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KillHour posted:I'm 100% travel and all my fights are discount non-refundable economy. My company's travel policy for flights is within $50 of the "lowest cost logical itinerary" (literally anything that gets you there same day). Same for mine for domestic trips. The key is knowing how to work the searches to return what you actually want.
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Dec 13, 2016 01:14
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We don't have a strict flight policy automatically enforced so far, but yearh, if you do, the trick is definitely dicking around with departure and arrival times until you get what you want.air- posted:Tinder/Couchsurfing etc. I've had a lot of good success using Couchsurfing just as "hey I want a local to show me some cool poo poo to do/eat, I'll cover your drinks/food" (considering I'm on per diem/expensing it anyway...) sellouts posted:
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Dec 13, 2016 02:06
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mobby_6kl posted:you can't just leave it like that okay Well, her first message on Bumble spoke volumes: "I am in (your city) and I leave tomorrow. Some other points that stood out were... Hypoxia (lack of oxygen from all the flying) either makes you high as a kite or you pass the gently caress out HARD. Obviously the completely unpredictable schedule Learning that cabin crew is a more appropriate word, because she felt the term flight attendant may as well be calling them an inflight waiter. In a sense, borderline insulting given all the safety training they do.
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Dec 13, 2016 02:52
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KillHour posted:I'm 100% travel and all my fights are discount non-refundable economy. My company's travel policy for flights is within $50 of the "lowest cost logical itinerary" (literally anything that gets you there same day). That's fine, you just have to be smart about it. Make sure you book with a preferred airline, try to consolidate as much as possible onto one carrier, and try to use connections and co-terminals to your advantage. LA has like 5 airports you can use for searches, NY has 3, etc.
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Dec 13, 2016 03:32
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Residency Evil posted:Looks like I'm finishing up the year with 60 segments and $5300 spent on Delta. I'm boned right? Can I buy $700 worth of Delta gift cards to get gold or something? I'm assuming the answer to this is "No, and that's dumb?"
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Dec 13, 2016 03:53
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AdrenalinG posted:LA has like 5 airports you can use for searches, NY has 3, etc. As someone who may be doing some significant travel to NYC soon for the next year or so, what's the best way to fly into NYC frequently?
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Dec 13, 2016 04:15
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Cacafuego posted:As someone who may be doing some significant travel to NYC soon for the next year or so, what's the best way to fly into NYC frequently? Can you be a bit more specific? What do you mean by "best way," like the best airport in NYC, the best airlines to get there, the best routing? And where are you departing from?
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Dec 13, 2016 04:33
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AdrenalinG posted:Can you be a bit more specific? What do you mean by "best way," like the best airport in NYC, the best airlines to get there, the best routing? And where are you departing from? Oops, yeah, sorry. Flying from MCO. Lots of direct flights into Newark on United (my preferred airline). I've heard it's best to fly into Newark and take public transit into the city, is that correct in this thread's opinion? At this point, I don't know exactly where I'm going to be going frequently in NYC, but I'm the east coast coverage for this project, so I'm expecting to get the NYC sites. What are some not lovely hotels? I think my max rate for NYC is something like $375/night and I fully expect that not to be enough to stay at decent places.
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Dec 13, 2016 06:32
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Residency Evil posted:I'm assuming the answer to this is "No, and that's dumb?" Thread regulars may disagree but I would take a fun weekend vacation/mileage run.
