Last week Chris flew Turkish Air through Istanbul and snagged this gorgeous photo of the Bosporous on the way in… but he also got trapped in the airport. Stay tuned for an interesting Trip Report!
Breaking: As we press the publish button, it appears that Delta has cancelled its “final” Boeing 747 flight between Detroit and Seoul. That’s kinda awkward for all the aviation and 747 geeks who bought tickets for the final flight. Hmmm. Appears flight is rescheduled for Monday. We’ll monitor, but here’s the Flight Aware status report. Reporter Zach Honig is in Detroit hoping to board the flight and its tweeting about the mishap.
I did it. For years I’ve reported on the boom on Europe’s river boat cruising biz….last week I finally took one! I’ll tell you all about it in an upcoming Trip Report! Have you been on one? Check out my Instagram to see more photos from the trip, but here’s the Viking Gullveig.
Remember: If you are conditionally approved for Global Entry, you can do your interview upon arrival! No long waits or extra trips to the airport. Easy! Pictured: SFO arrivals hall (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Chris took a two-day trip to Hong Kong last week- check out his post about The Peninsula and stay tuned for his Cathay Pacific A350 Trip Report (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
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Easy! National Car Rental beefed up its popular “One Two Free” promotion with a Twitter sweepstakes- it offers a chance to earn bonus points toward a free rental day. All you have to do is tweet about how you plan to use the free rental day using the hashtag #OTFSweepstakes– five winners will be randomly selected to get 600 points– enough for a free day. Registration required.
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View from the recently refurbed Ali’i Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. (Photo Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Before we get to this week’s top 10 (below), we need to let you know about a fare sale happening right now. How about Hawaii for just $305? It’s in there!
United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 or in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. (UPDATE: The cheap Hawaii fares appear to have flown away on Monday morning Oct 30)
The there’s SFO-Chicago ORD on United, America and Virgin for $165 (basic)-$205 now thru end of Feb. And there’s even more: SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtripin basic economy (doable on such a short route), $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February. Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.
We found roundtrips between SFO and Maui or Honolulu in January for just $305 (Image: United website)
Don’t miss! Winter vacation in a warm place? IHG Rewards PointBreaks for award stays now through end of January at IHG properties around the world.
Chris checked out San Francisco’s newest hotel last week- and was very impressed. The Proper Hotelis one of many new hotels opening (or soon to be opening) in the “urban pioneering” strip of Market Street near City Hall. Definitely worth a look! Follow Chris on Instagram for more photos.
Nostalgia for the 747 is booming as the Queen’s retirement nears. United flight attendant wearing a maxi-skirt in the 747 upper deck lounge (Image: United)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Chris flew to Germany and France on Lufthansa this week– and was eager to check out the unusual staircase down to a bank of lavatories in the belly of the A340 flying SFO-MUC. Seen ’em before? Stay tuned for a Trip Report!
This is a lot of fun if you have 15 minutes to watch: In Worth It: Lifestyle, a spin off of BuzzFeed’s hit series Worth It, host Steven Lim and his buddies embark on a new adventure, setting out to try different experiences at three different price points: affordable, middle tier, and luxury–from airplane seats to cars to videos games. (JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, SurfAir) At the end of the episode, the gang decides which experience is the most “worth it” at its given price.
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In Los Angeles checking out the new hotel scene this week. Rooftop of the spectacular new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
This week Chris was in LA to have a few meetings and check out what’s happening on the hotel scene. Last time I was in LA was for the opening of the dramatic new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, housed in the top floors of the city’s newest, tallest skyscraper. This week, I stayed at the brand new Kimpton Everly hotel in Hollywood, and will have a full report about my stay shortly. I was lucky enough to have time to check out the spectacular new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills, located next door to the Beverly Hilton on the triangle where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards intersect. While the lobby of the hotel is gorgeous, the real show is up on The Rooftop— take a ride up for lunch and soak up the spectacular views. Also new on the hot LA hotel scene is the recent opening of the 286-room Jeremy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard on the western edge of West Hollywood– it was first going to open as The James hotel, but that fell through and the showy property sat vacant for months. Now it’s the Jeremy, but not for long– word on the street is that the hotel will soon be the first West Coast outpost of Barry Sternlicht’s popular new One Hotels. Stay tuned!
