Thursday, January 25, 2018

Is Marriott Revising The SPG Program Beginning March 1, 2018?

Is Marriott Revising The SPG Program Beginning March 1, 2018?

January 25, 2018 by lucky 0

Marriott’s takeover of Starwood closed in September 2016. As a Starwood loyalist I’ve been impressed overall by their path towards integration. From day one Marriott and Starwood have offered reciprocal elite benefits and points transfers between programs, while maintaining the benefits of the individual programs.

READ MORE :
https://tausiyah.info/marriott-updates-lifetime-status-requirements-more/
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https://tausiyah.info/united-considering-major-airbus-a330neo-or-boeing-787-order/

We do know that eventually Marriott intends to create a single global loyalty program, as they presently run three programs — Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest. Marriott has been working on aligning some policies between programs so that the transformation into a single program won’t be quite as radical, when it finally happens. They’ve also been providing plenty of notice of what’s to come, including that Amex and Chase will both be issuing Marriott credit cards in the future.
As far as the merger of the programs goes, Marriott has said that they hope to have a single technology platform in 2018, and then plan to combine the programs at a later point, which presumably means 2019 or later.
Twitter user @HH_Cash points to an SEC filing for a company that owns the St. Regis Aspen, which contains the following:

Changes to the Starwood Preferred Guests, or SPG, guest loyalty program could adversely impact our revenues and ability to pay dividends.
We have been advised by Marriott that they intend to revise the SPG guest loyalty program for us beginning March 1, 2018. During 2016 and the first nine months of 2017, our revenues under this program were $2.4 million and $3.8 million, respectively. Although we continue to discuss with Marriott the details regarding such changes, there is a risk that any changes could result in a decrease in revenues to us which could reduce our profitability and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and ability to pay dividends.

HH_Cash has a “holy crap” reaction, though personally I don’t read into it in quite the same way. Yes, I suspect we’ll start to see some changes to the SPG program over the coming months, as Marriott tries to make policy changes to all three loyalty program to get them more in-line before they’re actually integrated.
However, it’s just as likely that these adjustments are happening on the back-end, especially as this filing is from a company that owns a hotel. This could include things like aligning the costs to hotels for buying points and opting into promotions, the reimbursement rates for award stays, or a slew of other things.
So my reaction to the above isn’t “oh my gosh, the SPG program is basically ending or being destroyed on March 1, 2018.” Yes, we’ll likely start to see some changes to the program over the coming months, but I don’t think the March 1 date specifically refers to any major changes that impact guests directly.
I certainly could be wrong, though.
What do you make of the statement in this SEC filing?

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Marriott's takeover of Starwood closed in September 2016. As a Starwood loyalist I've been impressed overall by their path towards integration. From day one Marriott and Starwood have offered reciprocal elite benefits and points transfers between programs,…

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Source : onemileatatime.boardingarea

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

How to Make Packing Toiletries Easy Peasy

Raise your hand if you’ve ever arrived at your destination and realized you’ve forgotten some or all of your toiletries. Both my hands are in the air. I usually have my toiletry kit with me but many times, one or more items from it are missing. Why? It’s usually because I never got around to going to Target or CVS to replace the depleted items.

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https://tausiyah.info/review-park-hyatt-paris-vendome/

https://tausiyah.info/why-travelers-on-hawaiian-airlines-should-double-check-theirreservations/

When you’re traveling, it can be inconvenient to stop at a store to pick up forgotten toiletries, especially if there isn’t a Target nearby. BTW: Is it just me or do you find it hilarious that the Target cashier always asks, “Did you find everything you were looking for?” I just stand there in a bit of a daze and say, “Actually, I wasn’t looking for any of this stuff!” Going to Target for one thing is as difficult as having just one potato chip.

Anyhow, I digress. When you want to make sure you have all your toiletries, you should check out Travelbadger. TravelBadger recently sent me some of its pre-packed toiletry kits, which I didn’t expect to be too exciting—but sure enough, I was wrong. When the package arrived and my wife saw me taking them out, she exclaimed with a big smile, “Where did you get those cute and handy kits?” That’s when it dawned on me that these products would benefit not just novice travelers but expert travelers, as well.

Travelbadger offers multiple types of pre-packed kits that come in sturdy, reusable travel bags that are TSA-compliant. Bags are sorted into four categories:

Men’s
Women’s
Organic
Kid’s

There are four types of men’s kits, all at different price points. The Unisex Badger Kit costs $14.99 and comes with Pantene 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, Dial body soap, Arm & Hammer deodorant, Colgate mouthwash, Colgate toothpaste, a travel toothbrush, a Plackers three-pack, a cotton swab five-pack, Chapice (flavor varies), Tylenol two-pack, a quart bag, and a Badger Bag.

The most expensive men’s kit is the Sir Badger Best Kit at $29.99. It comes with Giovanni wellness shampoo, Axe shower gel, Axe cooling facewash, Axe deodorant, Gillette foamy shave cream, a Gillette disposable razor, Colgate toothpaste, Colgate mouthwash, a travel toothbrush, a Plackers 12-pack, Chapstick (flavor varies), Q-tips (30-count), a Tylenol two-pack, a small comb, zip-top quart bag, and a Sir Badger Bag.

The women’s offering is similar but their most expensive kit is the Ladies Best Travelbadger Kit for $29.99 and comes with Nexxus shampoo, Nexxus conditioner, Olay body wash, Olay lotion, Lady SpeedStick, Colgate toothpaste, Colgate mouthwash, a travel toothbrush, a Plackers 12-pack, Chapstick (flavor varies), Q-tips (30-count), a Tylenol two-pack, a small nail file (colors vary), a zip-top quart bag, and a Lady Badger Bag.

As new parents, Natalie and I both appreciated the Kiddo Badger Bag ($19.99), which has Disney 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash (character varies), Children’s Sparkle Fun Crest toothpaste and toothbrush, four multi-colored firefly flossers, a pack of five cotton swabs, Chapice (flavors vary), one packet of Kidz Emergen-C (fruit punch), two colorful assorted Band-Aids, Banana Boat Kids Sport SPF 50 sunscreen lotion, a pack of 32 Me-4-Kidz Little Buddy antibacterial wipes, Kleenex pocket tissue(10-count), Playpack Grab & Go (character varies), a zip-top quart bag, and a Kiddo Badger Bag.

