Sunday, October 5, 2014
7 Shameless Ways to Get an Upgrade rss link Airfarewatchblog
7 Shameless Ways to Get an Upgrade
Airfarewatchblog
7 Shameless Ways to Get an Upgrade
Posted by Caroline Costello on Tuesday, September 30, 2014
(Photo: Izabela Habur/Getty Images)
Want an upgrade? The key is availability: All upgrades are based on it. They're
also, largely, based on loyalty status. But even if you do belong to your
airline's or hotel's loyalty program, you're still competing with countless
other travelers for the same upgrade. To rise above the pack, it'll take
smarts, a strategy, and (dare we say it) shamelessness. Here are seven
brazen ways to angle for an upgrade from an airline or a hotel.
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
Give Your Airline Crew a Little Treat
Do: Gift something small and inexpensive to the gate agents or flight
crew. Make them like you with inexpensive presents. Globe-trotting
charmer Johnny Jet, a master of the art of schmoozing flight attendants,
is a major proponent of this strategy. One of his not-so-secret
secrets: handing out chocolates. Mr. Jet offers this advice in his T
ip of the Day: "I almost always bring two boxes of chocolates—one
for the gate agents and one for the flight attendants, because both
can make or break your trip. When you hand the chocolates over,
do it with a big smile, be genuine, and don't look for anything in return."
Don't: Assume a quid pro quo. As Johnny advises, never directly
ask for anything while distributing a gift. Airline crew are prohibited from
accepting gifts as bribes. Small tokens like candy or snacks are good;
anything more expensive is probably a bad idea.
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
Speak Their Language
Do: Demonstrate your foreign-language skills when appropriate. We've
seen a room upgrade go to a fellow traveler in Mexico when she flaunted
her fluency in Spanish. Initiate a friendly conversation with a hotel
clerk in his or her native tongue, ingratiate yourself with the staff,
and you just might receive a complimentary room upgrade. Even if
you're not fluent, learn a word or two. Staff will appreciate a
"hello" or "thank you" in the resident language. Make an honest
attempt to have a sincere conversation.
Don't: Loudly and clumsily speak a few words of the local
language to staff, expecting a shower of upgrades in return.
A powerful voice volume will not demystify your clumsy
attempt at a foreign language.
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
Say It's Your Birthday
Do: Be obvious about the day you were born. You could,
when checking in for your flight or hotel room, happily
mention, "It's my birthday!" Wear a pointed hat and shake
some maracas for the full effect. There's nothing wrong with
a little self-celebration. Seriously, though, the elusive birthday
upgrade has been known to happen now and again. We've heard
of passengers (usually with some kind of frequent-flyer
status to begin with) receiving birthday upgrades sans any effort
to draw attention to the fact. Evidence of your birthday is,
of course, printed on your boarding pass. And your ID. And your
Keep Calm It's My Birthday shirt.
Don't: Lie. The chances your deception will be exposed are high.
We'll say it again: Your birthday is printed on your ID.
(Photo: Thinkstock/Stockbyte)
Say It's Your Honeymoon (or Anniversary)
Do: Excitedly tell your booking agent that you're on your way to
your honeymoon vacation. Bring proof if possible: Offer the flight
attendant an extra favor from your wedding as evidence and
incentive. Wear your "I'm the Bride!" T-shirt. Maybe you won't
get a pair of first-class boarding passes, but at the very least, you
might receive some free Champagne.
If a honeymoon upgrade at your hotel or resort is what you're after,
be sure to bring a copy of your marriage license. Many resorts offer
complimentary honeymoon upgrades but require proof of marriage.
Don't: Lie. Airline employees and front-desk clerks aren't stupid. I'd
venture to guess that flight or hotel staff has a good gauge for who's
on a honeymoon and who's only faking.
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
Slip the Hotel Staff Some Cash
Do: The cash bribe is a decidedly shameless activity, but there's a
slick way to do it. When paying for your stay, hold twenty bucks
(give or take) in your hand with your credit card and smile politely,
asking whether any room upgrades or well-located rooms are
available. Your front-desk clerk will get the hint. This is more
effective in some places than others, of course, so it's important
to proceed with caution. In Las Vegas, for example, kickbacks for
cash are more likely to be tolerated, especially if you're a guest
who has a good play history with the hotel. At other properties,
your front-desk agent may be risking his or her job by accepting
a small bribe. Be careful, be respectful, and read the situation
carefully.
