OMNI: Maybe we should have a special convention with all the FlyerTalkers and their pets.

But the fur will be flying if my YAZ is not the center of attention!

Name is a given.

Grew up in the Peoples' Republic of Cambridge (Mass). Career brought me to Western Mass, met my beautiful bride and have 3 wonderful children, ages 4, 2 (in May) and 9 months.

I work for a company called Hansco Information Technologies. We write accounting systems for the concrete, aggregate and asphalt industry (talk about your niche markets!) I travel to train our customers.

Baseball is a passion. When on the road, I always try to take in a game. I prefer minor league and college baseball - guys there are much hungrier than the pampered (I've always wondered if that term shouldn't also apply literally) major leaguers.

I coach my oldest daughters' T-Ball team and am pitching coaching to a 13 year-old team.

I really like this forum a lot. I've learned incredible amounts of stuff from lurking.

I've reposted an updated profile in : Who We All Are 2.

It's a lot shorter too!

[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 05-23-99).]

Yikes! All I have is my United 1K card and my AMC MovieWatcher card (though I'm still looking for the Ruth Chris Hungry Herfer card that Catman has)!

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 05-03-99).]

thank you celestar340.

Celestar - phenominal travel schedule. WOW

Oh my gosh!

I think you do more travel than some flight crew! Some SAS staff once told me that to work Scandinavia to Singapore and back takes them around a week. So even they would be hard pushed to do as much as you! Perhaps FlyerTalk should open up a new Forum just for your (lengthy) travel schedule.

Sorry it took me so long to post a response to the "Who We All Are" question. I'm the managing editor for InsideFlyer. I work with a great staff, some of whom you are already familiar with. We publish the Americas and International editions from our department, as well as provide a lot of the content you read on WebFlyer. We love reading the comments of all you frequent flyers and we're constantly amazed at all the things we learn from you. You can read my staff page on the site, but here's quick bio: I'm a Colorado Springs native who recently returned home to work at InsideFlyer. I don't travel nearly as much as most of you, but I am making my way through the world of miles and points. Feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you!

------------------

Bringing this thread forward again.

I've noticed that we have some very active participants (hundreds of posts) who have not yet made entries here (you know who you are)!

Please, give us a verbal snapshot. All newcomers very welcome as well.

Celestar340: Thanks for that exhaustive (and exhausting) travel run down. Hope to run into you and some of the UK based folks along the way.

Looking forward to filling out the Star chart when I return in June.

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 05-12-99).]

Here is how Who We All Are started with this post from Baobab(go to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/000469.html
To break it up, I am starting it from scratch again so newcomers will know where the oldtimers posted (link above) and so those with regular old modems don't have to wait so long for the download.

Here is Baobab's original:
This may be a bit of an odd topic, but after reading various threads today, I respectfully ask some of our members to provide a little more information about themselves.
This is not a big-brotherish request - it's more that I am interested to see where people are/what they do/what activities thrill them, and some are very mysterious blanks...

Jim_B is somewhere in South America? auh2o has an interesting name, but what sort of mind comes up with that handle? pjaucutt provides all sorts of information, but seems to spend more time in Paris than at a university in Wisconsin, Jetdillo has a job which allows him the opportunity to critique BA's stewardesses outfits...

Many of the regular contributers change their profiles regularly (and perhaps those who don't should dust theirs off?) Mine may seem strange, but it is all true...

Now as NJDavid says, many of you frequent posters haven't let us know who you are. Open up a bit and share.

FT Readers: Celestar posts extremely long messages again!

I think there might be some curiousities as well as doubts about my travel patterns and my extensive knowledge in the travel industry. Let me set the records straight.

I am a Chinese guy, originally from Toronto, Canada. I've lived between there, Vancouver, HongKong, Singapore, London, Sydney and Melbourne. I have residences in a few cities. I am 36 years ago and single. (Thus, I get to travel whenever I want!)

My main profession is a travel counsellor and have worked in the travel field for the past 15 years but not am not working actively in it now. Due to my personal experiences, and expertise, I have been able to take advantage of the best fares and promotions available in order to achieve maximum points. I do not get travel industry rates or privileges. All of my travels are personally funded. I have business interests in Media Events, Fashion Design, Publishing, & Food Processing.

Some FTyers have expressed concern that I may have comped a majority of my frequent travel cards. This is untrue (there is only one comped card)but the explanations from each programme below will explain:-

01. AC Super Elite - STAR GOLD- I have accumulated most of last years' flights with AC. Most of my flights are on Star Alliances and not on AC as I do not fly them to Canada. I achieved AC Gold only in 1997, and got my benefits for 1998. In August 1998, AC sent me a letter asking me to challenge their offer of reaching SuperElite. I only had to fly 38,000 more miles after I have requalified for Elite (which is 35,000).

02. CP Executive Platinum -1W EMERALD-
CP comped me to Executive Platinum when I asked them if they would if I am to switch a majority of my flights from AC's programme to CP now that they have more partners which benefit me. I was surprised that they did considering that my account has been dormant since 1993! Currently my most active FF programme.

03. LH Senator - STAR GOLD-
I achieved Senator only on the basis that the majority of my flying are in First and Business Class that is the fastest way to reach Senator.

04. AN Diamond - STAR GOLD-
AN is the only programme that you can acheive status by flying all its airline partners. I did a few crazy x-Oz trip just to achieve Diamond by Nov 1998!

