ski-air travel stories

[jamesdeluxe]

How do you accumulate so many points? Do you book with airline's credit card ? Fly one airline?

How many times have we gone through this?

Use one airline credit card to pay for ALL of your expenses. The miles earned over time correspond to how much you spend in your daily life, which is why some people develop monstrous war chests of miles and others (me) have decent but comparably smaller ones. For road warriors who travel a lot on business, using your own airline credit card to pay for expenses is a big multiplier, unless your company foists its AMEX card on you.

Never pay with cash or non-credit card methods unless you're buying a knockoff handbag for your wife on Canal Street.

This year I have flow a gizzilion mile

Accumulating substantial miles through actual flights is only possible if you're in business/first class. Otherwise, they give you a fraction of the miles flown. For example, my recent flight to Denver ($187 roundtrip) was 3,200 miles total but I was only credited with 1,250 due to being in Economy Plus. Can't really complain with a cheap fare like that though.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Otherwise, they give you a fraction of the miles flown.

Tell me about it. Last April's trip to Australia totaled 20,337 miles on 5 Qantas flights, for which I paid $2,112 and received 5,058 FF miles with American.

Use one airline credit card to pay for ALL of your expenses.

That's the source of the vast majority of my stockpile. As a heads-up, Delta is changing its program starting next year. No more Medallion Qualification Miles, which has been the source of my Gold status most years and Platinum the last two years due to the pandemic freeze. Status will all be driven by Medallion Qualification Dollars, with annual requirements being 6,000 for Silver, 12,000 for Gold and 18,000 for platinum. I have the most expensive ($550 annual fee) Reserve AMEX, which will credit $1MQD for every $10 spending on the card. The $250 annual fee Platinum card will credit $1MQD for every $20 spending on the card. Lesser Delta AMEX cards will continue to give mileage credit usually on a $1 for $1 basis, but no MQD credit towards status. I am closing in on a million miles traveled with Delta and partners, which would give me permanent Silver status.

If past is prologue these changes will soon come to other mileage programs. You're not going to get status unless you do a lot of business travel or have a premium credit card. The premium credit cards have some other useful perks, like lounge access and payment of the $85 fee for Global Entry.

I found anecdotally that if you don't book in the first day or so, all of the best/nonstop itineraries that cost the least miles are gone.

So no surprise we had a two stopper flight to the Alps last year to get the bargain 34,000 FF miles rate.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

20,337 miles on 5 Qantas flights, for which I paid $2,112 and received 5,058 FF miles with American.

Yes, a bit galling but similar to my recent Denver trip, that's a very good fare for the number of miles travelled.

I've mentioned before that Southwest had been doing this practice for a long time -- awarding miles/points based on how much you spent for the ticket -- before the major airlines adopted it the late 2010s. The last time I did something similar as your Australia trip (flying British Airways to South Africa through LHR in 2017), AA awarded me 1:1 on the 19,000 miles flown despite my very reasonable economy fare: the good old days!

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Delta is changing its program starting next year. No more Medallion Qualification Miles, which has been the source of my Gold status most years and Platinum the last two years due to the pandemic freeze. Status will all be driven by Medallion Qualification Dollars, with annual requirements being 6,000 for Silver, 12,000 for Gold and 18,000 for platinum.

Breaking news:

Delta CEO says airline went ‘too far’ with SkyMiles clampdown, plans to roll it back with ‘modifications’

“There will be modifications that we will make, and you will hear about it sometime over the next few weeks,” Delta chief Ed Bastian said at an event at Atlanta’s Rotary Club this…

nypost.com

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Qantas

Lots of airline missteps these days -- I was unaware of this story. Maybe @Sbooker can provide on-the-ground analysis. Most non-Aussies don't know (I had to look it up) but Qantas stands for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services.

How a Storied National Airline Became Reviled in Its Own Country (Published 2023)

A string of scandals has left Qantas Airways, which calls itself “the spirit of Australia,” near the bottom of public opinion at home.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Sbooker]

Lots of airline missteps these days -- I was unaware of this story. Maybe @Sbooker can provide on-the-ground analysis.

Qantas reputation is in the toilet.
I’ve rarely flown with them. I find there fares expensive and the service no better than any other airline.
The government bailed them out over Covid and then they proceeded to gouge customers after it.
My wife does our flight bookings. We’re Virgin Velocity members and Singapore Kris club members. Apparently. So we fly those two when we can.

 

[Tony Crocker]

So we fly those two when we can.

But aren't you stuck with Qantas when you fly to Europe or North America? I'm always spending big $$ to the South Pacific because SkyTeam has zero presence there and Star Alliance only a little.

