Zach1213

I flew BA just a couple of days ago across the Atlantic and they had a Holiday themed menu. I don't remember exactly what it was since I had already ordered a special meal, but I remember being surprised that it was the very start of December and it was already out there.

It's interesting how loyalty happens. I remember starting with United/Star because my initial business trips in the mid-2000s were largely to Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Singapore. Then, after about eight months, my work started shifting to Dallas, the UK, Hong Kong/China (including two years living near Hong Kong), Japan, Brazil, and Spain. Suddenly, boom, I'm a OneWorld guy and have been ExecPlat ever since. There are times it's just not worth it (I'm not a fan of going US to New Zealand via Australia, for example) and I fly other airlines, but I'm mostly OneWorld.

What does Air Asia have to do with this?! 😉 Looks like AS has 26 year-round destinations from SAN (going up to 27 by summer), and nine seasonal destinations from SAN (going up to 11 by summer). WN also has 26 year-round destinations, and two seasonal destinations (going up to seven by summer).

I mean, the French will strike on any day ending in "y"...you just need to plan the best you can and hope it works out. But, really, the vast majority of the time, Air France operates just fine. And, often times, a strike will be by entities like airport workers and transport workers which would likely impact TAP and easyJet too. But, seriously, the odds of you being impacted by a strike, while real (especially in France), is still quite small. (Also, Portugal is no stranger to strikes either)

I've flown TAP a couple of times, both regionally and longhaul. They're fine. Nothing great, nothing bad. As far as using miles - yes, both UA and TP are Star Alliance, but that's no guarantee that TAP will take UA miles on the day you need to fly, or that it will be a worthwhile use of miles. Are you limiting yourself only to TAP/Star Alliance? I ask because Paris-CDG is roughly the same drive time from Honfleur and that opens up Air France and easyJet for CDG-LIS. As always, make sure you do your math on full cost of ticket + seat selection + baggage (carry on and checked).

Is there a specific reason you'd stay at LGW and not closer to Kew Gardens (or, really, anywhere in the "city" (whether it be the City itself or not))? Just thinking of how much more you would have available to you as far as things to do, places to eat, etc. and still not have to wake up too early to catch a ride to LGW in the morning for a 12:50pm flight. Would also save you time as you wouldn't need to go Southampton - LGW - Kew Gardens - LGW all in one day.

Southwest's Hawaii network is surprisingly big. They also do LAX-HNL and LGB-HNL, and various other airports in Hawaii are served from the mainland (Kona, Lihue, and Maui). They also have a decently size intra-island network, including Hilo in additional to those other airports. One of the issues Southwest always had was that they were not only lacking ETOPS planes, but weren't an ETOPS approved airline. Obviously that has all changed now and there's nothing technically stopping them from SEA-Hawaii as you mention.

Hawaiian and Virgin America are very, very different brands. Keeping the Hawaiian brand is much more likely than keeping the Virgin America brand. Why not? Might want to let the people who are scheduled on Delta 310 (SEA-HNL), Delta 360 (SEA-HNL), Delta 344 (SEA-LIH), Delta 565 (SEA-KOA), and Delta 481 (SEA-OGG) know that their flights aren't leaving today 🙂

None of that (when you fly, where you fly, and when you book) really matters...what matters is the fare code that you book and what is or is not allowed in that fare code. And, many times, the fare codes booked my cruise lines are specially negotiated with special terms/conditions that differ from those available publicly, so you may not know until you book and actually try to upgrade.

No, that's completely different. You're booking flights that you plan to take, but finding a (perfectly legit) way of saving some money doing it. Nesting is a very creative, but legit, way of "gaming the system".

Oh I am pretty sure I know how they're sanitized...but you're not going to want to hear it 😉

Probably not. Oh sorry, I mean probably not.

Sir, this is a Wendy's

If you're not going to take Spirit (which I understand), definitely don't take Allegiant. You'd be in the same situation in both if something happens - airlines with limited flights and flexibility that are likely to cause serious problems if you are delayed or cancelled.

100%. I've said it here before, but I don't mind Spirit. I use Spirit sometimes for things like my yearly guys trip to Vegas. It's almost always a good deal, it's nonstop, the schedule usually works for me, the Big Front Seat is cheap and comfy, the service is usually quite good, and I'm usually on-time if not early. But hey, if I am late, or even miss a day, it's not a big deal...life goes on. Spirit is perfect for something like that. But I would never take them for a business trip or a cruise where a delay can cause serious issues. I'll also say that I like Spirit because my buddy is a Spirit captain and they take care of him quite well, both financially and in quality of life, and I definitely appreciate that.