Don't: Bribe an airline worker. Chocolates are one thing—but
airline employees who accept cash bribes can lose their jobs.
Don't even try.
(Photo: Thinkstock/iStock)
Bribe a Fellow Passenger
Do: Offer the guy with a better seat $100 to switch spots.
This isn't illegal. There aren't any clear airline policies
prohibiting flyers from paying other passengers for seat
swaps. There's even an app, believe it or not, called
AirrTrade that facilitates seat buying and selling
among passengers. You may do this, if you want.
Don't: Have high expectations or be anything other than
extraordinarily polite. Passengers are under no obligation to
accept your bribe. Some folks might even be offended by it.
(Photo: CCFoodTravel.com via flickr/CC Attribution)
Show Your Loyalty
Do: Flaunt your unofficial status. Signing up for a hotel chain's
loyalty program isn't exactly shameless. But advertising your
unfailing loyalty to a boutique property that doesn't have a
loyalty program is a bit bolder. Returning to a B&B for the
third time? Write an email to the owners. Mention that
you've been there a bunch of times. Tell them how much
you love their property. If appropriate, write a good review.
Send the link to the owners and congratulate them on a
job well done. Show that you appreciate your stay, and
your hosts just might show you a little appreciation in return,
whether it's in the form of a room upgrade, coupons, or even
just free bottles of water by your bed. Better yet, you can feel
good about sharing some positive thoughts with your fellow
humans.
Don't: Threaten to write a bad review if you don't receive an
upgrade; anyone who does this should have their hotel privileges
revoked for life.
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This article was originally published by SmarterTravel under the title
Follow Caroline Costello on Google+ or email her at editor@smartertravel.com.
05 Oct 2014 Simon weakens but still major hurricane REPORTfrom Agence France-Presse Published on 05 Oct 2014 1 0 googleplus0 0 reddit0 0 10/05/2014 15:03 GMT MEXICO CITY, October 5, 2014 (AFP) - Simon weakened off Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday but remained a major hurricane as it headed toward a region recently hit by a powerful storm. The hurricane dropped from category four to three strength on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, blasting top winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Simon was 580 kilometers (360 miles) southwest of Punta Eugenia and was expected to rapidly lose steam before becoming a much weaker tropical depression when it reaches the Baja California peninsula later this week. A hurricane center tracking map shows Simon making landfall well north of the Los Cabos resorts that were pummeled last month by Hurricane Odile, which left six people dead. "We must prepare shelters, mobilize food supplies and prepare for the evacuation of people in high-risk areas," said Baja California Sur government secretary Andres Cordova. The hurricane was expected to produce up to 20 centimeters (eight inches) of rain across central Baja California and parts of Sonora state in northwestern Mexico. "This rainfall could cause flash flooding and mudslides," the NHC warned, adding that "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions were also likely. lth/nss © 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse
Simon weakens but still major hurricane
10/05/2014 15:03 GMT
MEXICO CITY, October 5, 2014 (AFP) - Simon weakened off Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday but remained a major hurricane as it headed toward a region recently hit by a powerful storm.
The hurricane dropped from category four to three strength on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, blasting top winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Simon was 580 kilometers (360 miles) southwest of Punta Eugenia and was expected to rapidly lose steam before becoming a much weaker tropical depression when it reaches the Baja California peninsula later this week.
A hurricane center tracking map shows Simon making landfall well north of the Los Cabos resorts that were pummeled last month by Hurricane Odile, which left six people dead.
"We must prepare shelters, mobilize food supplies and prepare for the evacuation of people in high-risk areas," said Baja California Sur government secretary Andres Cordova.
The hurricane was expected to produce up to 20 centimeters (eight inches) of rain across central Baja California and parts of Sonora state in northwestern Mexico.