You can also create your own bags or just buy individual items, as there are hundreds of reasonably priced choices, from a two-pack of Advil ($0.99) to a worldwide USB charger/adapter ($24.99). You can search alphabetically or within the following categories:

Sir
Lady
Organic
Kiddo
RX
Cleaning
Gear
Military

Each category has so many choices.

After combing through the website (oh, by the way, they sell a men’s comb for $0.99) I realized I may never go to Target or CVS again to buy my toiletries. Thanks to TravelBadger, I won’t have to make any last-minute trips to the store or hope the hotel carries what I’m missing.

Travelbadger’s pre-packed toiletry kits have the perfect tagline: Easy. Peasy. Packing. It really is easy peasy packing with Travelbadger.

Jan 23, 2018Johnny Jet

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Source : johnnyjet

Monday, January 22, 2018

Hurry: Get Suites for the Price of a Regular Room Redemption from Hilton

Extreme Hotel Deals found several Hilton properties offering suites, premium suites, or club lounge access rooms for the points price of a basic award room.

READ MORE :
https://tausiyah.info/amex-sues-harvey-weinstein-southwest-raises-drinkable-prices/
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https://tausiyah.info/a-fun-regard-for-people-who-go-alongside-pets/

Hilton Salalah Resort Oman King Deluxe with Partial Sea View 5000 points

Hilton Garden Inn Tulsa South King 1 Bedroom Suite 10000 points

Hilton Cairo World Trade Center Residences Regent Suite 20000 points

Hampton Inn & Suites Oxford-Anniston King Studio Suite w Whirlpool 20000 points

Hilton Atlanta Perimiter Suites King 1 Bedroom Peachtree Suite 30000 points

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac King Junior Suite 30000 Points

Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas DFW Airport North 1 Room Corner Suite 40000 points

Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Central 2 Bedroom Suite 40000 points

Hilton Vancouver Airport King 1 Bedroom Suite (Accessible) 40000 points

Hilton Cyprus King Family Room 40000 points

Embassy Suites by Hilton West Palm Beach Central 2 Room Suite 50000 points

Hilton Anchorage King Room with Lounge Access 50000 points

Hilton London Tower Bridge King Family Room 70000 points

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Water Villa 95000 points

I wrote about water villa redemptions at the Conrad Maldives for base villa price a month ago, previously these were going for as much as 322,000 points a night and now they’re pricing at 95,000 points. I’m surprised that’s persisted.

Conrad Maldives
In any given case always compare to the paid rates at a property. In general they’ll probably honor these though as always it’s possible a property might get seller’s remorse so it’s a good idea not to make non-refundable travel plans around the booking for a few days to make sure everything remains intact.
Props to Extreme Hotel Deals who found these and the recent suites for regular points prices from Hyatt.

Source : viewfromthewing

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Photo Tips from my South Africa Photography Tour with Fujifilm

Our first TBA Escapes South Africa Photography Tour this past November was an amazing experience and SO much fun! TBA Escapes are all-female tours that take ladies on unique travel experiences around the world. The goal of these tours is to bring together like-minded female travelers from around the world!

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In partnership with FUJIFILM USA, our ladies were able to get geared out with my favorite X Series camera bodies and lenses while exploring the most picturesque and stunning shooting locations around South Africa.
As I was creating the itinerary for this tour, I wanted to show the best of the best that South Africa has to offer, and wanted to center every detail around photography. We scouted locations specifically based on the best photo opportunities, and held workshops on ALL types of photography– not just landscape.

Here are some photography tips from TBA Escapes November South Africa Photography Tour with FUJIFILM USA!

Landscape Photography

South Africa is a beautiful and diverse country, and there’s no shortage of epic landscapes to shoot while visiting. We spent a few days exploring the beaches, driving the Cape Peninsula, going up to Table Mountain and hiking Lions Head at sunrise.

Plus an epic helicopter flight over Cape Town with NAC Helicopters!

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

Chapman’s Peak
Cape Point
Lion’s Head
Aerial Views from Helicopter
Camps Bay & Clifton Beach

What I Shoot With:

FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera Body
FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS (Wide Angle Lens)
FUJINON XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS (Zoom Lens)
Circular Polarizers

Landscape Photography Tips

Subject or no subject? I prefer to always have a subject in landscape photos — I find it more interesting. Up to you! A smaller subject usually helps to create an “epic” scale to your landscape shots.
Wide angle lens. To expand your horizons (literally), shoot with a wider angle lens to create a more expansive scene, or to shoot in tight areas.
Use a circular polarizer! A circular polarizer is, in my opinion, one of the easiest and quickest ways to improve your landscape photography, and especially when shooting coastlines. A circular polarizer darkens overexposed skies and reduces reflection on water.
Consider lighting. Golden hour and sunset are my favorite times to shoot. You have beautiful, soft lighting warmed by the sun during that hour!
Capture a sunburst. To capture a sunburst, you’ll want your f-stop to be a minimum of f/18. To compensate for the higher aperture, you’ll have to lower your shutter speed.

Wildlife Photography

We got to experience the magic of a Big 5 Safari at the luxurious Gondwana Game Reserve. Elephants, rhinos, buffalo, lions and leopards – check! It was a great opportunity to try out different shooting techniques and capture amazing wildlife shots. South Africa photography at it’s finest!
Gondwana Game Drive

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

Big 5 at Gondwana Game Reserve
Big 5 at Kruger National Park
Penguins at Boulder’s Beach
Cape Fur Seals at Seal Island
Bird Species and Baboons at Cape Point

What I Shoot With:

FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera Body
FUJINON XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS (Zoom Lens)
Low f-stop, fast lens (Wide Angle or Kit Lens)
Photography Bean Bag (instead of tripod)

Wildlife Photography Tips

Think of the bigger picture. Capture the wildlife in their environment and capture the whole picture. Stay away from JUST animal close-ups, and try to include yourself as a subject.
Shoot with a higher shutter speed. With any fast-moving subject, you’ll want to increase you shutter speed to avoid blur.
Don’t forget the zoom! But, that doesn’t mean you need to drop thousands of dollars on new gear. My best advice is to invest in a more versatile zoom lens, or rent a powerful zoom lens you won’t be using everyday.
Get a bean bag. On safari, you won’t be able to use a tripod, so when shooting on a higher shutter speed and low light you’ll want to stabilize your camera– the bean bag creates a stable surface anywhere. It comes empty so you can fill it with rice/beans once you arrive in your destination, so it doesn’t take up room in your luggage.

