Flight changes are not uncommon when booking months in advance, so I was not surprised when my return flight was now affected. Instead of flying directly to Atlanta, I now have to route through Mexico City.
Old route in red, new route in blue
With the change, and the new perks available (and two regional upgrade certificates coming up on expiration), I figured I would give Delta a call to see if I could apply them to the return. After a few minutes with the representative working on it, they confirmed that upgrade space was available if they changed my first leg (SJD-MEX) from a Delta ticketed flight to an Aeromexico ticketed flight. A few more minutes on hold and I had received my Aeromexico PNR and had selected seats on all the returns.
While there are still a few kinks to work out, the overall integration was very smooth!
Have any of you received complimentary upgrades on Delta partners or applied upgrade certificates on partners? Let me know!
After fourteen years with Verizon (and hundreds of dollars paid unnecessarily on insurance deductibles even though the manufactureradmitted responsibility), I made the jump to T-Mobile’s ONE plan.
First of all, I can’t begin to express the shock my girlfriend and experienced when talking to the T-Mobile reps (on both Twitter and in the store) compared to our interactions with Verizon reps. Not only did they make sure we had everything we needed in the store, they went out of their way to let us know how to get money back on our bills. Even T-Mobile’s CEOgets his hands dirty to help people!
The Phones: Galaxy S8
Orchid Grey!
After a great deal of deliberation, research, and hands-on investigation I went with the Galaxy S8 in Orchid Grey as there was a Buy One Get One Free deal offered by T-Mobile through their partnership with Verizon. Initially, my plan was to go with HTC’s new U11, but after having splurged on a new camera I had to readjust my budgets accordingly, haha. Both the U11 and S8 use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 and both have ridiculously impressive cameras. Having a headphone jack is icing on the cake, though! I’m looking forward to playing with this over the next few weeks.
The Plan: T-Mobile One
In the end, all things (coverage, speediness of communication with representatives, etc.) being equal, the bottom line for a consumer is going to be what they pay for the plan in question. T-Mobile is nice in that you know exactly what you will pay when you walk out of the store, taxes and fees included at all times.
The T-Mobile ONE family of plans is known for offering unlimited text, talk, and data. As with most providers, there is a sliding scale based on how many lines are on the account (the more lines, the lower the per-line price). However, simply configuring auto-pay will reduce your price by $5/line/month. Icing on the cake? You have the option to opt-in for “KickBack” – if you or anyone on your plan uses less than 2GB/month, you get a $10/line/month refund. That means if you have four lines and each line uses less than 2GB, you get $40 back. However, you still don’t get charged more since this is an unlimited plan – purely beneficial! With how much WiFi there is coating public areas these days, that isn’t too hard to do. 😉
More awesome news? You get your same unlimited data (at 4G speeds), talk, and text throughout Canada and Mexico, and 2G speeds in more than 140 countries. Though the speed is markedly lower (~128kbps for the basic ONE plan, ~256kbps for the ONE Plus plan) than 4G, it’s still unlimited and should be plenty for things like email, Google Maps, and Uber/Lyft. My favorite bit, though, is that T-Mobile is now taking over my Netflix bill (standard 10.99 plan only). Here’s a quick comparison for two lines on both T-Mobile’s lowest unlimited tier and Verizon’s lowest unlimited tier. I’ll be reporting back on how coverage and speeds are in Mexico upon my return!
T-Mobile
Verizon
$120/month with auto-pay, including taxes and fees
$130/month with auto-pay, not including taxes and fees
Unlimited text, talk, and 4G data in Canada and Mexico
Requires Beyond Unlimited ($160/month with auto-pay, not including taxes and fees)
Netflix included ($10.99/month value)
$10/line/month refund if you use < 2GB
1 hour of free WiFi on GoGo enabled flights (unlimited if you upgrade to ONE Plus for +$10/line/month)
Unlimited text, talk, and 2G data in 140+ countries
The Swag
While we were waiting on our numbers to be transferred from Verizon, and our initial activation to complete, the local Samsung rep walked in and noticed we were getting new S8s. Not only did we have a wonderful conversation, but he left us with some pretty awesome swag!
Heavy-Duty Tumbler
Not only did we get a really nice tumbler, but a swanky wine set with two vacuum seals!
Since my last post on Norwegian airlines, I’ve received two more emails with some really tempting deals. The first email was for expanded fights to Europe (from larger airports, this time around), while the second was from the East Coast to the French Caribbean.
Now with larger airports!Why be frozen when you can be warm?
Are any of you going to take advantage of these sales? I am sorely tempted!
Just recently, a good friend of mine in San Diego returned from a vacation in Italy and had a very interesting picture to share with me. While at the Bologna airport, he noticed planes being led by a Lamborghini on the tarmac.
“Follow me!” Photo Credit: ‘LSR’
Apparently this is a commonoccurrence because of Lamborghini’s relationship with the region and the city of Bologna in particular. I think I’m going to have to move Italy a little higher on my bucket list, now!
Even though there is reason to be worried about flying (Ultra) Low Cost Carriers like Ryan Air and Monarch, particularly with the news of late, there isn’t reason to rule them out altogether. Norwegian is running quite a nice deal for those living on the East Coast who are looking to get to Europe. This flash sale is only open through tonight (Oct 2, 2017) just before midnight (23:59). Flights start at $99 per person, each way, and though the airports you fly from aren’t the bigger ones (Boston/Providence versus Boston Logan, and New York/Newburgh, for example), you can see some pretty amazing cities.
Sample Norwegian Fares from the Email
Though a low cost carrier (technically), Norwegian has a very young fleet including many Dreamliners and 737 MAXes with orders for A321LRes placed. Though the 737s flown by Norwegian don’t have premium seats (akin to Southwest), the Dreamliners do have premium seats with additional recline.
