TravelCommons

Author: mark

  • New Facts About The Best Frequent Flyer Programs

    The two reasons most frequent travelers invest in a frequent flyer programs — status perks (e.g., free upgrades, pre-boarding) and free trips.  While comparing status perks between programs is pretty straight-forward — most airlines proudly list every status perk, the number of seats that can be booked with miles seems a closely guarded secret, making comparisons between frequent flyer programs… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #72 – Breaking Travel Rules, What You Never Want to Hear

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago at the end of a full week home, decompressing after 6 weeks of straight travel. We talk about some “travel rules” violators — the woman whose airport meltdown is a YouTube hit and an Amazing Race couple whose violation got them eliminated. A listener suggests a topic — what is the one… Continue Reading →

  • $28,000 to Watch The Bears-Lions Game?

    When I used to work in Detroit’s Renaissance Center, international cellular calls would occasionally appear on my bill.  After way too many calls to AT&T, I finally figured out that whenever I used a certain conference room in Tower 600, my phone would grab the cell tower directly across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. However, my hassles were nothing… Continue Reading →

  • Meltdown at Gate 42

    I work very hard not to take out my frustrations with the airlines on the employees — those folks are usually just trying to do their jobs; just trying to get through to the end of the day like the rest of us. Others aren’t so considerate. Flying back from San Francisco last week, the guy next to me at… Continue Reading →

  • Don’t Call When The Tatty Skies Catch On Fire

    I don’t mean to pile on United Airlines, but they do bring it on themselves sometimes. The latest TravelCommons podcast talks about how the “friendly skies” of United Airlines have become a bit thread worn — duct tape holding together armrests, seat backs that can’t stay up (which was my experience again on my Monday flight from ORD to SFO).… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #71 – Winter Travel, Last Year’s Travel, Tatty United

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago, back doing my thing to support the travel industry with lots of travel in January. We talk about some recent TSA observations, good and bad; my latest spin of the “travel roulette” wheel, trading the plane for a train in an East Coast snow storm; a look back at last year’s travel… Continue Reading →

  • Good Restaurants for One

    In past TravelCommons episodes, we’ve talked about how important it is for a frequent traveler to find good restaurants that welcome a single diner.  In spite of a former colleague’s advice to “never eat alone“, I often find myself with nothing but the USA Today as a dining partner.  Sure, I could dine in the hotel bar, but I can… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #70 – Packing a Suit, Videoconference over Travel, Watching Winter Flight Delays

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after finishing up my travel for the year. But there was a good bit of travel before the year-end, including one of the craziest/stupidest(?) itineraries I’ve done in a long time — Chicago-London-Denver in a little more than a day. Many of the subsequent Twitter comments I received asked that perpetual question… Continue Reading →