Lifestyle Photography

There are so many opportunities to capture lifestyle shots. From visiting beautiful wine farms in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek winelands, to high tea with peacocks, to strolling the markets in Cape Town, we had photo shoots right and left!
Girl on safari in South Africa

High Tea at La Residence in South Africa

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

La Residence
Babylonstoren Wine Farm
Stellenbosch Valley
Street Art in Woodstock Neighborhood
Bo Kaap Neighborhood
Camps Bay & Clifton Beaches

What I Shoot With:

FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera Body
FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS (Wide Angle Lens for narrow street shots and interiors)
FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR (Prime Lens for fashion and beauty shots)

Lifestyle Photography Tips

Use a prime lens. It’s a non-zoom lens with a wide aperture which blurs your background while keeping your subject in focus.
Remember the rule of thirds. Always try to place your subject and scene on lines of interest.
Don’t always center your subject. Again, remember the rule of thirds!
Try to capture your subject in a natural pose. Don’t just square your body and stare at the camera, try interacting with objects or act natural your photos.

Food Photography

Cape Town specifically is known for having a big food culture — there are tons of farm-to-table restaurants, local markets and some of the most beautiful winelands I’ve ever seen.
Taking photos in Old Biscuit Mill

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town
Camps Bay Beach Picnic
Cooking Class
V&A Waterfront Food Market
Oranjezicht Market
MOJO Market
Cape Winelands

What I Shoot With:

FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera Body
FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR (Prime Lens for detail shots)

Food Photography Tips

Use a prime lens. Food follows the same standards as lifestyle photography. It’s a non-zoom lens with a wide aperture which blurs your background while keeping your subject in focus, and allows you to capture details.
Capture the details. This is just a preference, but I prefer to capture the whole scene, and include things like steam, lighting, and signs. Look for details that tell the story of the food!

Night Photography

One of the most incredible things in night photography in South Africa is the lack of light pollution once you get out of the city and into the bush. Some of the most beautiful, starry skies I’ve seen have been around southern Africa, so you’ll want to take advantage of it.
Night Photography Workshop

Night Photography workshop on South Africa tour

Shooting Locations:

Lion’s Head
Winelands
Table Mountain
Stars

What I Shoot With:

FUJIFILM X-T2 Camera Body
FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS (Wide Angle Lens)
FUJINON XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS (Zoom Lens)
Tripod
Camera Wireless App, Shutter Release, or Camera Timer
Torch Light

Night Photography Tips

Low f-stop, wide angle lens with minimum of f/4 or lower. Aperture is most important, so if you were to use a kit lens with f/2.8 that could also be preferable over a wide angle with an f-stop higher than f/4.
Shutter speed. Depending on the scene, your shutter speed can range from 1 second or higher. I recommend checking your camera settings before going out to shoot, so you know how to lower your shutter speed — sometime it’s not as obvious as it seems.
Use a tripod. Use a camera timer of 2 seconds, and remotely shoot your photo while on a tripod to keep it as still as possible.
Location, location, location. Find the darkest possible location with no chance of outside lighting interrupting your shot — this is the only way you’ll be able to capture the brightness of the stars. If you want your subject to be lit, you’ll need a torch to “paint” the subject with light while your shutter is open. Practice different shutter speeds to find the right lighting.
Focus. If you’re shooting night photography with a subject, it is difficult to auto-focus in the dark. My personal preference is to shine a torch on the subject temporarily while adjusting the focus to the subject. Once in focus, start the camera timer, then shut off the light before the timer finishes.

Fujifilm Testimonials from TBA Escapes Attendees

Shooting on Fujifilm has really changed the whole game for me. It excites me and makes me eager to learn more about what the X-T2 can do – because the possibilities seem endless. On top of all that it’s super user friendly!

Ilana R., Check out her Instagram!

Thanks to Fujifilm, I had the opportunity to shoot on different lenses and I ended up capturing some of my favorite pictures of all time. Using Fujifilm’s products helped develop my creativity and improve the quality of my photographs. I left feeling much more comfortable and confident in my work.”

Cindy A., Check out her Instagram!

On the trip I loaned the FUJIFILM X-T20, and now am happy to say that I am a proud owner! As a beginner to photography, it is a perfect fit! I am excited to use my newly learned skills and take my photography to the next level.

Claire H., Check out her Instagram!

Whether you’re learning the basics or you’re more advanced, this trip helps you grow as a photographer. Everything about this trip was incredible – keeping my fingers crossed for new TBA Escapes locations in the future!

Kayt Z., Check out her Instagram!

TBA Escapes was like a waking dream, each day kept getting better and better. 12 girls, helicopter rides, Pinterest perfect beach picnic, and my first Safari game drives. Coming face to face with lions, rhinos, and elephants is something I will not soon forget. The trip was jam packed with adventure and photo opportunities, with mentors to help every step of the way. I loaned a Fujifilm camera (plus lenses) and learned how to shoot in manual, something that has been on my wish list for a long time.

Sally S., Check out her Instagram!

Our March photography tours with FUJIFILM USA are sold out! Apply now for our Fall 2018 South Africa Photography Tours.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Qantas’ New San Francisco To Melbourne Flight Is Bookable (And HasAward Space!)

Qantas’ New San Francisco To Melbourne Flight Is Bookable (And Has Award Space!)

January 18, 2018 by lucky 5

In mid-December we learned that Qantas would be adding flights between San Francisco and Melbourne as of late 2018. This flight complements their existing service between Sydney and San Francisco, though when we first learned about the route they didn’t reveal many details in terms of how many frequencies to expect, and when exactly the route would launch. Well, this flight is now on sale, and business class award availability is wide open, which is incredibly rare on Qantas.
Qantas’ new flight between Melbourne and San Francisco will be operated 4x weekly as of September 1, 2018, with the following schedule:
QF49 Melbourne to San Francisco departing 9:40PM arriving 7:00PM
QF50 San Francisco to Melbourne departing 10:00PM arriving 6:30AM (+2 days)

The flight will operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with a Boeing 787-9. I’m impressed by Qantas’ aircraft utilization on the route. Typically Qantas and Virgin Australia operate flights to the US that leave midday and arrive in the morning, and then the plane sits on the ground all day before returning to Australia. flights to the US that arrive early morning, and then the plane sits on the ground all day before returning to Australia. This is a much more efficient schedule, and suggests that Qantas is mostly looking to serve the Bay Area, rather than those connecting onwards.
In order to facilitate this new route, Qantas will be reducing their flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles from 13x weekly to 9x weekly. They’ll maintain the daily A380 flight, but will cut the 787 flight from 6x weekly to 2x weekly. So we’re not seeing an overall increase in capacity to the US, but rather just seeing them shift markets.
In terms of the experience you can expect on the 787-9, Qantas has these planes in a pretty premium heavy configuration, with a total of 236 seats. This includes 42 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 166 economy class seats. The business class seats are based on the Vantage XL seat, meaning there’s direct aisle access from every seat.
qantas-787-business-class-2

Qantas 787 business class
What’s most exciting about this flight now being bookable is that award availability is wide open in business class. Qantas is ordinarily very stingy with business class award availability, and I’m seeing 2-6 business class award seats on many flights.

