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Great Fish, Bribes, Souvenirs And Men With Guns, Part 2: Our Crazy 3 Hours In Djibouti

December 27, 2017By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Wrapping up those crazy 3 hours in Djibouti with a marriage, some bribes and finally the start of my journey home.

United Airlines Reduces Elite Qualification Requirements. Will American and Delta Follow?

United has given us a bit more of the picture as it relates to elite status qualification requirements. They’ve made significant reductions for folks looking to qualify for a higher elite level and plan to make more changes for 2021. They also will be announcing a path to earn status easier through credit card spending.

United Airlines Extending Elite Status To 2022

United Airlines announced they were extending elite status for all elite members through January, 2022. They also announced extension of memberships and subscriptions like United Club and EconomyPlus.

Delta Extends Elite Status And Other Benefits

Delta is the first major airline to announced an extension of elite status and related benefits due to the coronavirus crisis. They won’t be the last. The move is all positive and I expect United and American to follow suit shortly. I also expect incentives to travel later in the year if the public health situation allows for it.

Another Big Move: Hyatt Extending Elite Status And Award Certificates

Hyatt doesn’t disappoint with the latest news. Don’t worry about elite status or your free night awards. They should be waiting for you when you’re ready to travel.

SPECIAL GUEST: Hear Nomadic Matt Talk About His Experience Testing Positive For COVID-19

Nomadic Matt is our special guest on the podcast this week, talking about testing positive for COVID-19, his symptoms and recent travel that lead up to the diagnosis.

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]