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Dec 13, 2016 07:23
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Cacafuego posted:Oops, yeah, sorry. Flying from MCO. Lots of direct flights into Newark on United (my preferred airline). I've heard it's best to fly into Newark and take public transit into the city, is that correct in this thread's opinion? If you're flying UA, you will only be flying into EWR from MCO. From EWR, it's best to take the AirTrain which connects to the Amtrak station where you can catch NJ Transit to Penn Station in Manhattan. I think it's about $15 each way. Unfortunately, EWR is in New Jersey so not much help for you work-wise if you're getting sites in Queens or Brooklyn, which would be much more convenient from JFK. You might also want to calculate how much flying in total you do, and see what realistic tiers you can reach. MCO-NYC is about ~930 miles. Are free upgrades to business class important to you, and will you be flying enough to reach a level that would make them a realistic shot? Otherwise, how about settling for a good economy experience? MCO-EWR is unfortunately a route where both Spirit and JetBlue fly, so there's going to be pretty competitive pressure in prices. EWR is also a dump of an airport. DL flies MCO-LGA and MCO-JFK, and with decent frequency, so there's also consideration for them too. You say UA is your preferred airline, but if you're flying from MCO, that's a JetBlue hub and they fly non-stop to all 3 NYC airports: EWR, LGA, and JFK. This flexibility could be crucial. But of course, JetBlue doesn't have business class on these routes. My advice: If you are flying over 50,000 miles a year (gold status) in your travel, I would consider UA or DL for the upgrades. I prefer DL over UA because of their on-time performance, airport facilities, and customer service, but so do many other corporate travelers, so it hurts your upgrade chances when it gets competitive for upgrades. But MCO-LGA and MCO-JFK routes might not be too elite-heavy for Delta at all. Gold at 50,000 is also the magic tier that will get you lounge access and other perks in their respective airline alliances for any international travel, so it's an important mid-tier distinction. If you are flying less than that, I would stick to JetBlue. You won't be getting upgraded anyways on UA or DL since you'd be too far down the pecking order, so you'd be flying economy anyways. JetBlue economy is very good imo, and I feel people don't appreciate it as much because their customer base is more leisure-oriented. Mosaic status on JetBlue is pretty easy to reach on spend, gives you unlimited drinks in flight, and you'll practically always get upgraded to Extra More Space seats for free. It's way better than the Silver-level tiers of the legacy airlines. $375/night is plenty, even for NYC. Most decent places in Manhattan are about $200-300 last minute. While you're not staying at The Plaza, you'll get by comfortably. Make sure to see if you qualify for any corporate rates too. Also if you're staying near the airports or in Brooklyn, Queens, or god forbid Newark or Long Island, the prices will drop quickly. The quality of hotels varies pretty dramatically and most rooms in NYC are quite small, for obvious reasons. But the one thing that determines price the most in NYC is the location. Location is key for everything, and I would simply choose the hotel that makes work closest and easiest for you. Do keep it mind that you are generally also saving money from not having a car rental by being in NYC. i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 09:07 on Dec 13, 2016 |
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Dec 13, 2016 09:04
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I still worry about bedbugs in NYC.
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Dec 13, 2016 10:47
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KillHour posted:I'm 100% travel and all my fights are discount non-refundable economy. My company's travel policy for flights is within $50 of the "lowest cost logical itinerary" (literally anything that gets you there same day). Our's used to be a fixed number but now it's within 10% of the cheapest "logical" (one stop and no more than I think 3 hour layover) fare. Though as far as I can tell it only compares it against whatever comes up based on your filters. My old admin used to search for the whole day even if I told her I couldn't leave before or after "X" time or needed to be home before 5PM or something like that, so I used to trigger the accounting system all the time since there'd be some cheap off hours flight. Thankfully my current admin actually knows what filters are. I wish they'd just let me book it myself, but can't win them all.
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Dec 13, 2016 13:01
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AdrenalinG posted:Your accounting department is not pleased. If I was actively self-screwing our accounting department would ask me why the hell I was two-hopping and buying bad itineraries. It's nice to work for a reasonable outfit.
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Dec 13, 2016 14:05
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If I was actively self-screwing our accounting department would ask me why the hell I was two-hopping and buying bad itineraries. It's nice to work for a reasonable outfit. Any openings? 
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Dec 13, 2016 14:35
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Residency Evil posted:I'm assuming the answer to this is "No, and that's dumb?" Noggin Monkey posted:Thread regulars may disagree but I would take a fun weekend vacation/mileage run. I did this a few years back, went to Seattle in December to hang out with internet friends and drink. It was a blast, I'd recommend it.
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Dec 13, 2016 15:54
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Residency Evil posted:I'm assuming the answer to this is "No, and that's dumb?" The answer to "Can I buy gift cards" is, "No, and we all think that is loving stupid, cause if you're going to measure my spend, capture my change fees, upgrades, etc not just base loving airfare" The answer to "Should I schedule a trip before EOY to capture my benefits for next year" is IT DEPENDS, MAYBE? I've had a coworker spend New Years in Sydney to maintain 1k, definitely worth it and not a bad place to spend New Years. That all depends on the benefits you're getting/giving up and where you are in life, spend, the world. I wouldn't spend my last 1k in the bank to maintain any elite status. Nor would I miss babies first Christmas. But for many of us a trip to go see some friends to keep my airline perks isn't a big deal. I'm personally not keen on spending my Saturday flying from MCO->SFO->SEA->EWR->CLT->MCO just to get the miles. gently caress that noise.
