Delta - ilivetotravel's travel log

Boarding Pass Series – Denver, Colorado

26 February 2014 by Raul Leave a Comment

I first went to Denver right after receiving my undergrad degree. Actually, I went past Denver and took a right hand exit to the road to nearby Boulder, CO where I actually was going to hold a summer internship at research labs in town. But I visited Denver over my two summers in Boulder at different times. Denver did not quite match Boulder in many ways so I tended to stick to Boulder and when I left town on a weekend day, I would opt for the Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, even now, I am not sure I could give someone much in terms of tips about what to do in Denver proper.

Fast forward some years and dear friends move to Arvada, right outside of Denver. That made me a sort of frequent flyer to Denver, in the post-Stapleton airport era (I only flew into/out of Stapleton once – it was an old airport!). The “new” Denver airport is rather weird but it has grown on me. What does make it a royal pain in the ass is how far it is to anywhere I want to go when I go out there. Seriously? You couldn’t have placed it even five miles closer to things?? Also, why does it always seem there are strong winds any time I land in that airport??

Regardless, I will continue going to Denver because of skiing and, more importantly, because of my friends!

Filed Under: Boarding Pass Series Tagged With: air travel, Atlanta, boarding pass, Delta, Denver, flight

Boarding Pass Stories: Little Rock, Arkansas

31 July 2013 by Raul 2 Comments

Boarding pass series goes to: Little Rock, Arkansas!!!

The destination, the when(s), and the reason(s)

A pretty unlikely destination, you may think, but I went there for a few months for business around 2001. Bill Clinton’s presidency had just ended and the presidential library would be located in this town which seemed to have gotten on the “national mindset map” when he first ran for President.

The airline

Delta was graced with my “passengership” as it was the only airline offering a direct flight. And ilivetotravel is fond of direct flights!

What fascinated me about this experience

Well, small town as it was relative to Atlanta, Little Rock positively surprised me (fascinated may be too strong a word). We stayed at the Doubletree downtown and it was neat to be able to run downtown by the Arkansas River and around the Central Business District early in the morning. The commute to work was not bad and we found a great place to eat Mexican food and enjoy margaritas. So, though not Paris or DC, we managed to find a way to enjoy this southern town while business took us there!

Filed Under: Boarding Pass Series, US & Canada Tagged With: airline, Arkansas, boarding pass, Delta, hotel, Little Rock, travel

Boarding Pass Stories: Delta Inflight Drink Options Circa 1985

21 July 2013 by Raul 6 Comments

I ran into this little memento going through old photo albums. It is a boarding pass from a flight from 1986.

Nothing peculiar about the front. But once you flip to the reverse… The menu of inflight drinks was conveniently placed behind the boarding pass! I guess so you could plan how to get your drink on while waiting to board the plane at the gate? Or, more likely, back then these were not in the inflight magazine -or- there was no inflight magazine to begin with… And note the rules.

Vintage, Detla, boarding pass, 1985, cocktails, airline, history, travel

Drinks and rules on the reverse of the boarding pass

I don’t remember much from those flights. Of course, I remember the smoking and non-smoking sections. I do remember getting a tray with a full meal (of airplane food, mind you) no matter how long the flight was. I remember being able to get a free deck of cards or my own wings. Those were the days, ey?

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Did you miss reading about my boarding pass collecting habit or the first in the boarding pass stories series or my boarding pass story about Christchurch, New Zealand??

Filed Under: Boarding Pass Series Tagged With: airline, airline history, boarding pass, Delta, Delta history, history, in-flight, inflight, inflight experience, travel, vintage

Boarding Pass Stories: Las Vegas

30 June 2013 by Raul Leave a Comment

Welcome to a new feature for this travel blog As I shared in an earlier post, my history of travels is well-documented not only here but in the multitude of boarding passes I accidentally started collecting over 20 years ago. I think it is time those boarding passes stepped up to the plate and helped me tell the story of the trip, the place, and the airline… These posts will give short glimpses into these topics and I hope you find them a unique way to share the experience! And consider this your own boarding pass to share your own experiences – or dreams – about these places!

Without further ado, for this inaugural post, I have selected: Las Vegas, baby!

The destination, the when(s), and the reason(s)

I had been to Las Vegas once before with two of my aunts and their families. This time, 15 years later, I went for a friend’s wedding. A REAL wedding not an escapist one! Ceremony at the Wynn, reception at Maggiano’s.