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Delta’s grand old 747 flew in to rescue Floridians from Irma’s wrath this week. Photo from Delta Museum’s 747 Experience at ATL. (Chris McGinnis)
Did you catch the hoo-hah surrounding Delta’s final domestic Boeing 747 flight earlier this week? The big jet flight originated in Honolulu, landed at Los Angeles LAX, and then flew its final commercial leg to Detroit. But as Irma strengthened in the Caribbean, and airlines took heat for price gouging and not doing enough to help travelers escape its path, Delta made a smart move– it pulled the Queen of the Skies out of her short retirement, and send it to Orlando several times over the weekend to help last minute evacuees get out of the way. Here’s our late Thursday tweet about this move, which proved to be one of our biggest tweets so far this year!
Delta’s Boeing 747 is not done yet— it will continue to fly between the US and Asia until December. United’s final Boeing 747 flights will happen in October. Although neither airline has committed to a firm date, it’s expected that there will be some sort of ceremonial end for this beautiful bird. Stay tuned.
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Chris holed up at the fabulous St Regis Mexico City last month- don’t forget to sign up for SPG’s fall bonus! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
It’s time to get signed up for all the new fall promotions from hotel chains— in order to take advantage of these deals to help boost fall and winter bookings, you have to register to get the special bonuses— don’t miss out on bonus points or free nights by not registering because you never know when you might end up at one of these hotel chains:
What is it about Drury hotels that keeps it at the top of JD Power surveys? An historic building in downtown Cleveland is now the Drury Plaza Hotel. (Image: Drury Hotels)
San Jose International welcomes a new Aeromexico nonstop from Guadalajara, with a wet water cannon salute. SJC-GDL also served by Alaska and Volaris. Nonstop August fares around $300 roundtrip! (Photo: SJC)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Last week new video footage of the Asiana 214 crash at SFO in July 2013 emerged. It’s tough to watch, especially at about 2:14 when the camera zooms in and you see passengers begin to escape after what feels like a very long delay. Dazed and confused, many of them remain close to the plane despite the risk of explosion. Look closely and you’ll see many who escaped with their lives and their rollaboard suitcases. It’s very sad that three passengers died, and miraculous that many more did not perish.
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LA-SF sleep pods are private and stacked on two levels (Photo: Cabin)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Before we jump into last week’s news, here’s an important story: Today Etihad announced that the laptop ban is no longer in effect on its flights to the U.S. Why? The Abu Dhabi carrier said the lifting of the ban follows “the successful validation of security measures at the US Preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi airport”, according to Gulf News. Etihad currently operates 45 flights a week between Abu Dhabi and New York, Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Chris took his first trip thru Delta’s new digs at Terminal 3 at LAX. A beeline to the plane was helped along by PreCheck & Clear, but the facilities are pretty dismal, tired and gritty. Looking forward to the upgrade! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis took some time off for a family reunion in North Carolina this week at the High Hampton Inn– nice! And not like any Hampton Inn he’s ever stayed in before!
Blackbird’s seaplanes will fly from the waters of the SF Bay at Sausalito to the waters of Lake Tahoe for just $124 each way for the 75-minute flight. Scroll up to read the post! (Image: Blackbird)
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Alaska Airlines has just sweetened a perk for new card holders- a free companion ticket! Use it to fly to Havana as shown here CLICK (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants your mobile phone password (Image: CBP)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
1 Russian mystery plane at SFO – this post was picked up by Drudge Report and snagged 150,000 views on Thursday! Still no official word on what exactly all these Antonov planes are doing at SFO- but there’s plenty of speculation in the comments!
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Have you been to the new African American History Museum on Washington, DC yet? Read about how a trip there took editor Chris McGinnis on a journey through time to his adolescence and reminded him of a guardian angel! From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Cruising into Lihue Airport on Kauai last week on a United 757 sitting in the exit row (Chris McGinnis)
Last week TravelSkills was on vacation. And it looks like we picked a great week to take off– there was not a whole lot of breaking travel news when we were spring breaking in Hawaii. We’ve spent this morning catching up…and you can catch up, too with our top posts from last week AND last week’s most important travel stories found elsewhere.
