The Most Embarassing Thing I've Ever Done to Get Miles
Oct 14, 1999, 3:06 pm
#76
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Sacramento area, CA USA
Programs: UA Gold Million Miler, HH Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,858
Tale 1 - wanted a few extra Delta miles for my kid so she could transfer 5000 to HHonors. Did a hotel in LA but they would not take her # since it was paid for with my credit card. They treated me like I was some kind of crook and even escorted me to my room! I did finally get her the miles through Dining BUT Delta would not transfer her points because she did not have any flights in the last 3 yrs! So she just flew a short one - one way (RT cheaper so got RT, got both boarding passes - sent 2nd one in and got the miles - FINALLY).
I do think if you paid for the ticket, whether you fly or not, you should get the miles. Time was, you could, and we did that once for miles. LAX SFO. Never flew it. Also, in the old days, one of us flew SFO LAX and the other SFO ONT under same name. Picked up car ONT, drove LAX for pickup. Had great weekend LAX! Many is the time we changed hotels daily, though it drives my husband nuts. Not me, though!
Tale 2 - husband needed PremEX. Flew SFO, LAX, Den, ORD, JKF, LHR, stayed cheap hotel, return. He did not need the segments so much as he needed to stretch the miles and pick up 500 each SFO LAX (before Shuttle). Wry note: his fellow marketing type got corp travel to request PremEx and he got it! SO this year my husband did same and also got it. Don't know how many times you can pull that one. He may be short again.
I do think if you paid for the ticket, whether you fly or not, you should get the miles. Time was, you could, and we did that once for miles. LAX SFO. Never flew it. Also, in the old days, one of us flew SFO LAX and the other SFO ONT under same name. Picked up car ONT, drove LAX for pickup. Had great weekend LAX! Many is the time we changed hotels daily, though it drives my husband nuts. Not me, though!
Tale 2 - husband needed PremEX. Flew SFO, LAX, Den, ORD, JKF, LHR, stayed cheap hotel, return. He did not need the segments so much as he needed to stretch the miles and pick up 500 each SFO LAX (before Shuttle). Wry note: his fellow marketing type got corp travel to request PremEx and he got it! SO this year my husband did same and also got it. Don't know how many times you can pull that one. He may be short again.
Oct 14, 1999, 5:15 pm
#77
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 1,321
i've got 4 tales:
1. just before the aa aborted pilots strike, i had already booked a free ticket from jfk to syd via la for a holiday. once the triple miles were offered, i took an extra two days and immediately bought a ticket to mad from la for the wknd and delayed my return. ticket was about $400 and the mileage count was about 40000 with my platinum status.
2. for dl's partner promotion last yr, i went to visit friends in london using a well priced code share into dub on aer lingus and out of lis on tap after clearing that the livery mattered not flight codes. (used a ba award to get to/from london). near the end of the program when the miles posted, i was told code shares counted based on flight numbers, so i was immediately two carries short of my goal of 6 (100M). so the last wknd of the promo, i had booked a ticket to bru from a conf i had on the west coast and spent the wknd flying:
sn rd trp to cdg
af rd trp to lhr
and aer lingus rd trp to dub
the three tickets cost $500, but it got me up to 7 carriers, changing the bonus mileage from 50M to 115M. i even had to argue with a af agent that wouldn't let me take my bag on because of bogus french wt restrictions. made a sn to aa connection in bru with luggage in tow in 20 MIN!!(luv that airport, i'm gonna miss it with the demise of atlantic excellence.)
3. after the ac pilots' strike with the announcement of triple qualifying miles for two weeks, i joined aeroplan, flew 1 wknd to bos from lga via yyz (customs was confused, but it only cost $190), and then the next wknd flw to fra from lga via yul ($400). qualified for elite for 600 dollars in eight days.
4. dl match and more caused me to go for platinum by taking a fri flight to muc and leave sunday morning via bru back to jfk the week before xmas. after flying 20 translatlantic segments plus numerous connections totaling 80M miles, i actually earned 240M in skymiles last year. (gonna miss atlantic excellence, or did i say that already?)
do i win something?
[This message has been edited by lonman (edited 10-14-1999).]
1. just before the aa aborted pilots strike, i had already booked a free ticket from jfk to syd via la for a holiday. once the triple miles were offered, i took an extra two days and immediately bought a ticket to mad from la for the wknd and delayed my return. ticket was about $400 and the mileage count was about 40000 with my platinum status.
2. for dl's partner promotion last yr, i went to visit friends in london using a well priced code share into dub on aer lingus and out of lis on tap after clearing that the livery mattered not flight codes. (used a ba award to get to/from london). near the end of the program when the miles posted, i was told code shares counted based on flight numbers, so i was immediately two carries short of my goal of 6 (100M). so the last wknd of the promo, i had booked a ticket to bru from a conf i had on the west coast and spent the wknd flying:
sn rd trp to cdg
af rd trp to lhr
and aer lingus rd trp to dub
the three tickets cost $500, but it got me up to 7 carriers, changing the bonus mileage from 50M to 115M. i even had to argue with a af agent that wouldn't let me take my bag on because of bogus french wt restrictions. made a sn to aa connection in bru with luggage in tow in 20 MIN!!(luv that airport, i'm gonna miss it with the demise of atlantic excellence.)