 

[Sbooker]

But aren't you stuck with Qantas when you fly to Europe or North America? I'm always spending big $$ to the South Pacific because SkyTeam has zero presence there and Star Alliance only a little.

No. Singapore flys from Brisbane to Europe. There’s also Emirates and Qatar.
We’ve flown Virgin direct to LA or San Fran multiple times. We’ve also flown Air Canada to there and Air New Zealand (via Auckland) to USA.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Some of the places like Uluru, Darwin and Broome probably forced us to Qantas. The 5 flights in 2002 were all on one Qantas ticket. 2019 was $2,800pp with multiple airlines: Tahiti Nui, Air New Zealand, Qantas and Fiji Air.

 

[Sbooker]

Uluru, Darwin and Broome

I plan to drive to those places when I’m not working as much as I do now.

 

[Sbooker]

United is $605 from Newark but I'm waiting for a better price or award level.

You live in NYC James? Which area? I think borough is the term.

 

[ChrisC]

I wish Google would break out Basic Economy vs. Economy since luggage generally adds $50-100 rt domestically, and $100-200 rt internationally.

They likely will not due to Frontier and Spirit vs. Legacy carrier's pricing models. Or just categorize all discount airlines like Fronteir/Spirit as offering only Basic Economy.

And I have seen Frontier charge >$50 one way for a carry-on. I have done Spirit to the Caribbean from Florida with only a personal item-sized bag (small duffel) and just rented Scuba gear when I got to my destination.


This Airline luggage charade is getting as bad as Hotel resort fees.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

You live in NYC James? Which area? I think borough is the term.

I lived in Brooklyn until 2003 then moved to northern New Jersey, 20km directly west of Manhattan/a 30-minute train ride.

Just booked my mid-December trip to SLC.

 

[Sbooker]

I lived in Brooklyn until 2003 then moved to northern New Jersey, 20km directly west of Manhattan/a 30-minute train ride.

Just booked my mid-December trip to SLC.

Must be good to have 3 international airport options. I'm assuming that makes airfares more competitive.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Must be good to have 3 international airport options. I'm assuming that makes airfares more competitive.

Yes and no, but mostly yes.

• LaGuardia is North America-only and a PITA to access unless you live in certain parts of the NYC region. I never use it.
• JFK is an hour away by car off-peak or 90 minutes by public transport: a train followed by the subway followed by an airport train (not for everyone -- it entails some schlepping of equipment but at least you won't miss your flight due to traffic!). Since moving to NJ, I only use JFK when burning FF awards or have found an unbeatable international fare.
• Newark is only 15 minutes from my house; a huge benefit that I'll miss when I leave the region. It's United's largest international hub and despite its dominance there (2/3 of the passenger traffic) I've almost always been able to find good and often excellent airfares by having a bit of flexibility. My favorite pro tip is to buy the cheapest fare for a given day (usually late afternoon), show up four to six hours early, request standby, and get on the flight that was originally several hundred dollars more expensive.

 

[ChrisC]

Yes and no, but mostly yes.

• LaGuardia is North America-only and a PITA to access unless you live in certain parts of the NYC region. I never use it.
• JFK is an hour away by car off-peak or 90 minutes by public transport: a train followed by the subway followed by an airport train (not for everyone -- it entails some schlepping of equipment but at least you won't miss your flight due to traffic!). Since moving to NJ, I only use JFK when burning FF awards or have found an unbeatable international fare.
• Newark is only 15 minutes from my house; a huge benefit that I'll miss when I leave the region. It's United's largest international hub and despite its dominance there (2/3 of the passenger traffic) you can almost always find good and often excellent airfares with a bit of flexibility.

Due to the size of the NYC metro area, LGA/JFK/EWR are not really 3 equivalent airports.

• Business travelers (to Midtown), Manhattanites, and most of Brooklyn want a flight in/out of Laguardia. Maybe JFK. Newark can be a pain except for NYC's financial district.
• NY & CT suburbs (Connecticut, Westchester, Long Island) generally avoid Newark like the plague and defer to LGA and JFK. Or Westchester. Possibly Hartford or Newburg. (Growing up, the only time I went to Newark was to redeem FF miles on Continental (now United)).
• NJ suburbs - Newark is obvious. LGA? Might as well go to Philly.

The SF Bay Area has 3 International Airports, and they are not really equivalent.

• Oakland is where most of the discount airlines fly in/out. It's a loud party from 10 p.m.-to-2 a.m. as the cheap flights head out to Hawaii, Latin America, and the East Coast. The Bay Bridge (and other bridges) create problematic delays in getting to Oakland - BART is a possibility.
• SFO - nice airport and good access to the city and most of the peninsula. The vast number of international flights arrive/depart here.
• San Jose - Silicon Valley business and South Bay residential airport. Can have better prices than SFO, but far from the city or North Bay.

