How to get FREE Live TV on FLIGHTS

  

On my last flight with Southwest Airlines, two things got my attention. When I entered the plane, I noticed that there was a sticker, next to the entrance, it had the Wi-Fi symbol with the text “Wi-Fi onboard”. On opening the in-flight magazine there was an advertisement labeled: “Enjoy free live TV on this flight”. Normally I leave the Wi-Fi to others, because it’s slow and expensive. I can manage without email for a couple of hours. So as soon as the aircraft was above 10,000 feet there was the “ding” signal for the flight attendant to announce that the use of approved electronic devices is permitted.

I got my iPad and followed the instructions in the Southwest Magazine; first went to settings, clicked on Wi-Fi, the “Southwest WiFi” network showed up, so I selected that network. Within a few seconds, my iPad connected to this network. After that, I launched Safari and to my surprise, the portal website showed up quickly.

Choice of $8 Wi-Fi or Free Live TV?

I had the choice of $8 Wi-Fi or Free Live TV, I choose the Live TV powered by Dish. Then I was offered this selection of TV stations:

• Bravo
• CNBC
• FOX 5 New York (WNYW)
• FOX Business Network
• FOX News Channel
• Golf Channel
• MLB.com (Major League Baseball), when games are available
• MSNBC
• NBC 4 (WNBC)
• NFL Network

In addition, there are lots of video on demand channels. I settled for Fox News, and clicked on the link for Fox news channel, within a few seconds the video streaming screen appeared on my iPad. I clicked on the Play Icon and Fox News started to stream to my iPad. The Quality was very good, in fact, it was as good as my home TV .

I also checked out the live flight tracker, which gives you a map with the aircraft, plotted at the location where you are presently flying. At the bottom, you can see the remaining distance, ground speed, altitude, weather conditions to arriving city and estimated arrival time.

I liked watching TV on Southwest Airlines, (on my own iPad), and it was the best flight tracker that I have seen onboard an airplane. I hope my next flight has a sticker with “Wi-Fi on Board”!

Hertz now rents cars like Porsche and Tesla

I usually like to take advantage of a Hertz President's Circle Plus Rewards ELITE upgrade, but in this bad economy, I go for the cheapest car to rent. The best way to do this is to go to Expedia, where you can get a quote from all the car rental places in one place.

There are many advantages to going to this link : You can BOOK NOW and pay later, NO FEES for cancellation before pick-up, the TOTAL price INCLUDES taxes and fees. I could see all the rental companies daily rates listed.. 84 Car Types Matched my Search For Economy Or Larger. Dollar Thrifty, was the cheapest then Enterprise and Alamo. All cars include automatic transmission, air conditioning and unlimited mileage. I must point out a tip that you should not expect cars to have air conditioning if you are renting out of the USA, and may even have to rent a stick shift car! So always CHECK if you are not renting in the USA.

We rented a car at Baltimore, MD, AIRPORT (BWI-Baltimore Washington Intl. Thurgood Marshall) from Enterprise.

 

When I returned the car early in the morning at 5 a.m. There was nobody at the Enterprise desk but the National (sister company) person told me to leave the keys in the car. I did this, but did not get a receipt emailed to me . After a few days I sent an email to the manager and explained that I need a receipt for my records and my expense report. I got a reply to go to http://www.enterprise.com> at the bottom of the page you can print receipts but you have to put in your license information.

You can use your Preferred Corporate Loyalty Program At Enterprise and even enter your National Car Benefits Emerald Club ID on the Enterprise website. There is really not much competition in the car rental business and I can understand why only the biggest companies survive. Most cities add on so many taxes that it is not a growth industry. The car companies are lucky that they have not been priced out because Amtrak and other Government run trains are still more expensive than renting a car.

Hertz and Dollar Thrifty Merged last year and now there are fewer car rental companies as there are now only four major Airlines in the USA controlling skies and that means prices go up when there is less competition.

Join Hertz Gold Plus Rewards to earn Points To Get Free Rentals and you don’t have to stop at any counters. Other advantages of membership are Speed rental and faster car return. They are the world's largest airport car rental brand, and have launched Hertz Dream Cars so if you want to rent an Aston Martin V8 or a Ferrari you are in luck!

Hertz operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands from approximately 10,400 corporate, licensee and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport car rental brand. They promote the Hertz name a glamorous flagship brand. Hertz has renewed their Title Sponsorship Of The British Grand Prix MotoGP™ At Silverstone.

The Hertz Corp. has launched Hertz Dream Cars, a line of high-end performance vehicles that redefine the premium car rental experience. Shares of HTZ are up on news of the line of ultra-high-end performance vehicles that redefine the premium car rental experience.

