Triangle Trip

If you have landed in La Guardia Airport (LGA) and want to take public transportation to NYC, you either need exact change for the MTA bus (US$2.50 as of 2011), or a MetroCard with enough money for a one way fare.

Don’t have enough change for the bus? No need to scramble or buy unnecessary stuff at the airport…there is an MTA vending machine at the arrival level of LGA’s Terminal B. The MTA vending machine accepts credit cards and is located in between the United and Continental’s arrivals baggage claim area. See map below for more details:

If your flight doesn’t land at Terminal B, no need to worry as LGA has a free shuttle bus that circles around the terminals. Another option is look for a newsstand called Hudson News as they may resell MetroCards. You should also consider the unlimited ride Metrocard if you are staying in NYC for longer than a week. Here’s a previous post regarding on how to take advantage of NYC MTA’s unlimited Metrocard.

From LGA, visitors can ride the M60 bus to Upper West Side Manhattan. Buses and subways are both run by the MTA, so transferring from a bus, to another bus, or to the subway is free – as long as that transfer occurs within two hours after the initial fare was paid. If you paid the bus fare with exact change, you’ll need a transfer pass; you can request one from the bus operator before you exit. If you paid the bus fare by purchasing and using a MetroCard, it’ll automatically act as a transfer pass if used within the two hour window. Here’s a link to Captain G’s previous post for more details.

And if you’re arriving from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), you won’t run into issues finding a MetroCard vendor or transferring. There are tons of MTA vending machines at the JFK AirTrain, which takes riders from JFK to the Jamaica subway and train station, making it very convenient to go anywhere in New York City. For your convenience, here are links on how to get from JFK to Manhattan (How to take NYC public transportation to/from JFK).

Having just returned from Europe, where the price of internet access is extremely high compared to the US, I highly recommend visitors subscribe to a WiFi plan from one of the US providers like Boingo, IPass, Wayport or TMobile before heading to Europe – especially if you are staying for more than four days.

A WiFi provider may sound useless if you’re from and travel throughout the US, where you can get free WiFi by buying a cup of coffee or going to a hotel lobby. However, Internet access in Europe is still quite expensive and limited. For instance, the Madrid airport and its airline lounges charge EU 9 (or around US$12 as of Oct 2010) for an hour of WiFi internet access at the airport terminal. A cheaper alternative is to use a terminal kiosk offered by a local provider which costs EU 1 for 10 minutes or EU 2 for 25 minutes. Furthermore, most European hotels charge guests at least EU 9 per night for internet access – some hotels even limit your data usage.

So if you’re planning to be in Europe for at least four days, I strongly recommend you pick up a “pay as you go” global WiFi plan with a US WiFi carrier that allows you to roam without extra charge. For example, Boingo has a US$59 per month Global WiFi plan which allows you to roam with European WiFi carriers while you are abroad. There is a data limit to this plan, so make sure to check the fine print.

Happy travels.

I have not flown United since retaining Premiere Executive status (thanks to United’s 2009 Triple EQM offer), and now I know why. I was recently on a United flight from America’s worst airport (IAD) to JFK. I got to the airport a few hours early and wanted to go standby for an earlier flight. After checking in at the kiosk, I tried to get on the standby list via “get on an earlier flight option” from the kiosk. The kiosk requested I swipe my credit card and notified me that I would have to pay $50.00 if my standby was confirmed. As an United Premiere Executive for many years, I stood there staring at the screen in disbelief.

After getting through Dulles’s horrible security checkpoint and train, I finally got to the United Customer Service desk. When I inquired about standing by for an earlier flight, I was told that it would cost me $50 if I get on to the flight. When I told the United Customer Services agent that I was never informed of this new policy, she informed me that it was put in place February of 2010. The United Customer Services agent was also shocked that she had to ask for my credit card when she noticed that I was a United Premiere Executive.

Still in disbelief, I rang United Customer Services’ number and was connected to their Indian call center. The offshore United Customer Services agent told me United began charging $50 for taking an earlier flight and the only way around it is if you’d a full fare ticket – not even Premiere Executive members are spared of the fee. I dug through United.com and found this article (link for your reference). I believe Premiere Executive 1K and Global Services members can get the standby fees waived.

I now know why I have stopped giving United my business as being a loyal customer doesn’t pay. United’s learned from USAir by charging their customers for standby when their planes are empty (perhaps charging for water on a flight is next – see previous post about USAir). United’s latest customer gouging approach makes Delta’s poor customer service and trying to squeeze every penny from you at JFK seem harmless. Now I understand why I have been flying Delta more and more, especially when they offer “confirmed” standby within 4 hours of the flight. Yes!  If you’ve Delta Medallion status, they’ll give you a seat on the flight 4 hours in advance or within 4 hours of the next flight if you’ve missed your earlier flight. No wonder I wrote this previous article (Delta’s Medallion Program puts them above other airlines).