For a full breakdown of Norwegian’s fare-structure, head over to their website. One thing to keep in mind is that while the fares show that you can only have one carry on item, you are still permitted one personal item. The combined weight limit varies based on your fare, though.
The simplest part of all of this is the frequent flier program: NorwegianReward. At its essence, it is a cash-back program which makes it very easy to understand. You, naturally, earn more when you book flexible fares versus more restrictive fares, and you have the option of earning points through other avenues as well (hotels, rental cars, even Groupon).
Though it’s unlikely I’ll be taking advantage of the sale this time around, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future offers!
It seems there will be a change with the way the MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollar) waiver will be factored in for the 2019 Medallion year. Instead of needing the $25,000 spend on your Delta-branded American Express card, you will now need $250,000. As most of my MQD are accrued by flight purchases thanks to work I am not too worried, but this is a pretty big jump in qualification criteria from past years.
The MQD Email
I’m kind of curious to see if/how other airlines update their policies in kind.
It’s not news that I have a bit of a problem when it comes to technology… I really like my toys! I even like reading about toys I have no intention of buying (curse you, responsibilities!), just to geek out over the underlying hardware.
After playing with my girlfriend’s Canon DSLR, I was quite impressed with what you can do with a real camera instead of just a phone (as convenient as it is). This, in turn, launched me into an investigation of Mirrorless and MFT (Micro Four Thirds) cameras that I could use while traveling. While comparing the different form factors, I was able to learn quite a bit about camera sensors and crop factors, angle of view, and exposure bracketing.
The Winner: Fuji X-E2
The FujiFilm X-E2!
After a great deal of deliberation and reading reviews on usability (digging through menus versus dials, extensive documentation, etc.), lens support (3rd party, and so on), and the underlying hardware, I settled on the Fuji X-E2. Using Amazon Smile, I found a used body and 18-55mm lens for only $580. As I was flying through JFK, I had a hard time saying no to seeing the SkyDeck. 😀
Sky Deck at JFK Terminal 4 Sky Club
All the images below are straight JPEG captures from my camera. While the RAW images were nice, I was so impressed with the JPEG that I didn’t feel it necessary to do any real post-processing. If you are curious, here is an HDR image of the Sky Deck created using exposure bracketing (+/-1EV).
HDR created through Corel AfterShot Pro
Delta CRJ900 at RDU
Delta MD88 landing at RDU
Widebodies at JFK! From left to right… – China Eastern B773ER https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/b-7349 – Lufthansa A380 – Air China B748 – Alitalia -772 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/ei-ddh
More widebodies from JFK… – Austrian B763ER https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/oe-lay – Lufthansa A346 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/d-aihc – (Couldn’t get a good view of the Air France in the back)
And yet more widebodies at JFK… – Delta B764ER https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n836mh – Virgin Atlantic A333 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-vgbr – Delta A333 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n806nw
Air India B773ER https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/vt-alp
Ethiad A388
Ethiad A388
Virgin Atlantic B789 + Thomas Cook A330
Delta B764
Here is what a similar post processed (exposure bracketed +/-1EV) HDR image of the Delta B764 looks like, if you are curious.
HDR created through Corel AfterShot Pro
Overall I am thoroughly pleased with what this camera can do, and I already have a few lens purchases planned for next year.
Fuji XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 – Fuji’s “light” telephoto (the XF weighs ~580g instead of the XC’s 375g, and since I’ll be traveling with it the weight is important)
The Runner-Up: Sony α6000
Sony α6000
While digging through all the reviews and various photoblogs, I came across a lot of high praise for Sony’s alpha line of mirrorless cameras. The α5100 and α6000 had quite a few fans scattered throughout the internet, and the continuous shooting (11fps on the α6000!) and impressive Hybrid (Phase Detection + Contrast) Auto-Focus certainly do impress. The α5100 wasn’t really an option for me since being force to use only an LCD is fairly limiting when you are outside in the sun (as with day-time shots at airports). The Electronic View Finder (EVF) on the α6000 is a much bigger selling point to me than the continuous shooting speed improvement, if I had to pick between the two.
What I found interesting was that the Hybrid Auto Focus has iffy success with the E-mount lenses (even though they are officially supported with one another). The other big problems with the α6000 come down to the lack of in-depth documentation on the various settings (which Fuji has a-plenty, thankfully), and the more “point and shoot” nature of the dials. All of that said, the same things that fall into the “cons” column for me might be seen as “pros” for other users. I can see this as an excellent transition camera, but it lacked the control that Fuji exposes in a more user-friendly manner. I’ve included a few lens recommendations if you’re interested. Give it a gander!
Winning the Wirecutter “best mid-range mirrorless” title, Olympus’s E-M10 Mk2 is an impressive piece of technology. The main reasons for this are the fact that it is an MFT (or m43, or μ43, etc.) camera, so it has access to over 70 (relatively speaking) inexpensive lenses and has 5-axis In Body Image Stabilization. There are quite a few features that would be nice for folks interested in video capture and time-lapse (4k time-lapse capture, 60p video capture, and quite a few other perks were introduced). In the end, though, the sensor size is simply too small for what I would like to do, so I opted for the larger APS-C model by Fuji. As with the Sony, above, I’ve listed a few lens recommendations below. One thing to note is that since this camera has stabilization within the body itself, be sure to turn it (or the lens stabilization) off if you use a lens that also has image stabilization. This is most common with Panasonic lenses as they have image stabilization which the bodies lack. If using an Olympus lens with an Olympus body, the camera does all the work for you.
