United Airlines Sign For Sale

The United sign from their headquarters in Chicago is for sale: http://myab.co/events/6e/i/silent/96x/?search=,  tulip logo sold separately: http://myab.co/events/6e/i/silent/96y/?search=.  Money raised to benefit the United Scholarship Fund.  The sign is 5 feet tall, so it may be problematic to install at home.

United Airlines Tulip Logo

Lifetime Status Quest

United's new elite qualification requirements now include a minimum spend component.  Delta started this trend and I suspect American / US Airways will add a similar requirement after their merger completes. This takes away most of the fun of the frequent flyer game for me.  I had always been able to fly a cheap flight to top off miles and reach the next status tier. I booked six trips to Puerto Rico (each trip was 8500 miles and $340) last year on US Airways and credited my United account.  This got me easily to 1K because I was buy cheap flights on another carrier. The new spending requirements only apply dollars spent with United, so the value of Star Alliance partner flights is reduced. Buying flights for miles that average 10c per mile isn't a good value or fun idea.  These changes got me thinking about ways to keep frequent flying fun.

United 737 Collection In Houston

Status is still critical to enjoying time in the air and lifetime status qualifications are unchanged. 1,000,000 miles is all I need to have lifetime Gold status and I'm well over half way there.  Once Gold status is guaranteed, I can relax about status while enjoying traveling.  My new goal is to fly as much as I can with United to reach the 1,000,000 mark.  If I'm flying just for miles, I'm willing to pay a small premium to fly on United planes (I also get upgrades, so that helps justify the cost difference).  It will take a few more years to reach this goal, but I hope to concentrate my efforts in the near term because I have 1K status now and hopefully at least Platinum next year. This will maximize my upgrade chances and the redeemable miles I earn for flights.

JetBlue A320 Landing at LGB

Starwood also has a lifetime status program and I'm already lifetime Gold.  Their program requires 10 years as Platinum and 500 nights for lifetime Platinum status. I need 4 years of Platinum status and many more nights, so this tier will stay out of reach and I'm not going to change my behavior to get there faster.  Besides, 25 stays in a year (Platinum annual qualification threshold) isn't difficult.  

Cool Picture - Boarding at Dusk

Here's a cool picture I snapped waiting to board at Long Beach.

CRJ Boarding as the Sun Sets

Lufthansa 747 & 737 Economy Class Review - Denver - Frankfurt - Geneva

I had a good feeling about this one until I got on board.  I was able to change my MileagePlus award ticket to get the idea timing for my flights from Denver to Geneva.  This was my first time flying long haul with Lufthansa in coach and I was expecting their entire long haul fleet to have seat back TV’s in coach (they have all the other times I’ve flown with them).  Once I boarded, I noticed the old business class (not uncommon, they are still updating aircraft) and then I entered the economy cabin and was stunned to find there were no seat back TV’s.  This was going to be a very long 9 hour flight (unlike my short 10 hour flight with Lufthansa in First).

Lufthansa 747 in Denver

The plane was packed with maybe 5 or 6 empty seats in all of coach, so there was no hope of spreading out with an open middle seat.  The seat on this flight was very well padded and comfortable.  It seemed to recline pretty far too.  Boarding went very quickly and we were soon on our way.  The drink and meal service started right after we hit cruising altitude.  The meal I picked was a very flavorful pasta dish that I enjoyed thoroughly.  Really, good airline food is served to the people in the back.

Lufthansa 747 Coach Seat & Leg Room

After the meal service was cleared, I popped a melatonin and tried to fall asleep.  Thanks to my eye mask and ear plugs (bring your own, they are not provided to coach customers) I was out until my neighbor woke me for breakfast, a quick and enjoyable egg dish.  Less than 30 minutes after finishing, we landed.  A surprisingly good flight, that would have been interminable had I not been able to sleep.

Very Good Coach Meal DEN-FRA

After quickly clearing customs in Frankfurt, I went to the closest Lufthansa lounge for lunch and internet.  The closest lounge was closed for remodeling, so it wound up being a very far walk.  The business lounge was packed and I grabbed one of the last available seats (Star Gold members can also use the Senator lounge, but that was a hike).  After a quick snack and some wandering the internet, I went to my gate for Geneva.  