In general there are two good ways to book Qantas awards:

Through American AAdvantage, at the cost of 80,000 miles per person per direction
Through Alaska Mileage Plan, at the cost of 55,000 Mileage Plan miles per person, and you’re even allowed a free stopover (meaning you could fly from San Francisco to Melbourne, have a stopover, and then continue from Sydney to Perth, for example); this would be a great use of miles if you purchased Alaska miles for just two cents each recently

The catch is that this flight has literally only been added to the schedule within the past hour, so the websites of Alaska and American may not show this space just yet. I’ve called both Alaska and American to inquire about space — Alaska isn’t able to see the seats yet (I suspect that will change very shortly), while the American agent I spoke to could see all the space.
Hopefully this helps some of you snag some great award seats to Australia for later this year!

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Source : onemileatatime.boardingarea

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Travel Style: Sherry Ott

Sherry Ott

Want to know how to travel in style, just like the pros? We check in with frequent fliers to find out how often they fly, their favorite destinations and what they never leave home without.

https://tausiyah.info/alaska-airlines-increases-change-cancelation-fees-and-more/
https://tausiyah.info/travel-style-charles-veley/
https://tausiyah.info/why-american-airlines-is-bright-non-to-hedge-fuel/

Name: Sherry Ott
Occupation: Travel blogger and photographer
Hometown: Peoria, IL
Residence: Denver, CO
College: University of Nebraska and Creighton University
College major: MBA
Website: ottsworld.com
Twitter: @ottsworld
Facebook: Ottsworld Travel and Life Experiences
Instagram: ottsworld
Pinterest: Ottsworld Travel
YouTube: Sherry Ott
Short bio: Sherry Ott is a long-term traveler, blogger and photographer with one goal in mind—to make you wish you were somewhere else. She writes about her solo around-the-world adventures on Ottsworld.com and her social media channels. She has lived in Vietnam, hiked the Annapurna Circuit with her father, driven 10,000 miles from London to Mongolia in the Mongol Rally, walked the across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, kayaked in Antarctica, and driven an auto rickshaw across India for charity. She continues to seek out epic adventures to intriguing places in order to challenge herself and inspire people to overcome their fears and reap the benefits of travel.
How often do you fly? I fly about 4 times a month.
How many countries have you been to? I sort of lost track—but approx. 67.
How many continents have you been to? 7
Earliest travel memory: I did a road trip with my parents from Peoria, Illinois, to Eugene, Oregon, when I was 11 (1981). I kept a little handwritten journal and had a Kodak 110 camera. I kept track of everything I ate, where we stayed and where we got gas. I even tracked all of the prices of it all. When I got home I made a little photo album with all of the writing and pictures. I now look back on it and wonder if this is what got me into blogging!
Favorite American city: New York City! I lived there for three years and I love the diversity of the city. There really is never a dull moment, and so many great neighborhoods to explore and photograph—it’s never-ending!
Favorite international city: Inuvik, Canada. I find all cities and people located in extreme places so fascinating.
Least favorite country: Egypt.
Friendliest people in the world: Jordan surprised me in many ways, but the most surprising thing was the generosity, kindness and openness of the people. It started with the family I lived with but it continued to every person I met.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: Russia—I’ve spent hours trying (as well as bribe money) to get into Russia in the past! I did the Mongol Rally five years ago and had to drive through a number of countries, but it was always Russian officers who would give us the hardest time and ask us for money to get through. Driving across boarders is a whole different world than entering through airports. It seems as if all the “rules” go out the window when you are driving across!
Favorite World Heritage Site: Wrangel Island in Russia is my favorite UNESCO site. The island gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004. It was the first arctic object in the UNESCO list. It was chosen as an outstanding example of the evolutionary development of the arctic landscape and ecosystem diversity on the earth. And it certainly fits that bill. It’s home to polar bears and other incredible wildlife, but the thing I loved the most about it was how remote and unknown it was. It’s an island that only a few hundred people have ever seen or walked on. A visit to Wrangel Island is truly a unique once in a lifetime experience.
Favorite airline: Singapore Airlines.
Aisle or window: Aisle…easier to get up and use bathroom!
Favorite U.S. airport: Denver!
Favorite international airport: Amsterdam.
Favorite cruise line: Heritage Expeditions specializing in small (50 passengers), simple expedition cruises. I’ve been to the Arctic and Antarctic with them and adore the simplicity of life on an expedition ship. This is not about fancy cruising, it’s about getting you to incredibly unique hard-to-reach places that only Heritage can make it to.
Favorite travel credit card: I just got the Chase Sapphire Reserve finally!
Favorite island: Macquarie Island (Australia) is part of the Subantarctic Islands that few people know about. It’s a penguin wonderland! There were 50,000 of them and 50 of us. We officially were in the minority. The animals are in charge, we are the visitors, and suddenly we have to play by their rules. There are few places on the planet where humans are the visitors, however this rarely traveled southern part of the globe is one of them. Some might be intimidated by being in the minority outnumbered by 49,950, but not me. This is exactly why I came on this expedition to Eastern Antarctica—to feel small.
Favorite National Park: Lake Clark National Park in Alaska is one of the least-visited National Parks where you can only get there by float plane.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Celler de can Roca in Girona, Spain, voted best restaurant in the world twice!
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Any bar in Ireland!
Favorite airport restaurant: I can’t explain why—but more often than not I stop at McDonald’s when I’m at an airport!
Favorite bar: The Lobby Bar, part of the Hotel els Caçadors in Ribes de Freser, Spain. It specializes in serving gin. In fact that’s all they serve—and they have over 100 bottles of different gin. I think the most fascinating thing it to watch them make gin and tonics there. You’ll be surprised when you learn that you’ve been making them all wrong your entire life!
Favorite fruit: Mangosteen, normally found in Southeast Asia. I fell in love with them when I lived in Vietnam. Sadly, it’s really hard to find them anywhere else in the world!
Favorite food: I lived in Vietnam for a year and fell in love with pho in the south! As well as banh mi…and everything else I could buy from little vendors on the street!
Least favorite food: Anything in Mongolia—dried, boiled mutton is not something I ever really want to eat again. Ironically though Mongolia is my favorite country I traveled to—but don’t go for the food!
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): In the air: ginger ale. On the ground: gin and tonic.
Favorite travel movie(s): Walter Mitty. Plus, I really loved Revolutionary Road—which is an odd pick I know. But the wife in the movie so badly wanted to escape and see the world, I felt like it was a big testament to travel even though it was a pretty depressing movie!
Favorite travel show(s): BBC’s Planet Earth series.
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: AFAR.com, Adventure.com.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! Kayak.com, Airbnb.com.
5 things you bring on a plane: Noise-canceling headphones, ExOfficio jacket that turns into neck pillow, a big scarf in case I get cold, comfortable heavy socks, and a stash of Clif Bars just in case.
What do you like least about travel? Even though I lived out of a suitcase for 10 years without a home, my least favorite thing about travel is packing!
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? Gin! Good gin!
Favorite travel app(s): I don’t know if it’s an “app,” but the app I use the most when I travel is Google Maps. It has absolutely everything I need: reviews, directions, distances, public transport…I’m not sure how I ever started traveling with out it back in 2006!
I’m embarrassed I haven’t been to: Southern Spain or Portugal.
Worst travel moment: When a married man I thought was normal/safe tried to aggressively hit on me in remote Turkey in his car, it really shook me, but thankfully all was ok.
What’s your dream destination? It’s always Antarctica—I would go back as often as I could. However my dream destination I haven’t been to yet is probably Greenland.
Favorite travel charity: Hello Future. A good friend of mine started up this charity to improve refugee well-being and self-reliance. Training is geared towards kids and teenagers to make them more mobile technology savv.
Best travel tip: Always say YES! The simple word “yes” will take you in directions you never imagined! You open yourself up to the unknown, and push yourself when you are open to trying new things. The best travel moments I’ve had are when I said “yes” to something that wasn’t easy to say yes to!

