Johnny Jet's Travel Blog

FEATURED STORY: Tel Aviv, Israel

2009-11-20T14:58:00.001-08:00

Shalom! This week we finish up our incredible journey to Israel by sharing with you our time in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and the flight back. Read on

http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/WheresJohnny11182009.html

Blogging Live From Oasis of the Seas

2009-11-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm one of the lucky members of the media to be invited on Oasis of the Seas preview cruise. My sister and I just boarded this mammoth (225,282 gross registered tons) which carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy and has 16 decks. Follow me in real time on Twitter (

http://twitter.com/JohnnyJet)

Meet Coca-Cola's Expedition 206 Team

2009-11-16T21:01:00.001-08:00

Live from Atlanta, Georgia!

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: BookYourAward.com

2009-11-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

BookYourAward.com
I was recently reading a story by @WendyPerrin, in Conde' Nast Traveler, on five travel experts to follow on Twitter. She was raving about a new service run by Gary Leff, a Senior Moderator and member-elected TalkBoard President of Flyertalk.com. For those having difficulty in cashing your frequent flier miles, Gary will do the work for you. They are time-consuming tricks, so his fee of $250 (for the first two people on the same itinerary) may be worth the price…especially since some tickets he books can cost up to $20,000. I know, airlines shouldn’t make booking award tickets into a game, but some do, which opens the door for people like Gary who can add a valuable service.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: TransWorldExpedition.com

2009-11-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

TransWorldExpedition.com
A 33-year-old New Yorker who came over from France at age 18 as an inspired artist is leaving his job, girlfriend, and family to set out on a crazy 40-country journey around the world. The kicker is that he is driving! Now that is crazy. I read his story on MSNBC and you can keep track of his trip through his blog. He leaves on November 15 and is heading south. His estimated total for the trip is $46,000. That’s for the car, tent, gas, repairs, insurance, vaccinations, visas ($550), maps, guidebooks, food, campgrounds, the occasional hotel and shipping the car five times to get to the continents. I wish him luck, as I don’t have the balls to do it.

FEATURED STORY: Marriott Airport Campus

2009-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the grand re-opening of the Marriott Miami Airport Hotel Campus. There was a huge celebration with VIPs like Mr. Marriott himself and Tito Puente junior’s salsa band played, complete with dancers. The campus is a unique concept; it has three different Marriott-branded hotels and a cool $70 million was spent on the transformation. The three hotels comprise a 366-room, full-service Marriott, 300-room Courtyard by Marriott and 163-suite Residence Inn. Read on ... http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/WheresJohnny11042009.html

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Per Diem

2009-11-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Per Diem
Ever wonder what the per diem rates are when traveling overseas? Here are the official ones, according to the U.S. Department of State. Even if you aren’t traveling, it’s interesting to see what others are getting when they’re abroad.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: AirlineFinancials.com

2009-11-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

AirlineFinancials.com
Are you interested in airline analysis? If so, then check out AirlineFinancials.com. Not only do they have the usual SEC and BTS data but the analysis here includes dozens of easy to interpret charts and graphs, which compare airline finances and operations with numerous breakdowns from labor costs to passenger ticket expense. They cover only U.S. airlines: Air Tran, American, Alaska, Allegiant, Continental, Delta/Northwest, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, United and USAir. But if you're looking for stock advice or predictions, you’d better look elsewhere because author Robert Herbst doesn’t provide them. Mr. Herbst has been a commercial pilot since 1969 and his aviation experience and financial background provides a unique analytical perspective into the airline industry.

FEATURED STORY: Thai islands

2009-11-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

The honeymoon continues, this week in the spectacular (and impossibly romantic) Thai islands. Read on ...

http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/Marcela-Thailand-2009-2.html

New York City Marathon

2009-11-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

If you have friends like I do, running today in the New York City marathon, you may be interested in this. I just discovered that I can track my friends’ progress. Just log on to the marathon’s official website and click the Race Day Tracker. Type in the runner’s name whose progress you’re interested in tracking and hit select. At the top of that page, choose either Track Results or Show Map. Since I’m in the Big Apple, I’m going to stand on one of the street corners and cheer the runners on. Thanks to Liz Borod Wright for the New York City Marathon Spectators’ Guide she wrote for Zagat. I’m going to use it to find some fuel while I’m waiting.

ATTN: Delta Passengers Flying on Halloween!

2009-10-30T08:46:00.001-07:00

Here’s a treat: On October 31, Gogo Inflight Internet will be free on all Gogo-equipped Delta flights and for each free session that day, Aircell will donate $1 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, up to $10,000. Additionally, all Gogo proceeds from the Pink Plane in the month of October will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Customers can help support the Foundation’s mission to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by accessing Gogo on their Gogo-equipped Delta flight this Saturday for free using the code GOPINK.