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Dec 13, 2016 16:59
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FunOne posted:The answer to "Can I buy gift cards" is, "No, and we all think that is loving stupid, cause if you're going to measure my spend, capture my change fees, upgrades, etc not just base loving airfare" Mileage runs are best enjoyed if you can spend some time at the destination.. but I guess that makes it less a mileage run and more a vacation. Europe is also a good destination if you're tight on time because the connections/frequencies are good and it's still better than a domestic flight going through loving Newark. (Though if you fly UA bless your soul) i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Dec 13, 2016 |
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Dec 13, 2016 19:43
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AdrenalinG posted:Yeah it's quite stupid how fees and upgrades are not included in spend, or even things like lounge fees and spending on premium food/drink in lounges. 210K PQM on UA this year. It's either a lot of travel or a cry for help. This past weekend I changed my flight to route through Newark instead of Chicago due to weather. Pretty sure that's the first time that's ever been a thing.
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Dec 14, 2016 02:43
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Mackieman posted:210K PQM on UA this year. It's either a lot of travel or a cry for help. Or both. Especially if it's on actual UA flights and not the better Star Alliance carriers. I still have horrible flashbacks to economy class on the 747 I flew from SFO-HKG when I was 1K a few years back. No IFE, no wi-fi, no power, and absolutely some of the worst airline catering on the planet. And the plane was crowded with Chinese fliers, departed late, and had all the legacy, burnt out, sassy old lady cabin crew because it was long-haul international. Dear god.
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Dec 14, 2016 04:20
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AdrenalinG posted:Or both. Especially if it's on actual UA flights and not the better Star Alliance carriers. I still have horrible flashbacks to economy class on the 747 I flew from SFO-HKG when I was 1K a few years back. No IFE, no wi-fi, no power, and absolutely some of the worst airline catering on the planet. And the plane was crowded with Chinese fliers, departed late, and had all the legacy, burnt out, sassy old lady cabin crew because it was long-haul international. Dear god. That sounds really terrible. Their 77W's should be there after the first of the year so that should improve most of the gripes, although the 3-4-3 seating in the back is pretty tight.
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Dec 14, 2016 13:30
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I should end the year at 200k MQM on the button. Next year will be bigger. edit: 2016 goals: hit 250k mqm and don't get broken up with KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Dec 14, 2016 |
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Dec 14, 2016 14:14
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2016 achievements: Hit Hilton diamond, southwest companion pass, national executive elite, and collected 3000$ in Amazon gift cards from southwest. Accounting told me I had the most reimbursement claims in our office so far this year. And I hate travel.
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Dec 14, 2016 20:59
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I don't have nearly that amount of miles, but once the year is done, I'll have about 140 segments split mostly between AA and United and about 85 nights at mostly SPG/Marriott. My company gives tiered bonuses beginning with >39 nights out per quarter (which includes getting home after 7pm) and I got the 1st tier for Q3 ($700). I'm looking at a busier 2017, but more travel around home.
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Dec 15, 2016 02:25
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For some reason I forgot about this, and I figured I'd share because some of you might find it useful. Basically, I'm SPG Platinum. And that gave me Marriott Platinum this year from the merger. But Marriott Platinum also gives United Silver. So I got United Silver for free. Weird long chain that involves linking SPG to Marriott, and then going to the RewardsPlus website here: https://mrrewardsplus.com/en_US/ SPG Platinum also links with Delta here: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/benefits/delta/index.html And that gives: "Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades, and first checked bag free." So basically, Silver on Delta as well. Not bad!!!
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Dec 15, 2016 02:30
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Arzakon posted:Welp guess I'll see if I can get a refund on this SEA-HKG-SEA. I'm not turning around immediately but the catalyst of the trip is 10000 miles for $450 and making my 2017 work travel not terrible. Do you have to leave immediately? Hit me up in HKG and it would be super awesome if you can bring some cheese and other souvenirs. I have a spare room and you can crash.
