|
Lyon posted:In a similar vein, what are everyone else's engagements like? Are you typically going to the same client for several months at a time or always somewhere different for sales meetings? Are you guys primarily working with external customers/clients or traveling for internal meetings/reasons? The sessions I go to are always external, but sometimes it feels like I'm married to a particular client and other times it's just a fly in/fly out one time session. It just depends on what the need is. For example, I went to Mexico 10 times this year for one client. I went to Calgary once for a few days for another client. I went to see another twice within 5 weeks. The travel all depends on the training need at the time.
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2012 14:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:33 |
|
|
Daeus posted:drat. I've done 100-150k a year on AA past few years almost all domestic but 250k is just incredible esp with only 150 nights. I have a few friends who do 250-300k a year but its mostly TPAC and TATL. Hope you get to spend the majority of the time in 767/777s... Sadly I don't, most of that has been in 737s. Nifty posted:What sort of resources/websites/searches do you guys use to take advantage of exploring the areas you are in? I would love to know cool things to do and look at, but I feel like I'm not always using my time and the area I'm in to their fullest. I usually ask the people I am working with for good spots to check out, and I know its dumb but I use Yelp a lot.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2012 16:13
|
|
|
Belldandy posted:I usually ask the people I am working with for good spots to check out, and I know its dumb but I use Yelp a lot. As obnoxious as Yelp reviews can be, it is still really helpful for "I just landed here, it is 9pm, what is open that isn't an Applebees." OpenTable is also handy too; I would make a reservation or two for the week before even getting into town. That helped beat the inertia I would get once I got back into the hotel room after a long day and wouldn't want to go back out again. It was too easy for me to head to the hotel to "rest up for an hour" and then next thing I know it's 10:00 pm and my options were severely limited.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2012 19:38
|
|
|
Urbanspoon is the business.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2012 01:26
|
|
|
Just randomly stop in places. I did that in South Boston one time and found out that the quaint Mexican restaurant/bar I had found was a front for a brothel! Adventure! Excitement! Traveling Sales-man (I'm actually in sales support but shush)!
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2012 07:07
|
|
|
Ran into a guy on the shuttle to SLC's airport with the Red Oxx Air Boss. Chatted with him about it (and other travel stuff) for a bit on the ride. After seeing it in person and hearing his experience first hand, I'm sold. Best part is my trip is to Billings MT where they have their store and do their manufacturing. I'm thinking I'll stop in and check their gear out in person on the way to the Billings airport tomorrow.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2012 00:10
|
|
|
TouchyMcFeely posted:Ran into a guy on the shuttle to SLC's airport with the Red Oxx Air Boss. Chatted with him about it (and other travel stuff) for a bit on the ride. One note on the Air Boss: You might consider getting a different strap for it. I sometimes have to carry some reasonably heavy stuff when I travel and the first time I did that with the Air Boss it left marks on my shoulder. Their strap grips like a motherfucker and does not let go. Or consider the Sky Train. I have both and while the Sky Train doesn't hold quite as much personally I prefer the convertible backpack style of the Sky Train to the duffel bag Air Boss.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2012 03:01
|
|
|
Thoguh posted:One note on the Air Boss: You might consider getting a different strap for it. I sometimes have to carry some reasonably heavy stuff when I travel and the first time I did that with the Air Boss it left marks on my shoulder. Their strap grips like a motherfucker and does not let go. That was one thing the guy mentioned as a downside as well but I think that was his only occasional complaint. I'll be sure to check out the Sky Train as well. The backpack function sounds like a good solution to the weight issue. One problem I have is that I travel with a small tool bag. I know tools under 7" are supposed to be OK but I haven't tried to actually carry them on. I'd really like to avoid checking baggage but as I'm sure everyone here has run into, one TSA officer who doesn't know their own rules can completely ruin a trip.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2012 13:52
|
|
|
TouchyMcFeely posted:That was one thing the guy mentioned as a downside as well but I think that was his only occasional complaint. I'll be sure to check out the Sky Train as well. The backpack function sounds like a good solution to the weight issue. What kind of tools? I travel with an Allen wrench set, ammeter, multimeter, calipers (which even look kinda sharp and scary in a TSA-kinda way) and some other random tools. I've never had a problem. Then again, as you say, it is the luck of the draw.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2012 15:04