The Dream cars are available on a dedicated micro site, www.HertzDreamCars.com and via 888.296.9124 the Hertz Dream Car Collection includes the following luxury cars:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage , Audi R8, Bentley Continental GT,Cadillac CTS-V,Ferrari (California, F430) Lamborghini Gallardo, Land Rover Range Rover Sport,Mercedes-Benz AMG (SLS, C63, E63),Mercedes-Benz SL550, S550 and G550, Porsche (911, Cayenne, Boxster, Panamera), SRT Viper, Tesla Model S,

Hertz is offering Dream Cars in 35 markets, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Las Vegas – expanding the availability for consumers around the country to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime luxury travel experience.

Hertz, recently earned top honors with three separate car rental industry influencers. For the second consecutive year, Hertz and its Gold Plus Rewards program swept the Flyer Awards and Trip Advisor’s garnering top honors for Best Rewards Program and Outstanding Benefits in the Americas, Europe/Africa and Middle East/Oceania; in Trip Advisor's first car rental survey, U.S.-based travelers chose Hertz as the favorite brand of car rental in the 2013 Travelers' Choice Awards for Travel Favorites. Hertz was also chosen as the number one best rental company in Elliott's list of six best rental companies of 2013 Zap Technology: Hertz's Gold enrollment and e-Return is the fastest way to get customers in their cars and when they return, back on their way home. Hertz will email the customer's receipt in a flash. .

Hertz has a Mobile App. to Book, modify and search car rental reservations, find locations, and browse special deals and offers all from the palm of your hand to on-the-go bookings to instant upgrades. Another app is Hertz NeverLost My Explore App: Users can plan their itinerary and navigate popular cities all on their smart phone and import it into a calendar or to the award-winning Hertz NeverLost® GPS.

Hertz on Demand is the Mobile App where Members have 24/7 access to a variety of vehicles when and where they need them with the ability to reserve a car or modify an existing reservation and view upcoming and previous reservations

Now through December 31, 2013, earn up to six times the American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and save up to 35% on your Hertz car rental. Simply rent a Hertz vehicle for one or more consecutive days in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and Europe* use.CDP Number: 217692 to book with Hertz.

The Westin is a vibrant, Luxury hotel in Cape Town

I’ve stayed at Cape Town's most vibrant Luxury hotel, many times, and  I get there,- even if it means I have to take a 3 hour detour flight. Our Lufthansa flight took us to Johannesburg, but we made it to beautiful Cape Town. Last time we stayed at this hotel it was a Sheraton, but now it has been re-named the Westin Cape Town. The hotel that was previously called the Westin (in Hermanus) is now called the Arabella Hotel & Spa, which is managed by African Pride Hotels a Protea Hotel. It’s a bit confusing, but basically, I was able to earn points for the Cape Town hotel with Starwood, and the Hermanus Hotel earned points with Protea’s loyalty program . The Westin Cape Town has a beautiful pool on the 19th-floor and I love to stand in the pool and just enjoy the amazing view of the city and the Atlantic Ocean. The Arabella Spa at this hotel is just as wonderful as the Arabella Spa in Hermanus, so both have to be experienced.
I’m standing at the entrance to the Barnabas Bar at the Arabella Hotel & Spa.
Elite members can enjoy the Westin Executive Club and experience the panoramic views of the city, V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain. South Africa's whale-watching capital, is Hermanus, --- where the Arabella is located. It’s near the town of Kleinmond and Betty's Bay's penguins. At the Arabella Hotel & Spa, Elite members can enjoy the Westin Executive Club and experience the panoramic views of the city, V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain. The Protea Prokard (Elite) Gold or Silver card gets you free room upgrades and members-only privileges at more than 130 Hotels, Lodges and Country Houses in South Africa and Namibia, as well as selected properties across Africa.

On the way to the Arabella Hotel we stopped for lunch at a vineyard. Blaauwklippen, nestled on the slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountain, is one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa dating back to 1682 and is situated in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch. The name Blaauwklippen comes from the Dutch and Afrikaans word meaning “blue rocks”. The Blue Mountains give Stellenbosch a magical look, many of the mountains in the Cape look blue from a distance. Even Table Mountain, in Cape Town looks blue,  from some vantage points.
For over 300 years, the people of Blaauwklippen have combined traditional values with innovative ideas to create one of South Africa's top wine tourism destinations. Weddings, wine tours and the restaurant are popular venues for both locals and tourists.