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Something you may not know about Chris! Don’t miss TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis’s memoir “Life with Shirley” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about growing up in the 1970s in Atlanta. He was inspired to write it while on a business trip to Washington, DC last fall. Please bring your kleenexes and take a read and let Chris know what you think! chris@travelskills.com
San Francisco bound and need some great advice? Then check this out!
A perfect app for a SF local or a visitor (Image: Lee Foster)
Can the travel destination app, which once flourished, make a comeback? Friend of TravelSkills Lee Foster thinks so. Lee has just released his new and improved travel content app on San Francisco, titled “SF Travel & Photo Guide.” The app is available for $3.99 through Apple and Google and has been announced on Lee’s website. Lee has also answered some questions about the app on his website. For further info on the app, contact Lee at lee@fostertravel.com.
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United controls almost three-fourths of the takeoff/landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport. (Image: new York/New Jersey Port Authority)
Last week Virgin Atlantic launched new 3x per week “Man-Fran” nonstops between SFO and Manchester, UK. Lowest fares for May $659 roundtrip. Virgin says “Man-Fran will build on a shared psyche between these two northern cities, both famous for their wet weather, trams, music, LBGT and street art scenes; one built on a heritage of silicon and the other rebuilding itself as a British tech hub” (Photo: Virgin)
Dublin, Ireland was awash in smiles and greenery this week for St Patrick’s Day. With the euro low ($1.07), it’s a great time to go! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
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From the San Francisco Chronicle: The Bay Area’s busiest gathering of designers right now might be tucked inside a hangar on the outskirts of San Francisco International Airport. That’s where 200 or so architects, engineers and other kindred spirits gather each weekday to chew on the details of a $1.5 billion project that won’t be finished until the end of 2022. And the first tangible result of their efforts — to rebuild an entire terminal without ever closing it — is the room where they work each day, a 33,000-square-foot, free-standing structure that was conceived and constructed in less than nine months. Full story and more photos here: Glimpse behind scenes as architects rebuild SFO terminal
Here’s the look of what’s to come at SFO Terminal 1 by 2022 (Photo: Gensler)
Some additional notes regarding Amex: See below for Amex guest policy changes announced this week to fix overcrowding at lounges; additionally, we’ve heard from a few readers who called Amex to protest the 22% rate increase, and were offered a $300 credit on the spot to not cancel their cards)
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This week Cathay Pacific announced that it would add a THIRD daily SFO-Hong Kong nonstop on October 29 using an Airbus A350, its first deployed in the U.S. The new jet will offer Cathay’s newest business class, premium economy and economy class seating (no first class). What’s really nice about this plane? It burns 25% less fuel (with corresponding reduction in emissions) and its carpet and blankets are made with nylon and plastic recycled from bottles and salvaged fishing nets, which pose a threat to marine life. Even better, this will be the first Cathay plane to offer inflight wi-fi– essential for those 12-14 hour flights to Hong Kong!
Cathay Pacific’s first U.S. A350 coming to SFO this fall (Photo: Cathay Pacific)
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Cathay Pacific introduced it’s own brand of beer made to taste best at 35,000 feet (Photo: Cathay Pacific)
Named after “Betsy”, Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, Betsy Beer will be first served to First and Business Class passengers onboard flights between Hong Kong and destinations in the UK this spring but will eventually make its way to U.S. flights.
Chris visited Atlanta this week and had a perfect Martini, a great meal (and oysters!) at the Kimball House in Decatur. Been yet? Follow me on Instagram!
We’ve found a new “favorite place” just 20 minutes south of San Francisco: Pacifica. Step back in time and enjoy seafood and salt air at Nick’s Rockaway— or take a hike along the new Devil’s Slide trail!