|
|
|
I (over) carry a set of interchangeable screw/allen/torx drivers, a multimeter, a medium sized adjustable wrench, a set of metric allen wrenches, small needle nose pliers, wire cutter/stripper, hose clamp tool and an ananometer. I think everything is under the 7" rule for tools but I'm guessing that just like how my bag is always searched when it gets checked I'd be pulled aside at security when the giant blob of metal and wires goes through the Xray. Stopped into the Red Oxx store on my way to the Billings airport and I'm really impressed with their gear now that I've had a chance to get my hands on various pieces. Everything was really ruggedly built and engineered to the nth degree for strength. I'm actually leaning towards one of the duffel bags now. I don't think my small tool bag will fit in either the Air Boss or the Skytrain. Although I'm starting to rethink whether or not I should try taking my tools through security to avoid having to check luggage at all. If I do end up going that route I will likely cut even more out of my tool kit to further reduce weight. Also my girlfriend called me a travel nerd last night for geeking out over luggage.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2012 23:07
|
|
|
So for two weeks I've been trying to figure out new carry-on luggage since I've always just checked my gear and went about my flight. Call me a a Redoxx fanboy now. I got a Metro case for my day to day work carrying and immediately ordered a Air Boss and a few smaller bags to organize my stuff when I travel, but I was super impressed with the Metro I got that I was willing to chance it on the Air Boss. More to come after I make a trip on the 10th.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 04:01
|
|
|
i like Ham posted:
Aadvantage frequent flyer program is absolutely the best return for miles and perks out of the major alliances. Lounge access at Exec plat level is like what, $350, with free access on any intl itinerary. It doesn't break the bank in free drinks and wifi alone. The trade off is worth it when you book one O or Q fare class international ticket and upgrade to J (especially on a flight with connections like a transcon + iternational) and still have 7 more opportunities to do so. Should be clear that free upgrades on AA are limited to domestic flights and Caribbean flights. Nothing long haul or international unless the economy space is needed, then you can receive a potential operational upgrade, which isn't really a perk but just luck. For cashing in miles, there are few values better than a OneWorld Explorer biz or first ticket. An ~8000 dollar ticket for 190000 miles? Pretty good rate. And kills booking those flights as individual awards. Not to mention you can book on nicer airlines like Cathay and soon to be Japan Airways with their revamped biz class. I also think Qantas is one of the worst experiences within OneWorld but with Malaysia joining OneWorld on Feb 1 it'll create a lot more access to Australia if you don't mind stopping in KUL first. Belldandy posted:Another frequent traveller checking in as well. I do about ~250,000 miles a year, mostly domestic, all on American Airlines. I normally book my travel on full fare first and as a result got awarded "ConciergeKey" on AA, much like the guy from "Up in the Air". I also do about 150 nights a year in Starwood properties and just hit lifetime platinum with them. Hot drat, that is a lot of BIS miles. At least most of them are in the newest aircraft in the AA fleet. When they get the new 3 class A321 that'll be next significant upgrade to the domestic fleet. I can't imagine being Exec Plat and not being able to use the free upgrades. Did status even really matter to you at that point before you got to Exec Plat/CK when youre already in first? I guess for irregular ops it helps you get around problems as a CK but aside from that most perks are given when you're flying full fare F already. With that many miles / days working do you even spend your miles? Or do you keep banking them? sellouts fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Dec 2, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 08:51
|
|
|
sellouts posted:Lounge access at Exec plat level is like what, $350, with free access on any intl itinerary. Bearing in mind that "international" is defined as "your itinerary is not wholly within North America or the Caribbean, even if you are in fact flying to another country." Although somehow Mexico City is exempted from this rule. I only was made aware of this fact after being turned away (granted by a very friendly front desk agent) after presenting a Canada-bound boarding pass. Makes sense, I guess, must be too many people with status flying solely within NA to give them all lounge access.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 17:59
|
|
|
It's $350 and completely worth it if you travel that much. Or get the Amex platinum card, spend $500 for the first year in fees, get free access to Admirals Club, other airline clubs, priority pass, free status at car rentals, free SPG gold (you probably already have it), get the global entry fee reimbursed, and get up to 200 in airline fees reimbursed. Probably a better deal I guess?
