The Upgrd Podcast

Upgrd 94: Captain Denny

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:09:41 +0000

In this frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Captain Denny to discuss customer service, the Captain Jason Dahl scholarship and frequent flyer news.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants only and do not reflect the views of their employers.

Upgrd 93: Airline Predictions 2012

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Our frequent flyers review our airline predictions from last year and prognosticate on upcoming airline and hotel promotions and changes in 2012. Although our crystal balls were somewhat clouded in 2011 a little bit of glass cleaner helped clarify everything for this year. ;)

Upgrd 92: Adiós SpanAir

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Join our frequent flyers as we discuss the closure of SpanAir, the bankruptcy proceedings of American Airlines, and recent hotel and airline promotions including:

Delta may make run at US Airways
US Airways evaluates merger with AA
The end of SpanAir
American Airlines restores free wine and beer in international economy
New Hilton Benefits
New Hyatt Promo Earn up to 44,000 points (enough for two free nights)
Starwood Platinum Benefit Changes Starting March 1
- Gold welcome gift choice of extra starpoints or wifi or complimentary beverage
- Platinum: bonus star points, continental breakfast, or "local amenities" (soft toy, small bottle of liquor, bottle of wine, mineral water, fruit basket, etc)
- After 50 nights receive 10 suite upgrades
- After 75 nights earn four points per dollar instead of three and Your24 benefit
AA Double EQM for CA/IL/TX residents between SFO/LAX and DFW/ORD still running through March 31st.

Upgrd 91: Airline Mileage Devaluation

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 03:19:48 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer travel podcast we discuss the recent airline news and changes many airline mileage programs including:

US Airways 100% mile bonus is back
United and Continental get single operating certicate
Delta selling MQM
British Airways miles devaluation
More fuel surcharges for Aeroplan
US Airways raises price on purchased miles again
Ben summarized the devaluation of American Express rewards points
As an alternative mileage card the Ink Bold and Chase Sapphire Preferred are good options instead of American Express

Upgrd 90: End of Year Mileage Planning

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

In this frequent flyer podcast we discuss Matthew's secret connecting city, some special offers, and then answer listeners questions. Topics include:

Sale on Delta Club Passes and United Club Passes
Hilton's reward booking "problem"
Damian's upcoming business class mileage run
Listener questions on mileage running, segment qualification and more

Upgrd 89: Method to the Madness

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:42:29 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast, we are joined by Nicholas Kralev to discuss his new book Decoding Air Travel. We discuss how you can construct your own airfare by looking at the airline tariffs and inventory buckets and why you should be loyal to one airline alliance to maximize your benefits. In addition we cover some current promotions:

40% discount on Lufthansa business class upgrades
US Airways 100% bonus on purchased miles is back

Do you have any tips for finding the lowest airfare? Let us know in the comments below.

Upgrd 88: Credit Card Churning

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:10:13 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Rick, frugal travel guy, to discuss churning credit cards for the most frequent flyer and hotel points. Listen as we discuss:

How you can apply for up multiple credit cards at once and apply again several times per year to get the most miles.
Why you should check your credit score against multiple agencies
Learning which credit agencies pull your score through other sites like creditboards.com (see their credit pulls database once you are a member) or Rick's Flyertalk thread that is a mini database of credit card pulls.
A FICO credit score above 700 is recommended for credit card churning
A VantageScore of at least 800 (B or good)
Keep track of your promotions with copies of your application, promotion details, and first card charges (if required to fulfill the promo)
Don't cancel your card until it's going to cost you money. If it doesn't cost you anything, hang on to the credit card until they ask for an annual fee
A denial does not hurt your score, its only the inquiry. The inquiry usually drops your credit score by 2 to 5 points. Obviously if you apply to several and you are not getting approve, then you shouldn't be applying
Keep your scores in the good to very good range

Got any credit card churning tips? Let us know in the comments below.

Upgrd 87: Social Flights

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:24:39 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Allen of Corporate Flight Management to discuss their new program socialflights.com. On social flights, individuals can group together to secure a corporate jet to fly to the same city. Groups are formed for special events (sporting event, shopping etc) and contract together to use the plane bypassing all the headaches of commercial flying.