Lufthansa 737 Tail

The Geneva flight was staffed with a very senior looking crew, odd I thought for a one hour trip (they are paid by the hour).  It turns out that for some reason the crew on this afternoon flight overnighted in Geneva, explaining why it is a popular route for the crew members.  The flight was fast and bumpy with impeccable cabin service.  They even fed coach passengers a potato salad and salmon snack, very tasty.

Lufthansa's Intra-Europe Coach Seat

After landing in Geneva, I grabbed the 75 minute free public transport ticket in baggage claim and went to catch my bus to the Intercontinental Hotel.  My trip had some good surprises and I was anticipating more.

Lufthansa 747-800 Picture

The 747 is a great looking aircraft, the 800 version is no exception.

Lufthansa 747-8

Rabble Rabble Rabble

Unfortunately United is following Delta's lead and including a minimum spend requirement as part of status qualification.  The spending requirement is only met with United ticket purchases (016 start to your ticket number), so partner flights booked through the partner airline only count for segments and miles.  This new requirement will thin out the elite ranks, especially of low cost per mile flyers like me (I could buy 1K for less than $5,000 if I tried).  This is a win for high fare corporate flyers who can meet $10,000 spending on 10 to 20 domestic trips. The new monetary requirement, along with US Airways going oneworld, will make status, especially 1K, much more difficult to attain.  

New United Award Chart

US Airways American Merger - Credit Card Update

When US Airways completes their acquisition of American Airlines, the new airline will use the Citi issued American Airlines card.  Now is the time to get the The US Airways Premier World MasterCard® while you still can.  The miles you earn will transfer when the airlines combine and you can still get the American card at a later date.  There's a good sign up bonus too.

Not Much Longer Until These Need New Paint

Booking On Short Notice With Miles To Europe

I was approved to attend the EBACE13 conference in Geneva as media five weeks before the event. My challenge was to book a trip to three countries using only points and miles. When I first searched for hotels, there was nothing available in Geneva for less than $1,300 a night.  My goal on this trip was to not spend a fortune or stay at a hostel. 

Departures Board in Frankfurt

My first step was to hop on United.com and find flights with miles.  Only coach was available and I would have to depart Friday (Saturday and Sunday were preferred).  I was also able to get a free stopover in Stockholm.  This was an easy process compared with finding hotels in Geneva.

There are four Priority Club properties around Geneva, a Holiday Inn in France for 15,000 points, and an Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express in Geneva, all 35,000 points.  My goal was five nights in the Intercontinental, and when I first looked nights 1, 2, and 5 were available, while night 3 was only at the Holiday Inn and there was no availability for night 4 anywhere.  I booked what was available and then set a link to my night 4 search in my web browser favorites bar so I could quickly and frequently check for an opening.  I had a feeling there would be a cancellation; I just needed to be the first to find it.  To be safe I made a refundable reservation at an Accor hotel in France. 

United Airlines 757's in Houston

For the next three weeks, I checked dozens of times a day for availability.  One morning though a room opened up on points (or $1,500 in cash) and I booked it.  Later that week, another room opened for the second date I needed.  I really didn’t want to change hotels in Geneva, so I was contemplating cancelling the trip if something didn’t free up.  I’m glad space became available because I had a great time.

Lufthansa 747-400 in Denver

I was also interested in better flights to Geneva.  I originally booked DEN-MSP-IAD-GVA and would spend all day Friday travelling.  I noticed that Lufthansa opened up availability on their DEN-FRA 747 about 15 days in advance, so I waited patiently and like clockwork, coach seats were available 15 days in advance.  I called United to rebook and just had to pay the difference in taxes (1K’s have change fees and close in booking fees waived on mileage tickets).  After 10 minutes, I was set with a single stop in Frankfurt.  Also, Lufthansa opens up the seat map exactly 48 hours before departure, so log on and grab an exit row or window seat if you are stuck in a middle seat.

United Still Doesn't Understand The Power of Brands

United is still missing the mark with their Star Alliance promotions. As discussed earlier, United seems to have a difficult time finding images of their aircraft in Star Alliance colors.  The example below is from the United.com home page and has the Star Alliance logo backwards (they took a mirror of the original image) and on an airplane that is not United's.  There is a beautiful United 747 in Star Alliance colors and several other examples they can use.  Another miss by United.

