My first AirPass flight

So I actually wrote this post on MONDAY, on the plane. Then completely forgot to post it...

I’m on the plane, on my first AirPass flight. (Of course, it won’t be posted until tonight or maybe even tomorrow, but it’s not my fault that the Verizon network doesn’t reach into the skies.)

I had a slow November and December, travel-wise. Only one tri p each month. But the travel is looking to pick up, peaking with the March tax seminar travel and continuing through the summer. So work got me AirPass.

The point of AirPass is that there is a flat, standard rate on all flights. You pay American a certain amount up front – kind of like depositing in an account – and then you can deduct from it whenever you need to. You don’t have to use your AirPass account to book a flight. Say, for example, I know I’m going somewhere a month in advance. Chances are, I can get a good price on a ticket. So, I just book it on my credit card. But, if, like this trip, I don’t book the flight until two days before the travel, I have the option of paying the full price fare or the flat AirPass fare (based on the number of miles).

Many, many other perks come with the AirPass. The one that is the biggest impetus to me getting AirPass is that you can change flights without any penalty. Even if you buy it at regular fare, you can change it or rearrange flights, or whatever without a fee. I’m embarrassed at how many change fare fees I racked up in 2008.

But then there’s the fun stuff. Like priority on the list for upgrades. Hee, hee, that’s where I am now – in first class. (smile) Priority boarding and lines and lots of airy-fairy stuff like that. Oh, and even when are in coach because you haven’t gotten the upgrade, you get free booze anyway. That’s nice.

Of course, don’t get me wrong. I’m in no way interested in status. Nope. Not at all. I didn’t use the First Class check-in line this afternoon. (okay, yeah, I did) Didn’t use the priority line to skip in front of a bunch of people to get through security. (oh, wait, I did that, too)

I think, in fact, I’m going to be very, very good at this AirPass thing. I might become an expert AirPass user. Other AirPass users may ask for my advice on how to be use a good AirPass user.

Really, just wait and see.