More interestingly is the ability to fly on an empty leg (when they are repositioning the corporate jet). Starting at $150 you can fly on corporate jet between a large number of cities. Sounds like a good reason to mileage run!

Upgrd 86: Springtime Travel

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Tue, 24 May 2011 23:22:35 +0000

In this episode of our frequent flyer podcast we welcome Seth from The Wandering Aramean blog to discuss:

A recap of the Frequent Traveler Awards and Luncheon
Lufthansa A380 SFO inaugural
Starwood SPG new promo
AAdavantage 30th Promotions
- Save 30% on new AAdmirals club membership
- Enter to win a trip around the world
United's new boarding procedure
Damian: Asiana First from ICN to FRA, LH first class terminal and his Cruise in Asia
Changes to AA million miler program
Aeroplan award changes
Award ticket fee changes on UA
Transfer Amex to CO?

Where does your springtime travel take you? Let us know in the comments below.

Upgrd 85: Our Travels

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:05:17 +0000

In this episode of our frequent flyer podcast we discuss some recent trips and airline news including:

Captain Denny flight with a number of travelers from Flyertalk
Behind the scenes tour at SFO before the flight
The upcoming frequent traveler awards and frequent traveler University
Matthew's visit to the Aircraft Interiors Expo
100,000 mile BA card is back
Cuddle class more like Claustrophobic class?

Upgrd 84: So Much News

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:33:35 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer travel podcast we catch up on the current mileage redemption, elite status, and airline industry news. We discuss:

Free Star Alliance Silver Status (offer now dead) - what did that get you?
Matthew's newest mileage run
Delta SkyClub video during earthquake
United E-Certs now valid on Continental flights
2011 Hyatt Promotion
Transfer miles and status between United and Continental
Continental eliminates free snacks
Lifetime Red Carpet Club Membership - worth it?
Captain Denny flight March 26
Milepoint
Frequent Traveler Awards voting now open

We'd love your feedback and comments on the above. What mileage runs have you booked? Are you participating in the Hyatt Promotion? Did you merge your Continental and United account yet? Let us know!

Upgrd 83: Getting Bumped

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:16:52 +0000

In this week's month's quarterly podcast we discuss taking a bump on oversold flights and the compensation involved. We discuss:

Air New Zealand SkyCouch
US Airways Bump Compensation woes
Getting your name on the list to volunteer for bumps
Typical compensation for the airlines we are familiar with
and more

What airline bumps have you had? What was your compensation from the airlines?

Upgrd 82: Airline Predictions 2011

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:05:19 +0000

Following on from our review of last year's predictions, we are back to discuss out frequent flyer predictions for 2011. Unfortunately due to some breaking news during recording, the episode is cut a bit short. <shakes fist towards LH> We try to discuss:

If the combined United and Continental will keep four tiers of elite status or three
What types of Double Elite Qualifying Promotions (if any) there will be this year
Next stops for Virgin America
and more...
We recorded this a few weeks ago, so some info may be out of date already!

Upgrd 81: Not so Psychic

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 04:14:12 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we take a look back at our predictions this time last year including

The United Airlines unlimited domestic upgrade program (UDU)
The merger of United and Continental Airlines
and more...

What predictions do you have for 2011? Let us know below.

Upgrd 80: And...We're Back!

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:34:28 +0000

Happy New Year from all of us on the Upgrd Podcast. In this week's frequent flyer roundtable we discuss the recent irregular airline operations due to weather and some recent trips including:

Matthew's first class award on Swiss Airlines
The northeast blizzard and its effect on everyone's travel plans
Additional ideas on what to do during irregular operations

Do you have tips for traveling during a blizzard? Let us know below...

Upgrd 79: Airline Mergers 2010

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:51:06 +0000

In this frequent flyer podcast we discuss travel news and recap the mergers between Delta / Northwest and Continental / United. We discuss:

The new slimline seats on Lufthansa
Keep your passwords safe on airline and hotel sites
Boingo giveaway - make sure you leave a comment!
The current state of the Delta and Northwest airlines merger
The changes at United and Continental airlines as they merge

What changes have you seen in the merged airlines? Leave us a comment below!

