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Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

I am at 11k. Hoping to get to San Diego this month, everything else right now looks like it will be virtual unfortunately.

Got to Barcelona and Boston, so only two trips but high mileage on the one. Did anyone else get to go anywhere exciting?

Nothing fun here except for 90 zillion SF trips. Costa Rica and Ecuador next month, though.

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Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Small White Dragon posted:

50k actual miles (EQM/PQM/MQM/.etc) flown this month?

Yeah, 50k EQM.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.
Speaking of LATAM travel, TAM has announced they are leaving StarAlliance in 2014 and joining oneWorld:

http://www.tam.com.br/b2c/vgn/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=db6b7d713672d310VgnVCM1000009508020aRCRD

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

sink the biz posted:

booked out til August. Yup



Great choice. I like that hotel a lot and it is in a great location. Only other one that I prefer a bit more is the W DC as it is a bit more modern as opposed to classic luxury like the Fairfax.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Shadowhand00 posted:

Random question about reimbursements and traveling:

Every week, I have to drive to San Francisco (about 50 mile round trip). This is related to some meetings I have to attend outside of my home office to our satellite in SF. I use my personal car, I drive from home, and I have to pay for parking in the city once I get there. I've been putting this on expense reports and making sure its accurate and everything.[

I've been asking around to a few people about whether they ever get reimbursed. It seems like no one ever thinks to get reimbursed for this expense.

So I know my coworkers are generally clueless about this so I will probably continue to get reimbursed for my travel. My real question comes from a comment made earlier in the thread - how is getting reimbursed generally looked upon by the management+? Is it based on average expense/employee or are these situations generally looked at based on situation?

Is this a customer facing meeting or an internal meeting?

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Shadowhand00 posted:

Sorry, to clarify, its about 100 miles (Cupertino to SF). If it was 25 miles, that's just a normal commute as far as I can see. Parking's about $12-$30 depending on the day so I'd definitely expense that.

Ok, that's all well and good, but is it internal or customer facing? If it is internal you should not be expensing mileage or parking.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Shadowhand00 posted:

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I definitely could have been a bit more clear about why I was required to travel to SF on a weekly basis. That being said, since its a required bit of travel which essentially costs me $16. I agree with Thoguh though in regards to the travel being the decision of the company - I make my daily commute on my bicycle because its my personal choice not to put mileage/wear and tear on my car, but when I'm required to travel that 100 miles, I'm essentially taking a small pay cut over the course of the year.

I do understand the need to "be a good employee" but my company is pretty inconsistent in regards to what actually makes a good employee.

So, should I assume this is internal only then? You still haven't answered that. In most companies, for people who have to report in to an office downtown they usually have to eat parking and/or transportation. Cupertino to SF isn't exactly a LONG HIKE considering the average commute for someone in the US is around 60 miles. Don't be surprised if you receive disciplinary action or have your expenses rejected.

Belldandy fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Mar 22, 2013

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

salted hash browns posted:

Sup fellow travelers. United/SPG guy here.

Quick question: I'm going a bit stir-crazy during the week. Occasionally there are nights I have a couple hours to kill before bed, what do you all do to keep busy on the road? I've been tearing through books but would like to hear what other people do away from home during the week.

Hookers and blow. Duh.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Cocoa Crispies posted:

That would be it; the only reason I fly AA is because MIA is a hub for them.

Are you based out of MIA? I am thinking about moving there cause, well, it's warm and I'd pay a lot lot lot lot less taxes and MIA is a good AA hub. Any "gotchas" I should know about hubbing out of MIA with AA?

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Small White Dragon posted:

The MIA-LAX route can be a difficult one for upgrades, in my experience.

Where are you based out of, now? The AA upgrade procedure does, within the same elite status group, prioritize connecting passengers.



But no state income tax is loving AWESOME :hf:

(I'm from another part of the state.)

Yeah, that's fine. I live in an area that is incredibly hard to travel to, plus they are giving CK members priority over EXP I hear, which will be neat. I am just really tired of 14 hour+ door to door travel cycles.

P.S. How is everyone doing with their miles? I just hit 75,000 this past week and have no travel (!) planned this week, which is a nice change. Hoping I can hit EXP again by the end of April.

Belldandy fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Mar 25, 2013

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

sellouts posted:

Get precheck, preferably through global entry and not AA elite, as MIA security lines can be terrible.

I'm sure you already have this though!