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2012 20:31
|
|
|
sellouts posted:
I prefer Boeing over Airbus for a number of reasons and would rather they add newer 767s on the domestic routes that utilize them but with how old the 767-200s are, I can't complain too much. Status actually did matter a bit as it makes things exponentially easier when rebooking and changing flights, which I do a lot, sometimes 3-4 times a week if not more. First certainly gives you some priority, but ultimately I had to call in through the regular numbers with questionable service. The Exec Plat line almost answers instantly and the people on there are really good. Plus I do a lot of single class flights and boarding first is a godsend on those. ConciergeKey, however, is a whole different story, when I go and check in at the airport, I am greeted by an AA CK rep who brings me through security (Think Pre-Check) and directly in to the lounge. I get to board before the disabled people and best of all I get to use the international first class lounges even when on domestic. The level of service on the dedicated line is insane to the point where they call to apologize if there are even short delays. It's pretty awesome but at the same time earning it is an enormous pain in the rear end. As far as my miles, I am banking them. I am not much of a vacation guy and I rarely take a day off, including weekends. At some point I will probably give them away as I doubt I'd ever use the ones I have. I normally give my unused SWUs to members of the military anonymously so they can fly first class home for Christmas and I may do the same thing here. In spirit of this thread I am posting this from the front of the cabin in a 737-800. sellouts posted:It's $350 and completely worth it if you travel that much. AMEX Plat/Centurion is the best card in the world if you travel. If you don't travel the card is a huge waste. Belldandy fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Dec 3, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 00:26
|
|
|
At least a percentage of the 763s will get the new biz class. Not sure which ones, hopefully it's better than the 757/75L where 99 times out of 100 when you get on the 757 you're in the worst first in the fleet. I always assumed that full fare F is refundable and thus changing flights is as easy as calling more than 3 hours before and taking a seat from the next person in line to upgrade  . But I can see how the Exex plat desk would make everything easier. Next to the gang that work in the AC, they really are the best.Military gifting of SWUs / miles is always a great thing. If you'd ever rather donate cash instead of SWU/miles let me know. I always seem to run out and seem to need more. And if anyone has the unfortunate displeasure of flying out of LAX on the 6am flights on Dec 16 or 17 or the late night flights on dec 18th send me a PM. I'll guest you into the admirals club.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 02:32
|
|
|
For those of you who do 'one carry on, no checked luggage,' what does your toiletry bag look like? Anybody gone so far as to eliminate (or close to it) all liquids?
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 14:39
|
|
|
TouchyMcFeely posted:For those of you who do 'one carry on, no checked luggage,' what does your toiletry bag look like? Anybody gone so far as to eliminate (or close to it) all liquids? All I bring with me is travel size tooth paste, tooth brush and deodorant. I use the hotels shampoo and soap.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 14:45
|
|
|
niss posted:All I bring with me is travel size tooth paste, tooth brush and deodorant. I use the hotels shampoo and soap. I was doing that for a while but Holiday Inn use some really lovely soaps. I'm going to try tooth powder and bar shampoo to see how well it works. Anybody know the rule for creams? I use a hair styling cream but haven't tried to take it through carry on and I can't find it discussed on the TSA's site anywhere.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 16:01
|
|
|
what is the etiquette on bringing a prostitute to your hotel room? also how many last minute anniversary/Christmas/birthday gifts bought on skymall
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 16:19
|
|
|
Trench_Rat posted:what is the etiquette on bringing a prostitute to your hotel room? also how many last minute anniversary/Christmas/birthday gifts bought on skymall Ive never had a prostitute, but probably the answer is you pay enough so she isnt the type that looks like an obvious crack addict. I read skymall for comedy, its targetted demographic is senior citizens who fly. All the shelvinh units specify how many VHS tapes you can fit, for chrissakes. SkyMall is going to die though, because you can access amazon.com on all flights for free. ( for delta) For toiletries, I also have to bring a razor and cream because i cant skip a day. Travelling to Japan is nice because everyrying is provided except hair product.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 19:57
|
|
|
