The Upgrd Podcast

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Following on from our review of last year's predictions, we are back to discuss out frequent flyer predictions for 2011. Unfortunately due to some breaking news during recording, the episode is cut a bit short. <shakes fist towards LH> We try to discuss: If the combined United and Continental will keep four tiers of elite status or three What types of Double Elite Qualifying Promotions (if any) there will be this year Next stops for Virgin America and more... We recorded this a few weeks ago, so some info may be out of date already!

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we take a look back at our predictions this time last year including The United Airlines unlimited domestic upgrade program (UDU) The merger of United and Continental Airlines and more... What predictions do you have for 2011? Let us know below.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Happy New Year from all of us on the Upgrd Podcast. In this week's frequent flyer roundtable we discuss the recent irregular airline operations due to weather and some recent trips including: Matthew's first class award on Swiss Airlines The northeast blizzard and its effect on everyone's travel plans Additional ideas on what to do during irregular operations Do you have tips for traveling during a blizzard? Let us know below...

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this frequent flyer podcast we discuss travel news and recap the mergers between Delta / Northwest and Continental / United. We discuss: The new slimline seats on Lufthansa Keep your passwords safe on airline and hotel sites Boingo giveaway - make sure you leave a comment! The current state of the Delta and Northwest airlines merger The changes at United and Continental airlines as they merge What changes have you seen in the merged airlines? Leave us a comment below!

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we answer listener questions, questions from airlineanswers.com and talk about some recent news including: in free american express spending Aeroplan to require segments for status on AC New Cathay Pacific seats Irregular Operations on An Award Ticket Of all the US domestic airlines. Who has the best first class service? Does American AAdvantage have a "soft landing? and more... And you answers and questions at airlineanswers.com

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's travel gift podcast we discuss some recent news and ideas for the hard to buy for traveler including: Matthew on abcnews. American Express $25 Small Business Promotion Mark's Tech Travel Gift suggestions Some of our suggestions including: Digital Luggage Scale Personal Safety Alarms for your hotel Quickpod travel tripod and our favorite, although no longer made, Playmobil Security Checkpoint What are some of the holiday travel gift ideas you have? List them below.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this airline meal inspired podcast our talk comparing United and Continental quickly devolved into a chat about food. In addition our frequent flyers discuss: The recent updates to the combined United/Continental mileage programs A comparison of inflight service and food between United Airlines and Continental Airlines Randy Peterson's announcement of his departure from FlyerTalk and more... Do you fly both Continental and United? Any comparisons you would like to add? Let us know below!

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Last week many of attended the frequent traveler awards in Houston. In this week's frequent flyer podcast our panelists discussed the event itself as well as the results. We also discussed: Free Gogo Wifi Charging your phone and other gadgets on the road TSA Body Scanners (again) Laptop size matters when heading through airport security The dinner and reception at the Frequent Traveler awards The winners (and losers!) of the night What did you think of the winners? Any surprises? Let us know below.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast This week our frequent flyers discuss the meanest of the mean - or at least one person's interpretation of this. In addition we discuss Mean Airlines What About American Airlines? Missing Hot Nuts Delta delays 787s to 2020 Which airline is meanest in your book? Let us know below...

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's travel podcast we are joined again by our newest blogger Gene to discuss the new Delta Airlines now that the Northwest merger has been in progress for some time. Play along and try to guess Gene's thoughts that finish these sentences... The Delta Airlines Diamond Medallion customer service is ... The ability to upgrade domestic awards for free, after paid Diamonds/before paid Platinum's is ... Rollover Delta MQMs are .... The old terminal at JFK is ... The pre merger Northwest Airlines flight attendants need ... (Broken record) Delta needs to add SWUs that can be used on ... American Airlines really needs to... Do you fly Delta? If so, please write in below and let us know your thoughts on the airline and service over the most recent months.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Continuing on from our discussion of hotels in India, we discuss Indian airlines including Kingfisher, Jet Airways, and Air India.  David joins us again to discuss travel in the region along with some other discussions including The lack of participation in an airline alliance by some India based airlines Recent Hyatt hotel stays The nightmare that is transiting Heathrow airport and more...  

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this frequent flyer episode we are joined by Reb, who along with Gary are two of the organizers of this year's Frequent Traveler Awards. Voting is currently open (vote here) and winners will be announced at the award dinner in Houston in early November. We discussed: How the award program came about The differences from other previous loyalty program award events How to attend and more about planned costs and we expressed our disappointment at the lack of a "favorite podcast" category at the awards.    

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are again joined by David who last joined us to discuss El Al. We continue our discussion of Indian hotels with David's commentary on the hotels he visits when working there. We also discuss the current Hyatt "great" 10k promotion. Do you have any tips or favorite hotels while traveling in India? Please leave a comment below or sent your tip to us.    

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we revisit the Marriott Rewards hotel loyalty program as Kevin wanted to clarify some mis-information in our last Marriott Rewards podcast on the subject. We discuss: Fozz's recent first class award on Lufthansa's A380 Virgin America's new routes instead of Chicago Marriott Rewards tips from Kevin Marriott Rewards Mega Bonus 115,000 points for $1,000 in hotel credits for future stays (which accrue points) The JW Marriott properties Point saver rates even at Ritz Carlton and Elephants. What is your opinion of the Marriott Rewards program? Why would you choose it over another program? Anything we missed?  

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast We recorded this frequent flyer podcast last week when Steven Slater was still in the news. In addition to this old topic we discuss: Bankruptcy of Mexicana Freedoms of the air, including some current North American Fifth Freedom flights More info on the freedoms of can be found on wikipedia How many countries have you visited? How many do you plan on visiting? Please let us know if you are planning on visiting 100 cities and how far along you are in the comments below.