As part of their ongoing 30th anniversary promotion, AA announced today that they were giving triple miles (or, more specifically, triple the usual amount of miles) for donations to the airline's two pet charities. So if you make a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® or American’s Miles In Support of All Who Serve (which benefits the USO), you'll get 30 miles for every dollar donated.

I wouldn't necessarily buy miles at $.033/mile, but for a donation (especially if you ...

Dear flight attendant,

It's called a "mixed drink" because it's supposed to be served mixed. If I wanted bloody mary mix with a vodka floater, I would have ordered it that way.

Sincerely,

- josh

I'm no longer traveling for business, and with my new job, I haven't had much time to explore MRing to get  myself back to EXP. I'm sitting on about 70,500 EQM at the moment (including a couple family trips between now and the end of the year).

So despite AA's generous RDU/BNA/PIT/STL double-EQM promotion, things aren't looking good for my AAdvantage Executive Platinum status:

1. I need to earn 29,500 EQM between now and December 31.

2. Between now and December 16, I must be in LA (where I live) on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and on Sundays. (More specifically, I have to be in LA all day every Sunday, and I have to be at my office 3pm-9pm Tuesdays and 3pm-7pm Thursdays.)

3. December 22-29, I cannot travel (I'll be on a family trip).

I spent about 40 minutes this morning playing around in the FT MR forums and on ITA, and I'm not feeling positive. Anyone got any bright ideas?

Free booze! Free booze! Free booze!

Well... not "free." You still have to pay for the Admirals Club membership, or for the premium ticket that gets you access to the club.

But the point is, people visiting Admirals Clubs will no longer have to pay for well drinks, wine, and beer. (Passengers on international itineraries already got booze. Now everyone does.)

From the email I just got (emphasis mine):

As a ...

Yesterday, I flew LAX-DFW-JAN with my wife. On the LAX-DFW flight (on the dreaded 737-800, which has only 16 seats in first class), my upgrade didn't clear. My wife and I were seated in 14F and E. 

When the flight attendants came around to do drink service, I asked about what snacks they were stocking on the cart and then requested the chocolate chip cookie (a healthy breakfast to be sure). After handing my diet coke and cookie to me, the FA then whipped out the credit card ...

(This is Part 1 in a multipart trip report. For the background on this trip, check here.)

We arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, checked in at the Mexicana Elite desk, and headed quickly through security. (The first-class security line was poorly enforced, but that certainly isn't anything I haven't seen before.)

Our plan was to head to the joint oneworld® lounge to spend the hour or so before boarding. We took the lounge elevator to the fifth floor and ...