Ski-Air Travel

[snowbird surfer]

Our plane was taxiing at JFK, stopped abruptly, knocking over a flight attendant who was injured and needed to leave the plane. Then all 8 brakes were checked to prevent a recurrence so the plane took off and landed 2 hours 10 minutes late.

So we landed 8:40am and did not get out of Milan airport with our car rental until 10:45. We had a scenic drive over Simplon Pass 1pm but did not have time for James style arrival day skiing. We got to the Tasch parking garage for Zermatt at 2pm.

Sorry to hear. I am landing 6:45 (maybe?) 3/29 and planning on skiing Monterosa out of Alagne same day. Alternatively if the Nordstau over performs I might head direct to Zermatt. Looking forward to your update!

 

[Tony Crocker]

We passed Rothwald at 1PM, decided that was too late to change clothes and ski. We got to Zermatt early enough to walk around town and find the Zermatters office.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Not air travel but from time to time one must travel through the Frejus, Mont Blanc, St.Bernard or Gotthard tunnels. Only Mont Blanc seems subject to queues, typically 15-25 minutes. But we arrived about 6PM on April 3 and had to wait 75 minutes.

Departure from Milan Malpensa had its moments. United and Delta have been exiled to check in counters 20-24, which are a significant schlep beyond 1-19, especially with ski bags.

Then the automated kiosks for return to the US malfunctioned so we had to push our way forward in a big passport line to be reviewed by a human because it was past our boarding time.

On a positive note, this flight home achieved a travel milestone.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

On a positive note, this flight home achieved a travel milestone.

Congratulations! Which additional benefits do you receive?

Sorry to be a buzzkill but George Clooney is a bit in front of you.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Then the automated kiosks for return to the US malfunctioned so we had to push our way forward in a big passport line to be reviewed by a human because it was past our boarding time.

I mentioned a month ago that Global Entry nationwide had been paused due to the Iran War but you're saying that the situation at MXP was only due to a kiosk malfunction?

 

[Tony Crocker]

Yes, happened to most but not all US citizens.

 

[EMSC]

That's pretty awesome that they recognized you in person at the airport.

I'll never get a million mile status with any airline. I'm too price sensitive and not anywhere loyal enough to accomplish that. My best mileage of butt-in-seat is with United but that is only several hundred K miles. A good example is that I have only occasionally flown United the past year or two because their prices have been way out of line compared to the competition more often than not - and that includes trying to use miles for some trips - just outrageous milage numbers they want for trips that should only cost ~25-35K.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I have only occasionally flown United the past year or two because their prices have been way out of line compared to the competition more often than not - and that includes trying to use miles for some trips - just outrageous mileage numbers they want for trips

I think that you should try to fly Southwest or Frontier more often.

 

[EMSC]

I think that you should try to fly Southwest or Frontier more often.

I'm pretty equal opportunity for the most part. I've flown United, AA, Delta, Southwest, Frontier, Alaska, Air Canada in the past ~2 years... All for various reasons including price, airport service (eg only Delta flies to Elmira), flight times, # of bags, length of flight/trip, etc...

Frontier can be OK for shorter trips, but with bags or etc... it is frequently as or even more expensive than other options and all for a much shittier experience with much higher likelihood of delays too IMO. Be careful thinking discount carriers are actually cheaper.

I have not flown since my heart attack so far, but had just flown home from FL on Southwest 4 days prior from turkey week for example. Wonder how the experience is now with no free bags but assigned seats...

 

[Tony Crocker]

I was surprised about the airport recognition only because flown miles don’t usually show up in my account until 2-3 weeks after the flight. Obviously the system calculated this trip would put me over and alerted the agents when we checked in. So they didn’t complain about Liz’ 58lb ski bag!

 

[jamesdeluxe]

The Points Guy explains the Xs and Os of Tony's feat. The underlined part is what would kill me.

How long does it take to earn Million Miler status?​

Earning 1 million lifetime flight miles is not easy. Even if you earn 100,000 lifetime flight miles per year, it'll take you a decade to earn 1 million lifetime flight miles.

If you qualify for lifetime elite status entirely on one-way flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — a distance of 2,579 miles — here's what it would take to secure status for life:

• Gold Medallion: 388 flights

Of course, if you frequently travel on long-haul routes, you can achieve Delta Million Miler status with fewer flights. However, remember that basic economy fares won't accrue any lifetime flight miles toward Delta Million Miler status.

 

[Tony Crocker]

From 2014 - 2023 Delta had Medallion Qualification Miles which were calculated as miles flown. I would get 20-30K extra of these every year as a bonus for Amex card spending. These were also added to miles flown and thus are probably responsible for a quarter of those million miles. I have been in Delta’s program since the late 1980’s.

FYI my dad was a million miler with American due to the 10+ round trips a year he flew to DC as Manager of Government Contracts for Lockheed California from 1959-1973.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Our track record with Alps travel continues despite that award presentation. The plane was a bit late leaving the gate in Milan. Then we got an announcement that it weighed too much to take off and would burn fuel for 15 minutes to lighten the load. That's a new one to me!