Looking down from the plane at the snowy Sierra is gorgeous. This is what it looks like from the ground this week! My sister-in-law’s house near Lake Tahoe. (Photo: N. Dean)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
A Qantas 787 will fly the carrier’s longest nonstop route (Image: Qantas)
Today Qantas announced that it will soon operate the first nonstop flight between Australia and Europe: Perth-London. It will be the carrier’s longest route. Flights won’t start until March 2018 using the Australian carrier’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which carries 236 passengers. The flight is expected to take about 17 hours and cover 9,010 miles. When Qantas created the first “Kangaroo route” to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. According to this CNN article, San Francisco-Delhi on an Air India 777 is the longest route by distance, at 9,400 miles- but due to winds, that flight could be shorter in duration. Other sources say that the current longest flight in the world is Emirates nonstop between Dubai and Auckland at 8,824 miles.
Also this weekend, seats on United’s new Boeing 777-300ER, which will include the new Polaris business class seat, went on sale. Would you like to give the new bird- and that new Polaris seat a try? On February 16, United flight 443 departs SFO at 12:40 pm and arrives EWR at 9 pm. UA1920 departs Newark at 7 am and arrives SFO at 10:23 am. If you want to fly up front, a round trip Polaris business class seat on the inaugural flight from San Francisco to Newark is currently selling for a steep $3,075 one way. (Later in the month, the business class fare drops to about $1,500 each way.) The new 10-across Economy class is much cheaper– about $186 one way. United will fly its new 777 on SFO-EWR from February 16-May 4. Starting on March 25, a new 777 will fly between SFO and Hong Kong. Polaris business class fares are about $2,700 each way. Economy class is running $745 round trip. When we checked on Sunday, it appeared that so far eight Polaris seats had sold on the inaugural SFO>HKG run.
Seat availability on United’s inaugural Polaris business class flight SFO-EWR
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
The free ice skating rink has shown to be very popular. We are excited you all are enjoying it! Open 9 a.m. To 9 p.m. @unitedpic.twitter.com/dWpJCOWaaL
The Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hotel. (Image: Hilton)
Missed out on Hilton’s November Flash Sale? No probs! Here’s one for December, too. For 48 hours only, between December 5-7 (Mon-Weds this week), Hilton guests can save 15% on Best Available Rates for stays December 18, 2016 through January 8, 2017- plus Hilton HHonors members are eligible to save an additional 5% when booking directly with Hilton. (Must prepay for stay in full to get the deal.)
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United & other carriers discounting business class across the pond for the holidays. (Image: United)
Before we get to the Top 10, let’s take a look at something exciting. Over the weekend, airlines have started to put business class on sale for Christmas/New Year’s flights. Since business travelers typically shy away from travel during the holidays, airlines will lower fares signficantly to fill up those empty flat beds. So if a lie-flat flight to Europe sounds nice, check out a few sample roundtrip business class holiday season fares that caught our eye when taking a spin through Google Flights on Saturday. Keep in mind that business class fares to Europe usually run in the $5,000+ range.
New York or Washington DC – Paris: $2,118 (United)
Atlanta-Paris: $2,368 (Air France)
San Francisco-Paris: $2,618 (United)
Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose-London $2,800 (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic) First class is $3,800
British Airways also has a nice business class sale going on with fares from east coast cities at just under $2,000, but it’s a two-for-one sale. Details here.
Note: These fares available on Google Flights on Saturday, Nov 26 and subject to change.
United’s new Polaris business class rolls out December 1! Stay tuned to TravelSkills for details. Any guesses on the first route to get it? (rendering courtesy United Airlines)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
UGLY: This happened on Delta this week- and has already received 2 million views on Facebook. Yuck. Delta has apologized for the incident. Foul language warning! Click on video below or see full Facebook post here. Interview with witness here.
Delta’s statement on the incident: “Our responsibility for ensuring all customers feel safe and comfortable with Delta includes requiring civil behavior from everyone….The behavior we see in this video does not square with our training or culture and follow up will continue so we can better ensure our employees will know they will be fully supported to make the right decisions when these issues arise.”
How would you react if a passenger went off the hook like this on your flight? Leave your comments below.
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Lyft is dumping the pink moustache for a new look, and its pick-ups will soon be color-coded. The new dash-mounted Lyft Amp will glow orange, pink, purple, silver, teal or yellow which will help riders more easily spot their ride. See the video for how it will work:
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Everyone’s talking about this video from a United plane where the pilot had to make a post-election announcement telling passengers to shut up and get along– or take another flight. Pretty good!
