THIS WEEK'S JOHNNY JET 4/24/2002
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SOUTH BEACH / SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Web Site Of The Week INTERNET TRAVEL TIPS Bonus Mile Offers Of The Week AMEX / DELTA / LAN CHILE .......... Special Offers Of The Week AMERICA WEST / BRITISH AIR / AIR JAMAICA ... Where's Johnny Jet? CONNECTICUT / NY / PIT / ERIE Tip Of The Week DON'T BUY AIRLINE TICKETS ON THE WEEKEND Chicago Tribune ROMANTIC AND HISTORIC Los Angeles Times WELLINGTON'S STORIED PAST SkyGirls/Guys ?'s WHAT DO PEOPLE STEAL FROM THE PLANE? Celebrity Q&A WITH USA TODAY'S LAURA BLY |
WHAT'S DOING IN MEMPHIS Washington Post STAYING IN THE DARK USAToday THRILLS SET FOR SUMMER BestFares AVOID RESERVATION SURCHARGES Other News AA INTERLINES WITH NWA Yahoo AIRLINES REPORT LARGE LOSSES ABCnews ASTROTOURISM CNN COOL YOUR JETSKI MSNBC SCREENING COMPANY HIRED CRIMINALS SmarterLiving MILES OR MONEY? Good To Know! DINERS CLUB MEMBERS GO TO THESE AIRPORT LOUNGES FOR FREE |
HOTELS 70% OFF IN OVER 65 CITIES WORLDWIDE!
SAMPLE CITIES:
Paris..............from $59 London..........from $79 New York.................from $69 La$ Vega$......................from $39
WEB CAMS OF THE WEEK WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The mainstream media picked up on NW's announcement of "no more black out dates" and the other airlines. No one did a follow-up to find that there were no seats. Click here for the complete story
WHERE'S
JOHNNY
JET?
Didn't
have a chance to read last week's newsletter? Click here!
I shouldn't admit this, but I forgot to tell you last week that booking
trips last minute does have drawbacks. You are bound to forget something!
Don't you hate it when you jump in a taxi to the airport late and you have
that feeling like you forgot something? Usually when I have that
hunch, I'm right. I went through a mental checklist and thought I
was in the clear, but the next morning is when I learned I did indeed forget
something: my UNDERWEAR! I don't think you know how many boxers I
own, I have drawers full because this is the one item I am constantly forgetting.
If this is all I forget I'm happy because I don't need to get anything
fed exed and I can always go to a local TJ Maxx and stock up for the week.
I am curious, what is the one item you are always forgetting? Please
send your answers to me at johnny@johnnyjet.com. Do you have any
funny stories? I will include a few of them in next week's newsletter.
The weeks are starting to fly by, aren't they? Spring is in the air ....Wait, NO it isn't, it's summer, I mean winter! This past week I was in NY/CT and PA. But if someone blindfolded me, I would have thought I had also traveled to Africa & Alaska. One day it's in the 50's, then the next in the upper 90's, that same day the temp drops down to 30, and it actually snowed too. We even had a 5.1 earthquake. What is going on around here? Not only did I forget my underwear but my hat and gloves too.
I used to always book my tickets in advance but as you know lately it's been nothing but the last minute. A few times have been within an hour or two. Well, this week was no different. I was in Connecticut visiting my family and wanted to be in Erie, PA by noon on Saturday for my niece's b-day party.
I was going to use miles on USAir, but they really penalize you if you
don't book 14 days in advance. Depending on your membership (if your
an elite member or not) if you book 13 days or less they charge between
$35-$50. If you book within 2 days or less they charge a whopping
$75. Keep in mind you have still have to pay a $2.50 security fee
for each segment you fly. I didn't want to spend $85 and 25,000 miles
for a 400 mile trip, so instead I got on Johnny Jet and priced around.
To buy a ticket from USAir's website was going to put me back $800
(not gonna happen). Instead I decided to check out one of Erie's
three alternate airports all within 120 miles (PIT 120 miles, CLE
96 miles, BUF 94 miles). I checked Jet Blue to buy one of their better
than reasonable last minute fares for $217, but knowing that if I planned
three days before that same ticket would've cost $44 and didn't want to
sit next to some dude bragging about how little he spent for his ticket.