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Dec 15, 2016 06:43
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mobby_6kl posted:What do you guys do for socializing to avoid going nuts on longer assignments? I'm in Germany now and after a few 90-hour weeks it seems that things would be pretty normal until end of year. I'm not in a major city and speak only basic German so it makes things a bit awkward, but I'd hate myself if I just spend the month playing Civ in the apartment or something. Goooooooooooooooooooons
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Dec 15, 2016 06:44
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air- posted:
I never knew you were this cool in person  Now I'M JEALOUS. It's ok i have the forums.
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Dec 15, 2016 06:47
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Arzakon posted:Welp guess I'll see if I can get a refund on this SEA-HKG-SEA. I'm not turning around immediately but the catalyst of the trip is 10000 miles for $450 and making my 2017 work travel not terrible. Are you based in SEA? I posted a thread for that MR on a forum that shall not be named
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Dec 15, 2016 11:13
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This was the most I've ever traveled for work (or in general) in a year: four total trips, 14 segments, 9 nights at Hilton. Y'all are nuts.
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Dec 15, 2016 18:02
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Yeah well I've spent about a quarter of this year in Maui all expenses paid so who's crazy now? But actually I'm really forward to finally going home this weekend, my point of contact out here is a huge rear end in a top hat and I'll be glad to not have to deal with him anymore. Noctone fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Dec 15, 2016 |
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Dec 15, 2016 18:07
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Noctone posted:Yeah well I've spent about a quarter of this year in Maui all expenses paid so who's crazy now? Us. The answer is still us.
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Dec 15, 2016 18:09
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I'm finishing up with ~66k miles this year on AA, nothing spectacular, but that is on 22 segments.
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Dec 15, 2016 19:15
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My flight out of Buffalo got cancelled tomorrow, so I took a shittier itinerary on purpose (BUF - IAD - SFO - SAN) to hit plat. This is what my life has come to  Also, I have a 35 minute connection in SFO. No way I'm making that.
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Dec 16, 2016 03:53
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Tried to fly out tonight at 9:10pm. Right as I walked into the airport, the flight was canceled and can't get a flight out until Saturday. Taking the train home instead!
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Dec 16, 2016 04:12
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KillHour posted:My flight out of Buffalo got cancelled tomorrow, so I took a shittier itinerary on purpose (BUF - IAD - SFO - SAN) to hit plat. This is what my life has come to You'll make your connection if you're not delayed. I did a 35 min connection at SFO on an LAX-SFO-IAH itinerary. And my bags made the transfer. I was pretty shocked that UA could pull something off like that. I have a spare RPU if you want to get IAD-SFO upgraded, provided there's R space available. i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Dec 16, 2016 |
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Dec 16, 2016 05:23
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I missed my upgrade by 1 today, which given it was lax jfk transcon that was pretty surprising
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Dec 16, 2016 07:13
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sellouts posted:I missed my upgrade by 1 today, which given it was lax jfk transcon that was pretty surprising Paid J group must be slowing down early this year. Last business flights of the year tonight. Happy new year everyone!
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Dec 16, 2016 12:18
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AdrenalinG posted:You'll make your connection if you're not delayed. I did a 35 min connection at SFO on an LAX-SFO-IAH itinerary. And my bags made the transfer. I was pretty shocked that UA could pull something off like that. I really appreciate that, dude. If you're willing to, I'd actually rather you upgrade my SO. She's flying IAD to SAN today (she's coming with me so she can see her family for Christmas) and she gets pretty bad panic attacks when flying.
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Dec 16, 2016 12:52
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Paid J group must be slowing down early this year. I'm staying through the weekend to go to the Giants game. Monday is going to be wide open. J7!
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Dec 16, 2016 13:48
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KillHour posted:I really appreciate that, dude. If you're willing to, I'd actually rather you upgrade my SO. She's flying IAD to SAN today (she's coming with me so she can see her family for Christmas) and she gets pretty bad panic attacks when flying. Assuming that was the flight that left 2 hours ago.. sorry dude. Too last minute  sellouts posted:I'm staying through the weekend to go to the Giants game. Monday is going to be wide open. J7! It may be J7 but who says that will turn into R7? 
i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Dec 17, 2016 |
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Dec 17, 2016 01:53
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