Scoop Airport/Hotel/Travel Thread

[Hards Alumni]

Recently got back from a month in Europe, two weeks in the south of French and two in Italy. Highly recommend St. Remy, would move there tomorrow, Provence wine region, my wife loves her rose, and the French Riviera. Arles Saturday market was an incredible experience, and biking through the countryside was gorgeous. Left Cannes the day before the film fest started, very cool to see the city get set up for such an amazing event. Was in Monaco a couple weeks before the F1 race, was cool to see the track and set up, lost a quick 150 Euro at Monte Carlo.

Italy was fun, but not as great as France. Rome is like Athens and Cairo, the center of the universe for a time so had to see all the sights. Sistine Chapel reopened the day we got to Rome. Spent time in Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice. Few highlights were the statue of David, absolutely awe inspiring, a hot air balloon ride over Tuscany, incredibly peaceful, and my solo hike of all the five cities of Cinque Terre. Hiked about 13.5 miles total to each city from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, 3500 feet of elevation change, very steep in parts, difficult by my standards, so rewarding. That day I accessed the five cities on foot, by train, and by boat, very cool experience for me. I will go back to Florence to eat and drink more, but if/when I return to Italy, it will be to Milan next summer before or after I sail Croatia or the south of Italy.

Unless you have a very specific reason I would not waste my time going to Milan.

We did a very similar trip to your a few years back and loved it.  Milan was the low point of the trip... except for the apertivo.

[Hards Alumni]

Recently returned from a cruise with our parents that included Norway and the UK.  We went as far north as is possible in continental Europe and were in the Arctic Circle for three days.  This also meant midnight sun for three days. 

[MU82]

Recently returned from a cruise with our parents that included Norway and the UK.  We went as far north as is possible in continental Europe and were in the Arctic Circle for three days.  This also meant midnight sun for three days. 

I hope you brought all of your oil-extracting equipment to the Arctic and drilled, baby, drilled.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I'm goin

Recently returned from a cruise with our parents that included Norway and the UK.  We went as far north as is possible in continental Europe and were in the Arctic Circle for three days.  This also meant midnight sun for three days. 

The wife and I are going to Bergen for fjords and sauna & Oslo this July.

[21Jumpstreet]

Unless you have a very specific reason I would not waste my time going to Milan.

We did a very similar trip to your a few years back and loved it.  Milan was the low point of the trip... except for the apertivo.

Okay, good to know. It was sort of a, hey, I'll be close, I like fashion, I'll check it out.

[Hards Alumni]

Okay, good to know. It was sort of a, hey, I'll be close, I like fashion, I'll check it out.

Well, then maybe.  It's a pretty new city compared to the rest of Italy since it was bombed to hell.  If you do go, the cathedral is impressive, and the Svordsa castle is neat... I think we enjoyed the enormous cemetery in town as well.

[pbiflyer]

If you are there during fashion week and can get tickets to a show or invited to an event, go. Otherwise, skip.
And the Milan airport is located somewhere in France, or at least France is closer to Milan than the Milan airport.

[The Sultan]

If you are there during fashion week and can get tickets to a show or invited to an event, go. Otherwise, skip.
And the Milan airport is located somewhere in France, or at least France is closer to Milan than the Milan airport.

The Milan airport is nowhere near France - it's not far from Switzerland though. I think you are mixing it up with Monaco.

[MU1in77]

Okay, good to know. It was sort of a, hey, I'll be close, I like fashion, I'll check it out.

We were in Milan 2 years ago and seeing The Last Supper was pretty cool. But other than that, looking back, we probably would have skipped Milan and spent a couple more days around Lake Como.

[Uncle Rico]

We were in Milan 2 years ago and seeing The Last Supper was pretty cool. But other than that, looking back, we probably would have skipped Milan and spent a couple more days around Lake Como.

Big fan of Lake Como.  Little village of Giulino de Mezzegra, in fact.  You can still smell the corpse of Mussolini.  A great reminder of the fate that awaits all Fascists

[pbiflyer]

The Milan airport is nowhere near France - it's not far from Switzerland though. I think you are mixing it up with Monaco.

https://i.imgur.com/93O5Abp_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand

[MuggsyB]

The Milan airport is nowhere near France - it's not far from Switzerland though. I think you are mixing it up with Monaco.

https://i.imgur.com/93O5Abp_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand

Sweet Jesus.

Hey pbi, have you been to Quito?  I have a few days there before hitting the Galapagos Islands.  Ty. 

[pbiflyer]

Sweet Jesus.

Hey pbi, have you been to Quito?  I have a few days there before hitting the Galapagos Islands.  Ty. 

Sadly no, on my radar, but have not.
You will love the trip to Galapagos. While I've not been, friends that have loved it.

[MuggsyB]

Sadly no, on my radar, but have not.

Alright.  Thx anyway. 

[MuggsyB]

What's the verdict on United Polaris' 787-10 biz-class?  I generally don't expect much fron United. Ty. 

[Uncle Rico]

What's the verdict on United Polaris' 787-10 biz-class?  I generally don't expect much fron United. Ty. 

Get a private jet

[JWags85]

What's the verdict on United Polaris' 787-10 biz-class?  I generally don't expect much fron United. Ty. 

Hard product is excellent.  Get an odd numbered row seat.  Window if possible, otherwise the center seats are fine.  Pillows and bedding are great, very good entertainment screen and selection.

Food is fine.  Certainly nowhere near as good as the Asian airlines catering.  Depending on where you're headed there can be interesting dishes.