LAX-JFK On United

2009-10-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

I just landed in New York after taking United Airlines’ flight 22 from LAX. We took off at 9am and arrived a few minutes early at 4:50pm. Woo hoo!

UPSELLING
When I checked in online the day before to print my boarding pass, United tried upselling me on accruing miles even though I was using miles to begin with! It would have been enticing if they counted towards elite status but I don’t think they did. Here’s the screenshot. The offer was this: For $74, they would give me 2,475 award miles. For $149 they would deposit 4,950 award miles into my account.

VOLUNTEER TIP
The next screen was the option to be put on the volunteer list in case United oversold the flight. I chose yes to see how much they would give me but they didn’t need any volunteers in the end. Remember: If you volunteer your seat, always take cash vouchers and not a free roundtrip coupon since the latter has all kinds of restrictions.

LAX HIGHLIGHT
On the way to the gate, Tia Carerra (from Wayne’s World) walked by me wearing oversized sunglasses. If she hadn’t been wearing the sunglasses, I probably wouldn’t have noticed her. Not very incognito Tia … or maybe she didn’t want to be. Either way, she sure is purty.

TRICK OR TREAT?
As always, I brought chocolates for the flight attendants but right from the get-go I got the vibe they weren’t very friendly … and they weren’t. So I’ll give them to the next crew or eat them myself.

LESSON LEARNED
Don’t drink a lot of liquid before getting on the plane. I made the mistake of having two bottles of water and when we were rolling down the runway … and guess who got the urge? Worse, the pilots didn’t turn off the seatbelt sign for 53 minutes. Yes, I counted since I thought I was going to pop. Worse still, the flight attendants were adamant on passengers staying in their seats, made numerous announcements and shooed people from the aisles.

NO WI-FI
There was no Wi-Fi on the plane even though United advertises they have it on their P.S. Service (LAX/SFO to JFK) and there were even GoGo Internet instruction cards in each seatback advertising the service. Needless to say, this got me pretty excited when we boarded. However, when the ding went off (at 10,000 feet), there was no signal and when I asked the flight attendant, she said that this plane doesn’t have wireless access. She said that only three planes have it so far.

OVERALL
Overall, the flight was bumpy most of the way and it was packed. Flight time was four hours and 56 minutes and there were a ton of foreigners (mostly Chinese) who didn’t speak English so it was funny to see them react to the flight attendants when they tried using the loo in turbulence. On the P.S. service, United Airlines has five extra inches of legroom in economy, which still felt tight but it was key in allowing me to work on my laptop and pass the time.

TIP
United Airlines does sell food on board so if you don’t bring your own, be sure to bring a credit or debit card since they don’t take cash. I had a yogurt parfait for $5 and it hit the spot.

Go Yankees!

UNITED RETIRES ITS 737

2009-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago, United landed their first 737. Tonight, they landed their last. The appropriately numbered United Flight 737 took off from LAX destined for San Francisco International and I was there for the festivities.

After securing a gate pass and going through the long security line, I found myself at LAX’s gate 70B. There they had a long table set up against the window with some soft drinks and cookies, mixed in between some old 737 photos. The gate was crowded, filled mostly with airplane dorks, including my buddy Brett Snyder from CrankyFlier.com.

Everyone (including the pilots) was taking pictures inside and out of the last 737 United would fly. They captured the departure board and the information screens. Some lucky United employees who were granted runway access, got some memorable shots of themselves sitting on the engine or next to the wing with their colleagues.

When it was time to board, another pilot handed out 737 trading cards and a number of United employees lined the area and clapped for the First Class passengers, as they headed for the jetway.

In the past, most United frequent flyers (myself included) did everything we could not to fly on the “Guppy.” Why? Because there wasn’t as much room (legroom, overhead compartments) as on the 747, 767, 757 or on the Airbuses. But we found ourselves aboard it often because the 737 was United’s workhorse.

United is retiring the 737 because it’s expensive to operate (fuel and maintenance). According to USAToday, “United Airlines President John Tague told employees in a memo that getting rid of the 737 would ‘dramatically simplify our fleet and reduce our maintenance liability, significantly cutting the future investment required to maintain a modern fleet at United Airlines.’”

I didn’t fly up the coast, which most passengers just did for the nostalgic ride but you can get the play-by-play on CrankyFlier.com. Instead, I went home, ordered takeout and watched my beloved Yankees lose game one of the World Series.

