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welp, Copa finally went its own way and told UA to get the gently caress away from them with their uncompetitive (for the latin market) MileagePlus program and started its own FF program. No more CPUs for MP members and the fare class will matter for accruing RDM essentially kicking the 30% cut down to, comparative, bupkis unless you book full fare or biz. And, no lifetime miles. Good on Copa for telling UA to get the gently caress away. LOL at UA for selling its controlling share in Copa, those shares have doubled and are paying a 3.5% div. Well done Smisek. Maybe with a bigger player in *A they can bully UA to knock off the devals? This poo poo is endless. If AA kills the stopovers on awards like DL did, MP will absolutely follow DL and it will have nothing to distinguish itself from AA or DL. So much for taking Copa to central and south america next year. I was looking forward to
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Nov 30, 2014 21:56
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Midjack posted:I'm stuck at UA silver; I'd have gotten gold if I hadn't tried to follow our office's rules (other guy on the trip just booked the business seat on a direct flight and didn't get in trouble). Hotels and cars are, as usual, hopelessly fragmented. How do you end up with cars being fragmented? I find that to be the easiest to concentrate.
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Dec 1, 2014 00:15
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Actually, cars are by far the most fragmented for me too. Our travel policy is "you must take the cheapest car, even if it's a one cent difference." Except for Fox, in which case we're allowed to take the second-cheapest car and cite safety as the reason.
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Dec 1, 2014 00:31
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P.D.B. Fishsticks posted:Actually, cars are by far the most fragmented for me too. Our travel policy is "you must take the cheapest car, even if it's a one cent difference." Pretty much this. We used to be able to strong arm the bean counters (all reimbursement people can loving hang) but a couple of years ago they started getting really pissy about it.
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Dec 1, 2014 00:38
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GS-Plat just got comp'd prez circle with Hertz this coming year which is good because I think I would have missed re-qual by 2-3 rentals... and I wouldn't have cared much anyway unless going back through SFO, where the prez circle cars ruled. Cars aren't much of a concern for me because I've never seen much benefit to being topped out with Avis or Hertz at all. Maybe there's something great about a car program somewhere but being prez club for 2-3 years with avis vs. prez circle hertz for 6 has worked out to be cool in exactly one location, at sfo, where they had great cars in the prez circle area. Other than that I couldn't care less about the earning bonuses on points because when I go on vacation I don't want to think about a car so I never get one and I'm always shocked by redemption values of those points.
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Dec 1, 2014 02:19
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Aristotle Animes posted:GS-Plat just got comp'd prez circle with Hertz this coming year which is good because I think I would have missed re-qual by 2-3 rentals... and I wouldn't have cared much anyway unless going back through SFO, where the prez circle cars ruled. I am super not happy about the move away from Avis as I've had a pretty stellar experience with them, personally. Almost universally I've gotten nice cars with low mileage. Hertz has been the exact opposite. But, to your point, I think it depends greatly upon the station you're doing business with.
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Dec 1, 2014 03:04
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Aristotle Animes posted:GS-Plat just got comp'd prez circle with Hertz this coming year which is good because I think I would have missed re-qual by 2-3 rentals... and I wouldn't have cared much anyway unless going back through SFO, where the prez circle cars ruled.  Also, more pleasure-travel related, but has anyone actually put hockey skates in a carry on recently? I don't want to check them as they are pretty new and expensive, etc. The TSA site says they're not prohibited, but I don't have skate guards, and they're literally shoes with knives on the bottom.
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Dec 1, 2014 06:44
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Get skate guards. I've flown with gear across the country multiple times. You should have the guards for just carrying them around your bag. If you are taking full gear do not let them charge your stick bag as a second bag, it's an accessory bag like ski boots are for skis. This is regardless of status. And if the baggage gang knocks off the edges just get them resharpened. I love sjc hertz. Last time I was there I was given some fuckoff big Mercedes SUV probably because I got in on the next to last flight in and left on the first flight out in the morning.