It's tough to make blanket statements because it really, truly does depend on where you are and how long you have. Five hours at DCA, which is right next to an amazing city that you can get to in minutes, is different than five hours at LGW. If I had five hours at DCA, I would absolutely be leaving the airport and going in to the city. If I had five hours at LGW, I would be a lot less likely to head in to London. But, generally, I am a big proponent of getting out of the airport and heading somewhere unless I really just want to relax/work at the lounge or watch planes. I am also a risk taker, so I am very comfortable leaving the airport when many people aren't.

I mean, the schedule could always keep changing and end up being something more comfortable. Who knows at this point. Out of curiosity though - what's your exact schedule? I only ask because I see various options on February 2nd for DTW-SJU, but none of them seem to match 50 minutes in MCO. And yes, unfortunately, re-accommodating eight people becomes very difficult on an airline that runs minimal flights on any given route. Not trying to cause you stress, just trying to paint the full picture.

So, I will caveat that I have never connected on Spirit. But 50 minutes is probably okay in MCO assuming DTW-MCO is on time. Your issue is going to be what happens if you do miss that connection, because I believe Spirit only has one or MAYBE two MCO-SJU flights per day. That makes it much more difficult to be accommodated if you miss the connection, which can create a lot of issues. A more traditional airline like American, Delta, or Southwest would have more options to be re-accommodated.

Several things to address here: - Three times since when? Three times in nine months is more common than three times in two months. - I assume you're looking at the seating chart to determine how "full" it is or is not. That's not an accurate way to judge on any airline, but especially on an airline like Spirit where so many people choose to not pay for seat assignments. - 50 minute connection where? That makes a big difference.

I always like to bring up the Cherry Court Hotel because I've stayed there several times over the last 20ish years. It's very basic, to the point where not only are the rooms quite small but there's not any elevator so you need to be able to lug your bags up/down the stairs. BUT, it's quite affordable and the location is great for exploring - right behind Victoria Station, meaning not only are you walking distance from a lot of great sites, but the transit options from that area are some of the best in the city. It's a great crash pad if that's the kind of place someone is looking for.

May I recommend the possibility of leaving and coming back to Sydney? Sydney is great, but that could be a good excuse to see somewhere else in Australia, even if it's just somewhere close-ish like Wollongong or Newcastle or, perhaps best, Canberra.

I am a huge fan of Africa. Born and raised in Namibia, and have been to most countries in Africa. It's an amazing continent with so much to offer. As far as southern Africa goes, a couple places I would specifically focus on are Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Botswana is kind of the best of all worlds - it's safe, it's friendly, it's affordable, and it has great safari opportunities. Gaborone can be reached easily via Johannesburg and then you can go from there. Perhaps doing some combination of Botswana and Namibia would be a good way to see a good variation of landscapes and cultures while remaining in two of the absolute safest countries in Africa. You can fly in to Gaborone and do the safari in Botswana, and then start working your way west to see the endless deserts and ocean in Namibia before flying out of Walvis Bay.

Climate change, bro. Don't threaten me with a good time. Cruise ships are definitely a target. But not for people or organizations that have the means to actually do it. A couple of guys off the coast of Mogadishu? Sure. An organized paramilitary group? They're usually smarter than that.

May 2022 at AMS is very different than now. Last summer when I had to go to the Amsterdam area, or any part of the Netherlands, for work, I went out of my way to avoid AMS. I would fly in to Rotterdam or Brussels and take a train because it was still quicker or an equal amount of time (with less stress). Now, AMS is fine again. Seriously, look at the 5pm KLM flight to ATL. It operates every day of the year as far as I know. Even as someone who sticks to OneWorld flights 95% of the time, I take that KLM flight once in a while because I can work until 2pm or so and still make it home to Kansas City that night (AMS-ATL-MCI, arriving home very late but still arriving home)...no other flight out of AMS allows that.

I don't love AMS as much as some people, but it's definitely not crazy. It's fairly easy as far as a major hub airport goes. Yes, there were some issues but those have been resolved. The few times I have flown out of AMS in the last year have been just fine. If you're flying back to ATL, may I recommend looking at the 5pm KLM flight? Gives you an opportunity to have a leisurely morning, maybe even do some stuff in Amsterdam or another city nearby, and still make it home for a reasonable bedtime (arrives in to ATL at like 8:30pm-ish, I believe).