The Star Alliance Logo Is Backwards & That Is Not A United Airlines Aircraft

SWISS Star Alliance Avro RJ100

Checking Firearms In Baggage With United Airlines

I checked a handgun on a trip recently and was initially confused because how little United explains the process of checking firearms on their website.  Since I didn't know exactly what would be required at the airport, I showed up over two hours before my flight.  My unloaded firearm was packed in a hard sided case and the case was locked (with a not TSA approved lock).  I was not traveling with ammunition.  At the airport counter, I checked in as normal and said I was checking a firearm.  I was given an orange United Firearm(s) Declaration tag to read and sign. It reads as follows:

McDonald Douglas Jets at LAS

United Firearm(s) Declaration Tag:

• I understand that the carriage of a loaded weapon is a violation of federal regulations and that United Airlines reserves the right to inspect my firearms prior to check in.
• I am completing one declaration tag for each container holding a firearm(s).
• I declare as required by Federal Air Regulation 108.11 that all firearm(s) in this bag/container are NOT loaded and my luggage contains no more than eleven pounds of ammunition.
• All ammunition I am carrying is in the original manufacture’s packaging or in a container designed for ammunition.
• I acknowledge that my Gun Case or Baggage may be subject to further inspection by the TSA.
• I release United Airlines from any liability which may result from the discharge of my declared firearm(s). The luggage containing the declared firearm(s) is locked and I alone am in possession of the key or combination.

CUSTOMER MUST PLACE TAG INSIDE CASE AND ASSURE THAT IT IS LOCKED.

Take Off in CLT

After reading and signing the form, the passenger needs to open the case and place the form inside (so don't zip tie or shrink wrap your case before arriving at the airport). Then the United agent tags the bag and calls one of the AirServe dolts with a cart to take the case to a TSA X-Ray machine.  The passenger needs to accompany the Airserve dolt with the keys should the TSA want to open it up.  The dolt pushed the cart very very slowly.  Once at the TSA X-Ray station, a TSA agent scans the bag, places a sticker on the bag clam tag and gives it back to the dolt to push to the United counter for the bag to be sent off with other checked bags.  The additional time was about 30 minutes, 15 if the dolt walked at a normal pace.  After that is over, the passenger can walk through security to their flight.

Fun Video From Lufthansa Cargo

I found this video by Lufthansa Cargo and really enjoyed the imagery; I hope you enjoy it too.

Lufthansa Cargo will take delivery of the first of five 777F this year and they have an engaging web page devoted to the aircraft.

EBACE13 Closing Thoughts

The EBACE13 conference is an amazing production.  Almost 700 exhibitors attended with displays ranging from small to gigantic. There seemed to be a large corporate entertainment aspect to the event, the show was much more than a venue for buyers and sellers to mingle. I frequently thought about how to calculate the ROI on an event like this, it seemed like a roll of the dice because in some cases one sale would make it all worth while. It was a very impressive event for a depressed industry, I can't wait to see what it will be like when economic conditions improve.

BBJ Display

Crowd for John Travolta at Bombardier

Embraer Business Jet Family

Eurocopter New Model

747-800 Model For Head of State Customers

Nicest CRJ's Ever

Bombardier's business jets have the same cabin width and height as the CRJ family they also produce.  The Challenger 850 is the same aircraft as a CRJ-200, just with a different interior (and the 850 is the long one).  Even though 50 seat jets are falling out of favor with airlines, these aircraft are growing in popularity as business jets. A used and perfectly functional CRJ-200 in desert storage can cost $2-4 million.  New owners just have to replace the interior and they have a large cabin business jet for about a tenth of the cost and three years sooner than a new Gulfstream G650 (more detail on CRJ-200 conversions).  So what can your CRJ-200 be like if it were set up for 10 to 14 people rather than 50?

Global 6000 Cabin

Rear of Global 6000 Cabin

Global 6000 - Full Shower

Bombardier Challenger 300 Cabin

Bombardier Challenger 605 Cabin

EBACE13 Static Display

United Next gen 737’s New Winglets

Not all the news from EBACE13 is specific to business aviation.  United Airlines will be installing additional winglets on their NextGen 737’s.  The additions will have at least a 2.5% improvement in fuel efficiency (some customers have reported a 9% savings).  This will be a winglet retrofit that will start in the near future, but no definite timeline is set.  Aviation Partners provides the technology and is the company behind most Boeing winglet retrofits in the skies.  The winglets look somewhat like the new 737MAX winglets, but are more curved than angular.

