Triangle Trip

A couple months ago I thought I had planned it perfectly.  Spend Christmas and New Years abroad with friends and also maintain my airline status with the miles incurred for the trip.  I did the math a couple times to make sure I would be guaranteed airline status for 2009.  But today while logging into my United account and seeing my mileage summary reset to zeroes, it suddenly occurred to me that my return leg would be in the new year and not count toward status for 2009.  So I’m short the 7,000 miles that my return leg back home covers.  Darn it!  

So moral of the story is this: if you are planning an year end trip that doubles as a mileage run to maintain airline status, make sure you spend New Years at home.

If you ever travel in the Northeast Corridor for work, the best way to travel hands down is via Amtrak.  There are no security lines, no need to get to the train station way in advance, no need to turn off your cellphones or laptops, and plenty of legroom.  Maybe the most negative aspect is trying to find an empty seat on a crowded train especially if you are not boarding at Boston, New York, or Washington D.C.  The best feature of traveling frequently on Amtrak though is possibly their partnership with Continental Airlines.  You can transfer Amtrak miles for Continental miles 1 to 1 (but only in 5,000 point increments) and you get access to the Continental lounge if you flash your Amtrak Select Plus (Amtrak’s top tier status) card.  So remember to carry around your Amtrak Select Plus card even if you are traveling via air.