"This rainfall could cause flash flooding and mudslides," the NHC warned, adding that "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions were also likely.
lth/nss
© 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse
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Saturday, October 4, 2014
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Playa Zipolite. Welcome To The Beach Of The Dead!: Вступай в группу ВКонтакте vk.com/djmikisofficial ...: Вступай в группу ВКонтакте vk.com/djmikisofficial Music / MIKIS presents НОВОЕ РАДИО MEGAMIX Mikis - Новое Радио Megamix 304 ...http://toolegittoaudit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Saturday-Taolife-1024x974.png
Hurricane Simon Strengthening Off the Coast of Mexico Published: Oct 4, 2014, 12:31 PM EDT weather.com
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/tropical-storm-hurricane-simon-mexico-pacific-20141002?cm_ven=Email&cm_cat=hcstorm_us_share
Quick, intermediary update on Simon as it has rapidly intensified in the last few hours:
Surf Potential for SoCal/N Baja: Improving and looking pretty good for early next week, assuming Simon behaves as forecast in the next 24-36 hours. We may start to see the first new signs of SE swell Sunday evening, but the bulk of the swell arrives for Mon/Tue. This isn't anywhere close to a Marie type swell, but could certainly produce head high waves for the better breaks in OC, Southern Ventura and Northern LA and overhead waves at standouts in North OC. Stay tuned, we'll have another blog update by this evening and, as always, you can check the Surfline Forecast for further details for your local area.
Look for a full update by this Saturday evening.
Image: The latest track and intensity forecast of Hurricane Simon from the National Hurricane Center (updated on Sat morning, Oct 4th at 8am).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CURRENT STATUS: 18.6N, 109.8W as of 8:00AM PDT by the NHC on Friday, Oct 3rd 2014. Tropical Storm Simon is located around 295 miles south of the southern tip of Baja, and tracking WNW around 8kts. Max sustained winds are 50kts with central low pressure at 996mb.
STORM FORECAST: Simon continues to gradually become better organized, while tracking to the WNW into warmer waters and with little shear. This storm looks to turn NW then North over the next couple days, and likely becoming a hurricane (entering SoCal swell window later this afternoon).
Good Things About Simon for SoCal swell potential
1. Fairly large in size.
2. Expected to move into the SoCal swell window later this afternoon, and potentially curving northward over the next couple days (pushing toward SoCal).
3. Forecast to slowly strengthen over the next 24-48hrs to a hurricane.
The Not So Good Thing About Simon
1. At this time, not expected to become all that strong (more than a cat 1), but overall its looking pretty good for SoCal.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR SOCAL AND BAJA NORTE: Looking very promising at this point. Simon is expected to enter the SoCal/Baja Norte swell window later this afternoon. And if it behaves as forecast, then SoCal and Baja Norte will see a bump of SSE tropical swell (156-165° at 9-12 seconds) build in late Sunday and top out on Monday into Tuesday, delivering fun size waves for the good SSE exposures. NOTE - Due to this extreme SSE angle, many locations will see much less or none of this swell. Strongest zone overall will be North OC, and North LA through Ventura will be decent as well.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR BAJA SUR AND MEXICO: Much of Mainland Mex (primarily the central and northern coasts) are already seeing surf from Simon. In fact, the SW now shifting WSW'erly tropical swell is already on the way down for theManzanillo area, while a SW Southern Hemi groundswell has taken over (conditions improving too). Better wind/weather conditions prevail around Puerto Vallarta throughMazatlan with the swell building in further and peaking today, but also mixing with the primary SW Southern Hemi groundswell. The blend of these two swells are keeping the surf more broken up for the exposed beachbreaks.
For Baja Sur, the SSE shifting South Simon swell will build into Cabo and the East Cape today and peak tonight. The well exposed spots to the South-SE will offer head high to overhead surf from this swell before dark and then on Saturday morning. NOTE - Baja Sur is also seeing the good size dose of SW Southern Hemi groundswell for the more SW'erly exposed breaks of the region. Furthermore, this storm looks to stay far enough offshore (at least for now) from Baja Sur to allow good wind/weather conditions to prevail.
Stay tuned to each region's written forecast for more details.
Next Update: Saturday afternoon, Oct 4th.
-Jonathan Warren and the Surfline Forecast Team
Image 2: Surfline's HurricaneTrak, displaying Simon and its projected track/intensity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATED: 10-2-14
CURRENT STATUS: 18.3N, 108.0W as of 2:00PM PDT on Thursday, Oct 2nd 2014. Tropical Storm Simon is located around 340 miles SSE of the southern tip of Baja, and tracking west around 8kts. Max sustained winds are 45kts with central low pressure at 998mb.