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Dec 1, 2014 09:24
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Mackieman posted:I am super not happy about the move away from Avis as I've had a pretty stellar experience with them, personally. Almost universally I've gotten nice cars with low mileage. Hertz has been the exact opposite. But, to your point, I think it depends greatly upon the station you're doing business with. I was ticked when the MP Club Card cut Avis even tho I never used it because by that time, I was just on to hertz because I didn't see a point to Avis anymore. Now I don't really see a point to Hertz. If I was going NYC to SFO, drat right I'd be in Hertz's bag but goddamn I got stuck with a junker out of LGA one time and there wasn't poo poo else on the lot. I refused 3 cars at IAD because they all had something hosed about them only to get a 55k mile Impala that smelled of cigarettes. They were searching, searching, searching the system and at one point I pointed out the nice cars in the upgrade section to which they tried to push the upcharge on the rental for those, I asserted that I was prez circle and should be upped a car class, they said no only to mid size. It's all dependent on station and it never has paid to push prez circle for an upgrade, which i loathe pushing on them for upgrades so gently caress it. I returned the Impala at the end of the week only to see later that they tried to charge me for the XM radio. WTF? I'm sticking with Hertz tho if for no other reason than 1ks get 1,250 miles on each rental. There's some promised additional perks for Club Card holders (beyond being comp'd prez circle) to but it will probably be something stupid like your 10th award rental gets a free day when you book for 5, or, compact award rentals wont make you say JESUS CHRIST HOW MANY POINTS FOR THAT? on the third Tuesday of every month. AgrippaNothing fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 13:45
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Aristotle Animes posted:1ks get 1,250 miles on each rental. UA: Disappointment Friendly.
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Dec 2, 2014 17:59
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Aristotle Animes posted:Nix this. It's 50miles/day up to 1250 for 1k, when you use the UA CDP...which is a poo poo CDP that no one who has a CC, has insurance or belongs to travel clubs would use as there's no discount whatsoever and the only benefit is the miles. I still have the old Presidential Plus card so I'm just going to hold out hope that maybe they'll forget to turn my Avis President's Club off. 
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Dec 2, 2014 19:05
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I think a combo of my no longer traveling as much, a loose hotel policy allowing me to book boutique hotels and changes in the various programs has crossed my line of "worth my trouble" and into squeezing blood from a stone. I will keep doing credit cards but I miss the good old days.
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Dec 2, 2014 19:06
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Mackieman posted:I still have the old Presidential Plus card so I'm just going to hold out hope that maybe they'll forget to turn my Avis President's Club off. I cut that one after a layoff. It would have been dumb to keep it, fees and all, but, damnit, I'm dreaming of those flex EQMs right now. The prospect of my sweetheart putting my rear end on a plane to gain a couple of RPUs... then again I wouldn't have to gift MY RPUs in favor of domestic harmony, and I'd get the RDM while the earnin is still good. I'm diseased.
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Dec 3, 2014 03:46
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Hi all! It looks like I'm going on a work sponsored business trip for 6-7 months in Tampa Bay, FL. I should get a monthly rate of about $1680 to find long term rates in hotels. Questions: 1) Which hotel chain would you recommend staying in? 2) I would prefer a place that has a good (free) breakfast. 3) My end goal is like preferred double platinum diamond status with free hotel stays. Am I missing anything on this master plan? 4) Can I rent a fully furnished beach house instead?
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Dec 3, 2014 04:06
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xaarman posted:Hi all! You may not be able to get a beach house at that rate but you can definitely get a furnished house. Guy from my office was in Miami for 90 days at a time last year and was getting in a thoroughly decent house with a yard for his dog for much less than that.
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Dec 3, 2014 04:18
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Yeah, not a beach house, but a decent house (with cleaning service) would be highly preferable to a hotel and any status for a stay of that duration.