Jan 17, 2018Johnny Jet

Source : johnnyjet

China Will Experiment Letting Airlines Set Their Own Prices

People younger than a certain age completely misunderstand the regulated era of US airlines. When they talk about ‘re-regulating’ the airlines they think it means “making sure they offer good quality service at a reasonable price.” But that’s not how it used to work.

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The Civil Aeronautics Board was primarily charged with determining what routes airlines were allowed to fly, and what prices they would charge. And they weren’t trying to keep prices low, either, they were trying to ensure that airlines made enough money. The goal was ‘stability’ in the industry, and avoiding ‘ruinous competition’.
Former Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman Alfred Kahn explained that when the Board set prices high, airlines still had to compete, they just spent more on amenities to do it. So the CAB “regulated the size of sandwiches.” Airlines began charging for headsets because the government insisted they not compete to offer better free inflight entertainment.
China heavily regulates its own airline industry, which is odd in a way because the government also exhibits significant influence over individual airlines independent of that regulation. They’re beginning to liberalize in much the same way the US did 40 years ago.
In 1976 – two years prior to deregulation – the Civil Aeronautics Board ‘experimented with price competition’. China is doing that, allowing airlines to set their own prices on about 300 routes: “domestic routes that have at least five carriers competing” however they’re limiting any increases to no more than 10% per travel season. This follows a 2015 move to lift airfare limits on 101 routes.

China Southern Airlines is most likely the biggest beneficiary as it had the largest domestic market share, she said.
China Southern shares surged by more than 6% for a new two-year high, while Air China jumped by more than 8% to a new high level since November 2010. China Eastern Airlines climbed more than 5%.
Beijing has vowed to let market forces to play a more conclusive role in its aviation industry to further enhance service quality and efficiency.

It’s almost funny to say that airlines are allowed to set their own prices only when 5 different airlines are competing on a route given the U.S. context where we have a total of 4 major US players (American, United, Delta, Southwest), 2 large regional players (Alaska/Virgin America and jetBlue) and a few ultra low cost carriers in total.

Source : viewfromthewing

Alaska Airlines Lounge JFK Opening April 2018

Alaska Airlines Lounge JFK Opening April 2018

January 17, 2018 by lucky 3

Alaska’s takeover of Virgin America closed in December 2016, and the two airlines have been making good progress when it comes to their integration. As we’ve learned from past mergers, it takes years and years for airlines to be fully integrated.

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https://tausiyah.info/awesome-yous-tin-terminate-pass-a-nighttime-inwards-a-someone-sleeping-room-inwards-the-virginatlantic-clubhouse/

Alaska-Virgin-America

Alaska and Virgin America completed a big step in the integration last week, as the two airlines are now on a single operating certificate, meaning that as far as the FAA is concerned, the two airlines are now one.
Today Alaska sent out an email sharing the progress of their integration. Almost everything in the email is stuff we already knew, and largely stuff we’ve known since last March, when the airline provided a roadmap for their future.
However, there’s one update I find especially interesting. We’ve known that Alaska is working on building a lounge at JFK, though we haven’t known exactly when it will open. Now we do. The new Alaska Lounge at New York JFK’s Terminal 7 will be opening in April 2018, so it’s only a few months from opening.
Alaska and Virgin America made the move to JFK’s Terminal 7 in October 2017, as previously the two airlines flew out of different terminals (Alaska operated out of Terminal 8, while Virgin America operated out of Terminal 4). Now all Alaska and Virgin America flights depart from the same terminal, though the bad news is that Terminal 7 is one of the worst at JFK.
The good news at least is that Alaska will soon be opening their lounge, which will be in the location of the former United Club (they stopped flying to JFK in October 2015), right next to the British Airways Lounge.
The other potential good news is that I suspect the Alaska Lounge JFK will be part of Priority Pass, which would make it the first Priority Pass lounge in the terminal. Ultimately I don’t have any inside information indicating that will be the case, though Alaska’s other lounges belong to Priority Pass, so I see no reason this one wouldn’t. That would be great not only for Alaska passengers, but also for passengers traveling on British Airways, Iberia, LOT, Ukraine, etc., who don’t have lounge access.
Alaska is also unique as far as US airlines go, in that they give lounge access to all paid first class passengers, regardless of whether they paid cash or redeemed miles (however, those who upgraded don’t get lounge access).