South Florida has International Airports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach).

• Miami is a huge hub for American Airlines and the gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. Lots of European flights since the Brits, Germans, etc cannot get enough of SoFL. And lots of Canadian flights since they move to SoFL for 3-4 months until they might lose healthcare.
• Fort Lauderdale has a great pricing dynamic going on. No dominant carrier - currently Southwest, JetBlue, and Spirit have equivalent market share so always some decent fares. Legacy carriers just ferry to hubs.
• West Palm is a bit far and mostly services Boca Raton northward to Jupiter/Stuart.

I'd rather have multiple choices than a mega-airport like Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Philadelphia, or Denver - although they can be efficient hubs.. The issue can be the prices flying into one of these cities - especially Charlotte, Atlanta, etc. when a single carrier dominates. That's when you use a site like Skip Lagged and just get off at the connecting hub and don't fly the next part of your itinerary. Save $100s

Skiplagged: The smart way to find cheap flights.

Skiplagged is an airfare search engine for cheap flights, showing hidden-city ticketing trips in addition to what sites like Expedia, KAYAK, and Travelocity show you. Save up to 80% on airfare today!

skiplagged.com

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Newark can be a pain except for NYC's financial district.

None of the NYC-region airports are convenient for reaching Manhattan unless you're taking a taxi/ride share during offpeak weekdays and weekends. The public transportation options are not even close to Euro standards: no one-seat rides.

• At LGA, you have to take an uncomfortable bus between the subway/LIRR and the airport. The Port Authority basically ruled out any rail link to LaGuardia because it would take "12-13 years to complete — with an estimated cost of $5 billion to upwards of $7 billion."
  
• At JFK, you take the Air Train to connect with the subway (with a fair amount of walking in between): 75-90 minutes
• At Newark, you take the monorail to the NJT or Amtrak trains directly into Penn Station. At approx. 30 minutes door-to-door, one could argue that this is the best airport when taking a car isn't a good option.

The issue can be the prices flying into one of these cities - especially Charlotte, Atlanta, etc. when a single carrier dominates.

Agreed, which makes it a nice surprise for me to consistently get good fares on United from EWR, even after they chased off Southwest and Jetblue. Southwest completely uprooted its minor hub and moved it to LGA in 2019; Jetblue significantly cut back its routes during COVID and has not reinstated them.

 

[Tony Crocker]

• At LGA, you have to take an uncomfortable bus between the subway/LIRR and the airport. The Port Authority basically ruled out any rail link to LaGuardia because it would take "12-13 years to complete — with an estimated cost of $5 billion to upwards of $7 billion."
  
• At JFK, you take the Air Train to connect with the subway (with a fair amount of walking in between): 75-90 minutes
• At Newark, you take the monorail to the NJT or Amtrak trains directly into Penn Station. At approx. 30 minutes door-to-door, one could argue that this is the best airport when taking a car isn't a good option.

I've done all three airports when visiting Liz when she lived on E 88th St. We used cabs from LGA. The Penn Station route to EWR is at least as convenient as the 75-90 minutes to JFK.

In SoCal LAX is the 800 pound gorilla which you must use for nearly anything international and most longer domestic destinations. Burbank is 15 minutes from my home but:
1) You have a connection for many places where the LAX flight would be nonstop.
2) The BUR flights are nearly always more expensive. LAX may be a cluster but like New York it's very competitive on prices.
My frequent flights to Calgary in February are a good example of the above. BUR can work better for the PNW because there's a direct flight on Alaska to Seattle, and if you're going someplace like Kelowna you're not getting a direct flight from LAX either. If you are just going to the Bay Area OAK-BUR is one of Southwest's key routes with flights nearly every hour. BUR has two terminals, Southwest in the larger one and everyone else in the other one.

When I was a guest for four days in Snowbird 1996-2008 I often used Delta's BUR-SLC flight (Southwest made you connect in Vegas). But I drive that trip ever since I've had the full week at the Iron Blosam. In retirement any trip to northern California is likely by car also.

I think the people in Orange County (SNA) and Inland Empire (ONT) are in the same situation I am with BUR.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Orange County (SNA)

The two times I flew into SoCal were both through SNA. I also traveled through LA's Union Station and San Diego's Santa Fe Depot. Both of these stations are worth a visit whether you're taking a train or not: absolutely gorgeous.

We've detoured well off the Europe 2023-24 topic.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

United in the news again. This doesn't affect me as I'm always in Group 2 but I'm skeptical that it'll work unless, per one of the quotes, they strictly enforce the carry-on limit.

https://nypost.com/2023/10/26/lifes...-boycott-as-new-boarding-system-takes-effect/