This should give you some sense of the significance of the 737: I got to talking with a flight attendant who used his frequent flyer miles to take the last flight because he didn’t want to take the chance of not getting on flying standby (which would have been free for him) or forking out the $200 plus for the one-way flight.

It’s ironic that as United gets rid of their last 737, Southwest Airlines continues to order new ones. Southwest has almost 500 now and their whole fleet is comprised of only 737s. And guess what? Southwest is also one of the few airlines in the United States that’s actually making money.

FEATURED STORY: EL AL to Israel

2009-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

When I was first invited to visit Israel, I admit I had many preconceived notions, fears and questions – perhaps many of the same ones that first-time visitors to Israel would have. But my first question was: What’s it like to fly El Al? If you’re interested, here’s a play-by-play:
http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/WheresJohnny102820095.html

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: AwardWallet.com

2009-10-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

AwardWallet.com
Many of us seem to be obsessed with our frequent flyer miles. I really used to be but luckily, I've been able to control my addiction to finding out just how many miles I've accrued. But it really irks me to see statistics like this one: In 2007 alone, 39 billion miles expired from frequent flyer accounts. Come on, people! If you're not going to use your miles, consider treating a friend or relative to a free trip or donate your miles to a charity. It takes a long time (and a lot of money) to accumulate a significant number of miles, so don't let them go to waste.

Hopefully AwardWallet.com can help you stay on top of this. The site is designed to help travelers keep track of their award program balances. Simply provide your account numbers and log-in information and they'll keep track of all your frequent flyer miles, club points and other reward programs (airlines, hotels, car rentals, train travel rewards, credit cards, etc.). They'll even track rewards for your entire family or company.

Yankees vs Phillies

2009-10-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I met baseball legend Tommy Lasorda in Manhattan Beach and I asked him who he’s rooting for to the World Series – he said the Angels. I said how about if it’s the Yankees vs Phillies – he said "the PHILLIES". I take it he doesn’t like the Yankees especially after refused (jokingly, I think) to take a pic with a dude who was wearing a Yankee shirt. I bit my tongue.

FEATURED STORY: NBTA in San Diego

2009-10-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings from San Diego, California! This week, we check in at the world’s largest business travel conference, the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), where all the airlines are strutting their new seats. They featured a slew of amazing gimmicks and speakers (including President Bill Clinton and Captain Sully) to entice. Read on ...
http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/WheresJohnny10212009.html

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: IMB Live Piracy Map 2009

2009-10-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

IMB Live Piracy Map 2009
I just read a story in a popular travel magazine that piracy is rampant – not just off the coast of Somalia, as so many of us know – but all over the world. The source quoted in the article I was reading was the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) so I dug a little further and this is what I found. Their map shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2009. The exact coordinates are provided but if they are not, they provide estimated positions. Users can zoom in and click on the pointers to view more information about an individual attack. I think it’s important information to know before you book that cruise or, if you’re more adventurous, jump in a sailboat to sail the high seas.

TRAVEL VIDEO OF THE WEEK: YouTube Concierge In Puerto Rico

2009-10-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

YouTube Concierge In Puerto Rico
In an age of social media and instantaneous sharing, here’s a great marketing ploy that hoteliers should think about mimicking. Not so long ago, it took us about a week after returning home from a trip to show off pictures unless we wanted to spend double the money to get our photographs developed in an hour. These days, we have Skype, Facebook, Twitter and a whole host of other social networking sites through which to share our photos. But check this out: The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (where I’ve stayed before; here’s my story) has created a YouTube Concierge.

One of its staff members walks around the resort (the pool and the beach seem to be the hot spot) with a camera and has willing guests share their vacation experiences for their friends back home in a quick, 30-second video postcard, free of charge. The video clip is formatted with the Marriott’s branding and then uploaded to the San Juan Marriott Live YouTube Channel, so guests can email their friends, family or co-workers back home.

The hotel claims it’s so guests don’t have to worry about bringing a camera to the pool or the beach but we all know it’s just a genius viral marketing effort on their part. After guests record their 30-second video clip, provide written consent to post the video on YouTube, it’s up by 5pm that evening.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: ThisWeekInTravel.com

2009-10-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

ThisWeekInTravel.com
What's so amazing about the Internet is that there's an opportunity for everyone to start something (a business, a website, a blog) and if you put something good out there, it has a good chance of sticking! The two-month old travel site ThisWeekInTravel.com is doing just that. It's been created by three popular travel bloggers: Jen Leo from the LA Times, Chris Christensen, the host of the online show Amateur Travel and Gary Arndt, who's been traveling the world since 2007 and runs the blog Everything- Everywhere.com.

