Sam Adams was aboard the US shuttle on Monday, at least until I got to him.

The triple miles offer has been extended through March 31. They've been serially extending the triple miles offer since last summer, and the UA add-on started in the fall (I think). AA's entrance into the shuttle market seems like a driving force to keep this competition going. BYW, the latest extension wasn't announced until after Jan. 1, so you might not want to lose hope even if it seems to have expired.

P.S. I doubt that US is paying UA for their miles. My impression is that the shuttle is a big part of what UA wants to offer its customers with the US code share.

P.P.S. My mileage includes an extra 1,000 US miles (Gold bonus) plus 1,000 online booking and 263 from US Visa (2 miles per dollar for US reservations).

(Edited to explain my mileage total)

[This message has been edited by EricH (edited 01-15-2003).]

As suggested above, the cheapest way to get to New York is probably a bus from D.C.'s Chinatown; The MSNBC story doesn't mention where to pick them up in Washington, so I'll add that I've seen them waiting for passengers around H and 6th Streets. Try asking around the merchants at that corner for exact information about prices and schedules.

If miles are more important than money (and isn't "college student" a synonym for "broke"?) then I'd also lean toward American if you can do a challenge and earn elite status.

US also has challenges. It's worth a phone call. I think they require 10 segments. UA does not as far as I know but again it's worth the call.

That would be quite the grand slam to get status on both airlines after 5 shuttle runs @ $116.50. (Yes, you do get status miles on both carriers.)

No kidding - that would be a Grand Slam for the ages... ~$600 for over 40,000 miles AND two elite statuses (stati?)!

Well finally here's a thread where I'm not asking a question but actually know something!!

As for the Planes/Trains/Automobile issue DC - NYC.

Basically, Amtrak is indeed the most expensive option. I've tried them all through the years and driving / buses are the cheapest.

My office has a very active bulletin board and there are many rideshares to NYC on the weekend. Usually the cost is about $30 - $40 or less even to share gas and tolls. I recommend you posting similar messages on your company's board or I would be happy to place one for you on my board (I promise we're all very nice).

Next are buses -- Greyhound / Peter Pan has raised their prices to over $100 but they have many buses/day.

The cheapest bus option are the "Chinatown Buses" as they are affectionately called. See the links below.

http://www.ivymedia.com/dragoncoach/..._washingtondc/

http://www.2000coach.com/dcnewyork.html

Now for the deal on the airlines: DL, US, or AA.

AA is out in my opinion. Their fares have NEVER been near competitive and they fly to JFK on tiny little planes. No FF advantage either.

US has now been offering this 6 times the miles offer which is great. Triple miles on both UA and US. So for every round trip you go on you get 3000 miles on each -- 6000 miles. Each flight segment also counts toward premier status.

BUT

US is a pain. While they call it a shuttle there is nothing shuttle like about it. These flights are scheduled and ticketed as such -- seats assigned et al. Though I did see Henry Kissinger on my last flight, if ever you arrive early or even miss a flight you will need to reticket and pay a fee. They are not flexible at all. No ifs ands or buts. Also, their terminal is farther and taxi time on the runway always adds up.
Snacks are served. You shoul be able to fly for $117 or slightly less if booked in advance.

DL is a whole other story. While their service has also "tightened," its rather clear that this is the premier shuttle. The snacks are delighful -- all leather seats and they run very well on time. They use the Marine Air Terminal at LGA airport which is very convenient for taxing and to get in and out of the airport. The fares are very similar to US. They are also offering triple miles and each segment counts towards premier status. Seats are not assigned which makes things very easy. You are usually able to walk on the next available flight from once you arrive.

As far as getting to/from airports we all know DCA is the best (Metro or Taxi it's pretty easy). In NYC, LGA is sometimes a pain and sometimes perfect. The taxi line can be over an hour long. In that case I suggest taking a special bus to Grand Central for $12 each. Otherwise take a cab and sliced between the two of you the cost will be on par with the cost of the bus.

Good luck and email me with any questions!!

AA started competing on the shuttle routes (DCA-LGA-BOS) on Oct 1, 2002 with regional jets. They line up farewise with US in most cases, but they obviously run far fewer seats on a daily basis.

I actually flew DCA-LGA on October 1st on the third or fourth AA shuttle flight. There were balloons, birthday cake, etc. everywhere. Flew back on the 3rd and went standby on a different flight with no problems. (Granted, the flights were off-peak and rather empty.)

Thanks Pinniped -- I'm so happy to hear it the service is solid.

Cheers!

Let's be a little careful about status dreams. The US/UA bonus miles are not status miles. I think they may have been status miles last year, but I don't recall. As of now, you get 500 US + 500 UA status miles per flight.

US used to offer standby within the fare window. When the **** hit the fan in September there was no standby for a week or two but they quickly reneged and *only* offered free standby on the Shuttle.

Then on 1/1 it regressed to the $100 standby fee. Meanwhile mainline went down to $25 to match DL but kept the Shuttle at $100! This is crazy but they will probably fix it soon. They should go back to standby within fare window.

Note that weekend U class fares are fully refundable and therefore also allow standby in any case. (Within the fare time window.) However, the cheap U fares are Sat/Sun only. The $116.50 roach fare is V class and non-refundable. The advantage with this fare is that it lets you fly Friday at 19:00 and later.

Note that AA forced DL and US to offer midday walk-up fares for around $110 one way. On the other hand you can fly same day DCA-BOS return on AA for $200 something, which is a great deal for business travelers.

Orbitz is of course the tool of choice to give you an overview.

I was talking about a challenge where you typically need 10 segments for the silver level. Yes, last year the US bonus miles counted as status miles.

I agree that taxi time at LGA is a pain with US -- not so at BOS and DCA. Sometimes it's as long as the flight. You think it's 20 minutes early and you wind up on schedule.

It sounds like DL has better preserved the Pan Am / Eastern traditions. However, they won't pull out an extra plane if it fills up like the "grand old" airlines promised.

Ah well, I am stuck with the Chapter 22 Alliance.

This is a good route to rack up FF miles.

If flexibility is paramount, as well as time, get a speedpass and just drive. It's the cheapest and fastest option. (aside from those busses. I have no experience with them)

Driving is not an option if you don't like to drive and if you don't speed, obviously. But depending on your car, you can make this as short as a 3hr drive... hehehe... I used to drive up to NYC all the time.


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www.witold.org

Thanks to all for the tips and keep 'em coming!

So none of the shuttle services offers "guaranteed seating" (i.e. bringing out an extra plane if a flight has more passengers than seats) anymore? When did they stop offering it?

I think itdisappeared when US and DL took over. US gives you a $200 voucher if you arrive 10 min prior and don't get a seat.