Wayyyy ahead of you on that. I travel to Brazil a lot, usually through MIA and am very familiar with the awfulness of the security lines. :mad:

Thoguh posted:

Not well. My travel has been very stunted this year. Which has some very positive impacts to things like my home life, my health, and my ability to keep up with my friends. But it is almost the end of March and I only have 23,000 miles with no trips planned. drat it, I need at least 50k to get Gold! I got Platinum on Delta last year and now I'm barely using it.


Pfft, family and health? Overrated!

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

kansas posted:

Curious - where did you hear this rumor? Didn't see anything about it on FT / TB?

Actually saw it on FT in one of the CK threads. It's apparently experimental now on select CKs. I am not sure if I got chosen or not but my upgrade rate has been 100% this year with the exception of a time I booked a flight ~3 hrs before takeoff.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

I'm just going to come in here and be excited/brag a little because I'm sure my friends are sick of it and you guys can deflate my head with your awesome trips. I landed in Philly today after a trip out to Portland, OR and when I turned on my phone I found out my trip to Germany got extended and San Diego is now confirmed. So in a week I'll be flying to Munich to work there for a week, then taking the train to Frankfurt and working there for a week, then flying home out of Frankfurt. Pretty excited, Germany is probably the last of the major Western European countries I haven't been to.

That is awesome. I would love to do more travel in Europe but unfortunately there isn't a lot of large opportunities in those locations.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

FrozenVent posted:

Ah goddamn it, this made me double check the application I filled the other day and I hosed up the adresses hardcore. Like forgot two places I lived, including one in China... And the government knows about that from a background check I had to apply for last year. This is not gonna go well. Is there a way to withdraw an application?

Don't worry about it. I didn't disclose a 3 month stretch I was bouncing between two places and they got pissy but in the end they're not going to deny you.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

majestic12 posted:

I don't keep a huge track of what I eat on the road since my trips are usually only 2-3 days, but I keep this article bookmarked on my work phone: http://greatist.com/fitness/50-bodyweight-exercises-you-can-do-anywhere

drat, I was looking for something like that. Thank you!

shrike82 posted:

I'll be embarking on a 6-week business trip to Canada and Asia. My flights have been booked (biz class).
This is the first time I'll be on an extended work trip (priors have been 2-3 day trips at most).
Incidentally, I have a $100 per diem separate from work-related expenses.

What tips would you guys have for me especially when it comes to advice on eating out/fitness/misc?


Will you be with customers? I would encourage bringing them out a few times to get some really good meals in. Those $100 per diem limits don't generally apply when entertaining.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

How did that conversation go? Did you have a choice, a "choice", or no choice at all on the move? Any chance you could ask to work from home so you don't have to move? I think RDU used to be an American hub but not sure what major airlines operate there currently.

Delta, USAir, AA, UA, etc. all have hub based service there. Lots of tradeoffs for any carrier.

RDU used to be an American hub but no longer. Oddly enough they still do an LHR flight on a 777 as well as options to DCA, LGA, and JFK, but you'll be, for the most part, connecting to AA hubs.

Delta probably has the most routes out of RDU for a major carrier and has the most frequent NY area service if you will be traveling there frequently.

UA has direct SFO and EWR service and hub routes, but no club. Delta, AA and USAir all have clubs there, if you are traveling to SFO, USAir isn't totally viable, IMHO, if you want to still retain a club you're most likely going to be doing a lot of RDU > LAX > SFO on AA or DL.

Belldandy fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Apr 29, 2013

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

TheLizard posted:

It was a "choice", which is better than the last two times I've worked for a company that moved! I'm actually pretty excited about it. RDU's crapiness is one of the very few downsides.

Belldandy, thanks - I'm thinking about keeping UA because they do RDU-SFO direct once a day, but they only have a shuttle to EWR. Right now I don't really know which of the NY airports is most convenient to get to midtown from. I will be doing a lot more overnights, so hurray hotel points!

RDU is an "international" airport - it has one flight to Toronto a day! Traveling internationally is going to suck too; I might just drive up to Dulles the night before and go from there. At least that way I can keep doing international connections and not have to book everything with a 3 hour layover so I can get through US passport control.

EWR is wayyyyyy more convenient than LGA or JFK to get to midtown, especially if you already do UA it's a bonus as EWR is a UA hub.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Shbobdb posted:

EWR is really good. From LGA there are shuttles to get you to either Midtown or Grand Central. Not as easy as EWR but you can make it work if those flights tend to work better for you/last minute.

Of course, the best way to get into Midtown is to fly into JFK and take the helicopter :unsmigghh:

I like to just parachute out, personally.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

TheLizard posted:

Good to know; thanks guys!

