Herb Caen, the columnist whose column in the Comicle was a rite of passage, would have celebrated his 100th birthday today (April 3). His column was a rite of passage because if you could get the puns and understand the players he wrote about, you graduated to the grownup table from the kid’s table. Herb was known for his witticisms that could convey so much with a few specially selected words, for being the man about town and for his martini made of Vitamin V. But he was known most for his enduring love of the City of San Francisco and it’s kookieness, especially during it’s golden age during the 40s and 50s. Reading his Sunday column was practically a history lesson when he would look back at what The City once was before. And you understood today by reading about yesterday.
B is for Brothership
So I’ve been a bit slow to jump on board with the whole K-drama thing. My life has enough drama without having to add more in Hangul, no less! It’s one thing to have drama; it’s another when you’re having drama and you don’t understand it! However, I can get into Korean standup. Funny stuff and subtitled! Here’s a skit that addresses how men are put down upon in “modern” society and how to deal with it. Or maybe just to make better girlfriend choices. The second couple in the skit are (according to the internet) a real-life couple. Yikes.
A is for Alaska…
Alaska Airlines, that is! They’re in the news because they’re looking to buy out the airline of hipsters, Virgin America. Don’t know how mood lighting and a Banana Republic clad cabin crew will work out with the more prim and corporate Alaska Airlines. It’s unfortunate because Virgin America was truly an option out of SFO. If you needed to fly to JFK or LAS, you weren’t stuck on the bus (Southworst) or on the sucky legacy airlines.
Like they say, nothing’s worse (for the passenger) than good economic times for airlines.
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Blogging Challenge AtoZ
So to get the creative juices flowing again, I’m going to try the A to Z challenge in April. Basically, you write a post each day (except Sunday) that corresponds to a letter in the alphabet in numerical/alphabetical order. So on the 1st, it’s “A” and so forth. I saw this challenge on Dimsumdolly’s blog and decided I would try it too. So let’s see how far I can get.
The Party’s Over (on AA)
Well, the lemmings have followed each other off a cliff. AA has pulled a “United” by devaluing their award chart and later this year, accrual of Redeemable Miles. What AA has NOT done is to institute a spend requirement for status, like UA and Delta have done. Mixed blessings, huh?
I’ve been Executive Platinum for two years. And despite having to fly to LAX to go anywhere in Asia on AA metal, my upgrades clear (without having to book W class fares) and as one of my friends says, experiencing flight crews that don’t hate their passengers. Still, this devaluation has got me thinking about alternatives based on my travel patterns. Maybe KrisFlyer?
Lounge
It’s hard to go from the JL first lounge to economy class on the airplane. The lounge has real food, real booze and the infamous curry rice. A lot of yum there. Compare that to the mystery food in economy. Result? Eat dinner in the lounge.
iPhone test
I’m testing out the iOS app for word press. So far it looks like it works. So let me show you a picture of something really neat.
Trade In
A few posts back, I wrote about Apple starting a trade in program for older iPhones. Well, I was able to trade in my unlocked 4 for $100 store credit which went to my unlocked 6S. If the 4 I was trading in was SIM locked, it would have been worth only $50!.
Blitzkrieg 2014
1-7 Amazing. If soccer was this exciting all the time, I’d consider being a fan…
The Party’s Over (on UA)
So the other shoe had dropped. As predicted (because Delta Airlines did it), UA Mileage Plus will become a revenue-based mileage program.
Here’s a link comparing the two programs.
Long story short, the more expensive the ticket and shorter the distance, the better it is. Which means that if you plan to fly SFO-HKG, you will get less miles under the new scheme than under the current miles based program.
For example, let’s look at a $1100 ticket to Hong Kong. If you buy and fly under the current program, It’s 13,800 miles round trip. Double that amount because of elite status, and it’s a total of 27,600 RDM.
Now, under the new scheme, an $1100 ticket purchased by a 1K will get you a whopping 12,100 miles. For the same ticket. What a rip off! And if you’re lower status than a 1K, you get even less miles for your flight.
By imposing this new scheme, the concept of Mileage Runs (most miles for lowest price) is dead. And as a result, the last reason for travelers (who spend their own money on tickets) to remain with UA is gone.
Thanks Jeff! That’s a change that we (AA) will all like!