3. after the ac pilots' strike with the announcement of triple qualifying miles for two weeks, i joined aeroplan, flew 1 wknd to bos from lga via yyz (customs was confused, but it only cost $190), and then the next wknd flw to fra from lga via yul ($400). qualified for elite for 600 dollars in eight days.
4. dl match and more caused me to go for platinum by taking a fri flight to muc and leave sunday morning via bru back to jfk the week before xmas. after flying 20 translatlantic segments plus numerous connections totaling 80M miles, i actually earned 240M in skymiles last year. (gonna miss atlantic excellence, or did i say that already?)
do i win something?
[This message has been edited by lonman (edited 10-14-1999).]
Oct 15, 1999, 10:04 am
#78
Guest
Posts: n/a
lonman: just our respect. And with the bunch of crazies on this board, that is something... 
Oct 15, 1999, 10:37 am
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Texas, U.S.A.
Posts: 19,523
I don't know? Begining to remind me of a carnival sideshow around here. "Step right up ladies and gentlemen! See the man who criss-crossed the globe on the last day of the year just to earn airline elite status!"
Oct 15, 1999, 10:47 am
#80
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
Programs: miles&more, MileagePlus
Posts: 27,041
which show did portray me - without asking - PremEx?
Oct 15, 1999, 12:20 pm
#81
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: See pitflyer
Posts: 1,620
Well, I pass up non-stops four times in a row right now to take USAirways -- for the miles, for the upgrades, for the bonuses. I've also even paid more than the lowest available fare to fly USAirways (gasp). I just love the way USAirways tries to steal some of Continental's business in Cleveland 
(I'm from Pittsburgh) and the moderating effort of Southwest airlines in both Cleveland (2 hrs) and Columbus (3 hrs).
I tell my wife that I probably will not make Chairman's Preferred again next year, so this year when I get unlimited confirmed upgrades a week in advance, we should fly only USAirways. Since she hasn't flown coach in a year because of my status she agrees.
I tack my iterinaries to the fridge -- not one flight from Pittsburgh. Flights from Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Columbus. All connecting right back through Pittsburgh.
(I'm from Pittsburgh) and the moderating effort of Southwest airlines in both Cleveland (2 hrs) and Columbus (3 hrs). I tell my wife that I probably will not make Chairman's Preferred again next year, so this year when I get unlimited confirmed upgrades a week in advance, we should fly only USAirways. Since she hasn't flown coach in a year because of my status she agrees.
I tack my iterinaries to the fridge -- not one flight from Pittsburgh. Flights from Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Columbus. All connecting right back through Pittsburgh.
Oct 17, 1999, 1:33 am
#82
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
essxjay - You're going to Munich and not even going into town? What a waste! Can't you at least work an extra day into the schedule to allow you to visit the Augustiner Grossgaststatte (umlauts omitted) on Neuhauserstrasse? It's about 10 minutes walk from the Hauptbahnhof, has the best beer in Munich, and also has a soup made of mountain mushrooms that is worth the trip in itself.
When I was posted in Germany in the late 1980s (my fourth time in Germany), I used to travel by train quite a bit, and would always arrange to go through Munich whenever I could, and to have a 3-hour (or more) layover between trains just so I could go to the Augustiner for an hour or two.
Try it, you'll like it.
When I was posted in Germany in the late 1980s (my fourth time in Germany), I used to travel by train quite a bit, and would always arrange to go through Munich whenever I could, and to have a 3-hour (or more) layover between trains just so I could go to the Augustiner for an hour or two.
Try it, you'll like it.
Oct 18, 1999, 2:50 pm
#83
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: PDX
Programs: TSA Refusenik charter member
Posts: 15,978
Counsellor,
The lure of fine food and beverage has set my mind cartwheeling! What's a $150 change fee???
The lure of fine food and beverage has set my mind cartwheeling! What's a $150 change fee???
Oct 18, 1999, 2:59 pm
#84
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
Excellent choice! Munich is perhaps one of the best, yet for some reason least known/appreciated European cities among US travelers! Enjoy!
Oct 18, 1999, 4:22 pm
#85
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 1,321
ditto on the munich thing. its too good a place to pass up.
Oct 19, 1999, 12:44 am
#86
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
Programs: miles&more, MileagePlus
Posts: 27,041
I try to connect (on LH) via Munich (instead of FRA) to SFO and, if possible, do the first segment ZRH-MUC the night before: just for the beer (BIER) and Nürnberger Bratwürstchen with Sauerkraut at the Nürnberger Bratwurstglöckerl am Dom (I am so proud of my Umlauts ä ö ü on my keyboard ...). 