We experienced the true taste of South Africa in beautiful surroundings at Barouche Restaurant and enjoyed a glass of wine on the large outdoor Terrace.
The Rev. Barnabas Shaw who arrived in Cape Town in 1816, wrote several books published in England. He was sent to Africa as the founder of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The first mission that he set up was at Lilyfontein, where he taught Hottentots to cultivate the soil. They had previously, never grown any type of food. Their only source of food was the cattle that they traveled South with, in search of pastures. When Barnabus first arrived in Cape Town, the British Governor did not want him to preach to the black people so he used his own money to buy wagons with 24 oxen and horses, for his wife Jane and his assistants to set up a mission outside the Governors jurisdiction. 
The Arabella Hotel & Spa is, in present times, is only 2 hours away from Cape Town, but at the time that Barnabus traveled there it took about 2 days to travel there. He traveled up the coast by ship once, and when the Captain put him ashore, he walked in the desert for days without finding water, until he found his destination. The farmer that he visited in the Cape lived in such a remote homestead that he had not had visitors for several years.

Tips to beat the expected flight delays this summer

The weather has been so cold this year that the Tulips have not bloomed for the Keukenhof  parade this year, so many flowers were imported. Delta is offering $100 off flights to Amsterdam when you book by the 25^th Now you can fly NY JFK to Amsterdam round trip for $867 - Book now & enjoy $100 off most U.S. ✈ Amsterdam flights

On Tuesday, my American Airlines flight was delayed due to computer problems that led to the FAA grounding all the carrier's flights. Fortunately, it was fixed within a couple of hours. I was relieved to see a Tweet from ‏@AmericanAir “Our systems have been fully restored, however we expect continued delays & cancellations”

But, - let me prepare you with tips for lots of up-coming Flight delays:

In most instances, passengers are given little notice of delays but American Airlines and United have good Twitter teams, so check Twitter for information and then call your ELITE line or use their app. to rebook as fast as you can, since those who act quickest in response to a delay tend to get the best service from the airlines. You can do this while in line to speak to a gate agent, or can bypass the gate agent if you can sort it out before you get to the top of the queue. Elite members get ahead of other passengers in rebooking. Most airlines have issued waivers that let passengers alter flight plans with no fees, due to bad weather, but when you want to rescheduled travel, it definitely pays to be loyal and receive ELITE priority. I’m glad that American Airlines is emerging from bankruptcy and in April 2013, had their 1st profitable first quarter since 2007.

The Federal Aviation Administration is warning that air traffic controller furloughs, due to the sequester will begin on Sunday the 21^st April and will affect up to 7,000 flights daily .

Kudos To Nick Calio, the CEO of airlines for America and he says that “the furloughs are illegal, irresponsible and damaging. Most of all they are totally unnecessary. There are plenty of other places the FAA could cut but they are playing Political games. The airline industry is suing FAA and DOT because of the Furlough. Seeking to stop furloughs in Federal court Wants controllers deemed “essential personnel” The TSA is not furloughing anyone but they should!

Lee Moak, president of airline pilots group, accused the Obama administration of using the issue as "political football" in its battle with congressional Republicans over the budget. Obama has made choices that appear designed to have the greatest possible impact on the traveling public," he said. Holding passengers ransom to allow the Democrats to continue spending more money that the Country has, is not honest.

Delta Airlines should also be able to protest to the Dept. of Transportation. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground.

Delta already offers more flat-bed seats with direct-aisle access than any other U.S. carrier. The new A330 BusinessElite seats, are approximately 78 inches in length and 20 inches wide. The seats will be arranged in an angled .Delta is beginning installation of Full Flat-Bed Seats on their remaining International Fleet Type, Airbus 330 Aircrafts. They are upgrading their Airbus A330 fleet – the final fleet type to receive the modification of the full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin and new "slim line" seats, which offer more personal space throughout the Economy cabin. The first modified A330 operated its first flight from Atlanta to Detroit and will also operate from Detroit to Amsterdam . There are 32 A330s in the Delta fleet.

“BusinessElite”

Each A330 will have 34 BusinessElite full flat-bed seats providing direct-aisle access for every customer, electronic seat controls with adjustable lumbar support, a 110-volt universal power outlet, USB port and an adjustable personal LED reading lamp. Each seat offers a 15.4 inch widescreen video monitor with instant access to 350 films, 130 hours of television programming, nearly 100 hours of premium selections from HBO and Showtime, 27 games, more than 4,500 digital music tracks and a real-time flight tracker. On-demand streaming entertainment to personal laptops and tablets will also be available on board this summer. Full flat-bed seats will soon be offered throughout their international fleet.