For years China has had an annoying policy when it comes to the use of personal electronics inflight. Specifically, you're not allowed to use your smartphones or tablets on Chinese airlines, even if they're in airplane mode, and even during the flight.…

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Last May, Alaska Airlines announced an interesting way in which they'd grow their presence in the Seattle area. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has experienced a huge amount of growth the past few years. Not only has Delta turned it into a hub,…

Alaska's takeover of Virgin America closed in December 2016, though as you'd expect, not much changed overnight. Instead the process of integrating two airlines takes years and years, given how many hurdles there are to overcome. Heck, Continental and…

Alaska Airlines has long been special as far as US airlines go. They've been viewed as Seattle's "hometown airline," and while other airlines have been devaluing their frequent flyer programs, cutting back on their inflight product, and introducing basic…

While it might sound like something funny that's right out of a movie, rats on a plane can be a serious problem. Not only do they pose a sanitation and comfort issue, but the much bigger issue is that they can eat through the electrical wiring on planes,…

December 31 and January 1 are big days when it comes to elite status qualification. On December 31 all your accounts look as good as they'll ever look, as all the activity from the past year has posted. Meanwhile come January 1, it's time to start all…

My connection in Zurich was just over two hours. I was arriving in the E Concourse and departing from the A Concourse, which was a surprisingly long journey. I know Zurich Airport is spread out, but my gosh, the transit took a long time. First I had…

I checked in online for my flight to Zurich, so headed straight towards International Terminal G when I got to SFO. Security at SFO can be bad, though fortunately they have CLEAR, which probably saved me 20 minutes. I briefly visited the United Lounge…

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Source : onemileatatime.boardingarea

Heads Up: JFK Centurion Lounge Arrives in 2019

One of the most luxurious lounge networks is adding a new location. In early 2019, The Centurion Lounge network opens its 10th location at New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. This location will also be the largest Centurion Lounge to date.

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Where is the JFK Centurion Lounge

The JFK lounge will be the second Centurion location in New York with the other lounge located at La Guardia (LGA).
At one of the busiest airports in the world, the new lounge will be located on the 4th-floor Departures level in Terminal 4 shortly after the security gate.
If you fly out of or connect through JFK, you most likely pass through Terminal 4 at some point because it handles 1/3 of the airport’s total passenger traffic and handles 21 million passengers every year! Over half of these passengers are international travelers flying on some of the largest international airlines:

AerLingus
Emirates
Etihad
JetBlue
Singapore Airlines
Virgin Atlantic

In addition to relaxing at a posh lounge, you can also use transfer your Membership Rewards points to one of the Membership Rewards travel partners to get a free award flight as well!

JFK Centurion Lounge Amenities

Below is only a partial list of the total amenities available as more details will be released as the grand opening approaches.
This Centurion Lounge will feature:

15,000 square feet across two levels
Spectacular airfield views
Complimentary custom food and bar menu
Premium restrooms and shower suites
Noise-buffering workspaces with high-speed WI-FI

Additional amenities will be announced closer to the grand opening of The Centurion Lounge.
If you have ever visited a Centurion Lounge, you know how they raise the bar of expectations compared to the airline lounge networks. With another location in the portfolio, making the effort to visit a Centurion Lounge is well worth it.

An exterior rendering of The Centurion Lounge at JFK
Credit: American Express

How to Access the JFK Centurion Lounge

As part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Centurion Lounge membership is complimentary to Platinum Card from American Express with two additional travel companions. Owner of the ultra-exclusive Centurion Card can access the Centurion Lounge along with their immediate family and two additional travel companions for free.
With both premium Amex credit cards, additional one-time passes cost $50 per guest.
Regardless of which airline you are flying, you will be able to enter a Centurion Lounge location. Including the JFK lounge, there will be 9 U.S. locations and one international lounge in Hong Kong. Although The Centurion Lounge is still small, it’s growing quickly. In fact, several new Centurion Lounges opened in 2017 and the Dallas-Ft.Worth location was expanded.
Besides gaining free access to the new JFK lounge, you will also enjoy the following air travel amenities:

Complimentary access to all 10 Centurion Lounge locations plus the International American Express, Priority Pass, and Delta SkyClub lounge networks
5x Membership Reward on air travel purchases
$200 annual air travel credit & $200 in Uber credits
$100 Global Entry and TSA Precheck application fee reimbursement
Unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot access

Summary on JFK Centurion Lounge

As you will be planning your 2019 travel itinerary soon, flying through JFK can be a lot more rewarding when the new Centurion Lounge opens. Until then, be sure to visit the other nine Centurion Lounge locations already open across the United States and Hong Kong.

Jan 17, 2018Geoff Whitmore

Source : johnnyjet

The Smart Luggage You Can Bring on a Plane

Last week we featured a smart backpack by Energizer that has a removable lithium battery. As you’ve probably heard (or read here), most airlines have banned lithium batteries, so it’s important to get smart luggage with removable batteries or a batteries that don’t lithium. That’s why this week we’re featuring Heys Smart Luggage, a line of bags that doesn’t have lithium ion batteries and instead uses just two AAA batteries each! Since they’re powered by AAA batteries, these smart bags can travel anywhere.

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This new and innovative luggage line launched nationwide in Macy’s in December and in Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company in January. Soon, it will roll out worldwide. What’s great about each piece of Heys Smart Luggage is that it comes fully featured with a built-in weight scale, remote TSA lock/unlock capability, and a location/proximity feature, which work in tandem with any Apple or Android devices. Prices start at $230. Watch the video above for more.

