Elite Upgrade Notification

I love the Elite Upgrade Notification emails United sends because a good trip is coming soon (this weekend I hope).

United 757 First Class Section

Qatar Airways Joins oneworld Alliance Oct. 30

The first big Gulf carrier will join an alliance soon.  This is a large departure from previous standard operating procedure.  Gulf super carriers have preferred to go it alone or make tactical airline to airline partnerships (Qatar and United were partners for a while).  With Qatar joining oneworld, there will be a lot more award opportunities available to member airlines and it should boost revenues all around.  I doubt Etihad or Emerites will follow soon though.  Those airlines like their strong positions and fly to enough airports in Europe and Asia to not need the feeder traffic a global alliance provides.  Qatar is also the smallest, though still large, of the big three and is looking for new growth.  Doha is just a connection point while Dubai is becoming a destination on its own. 

Qatar A330 at FRA

I like this because my American and British Airways miles are worth more with the new redemption options.  I don’t expect Star Alliance or Delta/KLM (also called Sky Team) to pick up a major Gulf airline soon.  That’s ok for now, SPG points and single airline partnerships can get me on those carriers if needed.

Aloft Smart Check In Card

My Aloft Smart Check-In card came in the mail!  It's a smart card that acts as my room key at Aloft hotels, so I'll get a text with my room number and I can skip the front desk.  I don't have any Aloft stays booked at the moment, but I'll book one next time I have an excuse just to try it out.  It would be very cool if SPG could roll this feature out across their brands, but the Smart Check-In program needs to make it out of the pilot testing phase first. 

Aloft Smart Check In Card

Delta Purchased 40 Airbus Aircraft

The slow retirement of the 757 continues.  Delta announced an order for 30 A321 NEO (New Engine Option) aircraft and 10 A330’s.  The A330 is a solid performer, a little bit better than the 767 while also being cheaper and faster to acquire than the 787.  Nothing earth shattering with this A330 order.  The A321’s are news.  Delta inherited an Airbus fleet (A319, A320, A330) when they purchased Northwest a few years ago; previously Delta was an Boeing (McDonald Douglas included) operation.  It looks like the narrow body fleet might be transitioning to Airbus for longer routes.

Delta MD at Denver

Delta is a strange airline.  Most carriers focus on having a single manufacturer and fuel burn when buying aircraft.  A single manufacturer, at least for narrow body and wide body fleets simplifies maintenance, pilot training, and operational complexities.  Fuel burn is usually an airlines largest expense and fuel prices fluctuate making it difficult to estimate future costs.  Delta likes cheap airframes because they are buying 717’s and MD-80 series jets on the used market for next to scrap value.  These jets burn more fuel and take more maintenance per flight hour, but the math works out because you can buy 8 or more 717’s for less than on new 737 (educated guess, purchase prices are not disclosed).  Delta seems to be doing fine managing their hodgepodge fleet, so 30 new A321’s (same cockpit in all the A320 series jets and 90%+ parts commonality).

Airbus Engine Detail

I also suspect that the A321’s will replace the 757 jets running all but the longest range flights.  The 757 is a 1970’s design (one of the best decades for commercial airlines, see Concorde), but works great today.  The plane is large (182 seats), has a tremendous range (4,705 miles), and has no direct replacement.  Boeings 737-900ER has a 1,835 mile shorter range and 10 fewer seats.  The A321 seats 183 and has a 1,250 mile shorter range.  The A321 NEO though still seats 183, but the range is boosted to only a 750 mile shortfall.  The fuel burn is also significantly less.  This makes the A321 NEO close enough to the 757 to cover the same routes (transatlantic crossings excluded) and a significantly reduces cost per seat mile (cost to fly one seat one mile).  Hawaiian Airlines announced a big A321 NEO order that will open up lighter density routes from the west coast.  US Airways isn’t announcing A321 NEO service from PHX yet, the 757 is still best for that route.

757 Profile

I like the 757, it has a cool look, comfortable feel, and the highest ratio of first class seats to coach seats for narrow body jets (best upgrade chances).  I also enjoy boarding through the second door and turning left for first class, but the 757’s days are numbered.  United plans on replacing it with the 737-900ER on all but PS, transatlantic, and 757-300 (stretched 216 seat version) routes.  I enjoy flying the 757 and I’ll enjoy it a little bit more next time I fly it.

Happy Labor Day Travels

Remember to bring extra patience if you are travelling this weekend.  Long lines and amateur travelers will be everywhere, but with a little patience, it should not ruin your trip.

Delta 737 at LAS

Free Shipping Code at the Boeing Store

Free shipping until August 28 at the Boeing Store.  T-shirts are reasonably priced and I picked up a 747 shirt.  Use code SHIPP813 at checkout.  Now if only Airbus set up a US based store, shipping from Germany is killer.

Part of the Boeing Collection at NRT

What Is A Mileage Run?

I was at brunch recently with some friends of my girlfriend and someone asked what I do for fun. I mentioned that I recently took a trip just for the frequent flyer miles.  They looked baffled and then asked if I was serious (legitimate question, I frequently use deadpan humor).  I said I was serious and that I flew to Puerto Rico six times last year and never left the airport.  I then proceed to explain my logic for mileage runs.

United 737's in Houston

It's not the destination that matters, but the number of miles accumulated.  There are two types of miles, elite qualifying miles (EQM) and redeemable miles (RDM).  Elite qualifying miles only count for status and reset every year.  Redeemable miles are used for award travel and don't expire as long as your account is active.  I enjoy 1K status on United because it gets me upgraded on 90%+ of my United flights and waves a number of fees (Three free checked bags at 70lbs each, free award ticket changes, free phone reservations, free same day confirmed flight changes, etc.).  To attain this status, I need to fly 100,000 paid miles on United and their partners (US Airways mostly for me).  Since my job doesn't have me traveling more than 30,000 miles a year, I need to make up the difference.

US Airways CRJ-900 at CLT

I close the gap by buying tickets.  Home for Christmas, a trip to Long Beach for the Grand Prix, and a few other leisure trips doesn't get me much closer to 100,000 miles.  To close the gap I need to fly just to acquire the EQM's I need.  The destination doesn't matter, just time and money.  For time, I don't want to take any PTO to do this, so I am stuck with Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.  Money factors in both the cost per EQM and hotels.  Hotel stays tend to ruin the math, so I try to overnight in air.  To find the lowest fares, I spend a good bit of time searching ITA Matrix.  I like to find fares in the 5c -6c per EQM range.  My Puerto Rico trips last year were about 3.8c per EQM so I booked every weekend last September.  I'm less gung-ho on good, but not great deals. 

United Airlines A320 at LGA

People still think you are crazy.  No matter how rational your explanation, no matter how much the other person smiles and nods, they will still think you are crazy.  It's ok.  This game isn't for everyone, if it was you could never find an award seat or cheap fare.