Service will be sparse at best.  Even when its friendly, its certainly not proactive.

[MuggsyB]

Hard product is excellent.  Get an odd numbered row seat.  Window if possible, otherwise the center seats are fine.  Pillows and bedding are great, very good entertainment screen and selection.

Food is fine.  Certainly nowhere near as good as the Asian airlines catering.  Depending on where you're headed there can be interesting dishes.

Service will be sparse at best.  Even when its friendly, its certainly not proactive.

Thx.  I'm going East, SFO-FRA.  Ya...I expect poor service on United, I'm primarily interested in the seats. 

[MU82]

From the NYT DealBook e-newsletter:

Basic economy once ruled the airplane. Aside from those few rows in the business class cabin, what most passengers got was a bare bones, bottom-rung experience.

Now, even on budget airlines, premium seating is taking over.

Wealthy leisure travelers have proven most resilient to economic turbulence. So airlines are finding new ways to profit from customers who are willing to pay for some perks.

Sometimes that means turning previously included options, like a seat in the front half of the main cabin, into paid upgrades. It has also involved expanding the cabin between first class and coach, and introducing a torrent of small luxuries to justify higher fares in the not-quite-business class. For example:

++ American Airlines introduced a Boeing 787-9 plane this summer with redesigned premium economy seats that have headrest wings for "additional privacy," water bottle storage, and calf and footrests. It has said it plans to expand its lie-flat and premium economy seating by 50 percent before the end of the decade.

++ Delta expanded its premium economy service — which comes with amenities kits, meals and more legroom — to transcontinental flights last fall. Glen Hauenstein, the airline's president, said in the company's recent earnings call that it used segmentation of the main cabin (think fees for extra leg room) as "the template that we're going to bring to all of our premium cabins over time."

++ United Airlines said in July that it would add more premium economy seats between business class and economy-plus seats on its wide-body jets. "That's the cabin, I think, that is generating very good returns," Andrew Nocella, the airline's chief commercial officer, said during the company's earnings call.

Revenue growth in the premium cabin is outpacing the main cabin at all three carriers.

As airlines add premium options, they have also made moves to further distinguish their top-tier tickets from other rungs. This summer, American Airlines debuted an aircraft with first-class suites that have privacy doors — a feature Delta already offered on some flights and that United will soon include in a new international business class that also comes with caviar service and designer pajamas.

"It's all about giving people more choice, more pricing options, and more products and services in every cabin," Delta's Hauenstein said about expanding premium offerings on the earnings call.

Meanwhile, basic fares are dropping. Airfares overall have decreased by 3.5 percent in the last year as inflation overall increased by 2.7 percent, according to the Department of Labor. Price drops at major airlines have caused a problem for budget airlines, which historically compete on price alone. Their response? You guessed it, also more perks.

Spirit Airlines, once the largest ultra-low-cost airline in North America, emerged from bankruptcy protection this year with plans to rebrand as a premium airline. Southwest Airlines, which joined American and Delta in withdrawing its financial forecast for 2025, has created premium seats with more legroom on all flights. And even no-frills carrier Frontier Airlines is planning to debut "first-class style" seats in late 2025.

Is the barrage of upgrade options paying off? Not quite enough to offset losses elsewhere: U.S. passenger airlines experienced a net loss of $225 million for the first quarter of 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

But the strategy is probably here to stay. Jamie Baker, a J.P. Morgan senior airlines analyst, told DealBook he sees "no evidence of consumer fatigue or pushback."

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I just flew Premium from Frankfurt to JFK yesterday.  It was about $200 to upgrade so why not for the extra space and it was easier to nap.


In regards to my flight to Warsaw through Amsterdam, Schipol Airport has to fix immigration for transfer flights.  What a clusterf***!

[pbiflyer]

I just flew Premium from Frankfurt to JFK yesterday.  It was about $200 to upgrade so why not for the extra space and it was easier to nap.


In regards to my flight to Warsaw through Amsterdam, Schipol Airport has to fix immigration for transfer flights.  What a clusterf***!

While I am million miler on Delta, last several Tran Atlantic flights have been on AA for the cheap upgrades to premium economy.
Side note, it took me two days and several cancelled flights to get home from DC this week.

[warriorchick]

Spending the day in Bordeaux ( No, DGies, not the Nashville neighborhood, the city in France).

Any recommendations for lunch or wine purchases?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Spending the day in Bordeaux ( No, DGies, not the Nashville neighborhood, the city in France).

Any recommendations for lunch or wine purchases?

Chick,
My older daughter lived in Amboise, France in 2023-24.  Oner of her weekend trips was to Bordeaux and she loved visiting there.

She just texted me:
Cite du Vin - www.laciteduvin.com  Great place to learn about wine and you get a glass of wine at the end of the museum visit.    It is a museum, and tasting events, and other Bordeaux wine related.

Bar a Vin - baravin.bordeaux.com    Is a great place for trying a very wide variety of inexpensive wines from the Bordeaux area.

[jutaw22mu]

Does anyone have food recommendations for Vancouver?  I'm traveling there for just a couple of days but want to make sure we get some good food.  If anyone has been and knows of any mind blowing sushi places in particular, that would be cool.  Open to other cuisines too.

[MuggsyB]

Does anyone have food recommendations for Vancouver?  I'm traveling there for just a couple of days but want to make sure we get some good food.  If anyone has been and knows of any mind blowing sushi places in particular, that would be cool.  Open to other cuisines too.

Miku and Chambar.  Hopefully you're staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.  Outstanding hotel.