Observation Deck

Here Are My Favorite Travel Podcasts (And A Few More)

July 30, 2018By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Here are some of my favorite travel podcasts, and a few others I can’t stop listening to.

Pizza On A Podcast! Hanging Out On The Observation Deck

July 20, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

I always have a ton of fun talking travel. That’s why I was happy when the Observation Deck folks let me ramble for 30 minutes about a range of subjects. Listen in!

As A Token Of Appreciation, Marriott Is Giving Me Status I Already Have

Marriott is reaching out to members to notify them that they won’t re-qualify for status. In my case, they did offer a soft landing.

United Adds New Tax To Award Tickets, Even For Top Elite Members

United Airlines appears to be charging more miles for you to book an award flight 30 days or less prior to departure. This appears to be for all travelers, even top-tier 1K members who used to be exempt from a cash fee for close-in bookings.

Perfect Last-Minute Booking And Two Credit Cards To Think About

We have your weekly travel news in 15 minutes or less! This week, Shawn Coomer is back in the co-pilot seat with host Ed Pizza. Shawn is the host of the Miles to Memories podcast. Up this week is the perfect last-minute flight booking, a hotel room that earns you lifetime status with just one weeklong stay and some crazy statistics about Marriott’s new loyalty program. We also discuss the new Norwegian Air credit card and the biggest sign-up bonus ever for the United Explorer Card. Links: Finally!! How […]

The Marriott Statistic I Just Can’t Wrap My Arms Around

There’s a statistic in Marriott’s quarterly earnings that I just can’t believe.

Monthly Airplane Wi-Fi Reliability Report Card: September 2019

September is the 9th month I’ve been tracking my wi-fi reliability across all flights and airlines I’ve flown. United continues to lead the pack as the worst among them.

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. […]

FF78 - November 18, 2019:
I'd love to know the impact of these changes. I used [...]

Charles McCool: McCool Travel - November 18, 2019:
Congrats, ha!

John Sousa - November 18, 2019:
I am Ambassador for 2019 and will come up way short for [...]

Matthew Sample - November 17, 2019:
Scott Kirby screwing customers once again. He will win the Oscar [...]

Recap: Goldman Sachs Probe, Wyndham Resort Fee Settlement & More - Doctor Of Credit - November 11, 2019:
[…] The Marriott Statistic I Just Can’t Wrap My Arms Around by [...]