Marriott & Starwood offer Cyber Monday deals that are worth checking out post-feast!
This latest Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion offers members rates up to 25% off at more than 2,100 hotels and resorts globally. From November 25 through November 28, members can book hotel rooms starting as low as $79 per night for stays between December 9, 2016 and January 16, 2017. Must book on Marriott.com, the Marriott Mobile app and by contacting a hotel or the telephone reservation center, all using promotional code “444.”
SPG is getting a head start on Cyber Monday, launching special rates November 21 through December 4– featuring discounts of up to 30% for stay dates through September 4, 2017. Plus, SPG members get an additional 5% savings when booking directly through the Cyber Monday sale site (when it activates).
Last week when I was in DC, I was able to get in the stunning new National Museum of African American History & Culture! Quite a feat since the waiting list for tickets is now more than six months long. Stay tuned for more on my visit…
Hilton HHonors members who book through the HHonors App (get it here) and pay with a Visa credit card for stays during November 2, 2016 – January 31, 2017 will earn an additional 5,000 Bonus Points. How? Here are the details http://www.HHonors.com/VisaBonus.
REDRUM! We checked out this gorgeous new hotel recently and will write about it this week. Any guesses? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
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What do flight attendants love most about SFO? A fun new promotional video from San Francisco International Airport, introduced by Tony Bennett, offers personal accounts from flight attendants representing a number of airlines about the interesting things to see and do at the airport. See video What do you love most about SFO? Leave your comments below.
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This week Alaska Airlines revealed a new paint job, or livery, on a new 737-900ER. At first glance, that American flag wingtip may look like a move to integrate Virgin America design elements (see its flagged winglet here) into the look of Alaska Airlines, but it’s part of a new initiative called “Alaska Airlines Salutes,” to support and honor those who serve. The design features an Alaska Airlines Salutes medallion and a fallen soldier badge, with the Battlefield Cross to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The plane also features five rings surrounding the engine, representative of the five branches of the United States military, and American flag winglets.
Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:
Need a new credit card? Scroll up to our “Credit Card Deals” tab at the top to shop around! It helps us help you!
United installed a basketball court (!) inside its massive SFO hangar to celebrate a new sponsorship (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
This week United announced a long-term sponsorship of the Bay Area’s Golden State Warriors basketball team. To celebrate, the carrier installed a temporary branded United-Warriors basketball court (complete with parquet floors and hoops) in United’s SFO Maintenance hangar where over 1,000 employees (and TravelSkills!) watched a dance team, drum corps and a handful of Warriors shoot hoops. As part of this agreement, United will soon have branding in Oakland’s Oracle Arena and, beginning in 2019, inside the new Chase Center, the team’s new arena on the San Francisco waterfront just south of downtown. MileagePlus customers will have the opportunity to use their miles for access to premium seats, suite tickets, VIP experiences and Warriors autographed items.
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When the TSA PreCheck line at SFO looks like this on a Wednesday, I’m glad I renewed CLEAR- with the Delta discount! CLICK for details (Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
The spectacular view from the brand new CityScape bar atop the Hilton San Francisco. Note the cranes on the new Salesforce Tower, soon to be the tallest building in town at 1,070 feet and 61 stories. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Airport Encounters now playing in LA (Photo: Larry Gene Fortin)
TravelSkills reader T.M. sent along a great recommendation for frequent flyers living or visiting LA: “People watching has always been a fun way to kill time between flights. Now, thanks to a cast of more than two dozen actors and eight writers, we can watch ten terminal vignettes in the new Los Angeles-based play, ‘Airport Encounters.’ Staged in the intimate 50-seat Lounge Theatre in Hollywood, the play is an entertaining take off on air travel and its passengers. Here’s the link to get tix: neoensembletheatre.org”
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American’s new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)
Looking down on the cacophony of Times Square from the cozy, recently renovated R Lounge at the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Last week I was in NYC for the Skift Forum, which is something like TED talks, but for the travel industry. I spent two days hanging out with wunderkinds, CEOs, visionaries, and media in the spectacular Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. (More on what I learned in a future post.) Thanks to the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (4.5 stars on TripAdvisor) for putting me up for two nights to check out its latest updates, which include a refresh of the dramatic R Lounge overlooking Times Square. Since I’m not a big fan of Times Square, I found the lounge the perfect place to quietly sit above the fracas and enjoy the colors and a cocktail. I also checked out the hotel’s newest suites on the fourth floor…all are big bright (white and canary yellow) with terraces overlooking 7th Avenue. In a quirky twist, the terraces are carpeted in astroturf and have life sized plastic sheep that appear to be grazing. Rates start at around $350 per night. — Chris
A big bright white & yellow room with terrace overlooking Times Square (Chris McGinnis)
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Economy class on Cathay Pacific’s B777 is now 9-abreast as seen here. Soon it will squeeze in one more seat. (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)
Check out what’s coming at Seattle-Tacoma International: A new glass enclosed pedestrian sky bridge that’s high enough for a 747 to pass underneath. Construction begins this fall and it’s expected to be operational in three years as part of the airport’s new international terminal. Full report from Glenn Farley here.
