Starwood Preferred Guest’s quarterly promotion (“More for You”) has become active. You have to register before November 30th, and you will earn extra points for stays between September 12th and December 18th.
You can find a list of participating properties on the promotion website, as well as the FAQ.
More for You
Earning is straightforward: you get a multiplier based on the length of your stay and if it crosses into the weekend. One catch is that Sunday nights do not count as weekend nights; only Friday and Saturday nights will cause a 3x multiplier to be applied.
This weekend, I had the opportunity to fly on Delta’s new A321 from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, and being the AvGeek that I am, I took advantage of it! (My first A321 experience, no less; doubly exciting!)
I was already flying to Boston with my girlfriend, so for my return, I routed through Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale before returning to Raleigh (yay segments!). The full route can be seen below. Thanks to my status with Delta, I was confirmed for First Class for all five flights. 😀
Conveniently labeled!Longest member of the narrow-body A3xx familyOne of the CFM56-5B powering the A321
Airbus does have plans for both “neo” (New Engine Operation) and “LR” (Long Range) variants. The A321neo had its first flight in February of this year, but the long range variant will not be delivered until 2019. This variant will allow ranges of up to 4,000 nautical miles, however.
Interior
Delta was focused on customer comfort with the A321 interior, and it shows. More images are available from Delta’s website with information on the new storage option from Airbus. My favorite feature? Working air vents. It is a pet-peeve of mine from Delta’s 737-900ER (and some of their refit 757s), so I was excited to have actual airflow! It’s particularly important in the South, where it gets well above 90°F in the Summer.
Roomy!None of that low-flow nonsense!110V Plugs and 5V USB
With 5 rows of First Class and another 5 rows of Comfort+ seating, there is a fair amount of space available. First Class seats are 21 inches wide while others are 18 inches. There is a 3 inch difference between each of the three classes: 30-31 for Economy, 34 for Comfort+, and 37 for First.
The in-flight-entertainment console was surprisingly intelligent, which was a pleasant surprise. I was able to skip through a movie by dragging my finger across (instead of fighting with fast-forward and rewind), and was able to pinch-to-zoom on the map!
IFE Greeting
Auto-rotate optionPinch to zoom!
Overall, this plane excels in all the areas a flyer would look for, offering a quiet and quick ride to your destination. I look forward to the A321 being introduced to other routes!
Fort Lauderdale
When I stopped by the SkyClub at Fort Lauderdale, I knew my flight to Detroit was delayed — Delta both emailed and texted me with this. However, the agent checking me in noted this and rebooked me on an earlier option so that I would be sure to make my connecting flight from Detroit to Raleigh. Additionally, she asked for descriptions of my checked luggage and made sure all three pieces would be transferred to my new flight. She really went above and beyond, there — though I’ve been rebooked like this before, I’ve never had an agent make sure my luggage was moved over. This degree of customer care is why I stay loyal to Delta.
AirCanada Rouge A321
Though this post is about Delta, as I got situated on my flight from Fort Lauderdale to Detroit, I noticed we were docked next to another A321! This one operated by AirCanada’s Rouge service.
AirCanada Rouge A321!Sans glare.Close-up of the Rouge A321
A few days ago, I posted about my upcoming vacation plan to San Diego. Since then, I went ahead and booked the flights and hotel.
The Flight
I followed through my plan to maximize my segments by flying through Dallas-Fort Worth, allowing me to snag 8 segments on a single trip. Though it requires some early morning flights, it does allow for visiting the Centurion Lounge at the airport, which will make the whole process a more pleasant experience.
Because of the hotel’s location, it seemed an excellent choice for a base of operations to explore what San Diego had to offer – SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, downtown, and more.
For the A350-900 XWB (eXtra Wide Body) aircraft, Cathay Pacific reached out to Tangerine, a design firm from London. They focused on the economy cabin primarily as the bulk of the seats (more than 75% of the seats on the A350-900) fall into this category and worked from there. In addition to blending Hong Kong’s history into the cabin design, Tangerine, came up with an extremely versatile six-way headrest.