STORM FORECAST: Simon is gradually becoming better organized, while tracking to the WNW and hovering over warm waters in an environment with little shear. This storm looks to remain on the WNW heading over the next couple days (entering SoCal swell window on Saturday), before possibly turning more northward over the weekend.
Good Things About Simon for SoCal swell potential
1. Fairly large in size at the moment.
2. Forecast to eventually move into the SoCal swell window by Saturday AM, then possibly heading more northerly after that (pushing toward SoCal).
3. Forecast to slowly strengthen over the next 2-3 days.
The Not So Good Thing About Simon
1. Not very well organized at the moment.
2. May not become that strong of a system.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR SOCAL AND BAJA NORTE: Still needs to track further west and enter the swell window first (likely by Saturday AM). However, if it stays on track, then SoCal and Baja Norte may see a fun size bump of SSE (156-165°) move in by early next week (Mon/Tues).
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR BAJA SUR AND MEXICO: Much of Mainland Mex (primarily the central coast) is already seeing surf from Simon, but stormy weather prevails for the stretch of coast closest to the storm, along with variable/problematic winds (mostly sloppy storm surf). Better wind/weather conditions prevail around Puerto Vallarta through Mazatlan with the swell building in Friday into Saturday.
Baja Sur will see SSE shifting South swell from Simon move in this weekend (starting late Friday for Cabo and the East Cape). At this time, well exposed spots will offer head high to overhead surf from this swell. Also, this storm looks to stay far enough offshore from Baja Sur to allow good wind/weather conditions to prevail.
Stay tuned to each region's written forecast for more details.
Next Update: Friday afternoon, Oct 3rd.
-Jonathan Warren and the Surfline Forecast Team
Image 2: Surfline's HurricaneTrak, displaying Simon and its projected track/intensity.
HURRICANE SIMON
Simon has rapidly intensified in the last few hours and is now in the SoCal swell window.
- Published:10/04/14
- Views:2,258
- Comments:0
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Intermediary Update for Saturday morning, October 4th
NOAA latest visible satellite loop of Tropical Storm Simon.
NOAA latest visible satellite loop of Tropical Storm Simon.
- Now a Cat 3 hurricane with 105kt sustained wind
- Well within the SoCal swell window
- Should take a more favorable track to the NW over the next 24-48 hours.
- Not an especially big storm, but not tiny either (seems like the NHC might be underestimating the area of tropical storm force wind a bit based on satellite imagery)
Surf Potential for SoCal/N Baja: Improving and looking pretty good for early next week, assuming Simon behaves as forecast in the next 24-36 hours. We may start to see the first new signs of SE swell Sunday evening, but the bulk of the swell arrives for Mon/Tue. This isn't anywhere close to a Marie type swell, but could certainly produce head high waves for the better breaks in OC, Southern Ventura and Northern LA and overhead waves at standouts in North OC. Stay tuned, we'll have another blog update by this evening and, as always, you can check the Surfline Forecast for further details for your local area.
Look for a full update by this Saturday evening.
Image: The latest track and intensity forecast of Hurricane Simon from the National Hurricane Center (updated on Sat morning, Oct 4th at 8am).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CURRENT STATUS: 18.6N, 109.8W as of 8:00AM PDT by the NHC on Friday, Oct 3rd 2014. Tropical Storm Simon is located around 295 miles south of the southern tip of Baja, and tracking WNW around 8kts. Max sustained winds are 50kts with central low pressure at 996mb.
STORM FORECAST: Simon continues to gradually become better organized, while tracking to the WNW into warmer waters and with little shear. This storm looks to turn NW then North over the next couple days, and likely becoming a hurricane (entering SoCal swell window later this afternoon).
Good Things About Simon for SoCal swell potential
1. Fairly large in size.
2. Expected to move into the SoCal swell window later this afternoon, and potentially curving northward over the next couple days (pushing toward SoCal).
