Changing Reward Airline Tickets…some useful tips

January 31, 2010

Last week I flew to Tucson from Vancouver on a ticket earned on points from Continental Airlines. There were no hitches going down but the same cannot be said for the return. I didn’t reconfirm the return portion of the ticket before going to the airport which I’ll usually do for overseas flights but not for flights within Canada and the US. That was my mistake. Reconfirm. Always. Most of us check in online 24 hours ahead of time now, but I didn’t have that option or I would have known that there was going to be trouble.

4071055679 3aefa43f9e Changing Reward Airline Tickets...some useful tips

The bottom line was that the flight had been changed and I had never received any notification of that change. The flight we should now have been on had left hours ago and no others were scheduled, let alone available for almost 24 hours. In a smaller airport like Tucson you have fewer options but this is what I learned.

  1. Get the ticket agent on your side. You’re going to need an ally. In our case we dealt with a Delta agent who initially gave us a rough time but who in the end saved the day!! This was really a Continental Airlines problem but if you get the right airline agent they’ll get the problem solved. Be patient, friendly and courteous.
  2. Once you have begun your journey, despite all the rhetoric, airlines can and will make changes to the routing, though not the final destination. I was supposed to have returned via Salt Lake City but in the end that was of no consequence whatsoever.
  3. Know the partner airlines of the issuer of the ticket. In this case I knew that Continental was now part of the Star Alliance so routing on those flights was a possibilty.
  4. Be prepared to take matters into your own hands. Check out the departures board and look for all flights on partner airlines heading in the general direction of where you’re going. Then get your ticket agent ally to check connections and availability.
  5. Finally ask the ticket agent to PUSH your ticket to the airline you want to fly on. I checked to make sure that US Airways would accept the ‘pushed’ ticket and once I had the OK from them it was a 2 minute matter of writing up an old fashioned paper ticket, though the Delta agent did need a supervisor to approve the transaction.  (The other word for this type of transaction is a FIM or Flight Interruption Manifest. It is a document issued by an airline as a substitute ticket for passengers experiencing irregularities during travel when the original ticket is not available. A FIM is generally issued at a gate, ticket counter or transit desk by an airline agent and will note their original routing and ticket numbers, as well as those of the new routing, thereby making the FIM the new ticket. A FIM is only valid for a specific flight on a new airline that is not the airline the ticket was originally issued with. For example, a Delta gate agent could produce a FIM for a flight on United and send the data to United. The FIM would then be accepted as a regular ticket on the specified United flight. (source – Wikipedia))

If you’re flying with a regular, purchased ticket versus one bought via points, you’ll find that the ticket agent has alot more leeway in what they can do for you. However, if customer service really is a priority then they’ll still find a way to get you on your way. Delta Airlines was terrific, sympathetic and creative and in my case Continental Airlines was far more concerned with using reward seats than in getting me to my final destination even though I spent just shy of 2 hours on the phone!!

Save yourself some frustration next time you have a flight problem with a ticket purchased on points and remember PUSH and FIM and with luck you won’t be waiting hours on a phone for nothing. Happy flying!

Leigh McAdam

www.hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Miscellaneous travel tips | 1 Comment 

Mexican man hunt – a thought provoking bike ride on southern Arizona roads

January 29, 2010

This bike ride wasn’t what I bargained for. First, it’s far more beautiful in a very desolate sort of way than I expected. There are mountains everywhere the eye looks, rolling hills, mesquite  trees and cactus. There aren’t as many birds but perhaps that’s a function of how little is blooming in January. If you do see a bird it’s quite possibly a loggerhead shrike, a pyrrhuloxia, or a phainopepla, birds whose names suggest a different world than we’re used to.

Arizona 2010 003 Mexican man hunt a thought provoking bike ride on southern Arizona roads

Fence on the US-Mexico Border

The initial ride took us from Tucson, 70 miles south to Sasabe on the Mexican border. Once you’re well away from Tucson on the secondary highways one car in two is a border control car, and that’s 50 miles from the border. At the 25 mile mark there is a full border patrol checkpoint. Once you reach Sasabe the fence marking the US- Mexico border is on view for miles as are the cameras mounted on watch towers. The area is literally crawling with border control vehicles.

Yesterday had a different feel to it. The bike ride took us from Sasabe to Tubac, about 55 miles in total. There were the usual number of border vehicles but this ride was different. The landscape was littered with the meager belongings of the Mexicans. You’d see backpacks, items of clothing, scarves and beads. Well trodden paths and used water jugs were everywhere. So were the border guards. Every culvert and abandoned building was searched. Cars are pulled over and trunks are opened. And just when you think you’re home free there’s another border patrol stop.

Arizona 2010 106 Mexican man hunt a thought provoking bike ride on southern Arizona roads

Litter of clothes of fleeing Mexicans

One can’t help thinking about the plight of these Mexicans – not the drug running ones which are a different group, but the ones willing to risk it all  for a better life for themselves and their families. The human face gets lost in the politics. I know this is an extremely emotive subject especially for the taxpayers of Texas, Arizona and California. But, it’s a very human story too and unless you are devoid of any empathy it is hard to imagine walking in the shoes of the Mexican.

My hat goes off to the fortitude of the Mexicans who try. I know it’s illegal but as one human to another (versus aligning myself as a Democrat or Republican) I admire the courage to scale a 14 foot fence with nothing but a pack on your back, and then to deal with the harsh, unforgiving countryside full of snakes in the summer and the fear that you’ll die of thirst or be caught.

I hope the great thinkers of the world can come up with a better long term solution than border fences. Today, with all the obstacles thrown in their way, there are still 120 Mexicans per day who get picked up in this small section of the US.