Upgrd 78: Frequent Flyer Questions

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:12:14 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we answer listener questions, questions from airlineanswers.com and talk about some recent news including:

in free american express spending
Aeroplan to require segments for status on AC
New Cathay Pacific seats
Irregular Operations on An Award Ticket
Of all the US domestic airlines. Who has the best first class service?
Does American AAdvantage have a "soft landing?
and more...

And you answers and questions at airlineanswers.com

Upgrd 77: Holiday Travel Gifts

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:59:32 +0000

In this week's travel gift podcast we discuss some recent news and ideas for the hard to buy for traveler including:

Matthew on abcnews.
American Express $25 Small Business Promotion
Mark's Tech Travel Gift suggestions
Some of our suggestions including:
Digital Luggage Scale
Personal Safety Alarms for your hotel
Quickpod travel tripod
and our favorite, although no longer made, Playmobil Security Checkpoint

What are some of the holiday travel gift ideas you have? List them below.

Upgrd 76: Good Looking Cheeseburger!

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 03:56:00 +0000

In this airline meal inspired podcast our talk comparing United and Continental quickly devolved into a chat about food. In addition our frequent flyers discuss:

The recent updates to the combined United/Continental mileage programs
A comparison of inflight service and food between United Airlines and Continental Airlines
Randy Peterson's announcement of his departure from FlyerTalk
and more...

Do you fly both Continental and United? Any comparisons you would like to add? Let us know below!

Upgrd 75: Our Recap of the Frequent Traveler Awards

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:59:20 +0000

Last week many of attended the frequent traveler awards in Houston. In this week's frequent flyer podcast our panelists discussed the event itself as well as the results. We also discussed:

Free Gogo Wifi
Charging your phone and other gadgets on the road
TSA Body Scanners (again)
Laptop size matters when heading through airport security
The dinner and reception at the Frequent Traveler awards
The winners (and losers!) of the night

What did you think of the winners? Any surprises? Let us know below.

Upgrd 74: Mean Airways

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:24:59 +0000

This week our frequent flyers discuss the meanest of the mean - or at least one person's interpretation of this. In addition we discuss

Which airline is meanest in your book? Let us know below...

Upgrd 73: Delta Is [Blank]

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:43:02 +0000

In this week's travel podcast we are joined again by our newest blogger Gene to discuss the new Delta Airlines now that the Northwest merger has been in progress for some time. Play along and try to guess Gene's thoughts that finish these sentences...

The Delta Airlines Diamond Medallion customer service is ...
The ability to upgrade domestic awards for free, after paid Diamonds/before paid Platinum's is ...
Rollover Delta MQMs are ....
The old terminal at JFK is ...
The pre merger Northwest Airlines flight attendants need ...
(Broken record) Delta needs to add SWUs that can be used on ...
American Airlines really needs to...

Do you fly Delta? If so, please write in below and let us know your thoughts on the airline and service over the most recent months.

Upgrd 72: Flying In India

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:53:05 +0000

Continuing on from our discussion of hotels in India, we discuss Indian airlines including Kingfisher, Jet Airways, and Air India. David joins us again to discuss travel in the region along with some other discussions including

The lack of participation in an airline alliance by some India based airlines
Recent Hyatt hotel stays
The nightmare that is transiting Heathrow airport
and more...

Upgrd 71: Frequent Traveler Awards

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 19:51:21 +0000

In this frequent flyer episode we are joined by Reb, who along with Gary are two of the organizers of this year's Frequent Traveler Awards. Voting is currently open (vote here) and winners will be announced at the award dinner in Houston in early November. We discussed:

How the award program came about
The differences from other previous loyalty program award events
How to attend and more about planned costs
and we expressed our disappointment at the lack of a "favorite podcast" category at the awards.

Upgrd 70: Hotels In India

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:35:44 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are again joined by David who last joined us to discuss El Al. We continue our discussion of Indian hotels with David's commentary on the hotels he visits when working there. We also discuss the current Hyatt "great" 10k promotion.

Do you have any tips or favorite hotels while traveling in India? Please leave a comment below or sent your tip to feedback@upgrd.com.