Wanna take a virtual fly through Sea-Tac Airport’s new International Arrivals Sky Bridge? Here’s your chance. #KING5News at 6:30. pic.twitter.com/6lQFrNSBUq
Triplex Suites atop the New York Palace hotel have huge outdoor decks w Jacuzzis. Sweet! But I’m not sure if this is where the President stays. (Chris McGinnis)
President Obama (Photo: Wikimedia)
Fair warning for New York or San Francisco bound travelers this week: Beware of traffic, sold out restaurants and hotels, long waits for taxis and Uber/Lyft surge pricing. Why? In New York, blame the meeting of the UN General Assembly (which will include a Sunday-Wednesday visit and address by President Obama, which makes traffic even worse). As we’ve reported here on TravelSkills, the President now stays at the Lotte New York Palace hotel (Madison and 50th) which means near constant gridlock in that part of town. When we checked, the few rooms left at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square were running $754 per night. Layer on the additional security in the city due to this past weekend’s bombings, and you have a recipe for for some big travel headaches.
In San Francisco, blame the huge Oracle Open World Conference this week, which fills the city and airports to the gills with techies- and everything is overpriced. Both Sting and Gwen Stefani will have private concerts for attendees. Airports (and airfares) will be most crazy on Sunday (start) and Thursday (end). Hotels are mostly full, but what’s left over is overpriced– like the handful of rooms left at the Hilton Financial District going for $600 per night. Also, since so many attendees extend their visits, both weekends will be pretty crazy. And a reservation at a top SF restaurant? Feggedaboudit! And it’s not over yet! The even larger Dreamforce 2016 conference packs the city similarly– It runs Tuesday Oct 4 – Friday Oct 7, and includes a concert by U2!
Gorgeous light in Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Cathedral. A must-see on any trip to Barcelona, even if you’ve seen it before- because it’s always changing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Lufthansa now a part of PreCheck (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
While we were away in August (see post), the biggest travel news story seemed to be Delta’s computer outage, which wreaked havoc on summer travel plans, cost Delta $100 million, and exposed how airlines have wiggled out of previous arrangements to honor each other’s tickets in such cases. What a mess!
Nearly every major hotel chain rolled out new fall promos last month, all of which require registration. We’ve included links to them below.
After plowing through emails and notifications, here are the stories that caught our eye (in no particular order). I’m sure we probably missed a few, so please help us catch up by adding your two cents in the comments! (Next up in our catch-up is a big airline routes update, so stay tuned…)
We have a big new airline routes update coming next. But what did we miss? Please share what you think are the biggest travel news stories over the last month in the comments below!
Take this slick 360 degree tour of United’s Polaris experience- it’s interactive!
United has created a whole new site devoted to its new Polaris Business Class. Although we won’t see it until December, it’s cool to check out what’s coming soon. For example, the video above is actually a 360 degree tour! Take a look by clicking the arrow above
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What’s this all about? Earn $$ for booking package deals? Yep. Click for more info
Do you have the freedom to select your own travel suppliers on business trips – and are you flexible when it comes to your airline and hotel arrangements? Would like like an Amazon or Best Buy gift card with your next travel booking? If so, you’re the target for a new travel booking and rewards company. Find out more about Upside here– sign up for the beta and get $150 gift card!