Jan 16, 2018Johnny Jet

Source : johnnyjet

How Airlines Assign Flight Numbers and Emirates Exaggerates Its Economy Class

News and notes from around the interweb:

How airlines assign flight numbers and why they’re running out also this older piece on how Southwest does it (HT: Brian B.)
Increasingly Asian frequent flyer programs are more lucrative than US ones — ANA Mileage Club, JAL Mileage Bank, Asiana Club, Korean Air SKYPASS to name a few. Membership growth and revenue upside is increasingly moving to that side of the Pacific as well with JAL reporting 31 milloin members — and Air China reporting Phoenix Miles has 50 million (with 9 million co-brand credit card customers), China Southern with 38 million as of the end of 2016, and China Eastern with 26 million at the end of 2015 (Airline Weekly, January 15, 2018).
Sun Country is eliminating their elite status program as they transition to becoming an ultra low cost carrier
Vietnam Airlines is looking to launch U.S. non-stops this year, either to Los Angeles or San Francisco
Why it’s fun to travel around China (beyond Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen…), (HT: Marginal Revolution)

Those who haven’t ventured far beyond Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing underestimate the sheer number of totally random stuff that happens to you. In stores, traffic, restaurants, and on the streets, I regularly come across behaviors and fixtures that I had no idea were a thing. You might be driving along miles of farmland, when suddenly a massive high-tech factory with the logo of a well-known foreign company looms up on the horizon; in a restaurant, I was asked one time to help with the cooking because chefs had to go out to buy more ingredients; you never know who might come up to you and tell you an interesting story. The lack of professionalism in nearly all things is sometimes frustrating but mostly hilarious.
Emirates claims to have the best economy class in the world in this new commercial (‘don’t upgrade your seat, upgrade your airline’), though I disagree we’ve seen cuts in Emirates economy and Singapore Airlines clearly offers the best economy. (HT: Traveling for Miles)

The video does illustrate plenty of ‘upgrade strategies that don’t work’ but that you see over and over in travel articles.

Source : viewfromthewing

Review: Air India Business Class A321 Delhi To Colombo

Review: Air India Business Class A321 Delhi To Colombo

January 17, 2018 by lucky 2

Introduction: Emirates’ New First Class, The Long Way
Review: Swiss Business Class 777 San Francisco To Zurich
Review: Lufthansa Business Class A320 Zurich To Frankfurt
Review: Air India Business Class 787 Frankfurt To Delhi
Review: Air India Business Class A321 Delhi To Colombo
Review: Shangri-La Colombo
Review: Emirates Lounge Colombo Airport
Review: Emirates First Class 777 Colombo To Dubai
Review: St. Regis Dubai Polo Club
Review: Emirates New First Class 777 Dubai To Brussels
Review: Brussels Airlines Lounge Brussels Airport
Review: TAP Air Portugal Business Class A320 Brussels To Lisbon
Review: TAP Air Portugal Lounge Lisbon Airport
Review: TAP Air Portugal Business Class A330 Lisbon To Newark

After that it was time for transit security. The line didn’t look that bad — there were maybe three dozen people in it. The last time I transited Delhi it was a great experience, but that’s probably because I was flying Air India first class, and they assigned me an entourage to whisk me through security in a matter of seconds.

This time around I had to wait in line. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen such a slow moving line. My frustration wasn’t even that I had to wait for an hour, but rather just how damn inefficient the process was. I wish I had a blindfold so I didn’t have to watch. They had separate lines for men and women, and while the line for women was fast, I couldn’t believe the pace at which they processed men. They took one person at a time, and then they’d put things on the belt, get a full body pat-down, etc.

It was just so, so, so inefficient. On top of that, just about everyone had to have their bags screened more than once. When it was my turn, they literally screened my bag five times. FIVE TIMES. It went through the x-ray, they took it off, put it back in, and did the same thing over and over and over again.

At some point wouldn’t it make more sense to just search the bag? After the fifth attempt I said “is there something wrong with the bag?”

“No, you can take it now.”

Boarding was scheduled for 12PM, and by the time I was through security it was a couple of minutes after that time. So I basically sprinted to gate #4, since I wasn’t sure how far away it was.

Delhi Airport terminal

At a fast pace it took only about five minutes to get to the gate. The gate was one level down from the main concourse, as my flight was unfortunately leaving from a remote stand.

Delhi Airport terminal

As I arrived at the gate boarding was underway. There was a separate premium line, so I didn’t have to wait, and i just barely made the first bus to the plane.

Delhi Airport departure gate

It was quite a long ride to the plane, and the driver didn’t seem to take much consideration when making turns for the fact that we were packed in there like sardines.

Delhi Airport bus to remote stand

Air India 281
Delhi (DEL) – Colombo (CMB)
Saturday, January 6
Depart: 12:30PM
Arrive: 4:05PM
Duration: 3hr35min
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Seat: 3A (Business Class)

At around 12:20PM we arrived at our remote stand. Air India has one of the most recognizable liveries out there, especially with how they paint the perimeter of their windows. On one hand I don’t love the livery, on the other hand there’s something about it that I appreciate. You’ll never mix up an Air India plane with another airline.

Air India A321 Delhi Airport

While the 787 was modern and (mostly) beautiful, this A321 felt ancient. Oh my gosh, it was in awful condition. The business class cabin consisted of a total of 12 seats, spread across three rows in a 2-2 configuration.

Air India business class cabin A321

I had assigned myself seat 3A, the window seat on the left side in the third row.

Air India A321 business class seats

The legroom was reasonably good, marginally better than what you’d find in first class domestically on a US airline.

Air India A321 business class legroom

Each seat had a footrest, though mine wouldn’t stay up.

Air India business class footrest

There was a manual seat recline button on the center armrest, as well as an audio control panel, though I don’t think it was actually connected to anything, as there was no inflight entertainment.

Air India business class seat controls

Speaking of inflight entertainment, the bulkheads in both business and economy had little things that looked like personal televisions, but really they were just little signs that said “welcome aboard.” They even had volume controls. Hah. My guess is that Air India used to have screens on their A321s and then eliminated them, but didn’t want to pay to completely remove those consoles.

Air India A321 bulkhead

The tray table folded out from the side armrest, and was a single tray, so there was no way to fold it in half.

Air India business class tray table

On the center armrest was a small table that could be extended for drinks.

Air India business class tray

Just about the only impressive feature of the A321 was that they had individual air nozzles. Yay.

Air India business class air nozzles

One other thing I have to note is how worn the seats themselves were. The padding was just awful, and I could feel the metal inside the seat on my rear, as there was basically no cushioning left.

Also at my seat was a pillow and blanket. While basic, they at least smelled pretty good and seemed to be mostly clean.

