The Fifth Freedom of the Air is quite in vogue as of late - especially with the big three Gulf Carriers. Simply put, fifth freedom rights allow an air carrier to carry passengers from one’s own country A, to country B, and onward to country C, with … [Read more]
As FICO Credit Scores Become More Available, Do FAKO Sites Matter?
There was a time not too long ago where you had to pay for your credit profile and current credit scores. Then came the rise of free credit monitoring sites Credit Sesame and Credit Karma. Much like Mint.com did for budgeting, these sites gave users … [Read more]
Exploring the “New” American Express Platinum Benefits
Please, stop me if you've heard this before. If American Express rolls out new "travel benefits" for Platinum cardholders, and nobody particularly cares, can they still truly be called "benefits?" As Trevor wrote about earlier, value is a loaded … [Read more]
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – Adapted
A couple of days ago, Chasing The Points wrote about an experience of his, and included a reference to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow, in his 1943 paper, A Theory of Human Motivation, proposed a 5 “level” hierarchy of needs for human … [Read more]
Preparing for an overseas trip
So, I'm heading overseas for a long weekend trip, and I thought it would be interesting to share my "process" for preparing for a trip. In this case, I'm heading to Seoul, South Korea. I've been there before, so the preparation is a little easier. … [Read more]
Welcoming the Inaugural Flight of Air China Flight to Dulles
Sometimes, you see a random tweet and figure – why not throw your hat in the ring. Well this tweet was exactly that, and I did, not thinking that I had a snowballs chance, because, who wouldn’t jump at this opportunity!? And as it turns out, … [Read more]
Pursuing the Southwest Companion Pass through Portals and Resale
So, I’ll be candid – I’m not a huge fan of Southwest Airlines. I’m not a “hater” but I don’t go out of my way to fly them. I do however find Southwest great for short … [Read more]
Last Flight of the US Airways Dividend Miles Challenge?
By now, I'm sure you've heard the plan to start merging US Airways' Dividend Miles program into American Airlines' AAdvantage. And, in of itself, the news is not a bad thing. Effective immediately, the airlines will extend upgrades to elites of … [Read more]
How much detail of a manufactured spend deal should we offer?
Value: noun \ˈval-(ˌ)yü\ : the amount of money that something is worth : the price or cost of something : something that can be bought for a low or fair price : usefulness or importance --The Merriam Webster Dictionary I offer this question; … [Read more]
What’s your ideal optempo for travel?
"Optempo", or Operational Tempo, may be a bit of a niche term. And, in reality, the more appropriate term would be “perstempo” or personnel tempo; but that’s even more niche. Essentially, these terms talk to the amount of time an individual spends … [Read more]