The Euro Zone only requires 3 months left on your passport. We investigated because we are going there in both March and July, and my renewal date is December. I will have more time to turn that around after August.
Ski-Air Travel
- Thread starter jimk
- Start date
My brother in Denver needs to fly back east this week for a funeral. He was shocked to get a better FF award (22K) only three days out than if he'd booked several weeks earlier. Has anyone else experienced that?
The one time I similarly booked a couple days beforehand was to eastern Switzerland in December 2017. As I recall, it was approximately the same as if I'd cashed in my miles a couple months earlier. I suspect it's because at that point they're unlikely to sell the seat and not feel obligated to gouge a customer?
The one time I similarly booked a couple days beforehand was to eastern Switzerland in December 2017. As I recall, it was approximately the same as if I'd cashed in my miles a couple months earlier. I suspect it's because at that point they're unlikely to sell the seat and not feel obligated to gouge a customer?
Dynamic pricing is making predicting fares very difficult for all airlines. Same is true for car rental prices.
Learned on my recent trip to ABQ on Southwest that their new seating system means people with a SW credit card can get any available premium seat within 48 hours of departure. Can change to any seat using the SW App up to an hour before boarding starts. If there is an open seat just before boarding starts, can be changed by the gate agent. I had an Exit row to myself on both legs flying back to RDU last weekend.
Learned on my recent trip to ABQ on Southwest that their new seating system means people with a SW credit card can get any available premium seat within 48 hours of departure. Can change to any seat using the SW App up to an hour before boarding starts. If there is an open seat just before boarding starts, can be changed by the gate agent. I had an Exit row to myself on both legs flying back to RDU last weekend.
The Walmart demographic is not amused
(the article below, not MarzNC):
Southwest slammed over new seating policy ‘disaster’: ‘It’s like extortion’
Southwest’s new seating policy will just not fly. The airline continues to take heat from furious travelers strongly opposed to its decision to end its open seating arrangements — with …
nypost.com
Not paywalled:
Iran War Forces Thousands of Flights to Divert
Tens of thousands of flights have been cancelled since the initial strikes, and airlines that once relied on Iranian airspace are now scrambling to find alternatives.
I feel those geniuses behind Epic Fury are pretty keen to find an off ramp now. Maybe Pete didn’t think of all the possible consequences because they don’t have economic and political messes on his Play Station.
Qatar just cancelled my flight and there are no flights available with Singapore and Cathay fares are about $6000 USD return for one person.
Qatar just cancelled my flight and there are no flights available with Singapore and Cathay fares are about $6000 USD return for one person.
Yuck. You didn't pull the trigger on LL/SSV?
Sorry to rub it in but we live near an international hub that will use dynamic last-minute pricing to both gouge and discount. Three days before takeoff, United was offering our nonstop Newark to Munich flight for $450US. It was completely full (many skiers carrying on their boots) so apparently they sold any open seats.
I’ll look at flights to Canada today. Now that our first choice has been cancelled there are some good reasons not to travel in the coming few weeks though……
We unfortunately live in what is basically a big country town down the bottom of the earth. No cheap flights last minute for us.
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There are situations when going with the flow of the universe means not traveling at a given time assorted reasons.
From my home airport, I can fly non-stop to three airports in Europe. Looking for a bargain on airfare is not part of the planning process. My friends who live in NYC, Washington DC, or Boston have completely different options to consider.
jasoncapecod
Well-known member
great take...more like
I'd feel worse for you if not for the 10 out of 10 trip you had to Japan earlier this season.
Fair point. Life is good.
Over the years I believe sbooker's grousing about airfares is very legit. On various occasions I've scored some good deals to Europe, some great deals to South America and some amazing deals to Asia. Never have I had comparable bargain airfares to the South Pacific, plus I can almost never use FF miles there.
I assume sbooker has a decent mileage balance with Qantas or someone? Can you get a credit card tied to your mileage program like I have with Delta/AMEX or James and EMSC have with Chase/United? These days you get many more miles that way and if you spend enough you get some level of status with the airline to avoid bag fees, get upgrades, etc.
I assume sbooker has a decent mileage balance with Qantas or someone? Can you get a credit card tied to your mileage program like I have with Delta/AMEX or James and EMSC have with Chase/United? These days you get many more miles that way and if you spend enough you get some level of status with the airline to avoid bag fees, get upgrades, etc.
I generally don't fly with Qantas.
We have a rewards program Virgin Australia/Singapore. We have a credit card tied to that but to be honest we are not spenders (aside from travel) so it doesn't do a lot for us. I just look for sale fares. (Our just cancelled trip to Milan was through Qatar and they cost about $900 USD return which is very much a bargain for 24 hours travel). I have a trip coming in September to Munich with Singapore that cost $1350 USD return which is regular fares.
Another article about the repercussions of the Iran War on airlines, this time the Big 3 in the Persian Gulf: Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. Virtually all carriers get substantial government support in various ways; however, these ones must get untold amounts.
www.nytimes.com
Not a surprise but interesting to see the statistics:
The airlines have an especially tight grip on travel to and from Europe, according to Cirium. They carry about one in three people traveling from Europe to Asia and one in two people from Europe to Australia and other destinations in the Southern Pacific Ocean region. All told, 227 million people flew to, from or through the region last year, according to the International Air Transport Association.
War in Iran Has Grounded Gulf Airlines Like Emirates
Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have become some of the world’s largest and most profitable thanks to their location at the center of busy travel routes.
Not a surprise but interesting to see the statistics:
The airlines have an especially tight grip on travel to and from Europe, according to Cirium. They carry about one in three people traveling from Europe to Asia and one in two people from Europe to Australia and other destinations in the Southern Pacific Ocean region. All told, 227 million people flew to, from or through the region last year, according to the International Air Transport Association.
I believe my record solo was 13+ hours and 740 miles in June 2020 from Lake of the Ozarks, MO to Auburn, AL. However those hours included 4 Tesla charge stops totaling about 90 minutes plus an hour at the New Madrid Earthquake Museum.
Today is the last day of what will be about 4,200 miles of driving, but that was over 5 weeks and max day was 550 miles.
James routinely skis upon arrival day in Europe after a redeye flight. Yet he won't drive an extra hour to ski better snow at Rifflsee and the Pitztal Glacier instead of the spring mush and manmade boilerplate he had been skiing the majority of his week. Even more puzzling is that this time he had his wife along to share the driving. Multihour drives, even after skiing, are not that big a deal when Liz and I share them.
That's a different type of stamina. I do well on redeyes eastbound -- you might too if you were flying nonstops from the east coast -- but I often get jet lag for two or three days after flying back to the States.
EMSC
Well-known member
That is very unusual.
Most people do much worse headed eastbound than westbound and that is even true for continental US travel.
I'm like @jamesdeluxe . When I was doing business trips to Europe, no problem getting plenty of sleep on the red-eye going to Europe. Helps to be petite. Usually changing planes in Newark. Could do a full day of work after arriving in the morning local time. Most of those trips were less than a week. After getting home, took a few days to get back to feeling normal.
Any jet lag I get is usually worse coming home than going regardless of direction. Travel is usually active, which gets me into the local time faster than whatever busywork awaits me when I get home.