Image from Tangerine.netImage from Tangerine.netImage from Tangerine.net
As someone who spends a lot of time on planes, this has me understandably excited. Being able to remain comfortable on long flights is invaluable, and Tangerine designed a seat that does just that. In addition to keeping the head and neck positioned properly, there is a fold-down tray to hold a tablet as well as your drink. The images above are from Tangerine’s website.
I hope something similar to this is incorporated across the board. By setting a high standard for the economy Tangerine ensures comfort for all the passengers of Cathay Pacific’s A350 fleet. Again: something I hope more airlines get into the habit of!
I just read about Christine Krzyszton‘s experience with Delta’s Comfort+ upgrade. Delta’s IT has a history of providing an interesting user-experience (both on the ground and while flying), and it isn’t completely clear if what Christine experienced is in that vein or a covert effort to sell more seats.
The way it is currently working, once you receive your Comfort+ upgrade (as the result of a mid-travel flight change), you will be removed from the First Class upgrade list. The good news is, you can call Delta and be re-added. How many individuals would know that they weren’t on the upgrade list for this reason, or know to call Delta to get re-added?
Keep an eye on your flights! Has this happened to any of you?
There are quite a few flight deals available right now – both for domestic and international travel. I’ve listed some of the big ones out below – keep in mind that some of these sales expire quickly!
Delta, American Airlines, and United Airlines all have excellent deals from various US airports to Europe. If you have any flights coming up on one of these airlines, it would definitely be a good idea to check out if you can get a lower price.
Virgin Atlantic is offering a 30% discount for Economy and Premium Economy tickets! This makes for affordable flights, though be warned that these award tickets do come with some hefty fuel surcharges (in the £200 range for Economy, and £400 for Premium Economy).
Finally, American Express has released some new offers, one of which is a $200 discount on Delta purchases of $1000 or more! Remember that you can open a new tab for each AmEx card you have, allowing you to get the same offer multiple times – one of my favorite tricks.
Confession time – until this weekend, I had actually never been to a Ren Faire. Upon learning that it would be available, it was decided that we would be attending (after some needed recovery from the travel, of course) and rectifying this! This particular faire actually lasts for multiple weeks, with different events each week.
It’s TIME!St. George vs. the Dragon!Carrie the princess!Carrie and I with my new mug
We took our time exploring the wares and outfits, admiring the craftsmanship of many of the items for sale. One of the merchants, Dwarf Mountain Knives had made some beautiful knives, and both my girlfriend and I saw one that we felt was perfect. It was very reasonably priced for a hand-worked blade, and felt well balanced (and solid!) in my hand.
My new knife
We also came across a craftsman (Clay Images) who made quite a few incense burners and water fountains in the shape of adorable dragons. Unfortunately, I neglected to capture pictures of these creations, but I foresee one entering our house in the future…
Feeling a little peckish, I opted for traditional Faire fare: a turkey leg. Served hot, it really hit the spot!
De-freaking-licious!
Prior to leaving, we made our way to the puzzle-ring stand, and noted that they also sold pendants. I fell in love with one with Odin’s runes on both sides and purchased that as well.
Odin’s PendantThe back of Odin’s PendantInformation on Odin’s PendantMore on Odin’s Pendant
Dinner at Jack Stack
For those not familiar with Kansas City BBQ (admittedly, I was not familiar with it by name, but was in the underlying methodology), it involves a slow cooking process where the sauce is involved at multiple steps. This is different from Carolina or Texas BBQ, where sauces are added at different stages, or rubs prior to cooking, and so on. Jack Stack BBQ is one of the highest rated BBQ establishments of this style in the area, so we knew we had to pay them a visit.
We started the evening with fried mushrooms, onion rings, and burnt-ends (of ham and sausage, in this case) before ordering our entrees.
The tower of onionsMore mushrooms!
I opted for a sirloin with Parmesan broccoli with hickory smoked pit beans (with brisket!), with others ordering various combinations (lamb ribs and beef burnt ends… brisket and baby-back ribs… and more!), and salmon. The pit beans were a favorite all around – I can see why they are as popular as they are with regulars!
Sirloin with Pit Beans10oz of Salmon? Nom!Closeup of the potatoBrisket and Pit Beans!Burnt Ends and Pit BeansBeef Burnt Ends, Lamb Ribs, and PotatoVeggie Skewer
