My Postcard to Jeff Smisek

Jeff,

The greatest value of a points program is the aspirational aspect of the awards; the unattainable is now in reach.  The new MileagePlus pricing model moves the unattainable out of reach, destroying the value of the program. 

-Andrew Bussa

Protest Postcard

I feel this is an appropriate method to protest the new MileagePlus pricing model.  You too can write to Jeff Smisek, co/United Airlines, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL, 60666.

Rain But No Delays

Small to medium airports have their benefits, mainly they are more relaxed experiences.  This is especially true during bad weather because they can better handle problems with their excess runway capacity.  You can get a direct flight from SFO to almost anywhere, but a little fog cancels dozens of flights.  Interesting trade offs. 

US Airways E175 at IND

Airbus Using Data To Bash Boeing

Airbus and Boeing have a very long debate going on who makes the better aircraft.  Mostly this debate focuses on fuel consumption per seat and aircraft cost.  Both of those items are surprisingly difficult to compare.  Airlines always bargain the purchase price down and then get deals on parts, service, or financing.  Fuel economy is a though one because it depends on configuration and different airlines rarely have a the same configuration.  Airbus is now trying to win on coach seat comfort.  Boeing seats are 17in wide and Airbus seats are 18in wide.  That extra inch makes all the difference or so says Airbus.  As a frequent traveler, I like the focus on the customer experience, but how far can airlines go without losing revenue?

17" Seats on a 737

No Upgrade Chance

Usually when I fly, there is always a chance of an upgrade.  If I'm number 10 on the list and first class is full, I just need 10 people to miss their flight and I'm in.  Always the optimist, I still think that no matter what number I am, though its more silly than serious when I'm number 24.  There's only no hope on turbo props and 50 seat regional jets.  Frontier, Southwest, and Jet Blue have the same problem on every flight.  Complete lack of hope takes some of the fun out of being an elite member because the best benefits (upgrades, first class miles tickets, etc.) aren't guaranteed.  I'm flying with no upgrade hope today and it takes some of the fun out of the experience.

No Upgrades Ever

Lufthansa First Class: Experience true luxury from $5029

$5029 for a round trip in Lufthansa first class is a pretty good deal.  The fare is from Boston to Moscow; two city pairs I have no interest in, but it is still eye catching.  Business class fares start at $2000 round trip with tax too.  That might be worth it just for the elite mileage and bonuses.  It's a slow time of year for Lufthansa, so now is the time to jump on these fares because they should be twice as much.  That is if you are inclined to pay for premium cabin travel with money.  I've paid with miles and enjoyed the experience.

First Class Awaits

Meet Manfred

Meet Manfred.  He enjoys flying and puns and is a great companion for nervous flyers.  

Manfred The Bear

Nice Pun Delta

Delta.com is broken right now and their error message has a fun pun. Unfortunately the details of the error message seem inaccurate.