Then I remembered it was Friday which meant there had to be some great
weekend fares available. I went to under our last minute category
and clicked Smarter
Living because they do a fantastic job for listing all of the weekend
specials. There were none to Erie but there were to each of the alternate
airports I mentioned above. They were all for $117 or less.
I chose to fly into PIT since that flight was out HPN, which is closest
to my Dad's house, and it was the earliest departure. SL instructed
me to book at Orbitz.com
which I tried to do but the fare came out to $800. I didn't have
time to fiddle around so instead I went back to USAir.com
and clicked around until I found e-savers
and voila! With taxes and fees, it cost $117. The price was
so good my
brother and Dad purchased one too.
Usually on weekend specials, you have to depart on Saturday and return on Monday or Tuesday, but with this esaver they had an option for Sunday. My Dad and I were only going to use the outbound because we were staying longer and $117 is still a great one way fare. However, Frank needed to be back by Sunday night which was good because you can't rent a car through Priceline or Hotwire one way, you have to drop it off where you picked it up.
We still needed to get from PIT-ERI and when I called Hertz they quoted
me $80 a day. So, instead, I put a bid into Priceline.
It was 9pm on Friday and my first bid of $16 was rejected (they sent
an email 15 minutes later notifying me). When your bid is rejected,
you can place another one but you have to change either the pick-up city,
the date, or the car type. I chose car type and went from a mid size
to a standard and placed my bid of $20 a day. The next screen told
me my chances weren't good and I had a much better chance if I bid $28,
but I wasn't budging. 15 minutes later I received another email and
this one stated a major car company accepted my bid and my two day total
would be $58 after all the taxes and fees! Not bad, huh? Guess
which rental car accepted my bid? That's right Hertz!
We woke up at the crack of dawn and made our 6:59 departure. If you think I arrive late, try traveling with my Dad. We always have to tell him the plane is 30 minutes prior, otherwise we'd be driving to Erie. The flight was smooth and when we arrived in PIT I went down to the Hertz counter and waited in line for about 15 minutes (you can't use your Hertz Gold card when you book with Priceline or Hotwire). Hertz was running out of cars because of canceled flights the night before and the agent tried to downgrade me. But everybody knows they can't downgrade you, they can only upgrade. I called the lady on it and she gave me a crazy look, like "I'm busted", so she upgraded me to a full size car which was a brand spanking new Mercury Sable with 1,500 miles on it. We were all tired since we went to bed late, but driving along I-79 and seeing this thing in my rear view mirror definitely woke me up.
2 hours later we were at Amanda's party which was at Erie's Children's Museum. If you have kids and are in the area, check out this place because the fake grocery store is amazing. Carol always goes all out for every party she throws even if it's for a 5 year old. She plans months in advance and does an amazing job. Every party has a theme and this year was a Disney Hawaiian Luau. Guess who was Mickey? That's right good ol' Uncle Johnny. (I don't know how those dudes in FL & CA wear these costumes because they are boiling hot, and jumping on that Dino jump was a workout.) The only thing my sister forgot was a bat for the pinata, but no worries, I went down to the fake grocery store and grabbed a rubber french bread that did the trick. Amanda had so many presents that it took a mini army to bring them home. After the party, we dropped off most of the balloons and party favors to the Childrens Hospital.
I'm in Erie till tomorrow then off again. Log on next week to
find out where.
TIME SHARE AVAILABLE
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Palm Beach Club in Simpson Bay, ST MAARTEN
2 bedroon/2 Bath
1,100 Sq Ft.
Ocean/Beach Front, central air-conditioning, ceiling fans. covered
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blender, dishwasher, and full size refridge.
$1200 for 1 week!
Next Week:
?
WHAT'S
NEW IN JOHNNY JET
SKYGIRLS
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What
do most people steal from the airplane? Do you ever catch them?