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Dec 3, 2014 05:45
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You should stay as close as possible to Ybor City. Because that place owns. You could negotiate a monthly rate with a residence inn (Marriott) or Homewood suites (Hilton) and get some serious points for later use.
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Dec 3, 2014 06:36
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oxsnard posted:You should stay as close as possible to Ybor City. Because that place owns. I haven't done hilton in a few years but residence inns (and I think fairfield inn & suites or something) earn half the points other Marriot properties do so be careful
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Dec 3, 2014 08:02
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bolind posted:Currently slightly stranded at HEL due to a missed connection. Flew Finnair and was originally rebooked on the next Finnair flight, 8 hours later, but talked them into putting me on a Skandinavian four hours later instead. Just to update on this case. I went with a legal company specializing in this field, filled out a few forms, signed an authorization, forgot all about it, and lo and behold, yesterday I got an email that they successfully got a compensation of around $400 out of Finnair, of which they kept around 30% for their troubles. On one hand, yay, free money! On the other, I know who'll pay for this in the end, so... I guess the good thing that can come out of this is that it'll give airlines an incentive to keep a minimum level of service, which some coughryanaircough companies might sorely need.
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Dec 3, 2014 09:02
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mishaq posted:I haven't done hilton in a few years but residence inns (and I think fairfield inn & suites or something) earn half the points other Marriot properties do so be careful http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/earn-points/points.mi I stayed at a Hyatt House once, that was decent. Not sure I'd want to do it for full 6 months though. At that point, just find a furnished house.
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Dec 3, 2014 12:47
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xaarman posted:Hi all! No status is going to keep you sane and I can't imagine eating any domestic hilton or marriott "free" breakfast for more than a few days straight at time. A furnished apartment is probably the best option but the points would be very, very tempting. I would consider torturing myself in a Homewood or Springhill for 6-7 months if it meant a few weeks for the next few years at the Conrad or Ritz for free. I'd only do it in a suite with a kitchen tho so I could knock off the restaurants. oxsnard posted:You should stay as close as possible to Ybor City. Because that place owns.
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Dec 3, 2014 13:30
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Guys, serious question here. When flying long haul flights I'm finding that my arse is going numb a lot in my peasant grade premium economy seat. Other than walking around every 5 minutes, does anyone have any practical advice/tips for staying comfortable on long flights? I was thinking of bringing a cushion or something to sit on but I didn't want to tell the guys in my team "Yeah this is my arse cushion" as we get on the plane.
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Dec 3, 2014 23:54
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I have never had rear end numbing effects. However this year I started exercising a lot more and it has made long flights way way more bearable and I hardly ever get the stomach discomforts I used to now. I feel much better after a flight is over and I can even hit the ground running 14 hours in economy whereas before I needed almost a full day of recovery time to feel normal again.
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Dec 4, 2014 00:22
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What is Ybor City? So it's between a furnished condo with free breakfasts and a poo poo ton of points or a house/yard but no points. Hmmm....
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Dec 4, 2014 01:04
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The points will not be worth it.
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Dec 4, 2014 01:07
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xaarman posted:What is Ybor City? Ybor City is the part of Tampa closest to Not Utterly poo poo. Not quite there though. And you probably want the house.
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Dec 4, 2014 02:08
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Uncle Jam posted:I have never had rear end numbing effects. Chiming in to say that this was a big help for me. On layovers, I now try to walk laps of the airport. 
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Dec 4, 2014 03:10
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xaarman posted:What is Ybor City? I don't know if this is true with all programs, but IHG only gives you half as many points if you stay at one of their extended stay brands. Probably not worth it. For what it is worth, the area east of downtown Tampa is probably going to be more interesting if you're there for a longer period of time. Ybor is a whole lot of bars and restaurants surrounded by neighborhoods without much to offer.