05. SR Travelclub
SR was my first 'elite' programme which I qualified in 1996. It isn't too hard to get elilte on SR if you fly between Europe and Asia alot, even in economy. I do not know if I can retain Travelclub status next year now since the Qualiflyer group of airlines are not my preferred carrier choice.

06. CX Gold -1W SAPPHIRE-
CX then, was a loyalty programme. Meaning that mileage (counted in kilometres) is counted towards loyalty but the accumulated mileage is sent to an airlines' programme. In this case, most of my mileage was accumulated under AN's frequent flyer programme. My Marco Polo Club membership was held in Sydney since it was easier to advise them to advise Ansett if any flight credit descrepancies arose (and there were).

07. QF Silver -1W SAPPHIRE-
When CX joined 1W , they asked all Australian based members (which included me) if they prefer to have an Australian based frequent flyer programme. MPC Gold would get the QF Gold. That is how I achieved QF Silver. Most of my credits are from Hertz car rentals in Australia. QF awards 8 points per every AUD$ on car rentals.

08. MH Enrich Gold
MH's Malaysia Airlines Esteemed Traveller programme was also a loyalty programme. Miles counted toward the loyalty programme and flight miles were awarded on AN's programme. My present membership is valid till March 2001. I will not be renewing with them.

9. TG Silver - STAR SILVER-
It's easy to acheive TG Silver - which I joined in 1994. After only flying 12,500 miles with them you get Silver status. But you must maintain by crediting at least 10K miles with STAR carriers a year.

10. UA Mileage Plus -No status-
I only fly to credit on UA only when they have promotional bonuses. But I have over 200K with them because of that!

11. SK EuroBonus -No status- SK had their bonus programme - Fly 5 Get 5 in 1997. I currently only have only 20,200 points with them. Still figuring on how to best use the points up!

12. AF Frequence Plus -No status-
I only fly them between London and Paris. French service is so saviour-faire.

13. AA Advantage -No status-
I joined in 1981 and just hung on for the sake of it. Only 38K left!

While I'm at it - these are my main hotel programmes:

1. Hyatt Gold Passport - Diamond.
I have been a member since 1990. But only received Diamond status in 1996. My main cities I visit are : Paris, HongKong, Sydney, Melbourne, Bali and Bangkok. I've stayed at the Bangkok Hyatt over 78 times in the past 3 years.

2. Hilton - VIP GOLD
Comped to Gold from Silver after achieveing AC Super Elite.

3. Marriott - Miles and Rewards
Still trying to figure out how these two programmes work and corelate.

4. Starwood Gold
Crossed over from the Sheraton Club International.

5. Shangri-La Golden Circle - Executive
Shangri-La attempted to win me over from Hyatt but failed because they would not give me their top level.

Just to give you an idea, I was asked by BA to fill in a travel survey recently. I was asked how many flights (sectors) I did between May 11th 1998 and May 11th this year.
I counted as noted below and had : 179 flights!

My name, Celestar340 is the nickname Singapore Airlines names their Airbus A340 fleet. Which is ironic, since I hardly travel on them.

PS - I've deleted my travel itineraries because some people have complained that they were too long and it clogs up their download time !

[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 06-28-1999).]

I think this was primarily for new members, as we can see your old posts in the old thread.

Besides, after the last crash, we are all junior members with no profile anyway!

I'm a Field Support Technician for a firm in Vancouver that manufactures state-of-the-art navigation systems for ships. This requires me to travel extensively around North America, often to Coast Guard and Naval bases, and to places like the Welland Canal and the Great Lakes, where there is a lot of commercial ship traffic. Once there, I do installations, upgrades, repairs, training, and so on. I spend a lot of time sailing on ships, as well as flying, so as I like to say, "Between ships and planes, my feet never touch the ground."

The nature of the work is that while I mostly travel by commercial jet, I sometimes get on to a ship at sea by everything from helicoptor, to hovercraft (considered an aircraft when in non-displacement mode), to lobster boat. It is often the most exciting part of the trip. (Sometimes, it scares the hell out of me. Try climbing up the side of a ship in 10 foot waves.)

Of late, my travels have taken me overseas to places like India, Thailand, England, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Turkey, and next month, to Lisbon.

Mostly I travel on Canadian Airlines, and its oneworld partners, American Airlines, and British Airways. I do about 150K per year, but will probably be higher this year.

I'm a CP Executive Platinum (top tier) which translates into a oneworld emerald. I've reached that critical mass where upgrade coupons come faster than I can use them, and the airlines think nothing of pushing other passengers aside to accomodate me. (Sorry about that. Well, I'm not really sorry.

Contrary to company policy, I make most of my own travel arrangements, although I am still required to ticket through our company travel agent. I almost always find better deals and/or better arrangements, and it allows me use my preferred airlines/hotels/car rentals more often.

Oh yeah... I sometimes fly Air Canada (not bad) and Northwest, only 'cause NW has a lock on certain destinations. Frankly, I'd rather fly as freight on some other airline, but it goes with the job.

Strangely enough, in my off time, I am a Coast Guard Auxiliarst in the Fraser River near Vancouver, BC. I am a cox'n on a very busy Fast Response Craft, which means I drive the boat. Requires a whole different kind of navigation. This, and my navigation knowledge, gives me some insight into both aircraft navigation, and Search and Rescue, when things like SR111 happen.

Best regards,

Ken Hamer

Ignore -- duplicate post

[This message has been edited by KenHamer (edited 05-23-99).]