Upgrd 69: Marriott Rewards Take Two

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:04:15 +0000

In this week's frequent flyer podcast we revisit the Marriott Rewards hotel loyalty program as Kevin wanted to clarify some mis-information in our last Marriott Rewards podcast on the subject. We discuss:

Fozz's recent first class award on Lufthansa's A380
Virgin America's new routes instead of Chicago
Marriott Rewards tips from Kevin
- Marriott Rewards Mega Bonus
- 115,000 points for $1,000 in hotel credits for future stays (which accrue points)
- The JW Marriott properties
- Point saver rates even at Ritz Carlton
- and Elephants.

What is your opinion of the Marriott Rewards program? Why would you choose it over another program? Anything we missed?

Upgrd 68: Air Rage

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:36:33 +0000

We recorded this frequent flyer podcast last week when Steven Slater was still in the news. In addition to this old topic we discuss:

Bankruptcy of Mexicana
Freedoms of the air, including some current North American Fifth Freedom flights
More info on the freedoms of can be found on wikipedia
How many countries have you visited? How many do you plan on visiting?

Please let us know if you are planning on visiting 100 cities and how far along you are in the comments below.

Upgrd 67: Inflight Power and Wifi

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:50:07 +0000

On this week's frequent flyer podcast we have a quick chat about recent award bookings and the inflight power and wifi options for the big four carriers in the USA. Links to the inflight power and inflight wifi choices are below:

Many of the airlines use DC power through a cigarette style lighter. You may want to purchase an adapter such as the Wagan Smart AC 120 Watt USB Power Inverter or charge several devices at once with the Kensington Air Power Inverter with Two USB Ports
American Airlines: inflight power is offered on Boeing 777, 767, 737, Boeing MD80, and B757 aircraft.
American Airlines Wifi: is available on all Boeing 767-200 flights and select MD80 and 737 aircraft. Use this tool to check wifi on your upcoming flight within 24 hours of departure.
>United Airlines: has in flight power on select aircraft, the combination of aircraft type and cabin are too numerous to list so please refer to the United page.
United Airlines: wifi is currently only available on the United P.S. service between JFK and either LAX or SFO
Delta Airlines: has inflight power in first class on the domestic fleet and in the premium cabins and some rows of coach on international aircraft.
Delta Airlines: has been progressively rolling out wifi fleet wide. See this recent blog post for the latest numbers.
Continental Airlines: power ports (requiring EmPower adapters) are available on 767s while no adapter is required on other aircraft, see the Continental Airlines website for more information on power.
Continental Airlines: wifi? Who needs wifi when you can get a not-dog?

I'm sure we missed something along the way. If you have any updates or corrections to the above, please leave it in the comments below and we will fix the above.

Edit: Thanks to everyone for their comments, the above has been updated.

Upgrd 66: Full Body Scan

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 02:03:57 +0000

On this week's travel podcast we catch up on the news and discuss the TSA full body scanners with Grace. We discuss:

United Airlines' discounted coach class awards
Changes in United management with Jeff Foland taking over the combined frequent flier program after the United Continental merger
The TSA full body scanners and protection from them
United Airlines' problematic website
And a man taken off the plane for allegedly asking if there would be a meal on his flight.

Please leave comments below!

Upgrd 65: Marriott Rewards

mike@upgrd.com (Frequent Flyers at upgrd.com) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:48:44 +0000

In this week's frequent traveler podcast we return to hotel loyalty programs and hotel elite status - this week focusing on the Marriott Rewards program. Most of our panelists do not recommend the Marriott program, unless you are staying there due to contractual obligations. While it falls towards the bottom of our list of programs to obtain status in - there are still some situations where it makes sense. Listen in to hear more about the Marriott Rewards program and other topics including:

Double EQMs and Triple RDMs from RDU, STL, PIT, and BNA
Aegean joining Star Alliance
Your Hometown, Your Airline segment continues with recommendations for Australian flyers
Marriot Rewards program including their Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Premier status levels
and more...

If you have any Marriott Rewards tips, tricks, or clarification please let us know. We'd also love to hear from some current Australian flyers on their recommendation where to credit miles. Please leave your comments below.