Air India business class pillow & blanket

About 15 minutes after settling in, Sabitha, the cabin supervisor, came around to offer pre-departure drinks. The choice was between orange juice and coconut water, and I was also offered a (very small) bottle of water.

Air India business class pre-departure drink and bottled water

A couple more buses showed up over the next 20 minutes, and at 12:45PM the main cabin door closed. At that point seven of the 12 business class seats were occupied. Fortunately the seat next to me was empty, as the other groups were just parties of two traveling together.

Air India A321 business class cabin

Shortly after the door closed, Sabitha announced our flight time of 3hr45min (which seemed awfully long to me for a 1,483 mile journey), and commenced the manual safety demonstration.

View prior to pushback Delhi Airport

Then at 12:55PM the captain announced that we were ready for departure, but that there was lots of congestion at the holding points due to poor visibility, so air traffic control had given us a 15 minute delay.

Just 10 minutes later we began our pushback.

Air India A320 Delhi Airport

Our taxi to the runway was pretty quick.

Taxiing Delhi Airport

By 1:20PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 29.

Taking off Delhi Airport

Despite our climb out being smooth, the seatbelt sign stayed on for about 20 minutes.

View after takeoff from Delhi

Once it was off I visited the lavatory, located at the front of the cabin. It was clean but very basic, with no special amenities. The crew did an excellent job making sure no economy passengers used the forward bathroom. They were super aggressive in enforcing their policies.

Air India business class lavatory

30 minutes after takeoff the male flight attendant came around with tablecloths and said “we are opening the bar, would you like anything?” I asked what kind of white wine they had, and he said “I’ll just show it to you.” A moment later he returned with the bottle, and I said I’d have that.

Air India business class table setting

The wine was served on a cute tray — I was given a glass, the mini-bottle, and two packages of roasted peanuts. To my surprise, the wine, in spite of being Air India branded, was quite drinkable. Maybe it’s partly that I was just really bored on this flight, but I decided to have a couple of bottles, and it tasted better with every sip. 😉

Air India business class wine & nuts

A few minutes later I was asked if I wanted something to eat. There were no menus, and when I indicated that I did, I was asked whether I wanted veg or non-veg. I said veg, and then they gave me the option between “lasagna” and “Indian food,” as it was described to me. I chose the latter. A few minutes later I was brought a tray with the food. With the exception of the main, everything else was still packaged. I’m not sure if this is just laziness on the part of the crew or if it’s to show that everything was handled in a “clean” way.

Air India business class lunch

Here’s what it looked like with the packaging removed.

Air India business class lunch

The main course was good, though I was surprised that it was actually less spicy than what was catered out of Frankfurt.

Air India business class lunch — main course

Then there was a side salad with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Air India business class lunch — salad

And then this side, in a little aluminum pan.

Air India business class lunch

The dessert was excellent.

Air India business class lunch — dessert

The crew was friendly, and for the rest of the flight they passed through the cabin frequently to see if anyone wanted anything to drink. At this point I was bored out of my mind. There was no entertainment, my laptop was almost dead (and there were no power ports), etc. So I checked out the inflight shopping magazine, which was at least entertaining.

Air India in-flight shopping

To my surprise I managed to doze off a bit, and by the time I woke up we were initiating our descent, and on the center console were the landing cards for Sri Lanka.

Landing form for Sri Lanka

I spent the rest of the flight looking out the window. Not only was it filthy, but it had scratches on it that made it tough to take pictures.

View enroute to Sri Lanka

The seatbelt sign was turned on about 15 minutes before landing.

View approaching Colombo

We touched down in Colombo at 4:25PM, and from there had just a five minute taxi to our arrival gate.

Taxiing Colombo Airport

Colombo Airport plane

SriLankan A321 Colombo Airport

SriLankan A330 Colombo Airport

Etihad A321 Colombo Airport

SriLankan A330 Colombo Airport

We ended up parking at a gate right next to an Etihad A321.

Arrival gate Colombo Airport

Etihad A321 Colombo Airport

Upon arrival I had to get my visa and pass through immigration, which only took about 10 minutes. Then I took a taxi to the Shangri-La, and was ready for a proper night of sleep.

Air India A321 business class bottom line

While Air India’s 787 impressed me, their A321 didn’t. The crew was friendly and the food was quite good, though everything else was disappointing. The plane felt ancient, there were no power ports, no entertainment, and the seats lacked padding. In the future I’d generally try to avoid Air India’s narrowbody Airbus fleet, though if they were the only option I guess I wouldn’t mind flying with them again on this plane.

If you’ve flown Air India on a regional flight, what was your experience like?

After a pleasant flight in Air India's 787 business class from Frankfurt to Delhi, it was time to connect from Delhi to Colombo on an Air India A321. Let me start by saying that the Delhi Airport transit experience was awful. I've never in my life seen…

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Source : onemileatatime.boardingarea

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Here are some photography tips from TBA Escapes November South Africa Photography Tour with FUJIFILM USA!

Landscape Photography

Plus an epic helicopter flight over Cape Town with NAC Helicopters!

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

What I Shoot With:

Landscape Photography Tips

Wildlife Photography

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

What I Shoot With:

Wildlife Photography Tips

Read More: The Beginner’s Guide to Photographing an African Safari

Lifestyle Photography

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

What I Shoot With:

Lifestyle Photography Tips

Food Photography

Shooting Locations in South Africa:

What I Shoot With:

Food Photography Tips

Night Photography

Shooting Locations:

What I Shoot With:

Night Photography Tips

Fujifilm Testimonials from TBA Escapes Attendees

Our March photography tours with FUJIFILM USA are sold out! Apply now for our Fall 2018 South Africa Photography Tours.

READ NEXT: Highlights from my November South Africa Photography Tour

Read More

Is it Safe to Travel to South Africa?

Itinerary for Two Weeks in South Africa

20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit South Africa

The Best Time to Go to South Africa

The Beginner’s Guide to Photographing an African Safari

The Ultimate Cape Town Travel Guide

20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Cape Town

Visiting Gondwana Game Reserve in South Africa

What to Pack for an African Safari

Thank you to FUJIFILM USA for partnering with us on this tour and blog post. As always, thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Where is the JFK Centurion Lounge

JFK Centurion Lounge Amenities

How to Access the JFK Centurion Lounge

Summary on JFK Centurion Lounge

Air India A321 business class bottom line

Enjoy this review? Check out hundreds of other reports on airlines, hotels, and airport lounges worldwide!