How long does it normally take to get from EWR to midtown? 30 min?

Yeah, 30-45 minutes or so.

P.S. One thing that doesn't suck about RDU is the BBQ (pork), a good one near the tech areas:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/smokeys-bbq-shack-morrisville

And this place rocks as well but is more near the """"downtown"""" area:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-pit-raleigh

Basically, be prepared to be fat and bored.

Belldandy fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Apr 30, 2013

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Shbobdb posted:

I am an idiot.

I just wanted to clear the air with that. Inflight GoGo wifi is changing my life. If you fly as much as people in this thread fly and aren't on it, you are an idiot too.

As an FYI UA has terrible wifi coverage. If that is important to you consider AA or DL. Not sure if US does it.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

US has WiFi available on 89% of its fleet according to their website. They oddly don't list the A330s on there but that might be because they were already equipped with it from the start. I swear the A330s all have it, all my trans-Atlantic flights have had WiFi I think... I've never purchased it so I'm not 100% sure.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/wifi.html?c=glam_00697&re=1

That is awesome considering the impending merger I am facing!

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.
I haven't traveled in 2 weeks due to a job change and I think I am losing my mind. It feels like a year. I know this is just the calm before the storm and I should be happy for the downtime but I miss the cold, itchy, reassuring fabric of a 737 seat. :(

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Thoguh posted:

My travel is way down this year due to moving into a new position and I feel the same way. I get antsy when I spend more than a week or two in the office at a time. Last time I went through the TSA line they even were asking me if something was wrong at work since they hadn't seen me in a while (It's a small airport so my freedom grope is always from the same group of 4-5 people).

Maybe thats it. I miss... human touch.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

Hah never flown with an animal. I know it must have been in a carrier but I'm imagining this very laid back cat with the buckle fastened around its waist working on a crossword puzzle or playing Sudoku.

How is everyone else doing mileage wise so far? I'm sitting at 30k on US Airways, so I've hit Silver for 2014 already but I'm pretty sure I'll easily hit Gold at 50k. It would be really nice to reach 75k and get Plat because I'm not sure what will happen to the status tiers with the American Airlines merger. I have another 7k miles booked for June already and might get some more tacked on to the end of the month.

Still at 100k but I haven't traveled for 31 days now and my next flight isn't until June 3rd. I bet I won't even hit 200k this year!

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Small White Dragon posted:

AA Plat gets you double miles flown, and gold gets you 25% bonus :confused:

When I was a young lad and only doing about 60k miles a year I used to get upgraded all the time out of ORD on AA Plat with the exception of SFO/SJC routes :mad:

Plat on AA is pretty decent for now, who knows after the US merger.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

kansas posted:

Plat will get you MCE, Gold is going to lose that benefit.

What, really? That kinda sucks, I figured Gold would at least get some say in those seats. drat, really no difference between the credit card status and that now.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Vomik posted:

What is some really good/durable luggage for frequent traveling? Samsonite? Tumi? What are the good things that frequent travelers use?

I use a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe - http://www.rimowa.de that has lasted me about 500,000 miles or so and is still near perfect. Tumi is also another great choice and I like their built in suiters.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

CaptainPsyko posted:

Is there such a thing as a checkpoint friendly bag that can carry two laptops?

It doesn't need to carry a huge amount of other stuff - chargers, mouse, kindle, and the folder I keep my receipts from my current trip in would be plenty, though I wouldn't say no to more space. I prefer a backpack, but I'll use a shoulder bag in a pinch.

Every nice checkpoint friendly bag I've seen only holds one laptop in a nice protected checkpoint friendly space, and having to take out two laptops + take off my shoes whenever I fly, plus emptying my pockets means I'm the rear end in a top hat in line with four bins getting stared at everytime I fly.

Do you care that you'd have to take one of the laptops out? I can't think of ANY bags that do a checkpoint friendly design for two laptops. With that said, I love the Tumi T-Pass line for this, although I just upgraded to a Tumi Arrive as I am pre-check 100% of the time now:

Briefcases:

http://www.tumi.com/family/index.jsp?size=1000&sort=&categoryId=4110890&f=PAD&fg=Features&fv=Features%2FT-Pass&fd=T-Pass

Backpacks:

http://www.tumi.com/family/index.jsp?size=1000&sort=&categoryId=4151194&f=PAD&fg=Features&fv=Features%2FT-Pass&fd=T-Pass

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

sink the biz posted:

Question about pre-check. I've got my Global Entry (thank you Amex Platinum), and I've entered my GOES number into my Delta profile as well as whenever I book a ticket (I use AE Traveler). However, I've never been flagged for Pre-Check. I'm Platinum on Delta, I always travel through LGA or DCA, and I've got a non-Arab sounding name. What gives?

