Etihad’s Abu Dhabi Pre-Clearance Is Still A Disaster

Yesterday I wrote about my flight in Etihad first class on Wednesday, whereby they ran out of food several hours before landing... for my second longhaul flight in a row!

I’ve also written in the past about the new Abu Dhabi US pre-clearance facility. Basically on select US bound flights you clear customs & immigration in Abu Dhabi, and then land in the US as a domestic flight.

The UAE is picking up most of the cost of the facility, thinking it’s a big selling point for flying Etihad out of Abu Dhabi.

The problem is that the pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi is a complete mess.

I'll go so far as to say it’s quite possibly the most dysfunctional facility I’ve ever seen at an airport. Virtually no flights have left on-time since this was introduced, and passengers hate the facility.

The post Etihad’s Abu Dhabi Pre-Clearance Is Still A Disaster appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/07/etihads-abu-dhabi-pre-clearance-still-disaster/

Live volcanic eruption in PNG

It feels like volcano season is in full swing.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/incredible-sonic-boom-captured-volcanic-eruption-papua-new-guinea/

3000 Bonus Points Per Club Carlson Stay

Club Carlson is offering 3000 bonus points per stay booked with their mobile app between September 8 and November 16 (stays must be completed — check out — by November 16 as well). If you’re going to make a paid stay during the promotion period (excluding cash and points stays) anyway, it makes sense to […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/07/3000-bonus-points-club-carlson-mobile-app/

12 of the best Airbnbs in NYC

Here are 12 New York City Airbnbs that we’d love to spend a night in.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/12-best-airbnbs-new-york-city/

20% Off When You Book a Suite with Kimpton

Via Inside Flyer, here is 20% Kimpton suite discount — 20% off paid suite reservations with promotion code SUITES for bookings made by September 13 and stays through October 31. Here’s the offer, you have to be signed into your Karma Rewards account to see it. (Here’s why I’m not a huge fan of what […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/07/20-book-suite-kimpton/

Flying To Las Vegas On A Friday…

Last week I wrote a post entitled "My First Long Delay In A While." I was flying from Philadelphia to Toronto and had a four hour delay due a mechanical problem on the inbound aircraft. I wasn't frustrated by the delay as such, but rather by the complete apathy on the part of the front line employees.

But more than anything, what I took away from the experience was just how smooth my travels have been lately. Nowadays most of my travel has been longhaul, which seems much less prone to delays than shorthaul flights to/from the United States. Prior to that delay, I really don't remember my last extended delay.

I guess I jinxed myself, because I had a huge double-delay on Friday. It of course wasn't a big deal, but turned out to be quite amusing, so I figured I'd share.

The post Flying To Las Vegas On A Friday… appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/07/11-people-removed-flight-vegas/

Reader Success Story: Asia and South Africa for $150

Over the past year, we’ve had many readers share their success stories with us. Folks for whom traveling domestically once a year was a luxury are now traveling the world with just a few credit card sign-up bonuses. And the best part? They are sharing their stories with us and others who benefit from knowing […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/09/reader-success-story-asia-and-south-africa-for-150.html

The Squid Boat

Waking up early for photos You’ll see in the story below that I never actually got a photo of that amazing boat at night. I could have, if I wasn’t so lazy and wanted to see them come into port at 5 AM, but, honestly, I was way too lazy. That bed just feels so […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/09/07/the-squid-boat/

Airlines sue travel clubs for appropriating logos

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-navigator/airlines-sue-travel-clubs-appropriating-logos/

New York Hotel Offering Quickie Divorce Package

Barbara DeLollis writes about a $6700 New York City marathon hotel night package at the Pierre. [P]ackage provides: a stay in one of the Pierre’s 11 grand suites, a pair of sneakers at turndown (you must provide your shoe size in advance), a 60-minute massage after your run in your room for two, and a […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/new-york-hotel-offering-quickie-divorce-package/

North American National Park #40: Mount Rainier, Washington

I don’t think it is an overstatement to say that Mount Rainier is the crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Visible from Seattle on a clear day, it dominates the surrounding region. In fact, it is so large that it can also be seen from Portland and from the top of the mountains surrounding Vancouver. [...]



from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/09/06/north-american-national-park-40-mount-rainier-washington/

Free First Class Upgade On British Airways

While there are a ton of terms as usual, British Airways is back with a promotion they offer at least semi-frequently. British Airways is offering a free one-way upgrade to first class if you book at least a semi-flexible Club World fare originating in the UK.

Ultimately this probably won't be of interest to you if you're a leisure traveler, as semi-flexible fares tend to be quite high. You're usually much better off booking a discounted business class ticket and then using Avios to upgrade. For example, this free upgrade won't work on any of the ~$1,600-2,000 business class fares between the west coast of the US and Europe that I wrote about a couple of days ago.

The post Free First Class Upgade On British Airways appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/free-first-class-upgade-british-airways/

MGM M Life Takes Away a Benefit That Hyatt Elites Should Care About

Last summer Hyatt launched a pretty incredible alliance with MGM hotels. It’s a pretty revolutionary hotel alliance, not unlike airline alliances. Hyatt didn’t have a big footprint in Las Vegas. Their members can earn points and elite qualifying stays and nights, as well as redeem points at MGM’s M Life hotel properties like Bellagio, Mandalay […]

The post MGM M Life Takes Away a Benefit That Hyatt Elites Should Care About appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/mgm-m-life-benefit-hyatt-elites-care/

New Japan Airlines Osaka To Los Angeles Flight

Yesterday I posted about Japan Airlines' upgraded service to Sydney later this year during peak season. They're upgrading their daily Tokyo Narita to Sydney flight from a 777-200ER to a 777-300ER, which is exciting since that plane features fully flat beds in business class, plus eight first class suites.

Given the introduction of first class on the route, Japan Airlines is releasing eight first class seats per flight, which is amazing.

In addition to that, Japan Airlines actually announced some other exciting service changes. There are lots of minor equipment changes, though personally I think the most interesting changes are as follows:

The post New Japan Airlines Osaka To Los Angeles Flight appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/new-japan-airlines-osaka-los-angeles-flight/

For 1 week only: a hand-drawn typographic map of Thailand’s foods

Why not wear the foods you love? Thailand food map, in t-shirt form.

The post For 1 week only: a hand-drawn typographic map of Thailand’s foods appeared first on Legal Nomads.

from Legal Nomads http://www.legalnomads.com/2014/09/thailand-map.html