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Dec 4, 2014 03:53
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Then again if I lived on expense accounts in Ybor I'd probably become an alcoholic so maybe you shouldn't do it. The longest I've spent in a hotel continuously was 3 weeks and it wasn't too bad. I image it'd get pretty old after a few weeks
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Dec 4, 2014 04:43
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P.D.B. Fishsticks posted:Chiming in to say that this was a big help for me. On layovers, I now try to walk laps of the airport. JFK T4 is perfect for this I swear it's over a mile from one end of the terminal to the other.
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Dec 4, 2014 04:45
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oxsnard posted:Then again if I lived on expense accounts in Ybor I'd probably become an alcoholic so maybe you shouldn't do it. It does. Longest I've had to run was 6 weeks continuous.
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Dec 4, 2014 04:52
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It really depends on location, I think I could go pretty much indefinitely in a hotel in New York or Tokyo, but like a Garden Inn next to a highway interchange in the middle of suburbia wouldn't last me 3 weeks.
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Dec 4, 2014 04:57
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oxsnard posted:Then again if I lived on expense accounts in Ybor I'd probably become an alcoholic so maybe you shouldn't do it. like moths to a flame... I think i could do it. I want him to blog about it here. We'd break through the drivel and the newness in about 2 months and see something real.
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Dec 4, 2014 05:20
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A friend was put up in a Residence Inn for a YEAR right after we graduated. Luckily, this was in Madison, WI (cheap rent!) so he took the hotel and also rented a room in some random house on campus with three college dudes. Whenever I went to Madison for work I'd sit on their gross couch and play Gretzky 64.Uncle Jam posted:It really depends on location, I think I could go pretty much indefinitely in a hotel in New York or Tokyo, but like a Garden Inn next to a highway interchange in the middle of suburbia wouldn't last me 3 weeks.
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Dec 4, 2014 05:56
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taco show posted:A friend was put up in a Residence Inn for a YEAR right after we graduated. Luckily, this was in Madison, WI (cheap rent!) so he took the hotel and also rented a room in some random house on campus with three college dudes. Whenever I went to Madison for work I'd sit on their gross couch and play Gretzky 64. Minneapolis is a great city to get stuck in, but only downtown. If your client is attached to the walkways, it's even better. I'm not a big city person but even I like Minneapolis.
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Dec 4, 2014 08:03
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I've spent three weeks on a US Navy ship for work, several times. That gets loving old real quick. Shared rooms, shared bathrooms, lovely food, only TV once you're away from the coast is a couple channels where they show movies on a loop. No internet even. Just work and boredom.
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Dec 4, 2014 16:37
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Looks like I have one more business trip this year; the nice part is it's at the Swan & Dolphin at EPCOT Center, but the only miles I get are on my car.
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Dec 5, 2014 00:05
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Uncle Jam posted:It really depends on location, I think I could go pretty much indefinitely in a hotel in New York or Tokyo, but like a Garden Inn next to a highway interchange in the middle of suburbia wouldn't last me 3 weeks. I just need fast unlimited internet, preferably LTE. But hey at least in a hotel you don't need to change your sheets and wash your towels! Isn't it just better for the company to rent a home or serviced apartment? Heck might as well buy a used car for the company if it's a year long deployment.
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Dec 5, 2014 03:34
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caberham posted:I just need fast unlimited internet, preferably LTE. When I did a year long assingment I did the furnished apartment route. I recommend it. Plus had a rental car on what was basically a month-to-month lease. I still haven't managed to make a dent in the points I earned from Hertz for that.
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Dec 5, 2014 04:29
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oxsnard posted:Then again if I lived on expense accounts in Ybor I'd probably become an alcoholic so maybe you shouldn't do it. I did 7 months in a Radisson Blu once. Even by the end of it, I'd happily go back there for breakfast. Still have ~3/4 million points, even after spending a week in Amsterdam and a few other reward stays around the US; Radisson also does rollover nights if you over-qualify for status, which is how I still have top-tier with them, 2 years after I've last paid for a stay at a Radisson.
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Dec 5, 2014 12:42
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