I do 5-6 international (Asia and Europe) from ATL now, along with 5-6 business/personal US flights, doing ~80K miles a year. All of my purchases rotate around maximizing my SkyMiles as I am doing enough to really benefit. I'll throw some tips into the pot. I'm pretty much locked in to Delta because I am in Atlanta and its the only way to viably tie in London (direct Delta) and Kuala Lumpur (ATL-ICN-KUL on Korean) on the same mileage team. Huge downside to this is Delta doesn't do upgrades on cheap seats on international (and you'd probably have to be Diamond to get near the top of the list anyways). Silver/Gold isn't worth poo poo anymore, I was still way behind on upgrade priority lists. I was hitting ~75% just a few years ago but I think I was an outlier then. Haven't done domestic since hitting Platinum. Delta SkyMiles Platinum AMEX gives 10K MQM miles for spending $25K and then again at $50K which can help bump you up a level if you are piddling in between tiers. This incentive keeps me from switching over to a cashback card. Between flying, the card, and other assorted bonuses I am approaching 300K skymiles per year. This essentially lets my wife follow me on every intercontinental trip I take for a few hundred bucks if she wants to. The leftovers are going to let us do two tickets in business anywhere we want. There are lots of complaints about availability but I think the main problem is the Delta international award travel search is terrible. When you hit higher tiers for dedicated non-stupid agents and if you are flexible with your travel it gets a lot better. 50K/60K miles to Europe/Asia is way better return than spending 25K on domestics. 100-120K for international business is just incredible value for a $8000 ticket. I used to tie my hotel rewards in with my Delta miles but I didn't find the hotel benefits to be that great and most of the international places I stay at aren't chains. I've been using hotels.com for booking and the whole stay 10 get 1 free is an amazing return. If you are ever on an EU based flight that gets delayed or cancelled the airline owes you 250-600EUR. Delta immediately rejected my request for my 600EUR when my flight got cancelled last year ("It was out of our control!") but there is at least one EU based company that files appeals claims for you if you give them all the paperwork. I filed 14 months ago and just got approved last week. After they sniped 200 of my award in fees I still got 400EUR for having to wait 16 hours in a hotel room to fly back home. Delta is pretty terrible if you get a bad crew. The worst situation is when the cabin crew is physically wider than the aisles and bumps you every 30 minutes. This is pretty much a US only phenomenon from what I've seen. Korean Air is very nice, the only weird thing is the planes have no AC which does make the air sort of stagnant.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2012 21:48
|
|
I'm about to lose my Star Alliance miles since I haven't done a segment recently enough (One World  ). Does anyone know if it has to be in the air, or if a qualifying hotel/rental car would count?
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 00:51
|
|
|
At least with AirCanada (Aeroplan, but they're a star alliance member), buying a tank of gas at Esso was enough for me.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 00:59
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:At least with AirCanada (Aeroplan, but they're a star alliance member), buying a tank of gas at Esso was enough for me. Same with United, any earning/redemption activity at all will bump the expiration date. Even buying one $1 song/app through iTunes, so long as you click through United's referral links first. That usually clears pretty quick but can sometimes take 60-90 days, so while it's something you can do every couple months to keep the account current if you're not flying with them, it's probably not something to rely on if you're really closing in on your expiration.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 02:24
|
|
|
For some reason the miles I get from buying gas clear faster than the miles I get from flying  Seriously, I flew to city A for a meeting, flew two segments to get to city B, rented a car and drove to C, drove back to B the next night, fueled the rental and swiped my Aeroplan card as I did, then flew home... I checked my account that night, the gas and rental car miles were in there but not the flights. I don't see how that makes sense.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 02:52
|
|
|
So, I am an idiot and lost my DL. I assume that am stuck with cabs for now?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 04:08
|
|
|
Shbobdb posted:So, I am an idiot and lost my DL. I assume that am stuck with cabs for now? If you're in one of the preferred rental deals where you can jump in a car with your name already on it and drive off, you have another ID that you can fast-talk a rental company security guy at the gate with, and feel lucky with regard to getting pulled over, you can finesse it. But I wouldn't count on that. I'd use taxis, get on the internet, and see what it takes to get a new one issued. If you have to go to the DMV you're boned but if they'll mail it to your house you can do that and pick it up next time you're home or have someone get into your mail and send it to you.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 04:26
|
|
|
Arzakon posted:Korean Air is very nice, the only weird thing is the planes have no AC which does make the air sort of stagnant. That's impossible -- the air conditioning packs / bleed air is how the cabin is pressurized. They might do a terrible job of controlling the temperature but the 773 they fly ATL - ICN is a very modern aircraft with I believe 3 different zones for air temperature control. With that many Skyteam miles you should look at a RTW fare if you're looking to maximize return on miles. Not sure how much they cost though, I'm sure Flyertalk does. FrozenVent posted:For some reason the miles I get from buying gas clear faster than the miles I get from flying Air Canada? AA used to be that way because their archaic flight miles system ran every 48 or 72 hours, but anything not using flights to generate miles had direct access. This has now generally been fixed with the exception of bonus EQM/EQPs. Did you have any promotions you were a part of to increase miles or anything like that?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 06:31
|
|
FrozenVent posted:At least with AirCanada (Aeroplan, but they're a star alliance member), buying a tank of gas at Esso was enough for me. This is great news for me, since I'm with Air Canada as well. 