SKYGUY QUESTION
OF THE WEEK:
What
do most people steal from the airplane? Do you ever catch them?
Travel Celebrity
Q&A:
With
Online Travel Expert Laura Bly
TIP
OF
THE WEEK: BY
JOE BRANCATELLI
Never Buy Airline Tickets on the Weekend
Several mainline carriers tried--and failed--to raise fares by $20
roundtrip last weekend and the attempt is a reminder of one of the current
golden rules of buying travel: Never purchase airline tickets over the
weekend. For the umpteenth time in recent years, several carriers raised
their prices late on Thursday evening and then watched to see if other
airlines matched. In this case, Continental initiated the across-the-board
fare increase and most carriers quickly fell in line. Northwest, however,
refused to match the hike and, by last Monday morning, all the other airlines
had rescinded their increases. But if you bought tickets over the weekend,
you won't get a refund. This implicit fare signaling by airlines is nasty
business--and proof of their idiotic herd mentality. But all that pales
in comparison to the hard-dollar costs to you: If you buy on the weekends,
when the airlines are wrangling over fares, you're guaranteed to be the
loser. Click
here for full story.
GOOD
TO
KNOW!
IF YOU ARE A DINERS CLUB MEMBER YOU CAN GO TO THESE U.S. AIRPORT
LOUNGES FOR FREE
http://dinersclub.com/airportlounge.cfm
Miami International Airport -- Miami, United States USA
Lounge Name: Club America A
Lounge Location: Concourse A 3rd Floor, after security check point,
follow Club America A signage
Telephone: 305-869-1390
Fax: 305-869-1310
Hours Open: 7 days a week
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French
Entry Conditions: Conditions of entry to any Diners Club Airport Lounge
may change from time to time, subject to policies and procedures imposed
by airport security.
Amenities Offered: Fax, copier, work room, conference room, phones,
TV, VCR.
Fees: DC Cardmembers free. Guests US $15 each. Children under 12 admitted
free.
Miami International Airport -- Miami, United States USA
Lounge Name: Club America F
Lounge Location: Concourse F Departure Level before security check
point on the right side
Telephone: 305-876-8005
Fax: 305-869-4161
Hours Open: 7 days a week
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French
Entry Conditions: Conditions of entry to any Diners Club Airport Lounge
may change from time to time, subject to policies and procedures imposed
by airport security.
Amenities Offered: Fax, copier, work room, conference room, phones,
TV, VCR and complimentary beverages.
Fees: DC Cardmembers free. Guests US $15 each. Children under 12 admitted
free.
Miami International Airport -- Miami, United States USA
Lounge Name: Club America E
Lounge Location: Concourse E Departure Level, before security checkpoint
on the right hand side TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH INCIDENT.
WILL ADVISE WHEN CLUB IS TO RE-OPEN.
Telephone: 305-876-7474
Fax: 305-876-7499
Hours Open: Daily: 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French
Entry Conditions: Conditions of entry to any Diners Club Airport Lounge
may change from time to time, subject to policies and procedures imposed
by airport security. TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH INCIDENT.
WILL ADVISE WHEN CLUB IS TO REOPEN.
Amenities Offered: Fax, copier, private meeting room, phones, TV, VCR
and complimentary beverages.
Fees: DC Cardmembers free. Guests US$15 each. Children under 12 admitted
free.
Newark International -- Newark, United States USA
Lounge Name: Northwest WorldClub
Lounge Location: Terminal B1, mid-concourse
Telephone: 973-961-4627
Fax: 770-399-5329
Hours Open: 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 365 days a year
Languages Spoken: English also Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Filipino
and Tagalog--depending who is on duty
Entry Conditions: Conditions of entry to any Diners Club Airport Lounge
may change from time to time, subject to policies and procedures imposed
by airport security.
Amenities Offered: Data ports, credit card phones, photocopying, televisions,
magazines, newspapers. Fee services: fax, conference rooms and complimentary
beverages.
Fees: DC Cardmembers and one guest free. Additional guests US$45.
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LOCATIONS CLICK HERE
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