3. Forecast to slowly strengthen over the next 24-48hrs to a hurricane.
The Not So Good Thing About Simon
1. At this time, not expected to become all that strong (more than a cat 1), but overall its looking pretty good for SoCal.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR SOCAL AND BAJA NORTE: Looking very promising at this point. Simon is expected to enter the SoCal/Baja Norte swell window later this afternoon. And if it behaves as forecast, then SoCal and Baja Norte will see a bump of SSE tropical swell (156-165° at 9-12 seconds) build in late Sunday and top out on Monday into Tuesday, delivering fun size waves for the good SSE exposures. NOTE - Due to this extreme SSE angle, many locations will see much less or none of this swell. Strongest zone overall will be North OC, and North LA through Ventura will be decent as well.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR BAJA SUR AND MEXICO: Much of Mainland Mex (primarily the central and northern coasts) are already seeing surf from Simon. In fact, the SW now shifting WSW'erly tropical swell is already on the way down for theManzanillo area, while a SW Southern Hemi groundswell has taken over (conditions improving too). Better wind/weather conditions prevail around Puerto Vallarta throughMazatlan with the swell building in further and peaking today, but also mixing with the primary SW Southern Hemi groundswell. The blend of these two swells are keeping the surf more broken up for the exposed beachbreaks.
For Baja Sur, the SSE shifting South Simon swell will build into Cabo and the East Cape today and peak tonight. The well exposed spots to the South-SE will offer head high to overhead surf from this swell before dark and then on Saturday morning. NOTE - Baja Sur is also seeing the good size dose of SW Southern Hemi groundswell for the more SW'erly exposed breaks of the region. Furthermore, this storm looks to stay far enough offshore (at least for now) from Baja Sur to allow good wind/weather conditions to prevail.
Stay tuned to each region's written forecast for more details.
Next Update: Saturday afternoon, Oct 4th.
-Jonathan Warren and the Surfline Forecast Team
Image 2: Surfline's HurricaneTrak, displaying Simon and its projected track/intensity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATED: 10-2-14
CURRENT STATUS: 18.3N, 108.0W as of 2:00PM PDT on Thursday, Oct 2nd 2014. Tropical Storm Simon is located around 340 miles SSE of the southern tip of Baja, and tracking west around 8kts. Max sustained winds are 45kts with central low pressure at 998mb.
STORM FORECAST: Simon is gradually becoming better organized, while tracking to the WNW and hovering over warm waters in an environment with little shear. This storm looks to remain on the WNW heading over the next couple days (entering SoCal swell window on Saturday), before possibly turning more northward over the weekend.
Good Things About Simon for SoCal swell potential
1. Fairly large in size at the moment.
2. Forecast to eventually move into the SoCal swell window by Saturday AM, then possibly heading more northerly after that (pushing toward SoCal).
3. Forecast to slowly strengthen over the next 2-3 days.
The Not So Good Thing About Simon
1. Not very well organized at the moment.
2. May not become that strong of a system.
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR SOCAL AND BAJA NORTE: Still needs to track further west and enter the swell window first (likely by Saturday AM). However, if it stays on track, then SoCal and Baja Norte may see a fun size bump of SSE (156-165°) move in by early next week (Mon/Tues).
SWELL POTENTIAL FOR BAJA SUR AND MEXICO: Much of Mainland Mex (primarily the central coast) is already seeing surf from Simon, but stormy weather prevails for the stretch of coast closest to the storm, along with variable/problematic winds (mostly sloppy storm surf). Better wind/weather conditions prevail around Puerto Vallarta through Mazatlan with the swell building in Friday into Saturday.
Baja Sur will see SSE shifting South swell from Simon move in this weekend (starting late Friday for Cabo and the East Cape). At this time, well exposed spots will offer head high to overhead surf from this swell. Also, this storm looks to stay far enough offshore from Baja Sur to allow good wind/weather conditions to prevail.
Stay tuned to each region's written forecast for more details.
Next Update: Friday afternoon, Oct 3rd.
-Jonathan Warren and the Surfline Forecast Team
Image 2: Surfline's HurricaneTrak, displaying Simon and its projected track/intensity.
Category: Hurricanes
Hurricane Central Hurricane Simon Strengthening Off the Coast of Mexico Published: Oct 4, 2014, 8:21 AM EDT weather.com
Hurricane Central
Hurricane Simon Strengthening
Off the Coast of Mexico
Published: Oct 4, 2014, 8:21 AM EDT weather.com
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/tropical-storm-hurricane-simon-mexico-pacific-20141002?cm_ven=Email&cm_cat=hcstorm_us_share
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