The airline

Delta, of course! Leaving from home (Atlanta), Delta made the most sense. Note I was only a Silver Medallion in those days so no upgrade for ilivetotravel…

What fascinated me about this experience

My first trip to Vegas was a short overnight stay over on our way to explore the Southwest. On this trip, I got to live a little of the Vegas life. No, the details are not being left out because of that cliché (what happens in Vegas, blah blah blah…). Simply, we didn’t do anything crazy. I did get to see why people enjoy Vegas so much on this trip. Wedding events aside (at a Hofbrauhaus one night, at the Mandarin Oriental rooftop bar another, etc.), I enjoyed lounging by the pool of our hotel and I even got to see Cirque du Soleil‘s O at the Bellagio with my Godson. What fascinated me about this experience was finally “getting” that Vegas is more than bachelor parties and casinos: I am glad I went with an open mind and gave Las Vegas a second chance!

Filed Under: Boarding Pass Series, US & Canada Tagged With: boarding pass, Cirque du Soleil, Delta, destination, Las Vegas, story, travel, Wynn, Wynn Bellagio

My Boarding Pass Collection – The Log of My Travels

26 June 2013 by Raul 24 Comments

I have been flying since I was a pup and that is when I first got a boarding pass. However, my first time on a plane was around 3 months old though I do not remember it – or the boarding pass 🙂 Thankfully, that will not happen against thanks to my boarding pass collection!

My earliest travels

My first destination was San Juan, Puerto Rico. I flew again when I was 6 but I do not remember the plane part though I am sure it was exciting for a 6-year old boy to get on a plane (on the flip side, I remember a lot about visiting Disney!). The first flight I actually remember was when I was 8 years old when I flew alone from San Juan, PR to Miami, FL. I remember getting on the plane and running into someone who worked with my Mom. I remember the flight attendant taking care of me. It was an ADVENTURE!!!!!

Eastern Airlines plane ticket cover circa 1982 travel nostalgia flight — Bring any memories?? I flew Eastern almost exclusively for over 15 years as they dominated the SJU-MIA route. Loved their L-1011s!

Since then I have flown countless airlines (over 50), to go a multitude of airports (maybe a hundred or so?), and had my fair share of the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of inflight experience (talking about both airlines AND fellow passengers…). I have been on airlines that have lasted decades (Delta, Lufthansa, Air France) and on others that disappeared (PanAm, TWA) and on others that are barely a blip in airline history (Kiwi).

Flying has been a part of my life all along and I have the evidence to prove it… A couple of years after traveling weekly for work, I opened a drawer at home and realized I had been dumping boarding passes in it – and had a good collection. So I found a box and continued the habit. To this day. Here is how a sample of my flights looks like – in boarding passes!

Airline, boarding pass, Alitalia, TWA, Lufthansa, Aerolineas Argentinas, boarding pass collection

Airline, boarding pass, flight, Varig, Emirates, Jet, Kiwi, Lufthansa, Delta, British Airways, Austrian Airlines, Air New Zealand, boarding pass collection — Lots of cool airlines traveled. Notice Kiwi on the top left? No, not in New Zealand – I flew it between Newark and Atlanta.

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——————————————————————————————————————-Some of the boarding pass series:

– Christchurch

– Dar es Salaam

– Delta drinks menu

– Denver

– Flying TWA

– Istanbul

– Las Vegas

– Little Rock

Do you have any cool boarding passes? Leave a comment with any that are especially priceless for you! I especially like those from now-defunct airlines. I also like them when they are/were colorful. The boring plain black & white en vogue these days in the name of costs savings really are a big downer for a boarding fan like me. And even the ink used wears out over time. While I appreciate technology innovation and what e-boarding passes allow, I still print mine at the airport to keep adding to my collection. Yep, I live to travel as you have noticed 🙂

I keep mine in wooden boxes that I have bought during my travels or have been given by my Mom from her travels. Once in a blue moon, it’s fun to open one of those small boxes and remember trips from near and far trips!

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Filed Under: Travel Journal Tagged With: air france, air new zealand, boarding pass, british airways, Delta, Eastern Airlines, flight, flying, kiwi, lufthansa, travel memorabilia, travel nostalgia, varig

A Traveler’s Tale: Leaving Home Not as Easy

17 September 2012 by Raul 3 Comments

I have traveled lots for business and pleasure over the last two decades. At times, I traveled every single week for 4-5 day weeks on and off some of those years. One time, I did that for 3 years straight! Yes, it was crazy but I was young, ready to see the world, meet people, and get good work opportunities as a consultant in a large firm.

Mercifully, that has changed in the later years. I have gone years without the weekly travel but occasional trips. Now I am doing 3-4 day per week travel every other week. Really easy. I get to be home a lot and get to be in a city I really enjoy (Washington, D.C.) and that is much easier to get to than the 26 round trips I did in 2010 to go to Chile for work…

Last night before we had left the ground for my 8:30 PM flight to Reagan National, I sat in my first class seat (complimentary upgrade!! thanks, Delta!) looking outside as the plane began to pull away from the gate. We were on the first gate in the middle of the T Concourse of Hartsfield airport so there was no gate next to us on my side of the plane, just empty space. The lights were on around the tarmac; those yellow-like floodlights that are almost mood-altering.

