landspeednyc

Why don't Arpey and Kellner just have a cage match? (AA vs. CO to China)

Not content to fly ORD-PVG (AA) or EWR-PEK (CO), AA and CO are enlisting the support of the
flying public to support new routes to China.

AA wants to fly DFW-PEK

CO wants to fly EWR to PVG

What everyone really wants: free frequent flyer miles...

With the exception of a mileage-earning credit card, my miles in recent years have come from travel related activity (flights, hotels and related bonuses). However, recently I've been dipping my toe back into other sources for mileage earning. So far, miles from Sprint long distance and NetBank have posted without hassle, and I've really benefitted from the help of Gary Steiger's Free frequent Flyer Miles web site. He lists ways to earn miles from credit cards, commmunications, finance, shopping and more, with the considerations to make and his own cost/benefit analyses of various activities. 

Last call for Continental Privilege Packs

Over the past few years, The Continental Privilege packs have been a good opportunity (IMHO) to earn some CO miles/save some $ on CO travel. According to this post on flyertalk, the current benefits for the deluxe pack are:

Domestic Prestige Pack (USD $135.95)
- 7,500 OnePass Bonus Miles
- $99 Continental Airlines Companion Ticket
- $25/$50/$100 Off Roundtrip Airfare
- Complimentary President's Club Passes (2)
- Presidents Club Initiation Fee Waiver
- Leather document holder and luggage tag
- Complimentary 3-Month Subscription to InsideFlyer
- Caesar Park and Caesar Business Hotels Room Upgrade
- Free Avis Upgrade
- One Car Class Upgrade with Hertz
- 15% off Leisure Weekend Rentals with Hertz
- Earn Triple Miles with Dollar

However, the packs are being discontinued for North American residents, according to the CO Insider:

The Privilege Pack offer will indeed be discontinued for U.S.-based OnePass members. It was just announced internally today[posted 7/5]. If you'd still like to order one, you may do so by calling the OnePass Service Center (713-952-1630). We'll be honoring requests through 15-Aug 2006.

The next candidate for "Euroflation"? Slovenia

I think that' I've seen that economists deny the concept of Euroflation, but consumers don't always buy that. I'm sure it will still be a topic of conversation in Slovenia soon enough:

Slovenia begins euro entry countdown

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Slovenian euro coin production has begun as the EU finance ministers on Tuesday (11 July) gave a final formal go-ahead for the country's entry to the 12-member eurozone as of January 2007. 

The Slovenian central bank must distribute 155 million euro coins and 42 million bank notes by the beginning of the next year.

Cartoon from Metropole Paris

Yo, that dude eating lobster ... wasn't he on the Titanic? (What passes for celebrity gossip in Maine)

From the Press Herald:

Most visitors to the Old Port bring along a camera, a baseball cap and an appetite for lobster.

One visitor this past weekend brought along a Victoria's Secret model.

Star-spotters reported seeing Leonardo DiCaprio, the 31-year-old star of "Titanic" and "The Aviator," in the Old Port all day Saturday, one of the first major celebrity sightings of the summer season.

DiCaprio apparently learned what other high-profile celebrities such as Glenn Close and Bruce Springsteen already know - Maine offers a low-key atmosphere where celebrities can vacation without being bothered.

What's next for Time Out? Manchester, Liverpool, LA, Kiev, Delhi and Barcelona

The Independent has a feature on "Time Lord" Tony Elliott and the history and future of his Time Out empire. Some excerpts:

More than 38 years after he used a £75 21st birthday gift from an aunt to found a magazine named after a Dave Brubeck record, Tony Elliott, the founder of Time Out, has made a discovery that he is especially excited about.

...The discovery is this: that there are other cities here in the United Kingdom with the vibrancy and culture to justify a weekly Time Out magazine of their own. Next February, Elliott plans to launch simultaneously in Manchester and Liverpool.

...his next target is the West Coast. "I believe we can establish a business in Los Angeles and will do it in about 18 months, two years' time. The big question in LA is the relation between online and print. It's very spread out and is maybe a good place for us to explore a slightly different model, with online leading and print being a supplement to online." ...The most recent addition to the portfolio was Time Out Almaty (which, in case you didn't know, is the cultural capital of Kazakhstan). Launches will take place next year in Kiev, Delhi and Barcelona as well as Liverpool and Manchester.

For women travelers- the Thelma and Lousie Club

The Guardian's Flyer covers the Thelma and Lousie Club:

Good news for adventurous solo travellers, writes Travel editor Liane Katz
The Flyer's eye was caught this week by the launch of a new women-only online travelling network, intriguingly named the Thelma and Louise Club or TLC for short. The idea, according to promoters of the site, is for members to find their "ideal travelling buddy" to keep them company on anything from a shopping weekend in Rome to the trip of a lifetime.

Users search for any combination of destination, type of trip, or age band and turf up potential buddies to contact via private email or message boards.

Women travelling on business can also search for other members in the city they are visiting, with whom to share their expense accounts.

...

According to the promoters, the new club is all about "sisterhood and adventure", rather than the tragic ending of Ridley Scott's 1991 film, where the original Thelma and Louise encounter rape, murder and death on their American road trip adventure. Let's just hope that TLC's members have the same idea.

In the meantime, Gridskipper links to Budget Travel's "Girlfriend Getaways" special, including a few featuring current/ex members of the Gawker Media empire.

Who says Americans don't travel well? "U.S. fan forgets hotel location in six-hour ordeal"

From Reuters, via Tripso:

U.S. fan forgets hotel location in six-hour ordeal

BERLIN, June 23 (Reuters) - German police rescued an American soccer fan lost in Hanover and unable to find his hotel again after helplessly wandering around the city for more than six hours after a match, federal police said on Friday.

At least he didn't end up in Hanover (or Manchester), New Hampshire.

The "wrong Manchester" is the new "wrong Sydney"

Remeber a few years ago when a young English couple had their 15 minutes of fame by booking tickets to Sydney, Nova Scotia instead of Australia?

Now, it's an English man's turn:

Man ends up in the wrong Manchester

June 7, 2006

MANCHESTER, N.H. --Before this week, Jim Hourihan of Liverpool, England, had never heard of Manchester, N.H. But thanks to a mix-up, he ended up there this week while trying to fly to another Manchester -- the one on the other side of the Atlantic.

Hourihan boarded a Continental Airlines flight in Los Angeles on Monday, but it wasn't until he got on a connecting flight in Cleveland -- a 50-seat regional jet -- that he realized he was headed to New England instead of jolly old England.

"When I first saw the plane I thought, 'That's not going to Manchester, England,'" Hourihan told WMUR-TV. "And it was then that it dawned on me. There must be two Manchesters."

The article continues on to say that he was flown to MAN for no additional charge, and brings up the issue of MHT's new name (Manchester Boston Regional Airport)- I imagine a lot more people will book to Manchester thinking that they're going to Boston than England, but will be almost as wrong.

Hourihan's review of Manchester?:

Hourihan said he liked Manchester, but felt it could use a few more pubs.

Give your blackberry a vacation

Reuters (via Tripso):

BlackBerry addict? - Hotel offers detox

BlackBerry addicts have a crack at freedom when they check into one Chicago hotel: the manager will put the communications devices and others like them under lock and key for guests who want a break.

Rick Ueno, general manager of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel, said the program which began on Wednesday grew out of his own personal BlackBerry addiction. His one-step recovery was switching to a regular cell phone.