First Mileage Run of 2013

I'm taking my first flights of 2013 this weekend and am flying just for the miles.  I found and booked a cheap fare to PHL with an out of the way stop in each direction.  I'm not going to leave the airport in PHL, just get on the airplane I took in and go home. The primary purpose of this trip is to inexpensively boost my elite mileage total.  I also hope to do some reading and work on homework.  One day I'll have a job that gets me 1K status with work travel (again).

United A320

Delta Regional Jet Coach

Frontier (nee. Midwest Airlines) used to run a hub in Milwaukee that would take you to most big and mid sized cities east of the Rockies.  I heard they had cut back service, but I didn't know it was so extreme that you couldn't even get a flight from New York to Milwaukee. The only option out of LGA was Delta on a CRJ700.  I dislike the CRJ family of aircraft because they feel cramped. Add a fat guy (there is no way to report someone who needs to buy a second seat, but oh how I wish I could) and there is no space at all.  Two miserable hours after take off I landed and rejoiced at being able to move my arms and legs.

Delta Connection Coach Seats

Delta Connection Coach

Delta Connection CRJ700

Delta Includes a Minimum Spending Amount For Status

Rip on Delta Week continues with a huge program change. To have Delta status in 2014, you need to spend a minimum of $2,500 with Delta.  Partner flights not booked with a DL1234 flight number and taxes don't count.  This is a seismic shift in elite program rules and it defines loyalty as a monetary transaction.  Loyalty is much more complex than spending money with a company and Delta is missing the point.  Current Delta Elites should just status match over to Alaska, they'll still get Delta upgrades, plus get American upgrades and respect.

Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) – Coming Next Year

Beginning January 1, 2014, SkyMiles members residing in the United States (excluding Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will earn Medallion status through a combination of miles or segments flown and their annual spending on Delta flights, which will be measured by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).

• The threshold ranges from $2,500-$12,500 MQDs depending on Medallion level.
• Alternatively, Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmembers can be waived from the new Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) requirement if they make at least $25,000 in Eligible Purchases within the calendar year.
• MQDs are the total of the SkyMiles member’s spend on Delta-marketed flights (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code), inclusive of the base fare and applicable surcharges, but exclusive of government- imposed taxes and fees.

Delta Taking Customers To A Cold And Lonely Place

Delta's Award Booking Website Is Pathetic

I picked up the Delta Amex with a good sign up bonus and wanted to know how easily I can spend my new miles. I tried making a test award booking (all the steps to book, but cancel on the checkout page to see miles and fees) and after a few searches with NO low level awards, I found a city and date combination.  Except when selecting the return flight, I saw the error message below instead. Thanks Delta, I wasn't going to spend my miles, but you made sure of that.

Delta.com Error Message

I do have more respect for United.com's award booking tool, it looks even better now.

United Express CRJ-200

The E175 Is A Great Looking Jet

Embraer is making some sweet looking jets. Just sayin'.

US Airways Express E175

All Messed Up - Airline Terms

Sometimes you overhear things when at airports and I learned a new term, "all messed up." I thought the technical term was irregular operations or IROPS. The United employees at O'Hare seem to prefer saying "all messed up." I was expecting the slang to be worse and have bad words, but this was happily G rated.

All Messed Up - ORD Example

Best Airport Food - BBQ Edition

Airport food isn't always terrible; there are actually places good enough to visit if they weren't in an airport.  My favorite airport BBQ place is Carolina Pit BBQ in Charlotte airport.  It's between the B and C concourses and worth the walk from whatever gate you are at.  The pulled pork and brisket are outstanding! Hush puppies and fried pickle spears are also great.  The one downside is they are closed for breakfast. 

Best Airport BBQ

Yes, I know DFW has six BBQ places in the airport, but it's all Texas style (grill the meat and then add sauce). I enjoyed the sauce bottle I purchased from the one by the United gates, but the food served was flavorless. If you have the time to get to A gates, go to Pappadeaux's, it's outstanding Cajun grub.