Life Outside The oneworld Bubble

Hello! By way of introduction, I'm a friend of Ben and a One Mile at a Time blog reader and I'm honored that he's invited me to guest post now and then.

Unlike many points-and-miles bloggers, I rank fairly low on the totem pole as far as elite status and butt-in-seat miles are concerned. I don't travel often for my job, and were I to do mileage runs left and right and be on a plane for 36 hours a weekend, it would surely lead to impending divorce.

But, I love travel, I love airlines and hotels, and I love the challenge of accruing and redeeming points. I have elite status with Delta and low-level elite status with Hyatt (through my Hyatt Chase Visa) and Starwood (through the AmEx Platinum card) and that's about it, but I hope I can bring you guys my perspective of being a "casual traveler" who still enjoys the points-and-miles hobby in moderation. I also like to think that I bring the perspective of not being in the oneworld "bubble."

The post Life Outside The oneworld Bubble appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/06/life-outside-the-oneworld-bubble-2/

Here’s How Hard It Is to Design a Travel Awards Ballot

This blog, View from the Wing, is nominated in the Frequent Business Traveler 'GlobeRunner' awards. I'm struck by everything that goes into building a ballot, all of the design decisions that influence outcomes, and all of the mistakes that can be made. So much so that I've decided to rename this website... Continue to see the new name!

Continue reading Here’s How Hard It Is to Design a Travel Awards Ballot...

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/04/06/heres-how-hard-it-is-to-design-a-travel-awards-ballot/

Can you name these National Parks?

How well do you know the US National Parks?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/can-name-national-parks-quiz/

The Future of Greener Air Travel

Has the age of flying green arrived? Not quite.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/06/the-future-of-greener-air-travel/

An Amazing (Private) Flight On SriLankan!

Hello from the Maldives (more on that later!)

Over the weekend I flew from New York to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, and then from Hong Kong to Bangkok to Colombo to Male on SriLankan. To say that it was a long travel day would be the understatement of the year.

The three flights on SriLankan were especially interesting. Generally I'm a huge fan of the airline, as there's something exotic and unique about them which makes them more "fun" than most airlines.

But the service on the first two sectors was kind of crappy. The crews were lazy and borderline rude.

The post An Amazing (Private) Flight On SriLankan! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/06/an-amazing-private-flight-on-srilankan/

The best day to promote your travel app is…

Sensor Tower has crunched the data to find the best time for mobile engagement across all iOS categories, and has found that ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/the-best-day-to-promote-your-travel-app-is/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-best-day-to-promote-your-travel-app-is

Itineraries: Conference Centers Offer Companies Meeting Space Without Strings

Stand-alone spaces run by companies like Convene, Metro Meeting Centers and TKP offer businesses lower-cost alternatives for off-site gatherings.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4526c337/sc/28/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A40C0A70Cbusiness0Cconference0Ecenters0Eoffer0Ecompanies0Emeeting0Espace0Ewithout0Estrings0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

18 signs you miss Minnesota

You desperately search for common ground with any Canadian you meet. “You love hockey? I love hockey!”



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/18-signs-youve-away-minnesota-long/

Where to Go Now: Headed to the Derby? Here’s What to Do in Louisville, Ky.

In the city, the Kentucky Derby is an occasion to throw a two-week party from April 18 to May 1, ahead of the big day on May 2.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/452699b0/sc/23/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A40C0A60Ctravel0Cheaded0Eto0Ethe0Ederby0Eheres0Ewhat0Eto0Edo0Ein0Elouisville0Eky0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Terrorists target cruise ships — here’s what you need to know now

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/terrorists-target-cruise-ships-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

How to mortify yourself in Santiago

Just spoke with an Argentine accent...in Chile?! Daaaamn.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/8-ways-humiliate-santiago/

Air France KLM Would Like Your Help to Fix Their Broken Award Process (Big Interest to Amex and Citi Accountholders)

Air France KLM's Flying Blue program has been giving US members a hard time when they transfer Amex or Citibank points into their account and redeem awards. There have been account audits and shutdowns. And frequently members have been told they're only allowed to issue awards by going to an Air France airport ticket counter.

This doesn't work, and the US representatives of the program would like your help to fix it. Read on...

Continue reading Air France KLM Would Like Your Help to Fix Their Broken Award Process (Big Interest to Amex and Citi Accountholders)...

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/04/06/air-france-klm-would-like-your-help-to-fix-their-broken-award-process-big-interest-to-amex-and-citi-accountholders/

Two Air India Pilots Got In A Fight Over WHAT?!

The story is going around of two Air India pilots who allegedly got in a cockpit fight yesterday after the captain asked the first officer to write down critical information (how dare he!!!).

Via Yahoo News:

"The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain inside the cockpit as they were preparing the passenger plane for takeoff from the Indian tourist city of Jaipur to New Delhi on Sunday night, the Hindustan Times newspaper said.

The co-pilot was irritated by his superior's request to write down critical information for the flight, such as the number of passengers on board, take off weight and fuel uptake, the Times Of India reported."

The post Two Air India Pilots Got In A Fight Over WHAT?! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/06/two-air-india-pilots-got-in-a-fight-over-what/

Visa updates payment tech for airline purchases to include ancillaries

For the first time since airlines rolled out ancillary fees, global payment processor Visa is distinguishing those fees paid by travelers on ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/visa-updates-payment-tech-for-airline-purchases-to-include-ancillaries/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=visa-updates-payment-tech-for-airline-purchases-to-include-ancillaries

12 reasons Missouri is the most underrated state in the US

Fact: Missouri breeds awesome people. Brad Pitt, Jon Hamm, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, T.S. Elliott, and Mark Twain to name a few...



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/12-reasons-missouri-underrated-state-us/