I’ll continue on my ride now, north to Tucson and I won’t stop thinking about what needs to change. I was very lucky to be born on the right side of the fence.

An interesting movie to rent to get another viewpoint is called ‘A Day Without a Mexican‘.

Leigh McAdam

www.hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Biking, United States | 1 Comment 

Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

January 26, 2010

Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Zion National Park…a sanctuary of exotic beauty!

zion1 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Wall Street in the Narrows of the Virgin River - Zion

Every year since 1988 I’ve pilgrimaged to Zion National Park to refresh my spirits by drinking in some of the most sublime, and colorful beauty on earth. The first Mormon scouts to see Zion canyon appropriately named it after the biblical heaven…”Zion”, and rightfully so. Zion includes elevations from canyon and low desert of 3,700 feet to aspen and fir covered slopes accented by black & grey basalt at 8,700 feet. Unlike the Grand Canyon or Bryce, Zion is a “hiker’s park”, with over a hundred miles of trail that actually draw you into the deep bowels of canyon country, hugging steep trails that lead to spectacular vistas of the whole of southern Utah, while affording you awesome looks into the depths of those same canyons.

Zion2 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Angel's Landing and Walters Wiggle - Upper End of Zion Canyon

Trails are awash in color…vibrant, intense, mystical! Whole sides of canyon walls sweep down at you with rusts and browns, bright yellows and orange, reds and lavenders. Some places actually vibrate with color, azure and cobalt to match the soaring sky arching over the whole of canyon country. A photographer’s dream, where the deep green forests atop the canyons contrast with the colors below.

There is a calming presence in Zion, much like a medieval church where “sanctuary” was given to persons pursued by threatening worldly forces. Zion is the ultimate “stress management” seminar, teaching us to access our quiet strength within, rejuvenate with an aesthetic elixir, see the primordial forces of wind, earth, fire and water sculpt a majestic setting Michelangelo would have been proud to have carved. And did I say “hiking!”

Zion3 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Hidden Canyon Trail from the Observation Point Trail

Specific Hikes

Zion is usually a quick drive through by the 2.5 million visitors seeing it each year. But don’t cheat yourself. Zion is a forever experience. I booked 3 days my first time there and ended staying almost 2 weeks! Zion is always new and refreshing. After you’ve hiked the great “Inner canyon” hikes of East Observation Point and West Rim to Angel’s Landing, be sure to really discover Zion’s backcountry by driving up Kolob Terrace Rd. where the scenery is exceptionally beautiful. My suggestions for that drive include: after 5+ miles park on the left where Smith Mesa Rd. joins Kolob Terrace and hike up to Smith Mesa and across as far of it as you like; a real hidden gem of a hike where especially from mid May to early June its great grass prairie where horses often run is back dropped by soaring canyon mountains and the whole place suggests “the old West” of 1840.

Further up Kolob Terrace Rd. hike Hop Valley, early morning, (mid May especially sees wildflowers) and when you drop down into the main canyon, explore the 3 side canyons to your right…really!! I’ve never been in a place that seemed so primeval. The next trail along that road is Northgate Peaks. Do it! Quiet serene beauty, yes, but when you come to the slick rock section to the left of the trail that takes you to the famous Subway hike, bushwhack to a high rock out cropping vantage point for great vistas before finishing the hike.

Zion4 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Zion Canyon from the Angel's Landing/West Rim Trail

Finally treat yourself to the 13.5 mile one way “5 star hike” Lava Point to Zion Canyon found further up the road. You’ll need someone to drop you off for this one (or park cars at both ends). That one is my favorite. In one shot you go from Zion’s high point to almost its low point, with everything in between affirming and inspiring your commitment to return!

Back in the main Zion Canyon, water level permitting,try hiking the Virgin River to the Narrows. It’s one of the “classic” hikes of the American West, unique, beautiful, and fun! And, just for the “aesthetic record” hike Zion in sunny weather. Its color needs to be seen in sunlight for its magic to cast its spell.

On a more practical note, where to stay, what to do, where to dine.

My favorite hotel, the Driftwood Lodge. Awesome down-canyon views, a cozy park area next to the Virgin River, and Gourmet fare at its best at Parallel 88 Restaurant located on the property. Dog friendly, too. Best Western Zion Park Inn, Canyon Ranch Motel and Flanigan’s Inn rate high also. Restaurants of note include The Spotted Dog at Flanigans, Oscars Cafe and The Switchback Grille. Great places to compliment Zion’s spectacular hiking where appetites are stoked and memories created.

Zion5 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Northern part of Zion from the West Rim Trail

The town of Springdale has several top photography studios, including Fatali’s and David Pettit, David West and others that do more than justice to Zion’s famous scenery. The National Park Visitor’s Center is a must as well as the IMax Theater. Springdale really is laid back and blest with many small treasures to discover after a day on the trail. Finally, Deep Canyon Spa will top off the day’s adventures with massage treatments for the body that match what Zion Canyon does for your soul. I have found May/early June and September my favorite months to hike. But any time of year is “Zion Time.”

So what are you waiting for? You’re invited. Heaven is just over that next horizon, in a place called “Zion.”

Blog kindly written by guest blogger, Phillip Ferranti (www.phillipferranti.com/ ) author of 149 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs

***All photos provided by Kirk DeNee***

img 1871 300x224 Tips for Hiking and Visiting Zion National Park in Utah

Phillip Ferranti and his dog in the Mecca Hills area, close to Palm Springs

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Guest Post, Hiking, backpacking, walking, United States | Leave a Comment 

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