Learn how to pour a perfect pint at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin (Chris McGinnis)
Don’t miss out on an amazing Delta/Air France / KLM sale to Dublin, Ireland with fares as low as $368 round trip from SFO (seriously!) and around $275 from East Coast cities. These fares won’t last, but they have been live since Friday.
Check out this super cool visualization video of all flights tracked by FlightRadar24 during June
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Deep selection of bourbon & new nibblies at Virgin Clubhouse at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
We took a spin through the recently refurbished Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at SFO this week for a reveal of its new snack menu (from Whitechapel in SF) and a presentation by its talented mixologist Justin who’s been running the exquisite full service bar with his wife for 10 years. TIP: A Virgin spokesperson said that the club should have airside access by next fall (2017). Virgin Atlantic has two flights per day from SFO, the first one, which departs at 5:40 pm is still using the older Airbus A340; the 9:10 pm departure uses its new 787 Dreamliner. By October, both flights will be operated with a Dreamliner. Our advice: Book the 9:10 pm departure and arrive at the Clubhouse early for a few Manhattans or Old Fashioneds, then pour yourself onto the plane for a good night’s sleep! Don’t forget that the club is open to business class ticketholders and both Virgin and Delta Elites with same-day transatlantic nonstop flights to London.
Remember when a US Airways A320 took a dive into the Hudson River? Watch part of that drama unfold here on the official trailer of “Sully” (IMDB) starring Tom Hanks in theaters this September.
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Remember when the posh Ritz in Parisclosed down almost two years ago for a full renovation? Well, it appears that cocktails at the Hemingway Bar should help foot the bill for the redo. TravelSkills reader BD sent us a photo of the drinks menu– each cocktail is 30 euros- about $35. Sante! Rooms this summer start at 1,100 euros or about $1,250.
Cocktail menu from the Ritz Paris hotel’s Hemingway Bar
Here’s the line at SFO’s busy Terminal 3 at 9 am last Tuesday. PreCheck took 3 minutes. Are TSA security delays overhyped? Leave your comments below. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
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This Qantas seat was the most mis-identified on the Business Class Expert Quiz (Chris McGinnis)
Did you take our recent Business Class Quiz? Over 3,200 readers gave it a go and most did very well! Our readers really are business class experts (and they obviously read our famous Trip Reports very closely). Which seat was mid-identified most? It was the Qantas business class seat. Most players thought it was Turkish Airlines’ seat. The seat that nearly everyone got right? United’s BusinessFirst seat. Here’s a breakdown of scores:
TravelSkills readers are business class masters! Check out how well you did!
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On Turkish Airlines, flight attendants offer lemon, orange or raspberry juice as a pre-flight beverage. If you want Champagne, you have to ask for it (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Last week TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis took a quick trip to Greece via Turkish Airlines. Wow! You are not going to believe the inflight service on these flights. Stay tuned for his Trip Report!
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
The New York Times did a nice job covering Delta’s new “innovation lanes” at Atlanta’s south security checkpoint. Based on what we’ve heard from TravelSkills readers, the new lanes are working and lines have been reduced significantly since the lanes opened last week. Have you tried ’em? (They are very similar to lanes we’ve seen at London Heathrow Terminal 5). No word yet on where these newer, fast lanes may turn up next.
Video of the week: Delta’s new innovation lanes open at ATL security checkpoints- see how they work!
The New York Times reports: In the United States, passengers going through airport security usually unload their belongings into bins one at a time, but with the innovation lanes, five fliers can unload their belongings in five different bins at the same time.
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Don’t miss the AJC editorial about the Delta-Fox brouhaha which starts out like this: Atlantans were aghast last week when the body of the beloved Fox Theatre was found in a car trunk, bound and gagged, a single shot to the back of the head.
TravelSkills was invited to a big United Airlines event in NYC in early June which requires signing a non-disclosure agreement to get in the door. Regrettably we can make it due to a prior commitment (flying Turkish Airlines to Istanbul!), but we’ll keep an eye out for the news. Rumor has it that United will reveal a new BusinessFirst seat design at the event. But who knows? What do you think it could be? Leave your prognostications below.