Thirty-five Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with new full flat-bed BusinessElite seats are currently flying, with the entire fleet of 58 aircraft scheduled for completion by the end of 2013. The full international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft will be complete by mid-2014

If you are not upgraded to BusinessElite, the next best is “Economy Comfort”, which includes "slim line" seats offering more personal space, up to four additional inches of legroom for 35 inches of seat pitch and 50 percent more recline. Delta's A330 aircraft each have 32 Economy Comfort seats with six-way adjustable headrests, a 110-volt universal power outlet and USB port. The product is similar to the upgraded Economy services currently available on flights operated by Delta's joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia and is located in the first few rows of the Economy cabin on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft. In addition to more legroom and recline, customers seated in Economy Comfort will enjoy priority boarding and complimentary spirits throughout the flight. These benefits are in addition to Delta's standard international Economy class amenities, including complimentary meals, beer, wine, entertainment, blankets and pillows.

As an Elite member, ECONOMY COMFORT is the upgrade from regular Economy, but Delta has also made changes to the Economy cabin to include more comfortable "slim line" seats,, providing customers with additional knee room. They call it knee room because you can’t seriously claim that there is room for you legs. I assume that this clears them legally. All Economy seats feature a headrest with adjustable wings, height and tilt, USB power and a nine-inch touch screen featuring personal on-demand entertainment and the same extensive library of entertainment choices as those offered in BusinessElite and Economy Comfort.

Installing full flat-bed seats on Delta's widebody international aircraft is a major component of Delta's $3 billion customer experience investment. This investment also includes Delta's new Terminal 4 at New York-JFK, opening this May, and Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal in Atlanta, which opened in April 2012. Delta is also spending more than $100 million to expand, renovate and consolidate terminals C and D at New York-LaGuardia Airport. Additionally, customers will see Delta's investment in its more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system, power poles at dozens of airports, mobile apps which include features such as baggage tracking, and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft.

Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 313 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta where KLM is also as they have been working together since the Delta acquisition of Northwest Airlines in 2008. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. I travel to their hub in Amsterdam often and will soon travel to Atlanta to work on a project with the KLM GM.

Funky SXSW Hotels, Film and Festivals in Texas

Traveling to Austin, TEXAS for SXSW? American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Music, Film and Interactive Festival (SXSW). Use promo code 6533EH for 10% off your AA flight.

I rediscovered the Renaissance Austin Hotel, I have not stayed there for a few years but thought I would give them a try again and was glad I did.

They have renovated the lobby and added Cowboy boots in the design (as seen in photo above) to show off the personality of the Lone Star State. I love the cool white boots but do not like the loo paper roll next to it. But Ok… the arty types get carried away sometimes, but it’s too funky for me.

The Hotel is located in the Arboretum shopping area, near the University of Texas, LBJ Library and Austin Bergstrom International Airport, and just 10 minutes from the State Capitol building. TX hotel provides a tranquil environment surrounded by trees in the Texas Hill Country. If you don’t valet park, you can self park for free. Previously, they had computers that you could rent in the outsourced business center but no WiFi. That has been resolved and wireless internet is now available in the Lobby and For a daily rate of $12.95 you get high speed internet, in your guest room, though it’s free if you are a Plat Elite Marriott Rewards member. The Arboretum Austin restaurant is a cybercafé with wireless service, gourmet coffees, specialty wines and beer, fresh-baked pastries, made-to-order pizzas and sandwiches.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love the W Hotel in Austin but they don’t have a heated pool at the W  whereas the Renaissance has a heated Indoor pool and an Outdoor pool (Seasonal) plus a Whirlpool. They also have a really nice Concierge Lounge serving free food vs no lounge at the W. I’m grateful for the upgrade to the spacious renovated room and I hate to look a gift-horse in the mouth, but I’m not so keen on the Jetson style white chairs with plastic cushions. And the other minor peeve is that they forgot to put a bath tub in. They have the space because they could have put one instead of the bathroom cupboard, especially since the cupboard has no rail to hang clothing on. Anyway I hung my clothing in the ample room closet.

It was a great deal: My stay at the Renaissance for 1 Night, Category 4 Hotel costs me only 20,000 points. I earned the Platinum Elite 50% Elite Bonus above the base earnings, and got the Platinum Arrival Gift Bonus of 500 points

SXSW Attendees are overwhelmed at all the locations for events. Events are not only at the Convention Center and surrounding venues but spread out all over the city. I will be at American Airlines on Sixth Street by the “NewAmerican”, Oasis having a massage. AA will have this Oasis with fresh juice, and you can print your Instagram shots from an interactive photo booth.

Its getting bigger every year and my invitations to Parties are arriving even from retail stores! As SXSW's t-shirt sponsor, Gap Stores will join the festivities with three multi-city, in-store events. Every year in March, creative’s of all stripes, gather in Austin to Party, share and inspire the visions that will galvanize the filmmakers and ideas of tomorrow. You'll also have access to Hotel shuttles, which run all day and into the wee hours of the morning, so I’ll stay in the tranquility of the Renaissance Arboretum, away from the maddening crowds.