We had a long layover in LAX so went up to the lounge and they handled it there.
I’m confused. If you bought them with UA miles, then those UA miles just go back into your UA account. Did you use some other type of CC miles/points?
I assume @dietz199 booked her tickets via her bank’s travel portal with credit card points (e.g. Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou points). From the perspective of the airline, it’s the same as if she had paid her tickets with cash.
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With respect to lounges, in my brief three months of pre-Omicron travel, some lounges would have been horrific spreading devices. No windows. No one without masks. No obvious circulation. [IIRC, the AA lounge in Charlotte].
Big high ceiling places in the terminal often seemed better. DEN is an example.
Much better. BA Concorde Lounge at JFK and BA First Lounge at LHR.
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That’s what I was trying to clarify. That makes more sense.
The thing about the wristbands - when I went to Maui in Sept, we arrived super early at the airport (we do anyway, we do not like the added stress and pressure of time ticking as we go through security, etc.) and went directly to the gate, showed our QR code (which they scanned) and rec’d our wristbands. However, as time went on, many pax showed up, unaware they needed to upload docs, unaware of wristbands, etc., and the line got long and bogged down. About 40 minutes to boarding Hawaiian stopped pre-check and about 80 pax who were in line missed out. The Hawaiian employee had to explain to them that it is not a requirement that an airline pre-check pax, that they do it as a “courtesy” and they start the morning (or pre-flight) with x number of wristbands and when they’re out, they’re out. So leave yourself plenty of time to get those wristbands, and know where they are - they might be at the check in counter where you drop luggage, they might be at the gate, they might even be in a different area altogether. There’s a FB group you can join “Maui Covid Travel Testing” that is moderated by airline employees in Maui (but most of the info applies to all the islands) - many of us will share where at which airport you can find the wristband, and what the process was like - we’re heading out in a few weeks for our second trip to the islands, and I will say, it’s a lot less stressful the second time. One last thought - if you’re renting a car and/or going to a hotel, keep your wristband on until you’re settled in. Many want to see that you’re cleared through the airport.
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Thanks for the reminder! I have a large amount of credit card points to redeem.
Used Chase Sapphire Reserve points. When purchasing thru the Chase Travel site, each point is valued at 1.5 for their partners.
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Going to try and PM you. They are asking me info for your reservation.
Got it. I’m familiar with Chase Ultimate Rewards and have almost 900K of them. For me the best use of them is transferring to Hyatt and SW (because of having the companion pass). Although I did buy first class tickets for a trip to Europe in 2020 with URs (1.5x point redemption with the Reserve card)…which was canceled by the airlines due to the pandemic, so I got the UR points back.
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If this happens on our flight to USVI it’s going to be really difficult keeping my cool with that passenger… I wonder if one can file a lawsuit against the passenger for purposely disrupting the flight and getting it canceled. I’d be checking.
Kudos to AA though. I’m sure the idiot thought, “what are they going to do, turn the plane around?” If they don’t enforce things, idiots will get away with it and more will do it.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/american-airlines-flight-turns-around-mask-dispute/index.html
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I had to laugh… my family says ‘if the flight is t 8:00 a.m. mom will have us at the airport by 4 a.m.’
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This is so me though my parents are worse. For our european trips together they get us to the airport 5 hours before boarding. Of course we are a 5 hour drive from the airport, so we are paranoid about something going wrong.
On a normal flight I still get us there early. The maximum time they recommend means that is the time I am already parked and walking up to the counter to check my bag…
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I have been passionate about travel all my life. But so far, unfortunately, I haven’t been to much. First because of school, and then because of the pandemic.
I really hope that the situation will stabilize in the near future, and not in certain parts of the Earth, but in all countries.
i will do ALL those things, but then I accept the risk. I don’t mind when people make the decision to travel (to eat in restaurants, to go to indoor events) but then they can’t complain about others and their not wearing their masks correct, of not keeping a 6 foot distance, etc. There are going to be people who don’t/won’t/can’t, and you have to accept that going into the trip.
We have a big stock show here every year (except last year). The buildings are big, not heated, with animals, vendors, show arenas, etc. They announced that masks were required indoors, but then said they wouldn’t be enforcing it. Oh, the letters to the editor about people not following the rules! They SAID they weren’t going to enforce it, so what did those visitors expect? (We are in an area where most of the counties have a mask rule for indoor venues, but there is no state rule).
So travel but expect that everyone will not have the same standards that you do at home.
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Sure they can, esp when it is a rule and should be enforced.
In your case with the farm show since they announced they wouldn’t be enforcing it, then attender beware, but in other places, esp when they say they are enforcing things - absolutely one can complain when they don’t. We did not attend our farm show (in PA) this year because they announced ahead of time that if people were concerned about Covid they shouldn’t come. We’re concerned - esp with a trip coming up - and didn’t go. No complaints.
One of the most irksome things on our train trip this past August was all the announcements (on board) about needing to wear a mask properly and so little enforcement of it in reality (in most places).
Saying one thing and doing another is absolutely something that can be complained about. Saying one thing and doing it is a different issue.
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FWIW, I complain about drunk and distracted drivers too. Both could kill me or those I love.
It doesn’t stop me from traveling, but I definitely complain.
I do adjust times that we’ll travel occasionally, esp avoiding times when bars close.
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Heard on ABC’s television news that the passenger on the Miami flight was first class. I sure hope they’ve barred that person from flying on AA and other airlines take note. Sounds like it was a person who felt they were above the restrictions on any minions. I imagine it had to have been bad for the pilot to decide to turn the flight around.
I’m glad we’re flying AA soon. SW is usually my first choice, but they don’t go to USVI so we went with “next best.” In the future I’m far more inclined to choose AA if they’re heading my way.
Incidentally, I also heard on our local news that the PA Farm Show’s parking proceeds were down 40% from 2020. Their lack of enforcing the mask policy didn’t bring back the crowds. (Parking is their only way of keeping track of attendance.)
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If you have a choice of flights in the next week or two then I would pick mainline aircraft (737, A320 etc) and avoid regional jets until the FAA’s incompetence has been resolved: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/business/faa-5g-airliner-approvals/index.html
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She’s from Miami and AA operates 2/3 of all flights out of MIA. She isn’t going to too many places even if she isn’t blacklisted by the other airlines.
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