The plane pulled back but stopped for a few short minutes. And though an occasional luggage cart or ground crew member passed by, the place felt empty – an unfamiliar thing for me in this, one of the world’s largest and busiest airports. Even the luggage cart or the ground crew member looked lonely.

As I looked out the window with the inside lights turned off as is customary for takeoff, I was disconnected from the passengers on the plane, like in my own private world. And then I felt melancholy. I felt I was alone looking at the world outside the window and that world looked calm. Looked like everyone had gone home. And here I was leaving home… I wished I hadn’t been… Those darn mood-altering floodlights…

Filed Under: Travel Stories Tagged With: airport, Atlanta Hartsfield, Delta, travel musings

My Delta Special Service – a Real Treat – and My Friends’ Reactions

5 September 2012 by Raul 22 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was treated by my hometown airline and my preferred airline, Delta, to a very nice airport arrival in Atlanta. The following week, the same wonderful welcome was offered again. Not only was the actual special welcome so enjoyable, fun, and appreciated, the response from my friends was equally enjoyable, fun, and appreciated!

The Welcome

I landed on A31 in Atlanta Hartsfield, the end of Concourse A. I remember thinking “ugh”, having to walk down the terminal at peak hour to get to the train, to get to the shuttle bus, to get to my car, to drive, and, finally, to get home. No, it is not a horrible thing but sometimes I am just tired.

I get off the plane, I mean, I literally step out of the plane, and from the corner of my eye I catch my name on a sign being help up by a guy in a suit. I never look at anything or anyone when I am deplaning. I am on a mission to get the heck out of Dodge. Along with my name is another name. What is this? Did I have too many SunChips?

I identify myself to the suited guy and before I can ask anything, the other name shows up, a guy in a suit who tells the guy greeting us that he is traveling with someone; the guy greeting us says it is OK. I ask what is this about and the greeter tells me, I am taking you out of here. I was not sure what that meant and asked for clarification. He said he had a car downstairs (downstairs from the jet-way) and that he was driving us to baggage claim. I don’t know how many seconds it took me to process what he had said. What was this? The other two guys seem to know what this was about and, as they all started going down the stairs, I followed. I see a black Porsche Cayenne at the bottom of the stairs and my first thought is “I need a picture of this”. I had a camera with me but those 2 suits traveling with me looked too darn serious and I figured I need to act serious too, especially if I am being driven away. I kicked myself for this for about a week afterwards – I wanted a picture of this most unlikely situation for me. Our driver dropped us all off and gave me the card: Delta Elite Services Team. (I hope I didn’t just reveal a secret! Please do not remove my Million Miler status!!)

I speculated about what all this was about. During the drive I understood that this is normally something done for government officials or celebrities so they do not have to traverse the airport but I still didn’t know how I fit into either category. I did write-in my name once in a ballot in some election but, last I had heard, I only got one vote.

I regretted not having taken my picture and told the story to people saying that. Well, God really wanted me to get the darned picture because the next week, landing on the A1 gate in Atlanta, once again I saw a suited guy holding a sign with two names and one of them was mine again! This time I knew what this was about and felt much smarter. This time it was a white Cayenne and I was drive out in style. BUT, as I went down the stairs, I asked the greeter/driver to please take my picture though this time I only had a smartphone camera. He took some pictures of me where I am all smiles.

Also, this time, I got to ask about how regular folks get the service. The greeter told me that usually when there are none of the VIPs above, they pick up Delta frequent fliers with all the right calendar and lifetime status who may have tight connections, or lacking any of those, fliers who land at the far gates in a concourse. That made tons of sense and seems to be a brilliant way for Delta to surprise and reward a very frequent flier every now and then (and I am hoping more “now” than “then”!).

The Pictures

After a week of kicking myself, I GOT THE PICTURE! In fact, I got a few. Here are two!

Now to the Funnies

Alright, since I did not ask family and friends if I could show them here as I shared comments to the statuses in Facebook on these two events, I feel obliged to protect their anonymity but I invite them to comment here if they read this! I laughed at some of the comments!

In Conclusion (I Have to Be Serious, Don’t I?)

Thanks to Delta, from this Million Miler and charter Diamond Medallion, for that extra touch. CRM is key to any business. This is great evidence of good thinking.

Thanks to my friends for allowing me to enjoy this little pleasure a little more by sharing it and hearing from them!