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Quote:

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 13416313)

Again, totally subjective. I do not see myself ever buying a front cabin fare to cross an ocean unless it is a mistake, at least not for couples travel.

Why don't you purchase whY fares then use mileage to upgrade for vacations?

It seems that this would yield maximum benefit to you while minimizing your out of pocket costs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by icurhere2 (Post 13416324)

I've had some $10k+ routings if one were to purchase said ticket with cash. Just happened to be itineraries I could live with and were available with miles.

Exactly. Like in the case of my honeymoon...PHL or EWR to VCE and Spain back to PHL/EWR can in no way be had for $2k up front for two people. I'm not getting the margin of return on someone going to Asia or doing an RTW, but I'm getting a return.

My contract vote this year (not tenure year, sadly) was 11-0.

hmmm ALCO is looking for a roommate on craigslist.org

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/the-g...l-ad-ever.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 13416370)

Exactly. Like in the case of my honeymoon...PHL or EWR to VCE and Spain back to PHL/EWR can in no way be had for $2k up front for two people.

That itinerary, for random dates this August, is a hair over $2k (per person) according to expedia, in LH J.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 13416313)

Again, totally subjective. I do not see myself ever buying a front cabin fare to cross an ocean unless it is a mistake, at least not for couples travel. She is far too cheap (she calls herself frugal, I call her cheap...every f-ing thing she talks about, she always mentions the price first and whether or not she feels it is cheap) to buy up front because she would rather spend that money on fun at the destination. On that point I agree with her...the bulk of the trip is not in the air, so the bulk of the money should not be allocated there. Where I have a problem is her skewed notion of what the ROI should/can be because she is a novice traveler. My attempts to tell her that taking the time to earn the miles is cheaper than paying cash for said ticket are starting to get thru to her, but she was once vehemently against it.

Well, subjective, yes. The real question is how much are you spending on MRs and merchandise that you wouldn't otherwise? if you're using the MRs to top off balances to reach a milestone then it's one thing. But if you're doing the MRs to build the foundation, you should really think twice.

At this point, with HI, you're better off routing through LAX and burning 35k for the upgrade.

For EU, you can get the BF fares around $1800 which is a great deal. So, what you should do, earn enough miles for one free ticket and buy one outright. That way when she asks, you can tell her the ticket was on miles and it won't be a lie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trustguy (Post 13416314)

Interesting that our planning seems to cause us to (almost) run into each other like this. We are going to the Kokua Festival on Friday the 23rd (Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, etc.).

Interesting indeed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 13416398)

That itinerary, for random dates this August, is a hair over $2k (per person) according to expedia, in LH J.

"I" fares and such can often be a great deal. Complicated routings and peak times are where one begins to get into fares which may be too expensive to purchase.

Quote:

Originally Posted by icurhere2 (Post 13416337)

Remind her the frugal icurhere2 gets to travel the world in pretty good style and has an average monthly budget of not much more than $2,000.

I would love to get her to listen to some of the creative ways in which money gets managed and turned into miles by some of our denizens. I get the feeling that her method of money management is sacrosanct and no amount of wisdom will prevail on her...I have asked her to take some of her sizable tax refund and tie it up in Chase checking to get a nearly free 50k miles. We'll see if she does it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 13416306)

... it'll be cheaper that way. :eek:

but not as much fun

Quote:

Originally Posted by icurhere2 (Post 13416421)

Complicated routings and peak times are where one begins to get into fares which may be too expensive to purchase.

Agreed. And those are usually very difficult to purchase using miles. @:-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrzyshawn (Post 13416432)

but not as much fun

Depends on your definition of fun. But, yes. There is an element of that too.

... now if they had snack baskets... ;):rolleyes::o:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 13416433)

Agreed. And those are usually very difficult to purchase using miles. @:-)

I was flexible enough to get an open-jaw, stopover, and what I'll describe as a "co-terminal of convenience" on a recent award itinerary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fozz (Post 13416402)

At this point, with HI, you're better off routing through LAX and burning 35k for the upgrade.

For EU, you can get the BF fares around $1800 which is a great deal. So, what you should do, earn enough miles for one free ticket and buy one outright. That way when she asks, you can tell her the ticket was on miles and it won't be a lie.

I have considered both of these scenarios. Since she doesn't give any thought to building miles, I would put the reward ticket in her name and the paid ticket in mine. Problem is timing - when I know the cruise departure date if we go that way or when we would go to HI, I need to look at the fares and see if buying one and redeeming for another still works.

Apologies in advance for the multiquote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdjohns1 (Post 13415069)

We had a brown bathroom at our house. Brown toilet, brown vanity, brown tiles.

Our master bathroom was all yellow when we bought the house. We painted the walls white; eventually, I suppose we will have to retile it. I'm thinking lime green.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adelauro (Post 13415652)

Kalamazoo MI

Congratulations on the new role. I have been to Kalamazoo a couple of times -- one of the big conferences in my former profession was held there each year. There is (or was) a pretty good microbrewery in downtown Kalamazoo. That, a Big Boy on the way out of town, and a pizza place named after a hobbit, are all that I can remember about that place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 13416157)

Sorry. My views on things like MR's are rather different than everyone else's in here. I'll keep my :rolleyes: shut. :o

I would only do one myself as a status run at the end of the year -- because I would use discretionary funds for other things and can justify a workday in the air but no more -- but it's just like any other hobby. I wouldn't pay $250 for a seat to a football game either (unless the Br:rolleyes:wns were in the Super Bowl, in which case money wouldn't matter because the world would be coming to an end the next day) but there are plenty of people who do.

I might consider joining Copa or others on a MR from PHL just for the company if I have a free day and a few free dollars, however.

Oh, and regarding your comment at the end of the 500-mile minimum on US/UA thread -- I agree regarding US's incompetence in IRROPS. Their computer system is run on Commodore 64s, which doesn't help. If I ever run into trouble on US I just call my travel agent and have them rebook me; it's worth the fee in saved aggravation alone. (Didn't want to derail that thread with US-bashing).