We arrived in Atlanta half an hour late and the Delta app suggested we rebook a 2 hour later flight to LAX. That was a correct move on their part because of course we have to claim luggage and schlep it to a transfer point, two such points with oversize. Then we had one of the most anal TSA inspections ever despite having precheck. I had a patdown, perhaps due to my knee brace which contains no metal. Then our sealed duty free bag from Milan airport was opened, two jars given an explosives inspection, then resealed.

At least Delta has tons of flights between ATL and LAX. I hope our luggage is on the same flight as we are. I was presented with another Million Miler certificate at the Atlanta gate despite being not the originally scheduled flight.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

From 2014 - 2023 Delta had Medallion Qualification Miles which were calculated as miles flown. I would get 20-30K extra of these every year as a bonus for Amex card spending. These were also added to miles flown and thus are probably responsible for a quarter of those million miles.

It was odd (and a major omission) for The Points Guy not to mention the importance of credit card spending on a person's FF war chest, for Medallion Qualification or just to score free flights. Very few people other than the George Clooney character above (great scene and the actor cast for the pilot is perfect) flying business class exclusively could reach any major milestone without it.

 

[ChrisC]

It was odd (and a major omission) for The Points Guy not to mention the importance of credit card spending on a person's FF war chest, for Medallion Qualification or just to score free flights. Very few people other than the George Clooney character above (who exclusively flies business class) could reach any major milestone without it. BTW, that's a great scene and the actor cast for the pilot is perfect.

The Points Guy is now completely divorced from reality.

Everything is now a comped 5-star experience for him, partner and his gay-bies.

I find his columns to be farcical and unintentionally funny.

 

[EMSC]

At least Delta has tons of flights between ATL and LAX. I hope our luggage is on the same flight as we are.

I assume the luggage was on the correct flight given the no update from Tony.

It was odd (and a major omission) for The Points Guy not to mention the importance of credit card spending on a person's FF war chest

If you are not on the road a BUNCH for work or have a Tony sized travel war chest/amount of time, there is no way you are getting much in the way of status anymore. There are so many credit card 'miles' floating around that have nothing to do with actual travel that the airlines have been essentially forced to raise the bar ever higher for various status levels lest everyone on the whole plane have some sort of status for their one or two trips per year.

 

[MarzNC]

Wonder how the experience is now with no free bags but assigned seats...

Boarding on Southwest is running pretty smoothly. The electronic signs that used to say "1-30" and "31-60" and so on now start with "Group 1" and "Group 2" and go on from there. There are eight boarding groups. Groups 7 and 8 are the ones at risk of not having overhead bin space on a full flight.

Since I have had a SW VISA card for a while and kept it even when the annual fee went up, I get one free checked bag. Also can choose a Standard seat when choosing Basic, the lowest fare. The perk I didn't register initially is that within 48 hours I can upgrade my seat(s) to any available seat for no charge, including Extra Leg Room, Priority, or Exit Row. Those seats mean boarding in Group 2, instead of Group 5. A few overhead bins are "reserved" for special seats. The empty reserved bins are closed when people start boarding.

Blue stickers say "RESERVED, Extra Legroom Seats"

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Got it. Southwest is now United, AA, or Delta. My recollection of the cattle-call boarding was that it worked great as long as the plane was no more than 75-80% full. The best thing about it was that you could proactively avoid sitting next to someone in beachwear and flip-flops during the middle of winter.

The key differentiator going back decades was how it had a significant point-to-point model rather than operating mainly through huge hubs; however, that's been going away for a long time too. Reportedly, approx. 28% of DEN's total traffic is Southwest with 300 (!) daily departures.

Why Southwest Airlines Is Moving Away From Point-To-Point Flying

With this change to 'high-density stations,' Dallas-based Southwest will aim to offer more flights to more destinations.

simpleflying.com

 

[EMSC]

Got it. Southwest is now United, AA, or Delta.

100%. Why they decided to completely remove any differentiation at all from any of the other airlines is beyond me. I'm sure Herb Kelleher is rolling in his grave somewhere.

The key differentiator going back decades was how it had a significant point-to-point model rather than operating mainly through huge hubs; however, that's been going away for a long time too. Reportedly, approx. 28% of DEN's total traffic is Southwest with 300 (!) daily departures.

Southwest has been mainly a hub and spoke airline for at least 10 years now. Though they also are using very different than typical routings at times too. Last Turkey week on SW I connected in Buffalo on the way to, and Pittsburg on the way home from Sarasota (The direct flights DEN to SRQ were priced like double on all of the airlines; so we gladly connected).

They also had stopped being a 'low cost carrier' completely by the time they even started serving Denver. I was surprised when they first showed up in Denver that their prices were no better than United the majority of the time (even when including the free bags thing).

 

[ChrisC]

They also had stopped being a 'low cost carrier' completely by the time they even started serving Denver.

I often find SW to be the most expensive.

Their pricing engine seems very basic where no last minute discounts if a route is undersold. Seems to adhere to a number of days until a flight model.