Sorry for (MY) Delay

The first few months of the year are the busiest for me, and I just got too busy to update.

This winter has been absolute hell for the air traveler and I consider myself very lucky that I only had to wipe out one trip (JFK to ATL) due to a polar vortex.

But since I posted last I flew the following segments:

Newark/Houston Hobby/Brownsville, TX
Tampa/Atlanta/Seattle
Seattle/Los Angeles/Tampa (Delta, wild routing but worked)
Tampa/Hartford  (JetBlue, nice)
Hartford/Atlanta/Tampa
Atlanta/Tampa/Atlanta/Las Vegas/Atlanta/Tampa/Atlanta
Monterey, Mexico/Atlanta/Tampa

Recently formed opinions include:

Forget the traditional first class upgrade.  I'll get them on most segments, but on long haul segments, forget it.  I've started buying first.  Delta has succeeded in monetizing first class.  I feel sorry for the usual list of 50-70 people on the list into and out of Tampa.

And finally, and we all knew it was coming, Delta announced yesterday the complete monetization of their Sky Miles program.

And it doesn't upset me, but the message boards are on fire today.

I just wish they would thin the herd as they have too many elites.

I'm on my island for the next 2 weeks and I'm loving it.

Baltimore is next.