FlightTracker (at $0.99) is pretty good as well. It does not give you ton of info about the flight (only speed, alt, eta, type, origin, dest) but it will find flights in the area via GPS which is very neat when you're away from an airport and wondering what is overhead! Also shows weather.

If he's booking BF, he can't multi-city the helicopter segments?

I was mildly intrigued by the YYC-CAI mistake fare, but not enough to drop $500+ on Y involving AZ.

I remember walking to my car down Pacific Ave. in ACY and seeing contrails going almost straight north at a little past 6pm. I always wondered who that was, and suspected after thinking about it that they were IAD longhauls, because the contrails weren't very long. Never found a way to confirm it...can someone go stand on Pacific Ave. and use this thing? :D

What info does length of contrails indicate? Altitude?

Yup. Contrails are only possible between 30,000 and 36,000 IIRC.

ETA: Wiki says 26,000 and up, but I've heard the 30-36 explanation much more often.

People making an issue about the Big 3 CEO's flying to DC on corporate jets is absurd. They mismanaged their companies over the years, but none of that does not matter right now. And, I don't see anyone complaining about bank executives who have received bailout funds (much more than the auto industry is asking for) flying corporate jets.

If one of the Big 3 goes into bankruptcy, this economy will enter a severe recession or depression. Unemployment will be 10%-12% within three months, and the unemployment rates in midwest auto manufacturing states will be 20%+. The problem is that no one wants to believe that this is true.

Not to mention that cost of positioning at YYC.

Good to know. Thanks.

Last weekend I spotted an aircraft with contrails flying in from over the Gulf WSW right over the top of Corpus Christi. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where that plane was coming from and where it was headed. ATL-SJD was my best guess.

You don't think the overuse of the corporate jets is a material example of mismanagement? One of the Big 3 CEO's lives in SEA and has the jet commute he and his family to DTW. There's got to be good enough neighborhoods left around Dearborn and non-metro Detroit that permit a nice enough home to be purchased. And the AIG execs caught a fair amount of hell for some recent travel spending.

The free helo segments are not for R fares and also are only for folks originating in NYC. If you book it as a multi-city you'll probably lose the R fare, too, so the whole cost will go through the roof.

I'd just book the UH segment separately if you really want it. No miles and you'll pay for it, but it sure is a fun way to see lower NYC.

I spotted what looked like a UA 747 over the Heights two days ago flying south by southwest... Best I could figure was ORD-South America

I don't disagree, but at this point, I just think we have bigger fish to fry. Do what it takes to keep the industry from collapsing first, then gut the management and revamp the industry later.

Anyway, enough of that in the box. I want one of those gps devices you all are discussing.

Does UA fly 747's to SA?

Does UA send 744s to S. America?

ETA - Don't forget, there's a JL flight YVR-MEX on a 744 (but IAH would be well East of its normal path). LH also flies FRA-MEX on the 744 (as does KL AMS-MEX)...