Greetings from Lisbon! It's raining here, but still 65F!

I got a kick out of hearing myself on NPR today, but was surprised that only 20 seconds of my 20 minute interview was included. Standard practice I suppose.

What did you did not hear:

Discussing the value of airline loyalty, even if just for 25,000 miles/year (what it really means to be elite) Promotions such as DEQM How valuable MRers are to airlines How much I spend on travel More ...

I sadly announce this evening that United has pulled the "fare of fares" between Ontario and Tampa.

For over a year, travelers have been able to book a round trip First Class (A) fare between these cities for only $550 r/t. Ordinarily, that would only be a reasonable fare, but due to United's liberal routing restrictions, at one time you could route through SFO and JFK in p.s. First.

Indeed, back in April when UA was running their triple EQM promotion for A fares, ...

Earlier this year I nearly lost all my American Airlines miles due to account inactivity. With AA, your miles expire after 18 months of dormancy and to reinstate them, AA charges $50 for every 5,000 miles plus a 7.5% tax and a $30 fee. I avoided losing my miles by subscribing to the Wall Street Journal. Had I not had the impluse to check my account, I would have lost the miles.

That got me thinking about my other accounts that I rarely use--such as Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, ...

Book now, ask questions later has become my motto when it comes to buying airline tickets. With the 24-hour cancellation policy that all U.S. airlines and Orbitz/Priceline have, if I see a good deal, I buy the ticket--even if I am not sure I really want the flight. Airline pricing in the U.S. fluctuates so rapidly that fares may change multiple times in a single day. If there is somewhere I want to travel and I see a flight that *might* work, I book it. With the demise of the 24-hour online ...