a fantastic idea and one I'm going to adopt from now on. Shbobdb fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 08:06
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Yeah I wasn't a fan of that red oxx sky train bag, I didn't like the metal latches on the backpack straps and I found the 3 tiered front zipper pouches on the Tom Bihn TriStar really really useful. But mostly personal preference. I wish I could see one in person. Both fit under seats which rules. Right on about packing cubes. Aside from the reasons listed above they really do keep your clothes from being wrinkled. It forces me to be more organized when I pack but also gives better results. I wouldn't bring a kindle or camera to any trip, but especially anything work related. Just an iPhone or maybe iPad. The less I can pack, the better. Oh, maybe look into a spotify premium account. I always offline a bunch of playlists for flights, cars, workouts, etc and never get bored of music and it is nice to not have to worry about cell phone signal.
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Jul 17, 2014 08:12
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Shbobdb posted:I chose Hilton specifically because they treat their workers the best of the big chains. So I'm not even going to entertain Hyatt. Even if it is a discussion about hotel benefits.
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Jul 17, 2014 10:34
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If you are lucky enough to still have a granny, boy do they love the postcards. Mine barely has a wit left but mom says those postcards are a way to get her to focus on something pleasant. Brightens her up immediately and she talks about them all the time when she receives one.
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Jul 17, 2014 12:23
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Small White Dragon posted:While CLT may shrink some, it's probably US Airway's strongest hub and I think most of the betting money is on PHL or PHX being the one that gets the eventual axe. This is getting in to flyertalk sperg city but if I recall correctly, CLT is only about 20% O&D. It's only strong by virtue of the fact that AWE routes a bunch of connecting traffic through. I would expect all of USAirway's hubs besides DCA to get a haircut. Anyway, CLT is a poo poo design for a hub anyway, and from a practical point-to-point within the airside perspective, ATL is about a trillion times better. I have found that a carry-on garment bag is tremendously useful for full-week trips. Here's one from B&R: http://www.briggs-riley.com/category/productDetail.aspx?id=Carry-On-Wheeled-Garment-Bag_U174&col=baseline or Travelpro (the Crew9 one, don't buy any other Travelpro stuff, it's poo poo) http://www.travelpro.com/viewByStyle.cfm?style=Garment%20Bags
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Jul 17, 2014 12:50
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I've been CO or UA my entire travel career so I only have marginal experience with ATL and CLT but I really liked CLT when I used it a few times last year?? CLT will be hurting if the new AA wants to slim them as a hub and I would expect a fight where they would concede a lot more taxes, promise improvements and such. Never cared much for ATL.
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Jul 17, 2014 13:02
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