Aviation Partners Provided Rendering

20% Off the US Airways Store in May

Get 20% off purchases of non-clearance merchandise at the US Airways company store through May 31 with the coupon code SUMMER20.  Free shipping on orders over $75 too.

US Airways Jets at CLT

Gulfstream Sets 30 World Records in 2012

Gulfstream hosted a press conference today at EBACE13 to announce setting 30 new aviation records.  The G280 was the star of the year setting 22 world records including Honolulu to Savannah at an average speed of 569 mph.  The G650 had the fasted speed of 587 mph averaged from Washington to Geneva.  These records are for aircraft in their class, not outright, but it’s still exciting to have new aircraft pushing boundaries during a turbulent period for the industry.  Jonathan Gaffney, the president of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (discussed in my round the world musings), was on hand to present the awards.  

Award Presentation

Gulfstream G650 on Static Display

Gulfstream G650 Cabin with 28in Windows

Gulfstream Family on Display

EBACE13 Day 0 News and Notes

Uncertain, that’s the key word to describe the mood at EBACE13 (2013 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition).  In press conferences today, major airframe manufactures kept mentioning their grand plans will be dampened by the uncertain climate for business aviation.  Boeing only sold three Boeing Business Jets, a 737, 747, and 787, in the past 12 months.  Airbus sold more, but didn’t give a number or distinguish between wide or narrow bodied. 

EBACE13 Static Display

New models are coming out.  Embraer’s Legacy 500 made its European debut.  The full Gulfstream product line, including the newer G280 and G650, is also on display. The G650 seems to have the highest demand with delivery slots over four years out.  As Airbus explained, most customers don’t want to wait more than one or two years for delivery, so the G650 backlog is all the more exceptional.  This short order to delivery time frame also means that Airbus has not sold any NEO A320 series private jets, likewise Boeing has not sold any 737MAX private jets. 

Dassault 2000S

The second hand market is good for buyers.  Dassault kept mentioning their research on second hand sales and expect those prices to increase before the new aircraft market picks up again.  Demand is down as well with private departures slightly below 2012 numbers and well below 2007 figures. 

ACJ318

A few observations:

• There are 52 aircraft on display, 670 exhibitors, about 7,000 attendees, and press from 70 countries.
• “Our industry faces headwinds” is the pun of the conference.  Funny the first time, but every speaker used it today.
• Embraer made a short film with Jackie Chan to promote the new Legacy 500.  It wasn’t very good, but looked like it cost quite a bit.  The president of Embraer Executive Jets really liked it, so that’s what matters.
• Serge Dassault, Bloomberg billionaire rank #79, was in attendance.  He loves his new Falcon 7X.
• Only Airbus printed out their slides.  Everyone else just has reporters taking pictures of every PowerPoint slide.  Accordingly the Airbus presentation felt relaxed, at least until reporters started pushing on the ACJ318 and Prince Al-Waleed selling his A380 before interior work started.

G650 - Only 17 In Customer Operations

United Airlines 757 First Class Steak Dinner

I grabbed an upgrade heading home from Mother's Day in South Carolina.  The IAD-DEN flight on a 757 had an option of steak or pasta. I went with the steak and it was very tasty and tender.  It also came with a salad, shrimp seviche, and chocolate chip cookie.  United has been serving higher quality meals in first class recently and the trend is continuing.  I hope this is the quality I can rely on soon.

Steak Dinner IAD-DEN

United 787's Flying Again

This 787 Dreamliner is on a ferry flight from Denver to Houston.  Passenger service resumes Sunday.  Here's a view of all the 787's in air.

United 787 Pushing Back at Denver Today

Huh, So iPhones Can Interfere With Cockpit Instruments

NASA has confirmed that iPhone's and other portable electronic devices interfere with instruments.  There are numerous other incidents of suspected, but unconfirmed, interference too.  Most passengers suspect the requirement to turn off their phones is unnecessary, but it turns out there is some evidence behind this one.  Don't worry, there are plenty of other rules at airports and in air that don't make any sense and you can complain about.