ThisWeekInTravel.com offers a weekly podcast, covering news and topics and trends in the travel industry. I learned about it when they invited me to be their guest of the week. Unfortunately, my schedule has been crazy and whenever they tape their weekly podcast (recorded over Skype every Wednesday between 7:15am and 8:15am), I seem to be on a plane or at a conference.

I've listened to a few of their podcasts and I'm impressed. The hosts and their guests chat about the travel news of the week for an hour and give a useful tip at the end of the show. If you're interested in travel (obviously you are!), I'm sure you'll like it.

Delta Doing Something Special In October

2009-10-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

This month Delta is doing something special for the fifth year in a row. They are uniting their employees and customers through numerous pink initiatives that benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). I learned about it because I just flew Delta from New York to L.A. this week.

As I was going through security at JFK’s Terminal 4, a few flight crewmembers cut to the front of the line. I was going to jokingly give the two in jeans a hard time since crewmembers aren’t supposed to cut unless they’re working. Good thing I didn’t because not only were they working – they were working my flight.

Turns out that on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the month of October, Delta’s flight attendants can opt to wear an alternative uniform of jeans and a T-shirt or a pink dress for the women. Delta sells them one of the three styles of monogrammed breast cancer awareness T-shirts ($16), the net proceeds of which go to the BCRF. Passengers can also contribute to the cause by making an in-flight donation (payment by credit card) or by buying a signature pink lemonade for $2 a glass; you can also get a pink margarita for $7.

I got chatting with Denyse and Nicolas, the two flight attendants on my flight who were supporting the cause. They told me all about the initiative and I learned that Delta has a Boeing 757 that’s painted pink and white. Like so many of us, both Denyse and Nicolas are linked to someone who has been touched by the disease and the tears started flowing when Nicolas told us that his mother lost her battle to breast cancer just a week prior, at just 57 years old. Obviously, Denyse and Nicolas were very proud that Delta is running this campaign and so am I. Good work, Delta.

Looking for other ways to support Delta’s breast cancer awareness campaign, even if you’re not flying with them? You can shop for co-branded Delta and BCRF pink products including pink luggage tags, tumblers, aprons and pens, ranging in price from $2 to $16, a portion of proceeds benefiting BCRF. The best way to contribute is to make a donation directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

FEATURED STORY: London - NYC - L.A.

2009-10-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

Greetings from the good ol' U.S. of A! This week, we fly across the pond from London to New York to catch a Yankees game, then head home to California to attend a Twitter Conference and spend some quality time with my dad -- including going to a Dodgers game!

BREAKFAST IN NYC

2009-10-15T12:22:00.001-07:00

Somebody help me! I just returned from a breakfast meeting with Sonoma County Tourism and Lou Hammond & Associates at Norma’s in The Parker Meridien. I haven’t been there since the morning of my cousin AJ’s wedding and I feel sick from having four glasses of the best fresh squeezed OJ; it’s $9 but you can have all the refills you want … hence the four glasses! AND … I had huevos rancheros and a chocolate peanut butter waffle-wich, which should only be served for dessert. What was I thinking?! Norma's at Le Parker Meridien, 118 West 57th Street, New York, NY; Tel: (212) 708-7460.

FEATURED STORY: Cody, Wyoming

2009-10-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

Destination: Cody, Wyoming
Explore the Wild West in Cody, Wyoming; it's a historical goldmine.
By Georgette Diamandis

Howdy and welcome to cowboy country! That's right -- we're in Cody, Wyoming, the rodeo capital of the world. Historic downtown has its famous founder's touch still on it with Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel and the super-wide streets he designed to turn his massive stagecoach and team of horses around. And after you've stayed a bit, you can explore nearby Yellowstone, America's oldest and most famous national park.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: MySkyStatus.com

2009-10-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

My buddy Leo Laporte turned me on to this site. He registered with the site for his Emirates flight from Dubai to San Francisco, to publish his flight progress for his Facebook friends and Twitter followers. I thought it was so cool to see the updates so I decided to give it a try on a couple of my flights this week. My first attempt didn’t work because I put in the flight number and the cities. Upon closer examination, I realized that it asked for flight number OR city pairs. So for yesterday’s flight, I put in the airline cities and then chose the flight number. It all seemed to be working as I was prompted to put in my Facebook and Twitter login information. But after the initial update, it didn’t continue to work. I’m sure it was something I did wrong so I will give it another try on Friday but I wanted to be one of the first to tell you about it so you can check it out, too. Obviously my first impression is that it’s a little confusing and being run and branded by Lufthansa doesn’t exactly help. Users aren’t stuck with just that German carrier; you can be flying any airline on any route. Comments on my Twitter and Facebook pages had mixed reviews so try it out and let me know what you think! I love the concept.