Maybe I'm officially an "old" now, but I refuse to get starry-eyed about "points". I don't even bother with frequent-flyer programs - I think they're a scam. (Plus, I don't fly that much.) J has a bunch of "points" with various airlines, and every year or so she has to buy some flowers or something else she doesn't want to keep them "active". The amount of "points" needed for a ticket mysteriously creeps up over time, too. Very strange!!111 :-/

Why should I pay $450 in advance to you, Mr. Amex, for (an eventual) $200 credit on in-flight beverages and fees that I never pay, a TSA Precheck credit (that I can get for free other ways), ..., and 100,000 "points" with all sorts of restrictions? Why shouldn't you pay me with real cash money to use your stupid plastic card instead, since you'll be making a fee from merchants when I use it (in addition to all the data-mining you'd love to do on me)? Your card won't do me any favors, since lots of places don't accept it anyway.

But I guess they find enough people who need the "status" to make it worthwhile. Oh well.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Scott.

:-)

We avoid checking bags whenever possible. The DC airports seem especially slow at getting bags out to the belts, and the waiting isn't fun. AUS seems very slow, too.

On smaller planes, we've had good luck with taking bags down the ramp and if they insist on taking them, fine. It doesn't cost us anything, and we get them back faster than if they go to the terminal carousels. I've never been unable to force my roller-bag in an overhead bin, but it has been taken from me a time or two (e.g. on a smaller Bombardier jet, IIRC).

Also too, a colleague and I were at a conference in Cancun once, years ago. It took him about 4 days to get his luggage after it decided to go somewhere else... :-/

But I do miss the days of filling a 3-suiter with anything I could potentially need on a trip and not having to worry about it.

Enjoy! :-)

Cheers,
Scott.