United 737's

Savannah (SAV) Airport Club Lounge

Savannah airport doesn't have enough traffic from a single airline or alliance to justify an airline club. The airport instead runs its own shared lounge for United Club, Admirals Club, Delta Club, US Airways Club, and Amex Platinum card holders.  The terminal has free wifi, but the lounge adds a relaxing environment, a coffee machine (like the US Airways Club ones), extra bathrooms, Bryd's cookies, and small Coke products. Just remember your club card because they can't search on frequent flyer numbers.  The club is discretely labeled, right before gate 12.

Savannah Airport Club

London's Airport Dilemma

Take some time and read this outstanding review of London's airport constraints from The Economist:  http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21574489-britain-has-many-options-providing-extra-airport-capacity-its-capital-going-need.  I think London should just expand LHR and change the laws so they don't need to care about noise issues.  Unfortunately there are voters in the area and expanding the airport will last longer than a term for Parliament.

View On The Way To LHR

One Reason Why Flying to Canada Is So Expensive

"WestJet today confirmed it has received an exemption from Transport Canada to the requirement for one flight attendant for every 40 passengers on board. The exemption, which is effective immediately, allows for one flight attendant for every 50 seats on board the aircraft."  

I Already Used My Only WestJet Picture

I had no idea that Canada required one flight attendant per 40 passengers.  Everyone else requires 1 per 50 seats.  1 per 40 would require an extra crew member for just about every airplane since aircraft are made with the 1:50 ratio in mind (JetBlue's jets seat 100 or 150).  An extra crew member per flight is a huge additional cost that foreign carriers don't have to contend with.  I'm glad Canada is backing off this hidden tax (or airline union subsidy if you prefer), now if they would only tackle actual taxes and other unnecessarily high costs, I might plan a summer vacation in Canada (I hear Alberta is lovely).

Missed Connection Tip

My three year old niece is trapped on a CRJ in CID (Cedar Rapids) because of weather.  Don't worry, she is with her parents and is possibly the best flyer of the bunch.  Heavy weather hit the airport this morning and stopped all flights in and out.  They will miss their connection in Chicago.  The key to this situation is when a missed connection is likely, get on the phone with the airline and have them hold seats for you on the next available flight. The airline computers don't always update frequently, so you may have better information.  Also talking to a person gives you more flexibility than the iPhone app.  Acting quickly is important too because it's a race against anyone else and once you secure the seats, they are yours.

CRJ's Waiting

Hilton Has Too Many Brands

What’s the Double Tree brand promise?  How is it different from Hilton’s brand promise?  How does Embassy Suites fit in between those two?  Also, what differentiates Waldorf Astoria from Conrad?  No one can know for sure.  Hilton confusingly tries to answer these questions, but does a poor job.  Let me clear things up:

Waldorf Astoria: Old luxury

Conrad: New luxury

Hilton: Business travelers

Double Tree: Shabby Hilton plus a cookie

Embassy Suites: Big room, free breakfast and beer

Hilton Garden Inn: Better roadside hotel

Hampton Inn: Basic roadside hotel

Homewood Suites: Basic extended stay

Home2 Suites: Basic extended stay with a touch of W

Hilton Grand Vacations: Timeshares

New York Skyline

It feels like Hilton can condense brands.  No one will miss the Double Tree brand if they are upgraded to Hiltons. Conrad can be rolled into Waldorf without any complaints either.  An additional problem is the range of quality Hilton provides.  Staying at one can really be a roll of the dice.  A clear understanding and differentiation of brands will help Hilton Hotels create specific expectations and deliver on those expectations to improve the customer experience.

Missed Branding Opportunity

Has anyone else noticed the Spanair plane on the United.com home page?  United has nine Star Alliance branded planes in their fleet; none are an A320.  The Star Alliance colors look outstanding and United should be able to grab a picture of one rather than an out of business Spanish airline best known for a crash in 2008.  Delta doesn't have a Malev plane on their site; United could do better, but this isn't United's first missed branding opportunity (the Continental colors and United name for example). 

Spanair A320 on United.com

Updated United Club in Denver

The United Club (nee Red Carpet Club) in Denver got new furniture last week and it is very comfortable.  I like the color palate too, it creates a relaxing environment.  The downside is there are still very few outlets and I think there are fewer total seats than before.  An improvement, but still not as good as it should be (see the new United Clubs at ORD for an example).

New United Club Look at DEN