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 14:41
|
|
|
anyone ever flown with Aeroflot?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 17:02
|
|
|
Trench_Rat posted:anyone ever flown with Aeroflot? I think they have a frequent flier program where they will deliver the plane straight into your destination, skipping the airport.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 17:18
|
|
|
Hey Belldandy, with all of your travel did you ever utilize the AAirpass? If not, why not?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 18:34
|
|
|
sellouts posted:Hey Belldandy, with all of your travel did you ever utilize the AAirpass? If not, why not? No, because it is all business travel and my company doesn't seem interested in the program for some reason. The lifetime personal ones have been discontinued for a few years.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 18:48
|
|
|
Lyon posted:My engagements are usually Tuesday-Thursday so I fly out Monday and back Thursday. This works great for Monday because I'm at off peak hours and if flying US often get upgraded. The return trip though always sucks because all the super frequent flyers are coming back Thursday night as well. If I can justify it I try to schedule a Friday afternoon flight but that almost never happens. Really? I scheduled a flight for a weekend trip a few weeks ago, and it was actually cheaper to fly out on Thursday and pay for an extra night in a hotel than it would have been to fly out on Friday. Then again, it was Thursday morning and not afternoon, but it still seems odd that 'peak times' vary so much.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 20:02
|
|
|
For those of you like the OP, have you ever considered utilizing alternate airports or nearby locations to force your corporate booking engines to place you on your preferred airline? If you're flying 150K BIS each year and are not top tier somewhere, there's a major issue. It may not be for everyone as there is a given level of extra effort required (longer drives once there, etc) but, for example, when I have to fly to CLT, my corporate booking engine pushes me to AA or DL and I have elite status with UA. So I book one of the surrounding airports (AVL, GSO, GSP, or CAE) and fly UA. Sure, it takes me an hour's worth of driving to actually get to Charlotte, but I get PQMs on UA.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2012 20:35
|
|
|
Why not just get elite status with the other major alliances if they're closer to where you are flying? I don't have time to fly to alternate nearby airports unfortunately. Convenience is king and fortunately AA gets me everywhere I need to go without dancing around nearby airports.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 00:29
|
|
|
The other thing is, I find it pretty dumb to do two segments versus one to just increase time, inconvenience and whatnot for status.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 00:43
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The other thing is, I find it pretty dumb to do two segments versus one to just increase time, inconvenience and whatnot for status. It's certainly a value proposition that must be evaluated by each person participating in the program. For me (and many other travel nerds), more segments is more miles that hold significant value in the future depending on how they're applied. But if you're not interested in the value that those extra miles and perks can bestow, then yeah, it's probably not your bag.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 06:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:33 |
|
|
It's not an issue of not wanting miles. Most people here want miles/status and understand how the game works. It's the issue of going out of your way to increase travel time and multiply the chances for delays, misconnects, weather etc while traveling for business. That's where my issue is. If my employer saw me taking extra segments during work trips and spending hours extra in the air, waiting in airports or more money on gas/car rentals because I'm driving out of my way to fly into a further away airport my wings would be clipped pretty quickly. But yeah, if you can get away with it, more power to you I guess. I know plenty of travel nerds but i just don't know many people who travel regularly for work either not have enough segments or have that freedom. Maybe I'm just too honest with my work time and my hobby time.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2012 10:22
|
|