DFW to MSP -- old times

For those of you that have been following my blog you know I traveled back and forth from Minneapolis to Dallas for several years.  I flew American Airlines all that time and got to recognize and be recognized by a few of the Minneapolis-based flight attendants. I also accumulated a lot of miles and reach Executive Platinum status which got me to first class nearly every flight.

Last night I flew that same route from DFW to MSP and one of the flight attendants was a "regular" that I remembered. And she remembered me! And remembered my fondness for red wine. Her name is Kathy and we had a nice chat as she was sitting in the jump seat right next to me in the back of the plane.

Kathy was always the lead flight attendant and therefore worked first class. I no longer have status on American so was sitting way in the back. For some reason Kathy was working the regular cabin and not first class. We got caught up on both of our work "stories" and discussed the American - US Airways merger.

What a treat to feel "at home" on my trip home.

Schedule change

My original flight from Honolulu to LAX was delayed by over an hour.  Thank goodness for text message from American Airlines.  That delay would have made me miss my connection to Dallas and then home.

I called the airline and was able to book an earlier flight from Honolulu direct to Dallas.  But it meant instead of leaving at 10:05pm, I was leaving at 7:50pm and had to catch shuttle to airport immediately.  I called Speedi Shuttle which I had already booked for later pickup.  They were able to get me right away and I everything worked out.

I'm in Dallas now waiting for flight to Minneapolis.

Meanwhile I took a surfing lesson on Waikiki Beach.   It was tons of fun and exhausting.  I had two really good rides and a few fall offs.  I also saw a sea turtle while out on my surf board.

Hawaii was fun and relaxing.  Got to play tennis with Chris and Eliza.  The last time I played was four years ago with Chris and Eliza at the same public courts in Kapi'Olani Park.  I was surprised how well I did.

Home this week and next

With the Labor Day holiday coming up, I don't have to travel for work this week or next.  Yeah!

One drawback to not traveling so much is that I'll lose my high status with American Airlines and with it no more automatic upgrades.  I have been very spoiled getting to travel first class even on the short flights. 

I fly Delta more now because there are direct flights to Denver where American does not.  Delta did partially matched my AA status and Delta has a more liberal upgrade policy.  I have been upgraded to first class a number of times on Delta where if I had similar status on American, I would not have been.

I need some more miles to re-qualify for a decent status on American and I have a long way to go to re-qualify on Delta for my existing status.  American and Delta are in different frequent flyer programs though the requirements are pretty much the same.

There is more to having the status than just the first-class upgrades.  The higher your status the more matching points you can make and, therefore, the easier it is to qualify for the next year.  It is kind of a vicious game but with the amount of travel I do, airline status makes things more comfortable.

Heading to Miami...hopefully

Got a message from American Airlines yesterday that my flight to Miami via Dallas was canceled and I was re-booked on a flight to Miami via Chicago.

I leave a half hour later and arrive 45 minutes earlier. I am not able to access my reservation on-line so hopefully this all works out.

Getting to Miami earlier is good because my co-worker, Luis, is picking me up at the airport and showing me around.

My trip to Miami is for an IBM conference. I thought for sure it would be canceled given the economy and IBM just had a round of layoffs...but I was wrong. The schedule is very very full so there isn't much, if any, free time. Hopefully, I'll be able to stick to my diet and workouts.

A miracle

My flight pulled away from the gate only 5 minutes later than scheduled. That was even with the flight attendants being late. They were coming in from an international flight.

We taxied right to the run way and with no wait, we took off.

For the first time this year, no exaggeration, we landed at the scheduled time. AND we taxied right to the gate!

An American Airlines miracle!