United revealed this new first class seat for its domestic A319, A320 and some 757 aircraft last year. Will a new BusinessFirst seat be revealed next week? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
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Hanging out with the locals on a hot day in Havana (Chris McGinnis)
If you’ve been reading TravelSkills this week, or following me on social media, you know that I’ve been on the first ship allowed to cruise to Cuba from the US in nearly 60 years. TravelSkills staff Jim and Kim have done an excellent job churning out the content and tips while I’ve been down here making history- many thanks to them!
I have not smoked a cigar since the night I graduated from the University of Colorado– I smoked one that made me sick, and the aversion has lasted a lifetime. But I know that there are plenty of readers out there who may treasure a fine smoke from Cuba. Want one? Then read my post Cruising into Cuba: It’s complicated and leave a comment. He or she who leaves the cleverest or most meaningful comment (as judged by me) will win this, a Montecristo Petit Tubo cigar, freshly imported, legally, from Cuba. –Chris
Want one?
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Like many other airlines, Delta is getting rid of these graceful, gas guzzling old birds. (Photo: Delta)
Delta’s 747-400s are so old, the carrier is moving them into museums! Check out how Delta moved this big bird off airport grounds to a final resting place near Atlanta airport where it will soon go on exhibit.
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Hey guess what? TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis is taking off for Cuba this week on the first cruise ship allowed to sail from the US (Miami) to a Cuban port (Havana) in 50 years! It should be an historic event and I’ll try to share snippets of the trip here. However, I’ve been warned about spotty-to-non-existent internet, so it may have to wait until next week. So stay tuned! I’m getting there on a new cruise line called Fathom Travel, which is part of Carnival Corporation. We will call on Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago (see above for our itinerary.) Why is this trip so special for Chris? Well, read about what happened the first time he reported on travel to Cuba on CNN! (Phew!)
Tipping Uber drivers likely to become more common (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
News broke Friday regarding the controversial issue of whether or not to tip Uber drivers— something TravelSkills covered in a post and poll last month. From Bloomberg: “…Uber has agreed to notify customers more clearly that tips are not included in fares and give tacit approval for optional gratuity. Drivers can now solicit cash tips by asking passengers or posting signs in their vehicles…riders should start seeing gratuities as a major part of an Uber driver’s income. In other words, more like a cabbie….With this information, many riders will begin tipping their drivers, which will increase drivers’ pay substantially.” Check out the full story here…and see where TravelSkills was cited!
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
XIAN CONTEST! Thanks to all the eager TravelSkills readers who have submitted entries to our contest for two free United BusinessFirst tickets to Xian, China! We are busy reading thru hundreds of clever entries and look forward to announcing the lucky winner this week! Very exciting! Here’s your last chance to enter.
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The new Hyatt House in Seattle sits in the shadow of the Space Needle. (Image: Hyatt)
Sleep in a discounted Delta flat bed to Europe this summer! (Photo: Delta Air Lines)
Before we get started with this week’s most popular post, let’s take a look at an unusual opportunity. Late last week Delta trotted out some very nice discounts for SkyMiles award travel to Europe– in business class. This is the yet another sign that European bookings have taken a hit this summer. The first was the fare sales we saw from United and SAS this week (our most popular post). And now, this. The discounts start at just 105,000 miles for Delta One (bidness) for roundtrips June 3 to October 29 (with lots of blackout dates). BUT, you must act fast– currently the deals are only good if you book by Thursday, April 21. Here are the details . Even if you don’t have a big stash of SkyMiles, keep in mind that you can convert your American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta miles. Stay tuned to TravelSkills in coming weeks as I think we’ll continue to see some very good deals across the pond this year.
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
Two round trip business class tickets to Asia! Where? Stay tuned (Map image: US Central Intelligence Agency)
The BIG giveaway! Stay tuned to TravelSkills this week for our biggest giveaway EVER. Get this: We have TWO roundtrip business class tickets to give away on a new Asian route from SFO. Any guesses where? The big reveal comes this week. To win them, you’ll have to agree to write up a Trip Report for TravelSkills. Are you game? Stay tuned!
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