That is super weird. Are you enrolled in Pre-Check with Delta?

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Mackieman posted:

Corroborating but still highly anecdotal, I've yet to miss using my trusted traveler number from Global Entry.

Same here.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Mackieman posted:

Count on it. In the next five years, miles aren't going to count at all. Everything is going revenue-based.

ConciergeKey (AA) and Global Services (United) are already revenue based. It's kind of logical, the more you spend the better you get treated.

Call me crazy but I don't think a 10k minimum spend for 100k miles and 1K status is unreasonable to ask. Even if you were to do SFO to BOS round trip 20 times to hit 1k, your ticket prices only have to average $500. Even if your tickets were somehow only $400 every time, you could get really close by doing Econ Plus upgrades, etc.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Lyon posted:

How is everyone doing mileage wise?

I am officially US Airways gold through February of 2015 and I have three trips currently scheduled. Hitting Seattle, Tucson, and Orlando but there is a big gap before going to Orlando in early September so potentially could do a bit more. I'm hoping to hit platinum this year, I just missed out on a trip to Singapore which would have put me to chairman's pretty easily so that was disappointing on all fronts.

Still the same, sitting a little over 100k as I've been doing almost zero travel, which is totally weird for me. I'd be around 200k on my old schedule. :(

They did for some reason renew my ConciergeKey for next year, so yay for that.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

CaptainPsyko posted:

Oh god this would be amazing.

But gently caress Uniteds options at JFK/LGA. :negative:

Why wouldn't you fly in to EWR? It's easier to get to NYC and is a hub.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

CaptainPsyko posted:

I live in eastern queens, roughly 20 minutes from my choice of JFK or LaGuardia; 30 bucks for a cab.

EWR takes two hours + and it's a triple digit cab fare.

Fair enough!

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

taco show posted:

I'm in the market for a new carry-on rollerbag. What are everyone's favorites?

Edit re: hotels... Hilton has given me a bunch of stuff (drink coupons, nights, free wifi). But my friend on Starwood got an entire week free in Hawaii.

How often do you travel? Hard side or soft? Material?

Without knowing anything, I'd recommend the Rimowa Salsa Deluxe Multiwheel.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

taco show posted:

3+ times a month, a few days each time. But every so often I'll go for more than a week or need to bring a few suits and that's when my current bag won't cut it. My main requirements are that it's light and easily fits into a standard AA overhead bin.

I don't really care about hard/soft or material, but I've heard horror stories on FlyerTalk about hard shells cracking?

You're in luck, this fits in every AA bin with the exception of the CRJ and EMB jets, which you'd normally not fit anything in anyway. I fly heavily on AA so I have validated this. I have also brought mine for about 600k miles and I have no cracks. I have an Eagle Creek tri-folder thing I put inside to keep wrinkles away.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Vomik posted:

I bought this one: http://www.zappos.com/rimowa-salsa-deluxe-cabin-multiwheel-iata-black?zfcTest=fcl%3A0 and it worked great even for a 10 day trip to Europe and fit on European planes.

There is another one that is slightly bigger http://www.zappos.com/rimowa-salsa-deluxe-cabin-multiwheel-black?zfcTest=fcl%3A0 but I decided against it because it is technically over the limits for carry-on baggage, but it's not enough so that I don't think it would fit.

Yep, this. I Have the IATA one, never had a second look at it. The larger one might get questioned.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.
Most small companies or startups have people using their own cards, it is not super uncommon but can be a pain in the rear end.

Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.

Uncle Jam posted:

Has anyone gotten crazy charges before on their hotel bills?

I stayed at an airport hotel for a night, checked out no problem, got the email receipt no problem, then a few days later I get a folio in my email for renting some of their banquet rooms.

On the day I got to their hotel at 11:30pm.

And they saw fit to go ahead and charge that to my card on file.

I'm already like 4 people deep in the call chain and they still don't know how their poo poo operates.

Nothing that bad but I do get bogus charges for bottles of wine and booze from the minibar from time to time

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Belldandy
Sep 11, 2001

Do not try to boost in peace, because that is impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth, there is no boost.
You guys are crazy to not do a Mileage run, especially for 1K status. Find the cheapest long haul and go for it.

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