Oct 19, 1999, 3:29 am
#87
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
Munich is just absolutely GREAT! You could stay there a week and only begin to scratch the surface.
First of all, the people are friendly. It doesn’t have a “big city” feel; in fact, it’s sometimes called “A village with a million inhabitants”.
It has everything! You want castles (palaces)? Try Nymphenburg in the city itself (it also has extensive grounds, wonderful statuary, and the world’s first beauty gallery) or Schloss Schleissheim on the edge of the city.
You want cathedrals? Try the twin-domed Frauenkirche, where you can step in the Devils Footprint or go up into the tower and see the Alps (on a clear day).
You want beerhalls, try the one and only Hofbräuhaus (or any of a scad of other Biergärten)
You want something unusual? Try the world-famous Glockenspeil in Marienplatz.
You want good food? Try almost anywhere, but you might start at the Augustiner Grossgaststätte (mentioned in my earlier posting) or the Nürnberger Bratwurstglöckl [downstairs is much better than upstairs] or Haxnbauer or any one of a zillion great places.
You want museums? They have all kinds, from art museums to the Deutsches Museum (Like the Field Museum in Chicago, only more so), to my favorite, the Valentin Museum. It is a museum of jokes! They have the world’s most beautiful ice carving (well, they had it until the refrigeration failed one day, but they still have the water); they have a vial of bureaucrat’s sweat (very rare); they even have a ghost that comes out every night at 12:15 AM (but unfortunately, the museum closes before midnight), etc. It is located in a tower of the Isartorplatz near the Isar river, and admission is only DM 1.99 last time I was there. Admission is free, however, for anyone 99 years old -- if accompanied by both parents.
And if you want shopping, antiques, a student quarter, spacious parks, or virtually anything else, it’s there. And everything is within easy reach by one of the best subway systems in the world.
As you’ve probably gathered, I love the place!
(And look, Rudi, I've found some umlauts, too!)
[This message has been edited by Counsellor (edited 10-19-1999).]
First of all, the people are friendly. It doesn’t have a “big city” feel; in fact, it’s sometimes called “A village with a million inhabitants”.
It has everything! You want castles (palaces)? Try Nymphenburg in the city itself (it also has extensive grounds, wonderful statuary, and the world’s first beauty gallery) or Schloss Schleissheim on the edge of the city.
You want cathedrals? Try the twin-domed Frauenkirche, where you can step in the Devils Footprint or go up into the tower and see the Alps (on a clear day).
You want beerhalls, try the one and only Hofbräuhaus (or any of a scad of other Biergärten)
You want something unusual? Try the world-famous Glockenspeil in Marienplatz.
You want good food? Try almost anywhere, but you might start at the Augustiner Grossgaststätte (mentioned in my earlier posting) or the Nürnberger Bratwurstglöckl [downstairs is much better than upstairs] or Haxnbauer or any one of a zillion great places.
You want museums? They have all kinds, from art museums to the Deutsches Museum (Like the Field Museum in Chicago, only more so), to my favorite, the Valentin Museum. It is a museum of jokes! They have the world’s most beautiful ice carving (well, they had it until the refrigeration failed one day, but they still have the water); they have a vial of bureaucrat’s sweat (very rare); they even have a ghost that comes out every night at 12:15 AM (but unfortunately, the museum closes before midnight), etc. It is located in a tower of the Isartorplatz near the Isar river, and admission is only DM 1.99 last time I was there. Admission is free, however, for anyone 99 years old -- if accompanied by both parents.
And if you want shopping, antiques, a student quarter, spacious parks, or virtually anything else, it’s there. And everything is within easy reach by one of the best subway systems in the world.
As you’ve probably gathered, I love the place!
(And look, Rudi, I've found some umlauts, too!)
[This message has been edited by Counsellor (edited 10-19-1999).]
Oct 19, 1999, 6:22 am
#88
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
Programs: miles&more, MileagePlus
Posts: 27,041
Oct 19, 1999, 5:55 pm
#89
Join Date: May 1999
Location: New York City
Programs: UA MM-1P, Hilton Life Diamond, Marriot Life Gold, ICH Spire
Posts: 4,080
Rudi: Just wondering if your umlaut-characters are directly on the keyboard, or do you have to search for them by typing alt-#'s on the keypad?
(I suppose I could find out for myself by changing the Windows country and language options to Swiss-German and trying every key!)
(I suppose I could find out for myself by changing the Windows country and language options to Swiss-German and trying every key!
)
Oct 20, 1999, 2:00 am
#90
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
Programs: miles&more, MileagePlus
Posts: 27,041
there is (I have) a special swiss keyboard for Apple/Macintosh, that has all those äöü and éèÔ etc and no double 'ss' as a german keyboard would have