Midweek News Roundup: AAdvantage gets graded, British Airways gives a discount, Win a trip to London, Travel the world for Finnair
I just finished up some back to back travel, so Tuesday morning I signed in at AA.com to see if the AAdvantage Miles had posted to my account (they did) and out of habit I clicked the “My Reservations” tab and found this:
You do not have any current reservations.
It’s been awhile since I was without a reservation. I’ve got some more travel coming up but I haven’t firmed up dates yet. So for now I “do not have any current reservations” and it feels a little weird.
I don’t like to be away from home for an extended period of time, but I enjoy the frequent 2-4 day trip. I’ve only been home for just two days, but with not having any firm travel plans, I can completely relate to Marshall Jackson being excited by an upcoming business trip.
I feel a little silly confessing this, but I think I just like having a trip to look forward to, even if it’s weeks away. As geeky as this may seem, I like tracking my reservations to see if there’s been a change in equipment, a better seat has become available, or (I’m a little embarrassed to admit) to check the seat map and try to discern whether or not my upgrade will clear.
Does anyone else do this? Not sure if I need a reservation or a life.
Anyway, it is good to be home and I’ve managed to get caught up on some reading. Here’s a midweek roundup of some of the items I’ve read that I thought you might find interesting.
American Airlines and AAdvantage News
I found this in the milepoint forums: Inside Flyer is asking members to Rate American AAdvantage.
I’d probably give AAdvantage a B+. So far, some good comments including one that echos my biggest complaint, the inability to book partner awards at AA.com. I’m not the only one. In fact, Maya Leibman, the President of the AAdvantage program, was asked about this during her live chat on milepoint. This was her answer:
I’m really glad we got this question. This is a priority for us and one that we’re working on now. I don’t want to get into “how the sausage is made,” but it is my hope to have this available by the end of the year.
So hopefully, that will be fixed in the not too distant future.
oneworld News
JAL
JAL to Offer Internet Access Onboard International Flights Using Panasonic Avionic’s eXConnect Service from Summer 2012
From the press release:
(high-speed internet ) will first be installed on JAL’s fleet of Boeing 777s and introduced on routes between Japan and its gateways in Europe as well as in North America.
Finnair
Know quality when you see it? Care to travel the world for 7 weeks on behalf of oneworld member Finnair to “observe, evaluate, report on, and develop the flight and transfer experience as offered by Finnair and Helsinki Airport”?
Finnair and Helsinki Airport have commenced a search for seven Quality Hunters, to be given the task of traveling between Europe, Asia and the United States. The aim, with the help of these experts drawn from the public, will be to make Helsinki’s award-‐winning flight connections even more convenient and efficient.
Travel News
Win a trip to London (I have to thank my brother for this tip)
Visit London is sponsoring a contest with the winner receiving a trip to London:
We’re offering you a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London.
Stay for five nights during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and enjoy the best limited edition experiences London has to offer.
British Airways discount
Even if you don’t win, you can still get a British Airways discount by registering with the Visit London site (FYI, if you’re already registered you can still get a discount by selecting the I have already registered on visitlondon.com checkbox:
Save up to $150 on flights to London
As a registered customer with Visit London we are pleased to offer you up to $150 off flights to London.
$150 discount on premium economy.
For a limited time book any round-trip ticket in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) from any US gateway to London and save $150 per person for travel through
March 31, 2011.
$75 discount on economy
For a limited time book any round-trip ticket in World Traveller (economy) from any US gateway to London and save $75 per person for travel through March 31, 2011
Go here to sign up or for more information.
Strange News + Travel News = Strange Travel News
From the New York Times via Jason Kottke at Kottke.org: The Most Bizarre Contraband Items Found at JFK. Fake prescription medications, banned animals, animal parts, even Cow dung toothpaste.
And in other news
When The Frugal Travel Guy Rick Ingersoll isn’t writing about how to accumulate frequent flier miles and hotel points, he’s sharing stories about his travels and his family. I’ve been following him for so long that the names of his family members seem familiar so I was really happy to learn that he just became a Grandpa. Go here to see a photo of Rick and his grandson Carter. Congratulations to him and his whole family!
Speaking of favorite bloggers
Daraius Dubash is the man behind Million Mile Secrets. In just three short months he’s managed to build one of the most informative travel sites around by sharing great advice like his 2-Browser Trick To Earn 150,000 Free AAdvantage Miles. If you’re not already following him, you should, and now you can follow him on Twitter and get some of the same great travel tips.