Does anyone recall the launch date of the new, "enhanced" CO.com? Seems like there are still beaucoup issues with the new site (though quite a few have been fixed). Very un-CO-esque.

So, it seems that theblakefish will be a bit short of requalifing this year. Save your smart comments..... short of requalifing for gold.

Any Ideas?

<crickets chirping>

I've got very little in the way of flights for the rest of the year, but it is looking like I will be about 8-12k short, so what is one to do? I am thinking about taking advantage of the fairly cheap CO fares to AMS in early December....okay, really considering it, but I've been there before, ya know? I'm doing one of the AF JFK-FCO runs right before t-day, but trying to find a good fare on Alitalia is like trying to find an honest man in Congress.

I know that I am opening myself up to unnecessary criticisms, and I don't really like any of y'all anyways ;) but since this is the local watering hole, it seemed a place to pose the question -- hoping for at least a few serious replies.... :D :D

Okay...maybe one serious reply. Okay, maybe just a general thought.....

AMS...Bulldog...Double Reggae...Blue Dolphin...Train to Den Haag...Sleep on Beach at Schevingen...Train to AMS...Grasshopper...back to IAH

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

No Regrets. Don't give in to "the fear."

You're not helping, bartender. ;)

Neither are $578 all-in fares :D

Just Do it!

I did a similiar AMS trip at the end of 2006, but in BF on reward tickets....We spent 21 hours on the ground in AMS and never stopped drinking until we hit the KLM lounge on the return for a quick 1 hour nap, then it was back to drinking.....Not much beats the party in AMS after a 10 hour flight.

I think we freaked out the BF FA on the return, she had served us alcohol the entire flight the night before without any sleep, then we show up for her return flight to the USA 20 hours later and she is once again serving BF....at least she knew our drinks by heart at that point for our pre-departure drinks from AMS.

.

Yea, I took advantage of a $450 A/I fare ABQ-IAH-AMS last February with a $300 voucher, and a $100 off coupon. Gotta like a $50 trip to Amsterdam, ya know? Did one of those "arrive at noon, leave at 100pm the next day" trips. The FA's o the nearly empty flight asked if I was a drug runner...didn'thelp that I was pulled aside for "secondary screening" upon my return to IAH :rolleyes: .

Yea....kind of tempting, especially with the low fares into TXL, Die Bahn has E30 fares Berlin-Amsterdam Centraal...then fly home after my baking class. Hmmmmmmm....

Quit your whining, and just book the AMS trip! You know you want to! Besides, it's not like anyone in this group is going to tell you not to do it, since we're a bunch who does things like fly HSV-IAH-SEA-ANC-SEA-IAH-HSV 5 times in a week, or IAH-MSP-IAH-LGW-EWR-MSP-IAH in just over 48 hours, or travel all the way to freaking Auckland via Sydney and spend only a couple of days there.

You'll have fun, you'll get Gold, you'll be happy. What more could you ask for?

Phew. Sanity gripped me at some point last night. I managed to hold off on booking an IAH-AMS myself. After all the beers I had last night, booking one for right after my AKL excursion in January seemed like a good idea :D

Sanity is overrated.

I am trying to figure out if I'll grip gold before 2008 or if I should take the $585 a/i fare to AMS... or LGW and seal it. Decisions, decisions.

I believe I am going to clear gold by about 700 EQMs. I need to re-crunch the numbers but it is looking good for me.

HA! I'm going to wait until after my trip next week to make a decision. It's a short little trip: DAL-IAH-LGA-IAH-SEA-ANC-SEA-IAH-LGA-IAH-DAL in about 40 hours -- not that I'm trying to accrue miles or elite status or anything.

Ah, the things we do because we get upgraded ELP-IAH! :D ;)

You may be too depressed to make that trip after the game this weekend ;) I mean, instead of you suffering on the plane not knowing if Fran is still going to be around, you could give the ticket to me and ensure that you get to watch all coverage of everything A&M ;)

No,sir. Won't be giving this one away...should be good! IAH-AMS is only freakin $580 A/I...dang,that's pretty low. Only $5 more to to into TXL and out of AMS. DB has cheapo fares for the early departure out of Berlin Hauptbahnhof...plus,I just enjoy riding trains. So, Hilton Berlin for 3 nights, see the sights (only have been to Berlin once, and only for about 15 hours at night)...see the roundabout view of the Reichstag, CP Charlie, Templehof, and the rest of teh sights, enjoy the ride to AMS, then....uh.....have fun in AMS. :p

Hard to pass up.