Year: 2012

Ten Tips for Frequent Flying in 2013, Part 1

Now comes the most depressing time of the year – when all your EQM totals roll back to zero!  So toast a glass to all the miles and points you accumulated during 2012 and get ready to do the ritual all over again.  To help you out, I have compiled a list of my top ten tips for achieving the status that you desire (or have thrust upon you if you are forced to travel the miles like I do).   These go in to some detail so I will list five now and the remaining five next week.  Feel free to ask for more details as I really could write a page on each one of these subjects. 1.  Plan your year.  Don’t be one of the many who are scrambling next December because they just realized that they need 2,500 miles to make Unobtainium Level on their favorite airline.  Make a simple spreadsheet which lists all your known or probable trips by month.  If you fly on multiple alliances, total them in…

That Was the Year That Was…

How was the year 2012 for you?  It worked out well for me as my daughter graduated from Johns-Hopkins, I assumed Brigade Command and published an article in Parameters, the Army War College  Journal, and my readership increased from two to three (jk).  Perhaps more to the point of this blog, I acheived my goals for frequent flying this year.  Here is how I did this year: United (Mileage Plus) – Goal: 100,000 miles, Actual: 134,292 EQM Alaska (Mileage Plan) – Goal: 50,000 miles, Actual: 51,822 EQM (over half were on AA or DL) So I requalified for 1K on United and reaped 6 GPUs(International Upgrades) and 6 RPUs (Domestic Upgrades). On Alaska, I requalified for MVP Gold which gives me a good chance…

Space A Travel Made Simple

Well as simple as anything in the military is…  As long as you know the rules, you can profit from them, but if you are not aware of them, you will certainly be disappointed in the results. You may think it is sacreligious for a frequent flyer to advocate using Space A travel, but it does have its uses – such as being almost free to use.  It is a great service to use if you are young and don’t have much money or you are retired and have more time than money.  I remember using it on my honeymoon to travel all over Europe.  We flew from Travis AFB (I was stationed at Ft. Ord at the time) taking two days to finally reach Frankfurt. we spent a few days each at Frankfurt, Naples, and Mildenhall using them as bases to take day trips to various adventures along the Rhine or to Pompei.  We did run intl the main problem when you take Space A.  That being that we ended up only able to…

Beginning of the Year Mileage Runs, Part 2

Last post I talked about finding and flying the dreaded end of year mileage runs.  These tend to be stressful as you are worried about not making status, there is little time along with everything else for the holidays, etc.  On the otehr hand are mileage runs done at the beginning of the year.  These…

‘Tis the Season for End/ Beginning of the Year Mileage Runs

There is an old Army saying that “If you find yourself in a fair fight, you’ve made a tactical error somewhere”.  I take this same philosophy towards maintaining my status as a 1K on United and a MVP Gold on Alaska for the last seven years running.  I carefully plan my year’s flights out and…

Veterans Advantage Card Savings to Date and a New Benefit

If you have been following my blog, you know that last spring I got the Veterans Advantage Card and I thought it worth a little update to see how my savings are going so far.  The card gives discounts on a wide range of items, including pharmaceuticals, Ford cars, Footlocker, etc. and best of all a %5 discount on all United tickets.  They just announced a new benefit of 10% off everything at CVS/ pharmacy (except ironically prescriptions – but they have a separate prescription benefit).  This CVS discount is great since it is above and beyond any normal veterans benefit that you could get with out the card. So how am I doing so far this year?  I have saved: $210 on United tickets for myself and my family members. $48 on car rentals through Thrifty and Dollar $ 350 on a Ford SUV ( this discount is new this year and came out only two weeks before I needed to buy a car for my graduating daughter) Total:  $608.00 …

NYC Veterans Week – Guest Post from Rapid Travel Chai

New York City Veterans Week is two weeks of activities and discounts running November 1-14. Kickoff Week November 1-6 includes events from a career fair to tours to school visits. Veterans Week November 7-14 continues with even more events highlighted by the Veterans Day parade on Sunday, November 11. Some events are invitation only and some require advance reservations or ticket purchase, so plan ahead. Veterans Advantage is offering a free VetRewards event cards valid for November: The Veterans Advantage Card Benefits Program has been created to provide greater respect, recognition, & rewards for all those who serve our country’s military and their families: U.S. Veterans Active Duty military National Guard & Reservists All branches, all periods of service Next of kin: Fathers, mothers, sons or daughters. The discounts range from travel to retail in New York in addition to regular…

Get a Room with a View of a Volcano for only $65/night

I am not one to blog every special deal that comes along, but I couldn’t resist letting everyone know about this one.  The Hale Koa runs the Kilauea Military Camp on the island of Hawaii and is located in Volcanos National Park.  They are running a special to roll back their price to the ’90’s price for the entire month of November.  A one-bedroom place is going for only $65/ night.  Can’t beat that with a stick!  Here is the ad. Have fun to those that go and be warned that it will be chilly (for Hawaii) up there.

TSA Expands Military Participation in Pre-Check

Yesterday, I took a common flight for me IAD-HNL.  Going through IAD and going towards the Premium Passenger security line, the guy standing saw my military ID and said I was in the wrong place and should go through the TSA Pre-Check line.  He told me that two months ago DoD signed all active duty up to use any TSA Pre-Check line not just the three for the test roll out.  I know he said active duty, but I think the real deal is anyone with a CAC card including the Reserve and National Guard.  I proceeded back up the escalator and another guy guided me to the TSA Pre-Check line in the middle of the terminal.  It was just me and one other guy, so I am not ssure that the Government is getting their money’s worth out of this.  I am finally getting used to the new rules for Pre-Check which are really the old rules prior to 9/11. …