Flying Through the Air with the Greatest of Ease

Hi Vegas fans,

For those of you who fly to Sin City, you'll appreciate this article about America's Meanest Airlines. I have flown just about all of those major airlines, and I can tell you it's an accurate report. I now fly Southwest, new to my area, and I'm very pleased. It's a great airline with a spectacular business model.

I was surprised they issued paper tickets, and I am assuming this is because they are new to my city. However, even that was not a huge deal. I did have a problem retrieving my confirmation number (which only appeared on paperwork they sent me, but not on the ticket) versus my reservation number. When I wanted to check in 24 hours before my flight, I did not have all of my paperwork. My efforts to find my confirmation number online proved difficult, and I had to call to get it. Other than that, Southwest made my flight easy and enjoyable. Here are some highlights of my recent Southwest and airport adventures:

• Southwest is fun. Flight attendants are funny and one even sang on my flight, making it an enjoyable experience for passengers.
• For those of you not familiar with Southwest, boarding is different. You don't have an assigned seat, you just have a spot in an area. Then passengers board the plane and sit where they want. You'd think mass chaos would ensue, but it doesn't.
• Southwest planes seem to have a little more room to me than others. And they serve normal size snacks, not those tiny pretzels that other airlines throw at you.
• I love the charging stations available at most Southwest gates now. I charged my iPad and got online with free WiFi at the airports.
• Two "first time EVER" situations for me: 1. The first leg of my flight arrived right next to the gate to my connection. No running through the airport, dragging a bag, getting on a train to another terminal. Nice. 2. I had a non-stop flight home where I just stayed on the plane. With Southwest, this was nice because I could move up and sit in one of the best seats on the plane. Little things like this make me happy.
• Coming home, I went through one of McCarran's body scanners. When the TSA agent said, "remove ALL items from your pockets" that was no problem. But when he said, "remove your belts," I had to hold up my pants. This made it difficult when I was in the chamber and the agent said, put your hands up above your head and bend your elbows. I was afraid that everyone in McCarran airport was about to get a free showing of my boxers (plaid), but fortunately my pants stayed up. Barely.

Overall, traveling gets easier for me every year as I learned how to deal with airlines and airports. For me, the first step is picking my flights. I know when to fly into Vegas how busy the airport will be, how long the check-in line at the rental car and hotel will be, and so on. I'm ready for it. I also have learned that less is more in my suitcase, patience is a key, and most importantly, arrive early to the airport.

When leaving Vegas, I always leave my hotel 2 hours before my flight is scheduled to depart. If I get through security quickly and to my gate an hour early, so be it. I'll sift through my pictures and try to remember what happened on my trip. And then plan the next one.

Hope your next flight is safe and easy. And remember, for the love of all that is good and holy, ensure your seat back and folding tray are in their full upright positions.

Viva,

Mike

eBooks and Apps

I love apps. I've been playing with my iPad and discovering all kinds of fun stuff, especially Vegas-related. Apps are fun, cool and interactive. Perfect for small, mobile devices for people on the go.

Of course, I love eBooks, too, but they're different. eBooks contain more content and fewer features. The content might consist of words, pictures or maps, but the interaction doesn't work the same way as an app.

Obviously, there's a difference between reading/searching a book and surfing an app. There's a purpose for each. If I want to see photos of the Bellagio fountains and locate them on the Strip, then an app is great. Maybe I can read a review of them and see what time the shows run, too. So the app provides a snapshot of Vegas while you're there and gives you snippets of information. Which is great.

On the other hand, a good travel guide gives you a different experience. It connects the dots with a story. Now I don't mean a literal story, but rather one that arms you with information that you can use when you plan your trip and also use as content you can search while you are there.

Here's an example. Suppose I'm planning my trip to Vegas and I've decided that I'm going to see the volcano at Mirage because I haven't seen it in a while. I'm also a blackjack player, so I want to know what to expect at the tables. I know I'll only be in Vegas 3 days, so I want to explore as much mid-Strip as I can without having to take a taxi or spend a lot of time wearing out my shoes trying to find an Italian restaurant or a Cirque du Soleil show. By the way, my wife's coming with me, and she's going to want to shop, too.

That's my story, and whether I'm planning these things a month before I'm in Vegas or when I arrive at McCarran airport, it's the story that a good travel guide can help me tell, and it can do it comprehensively, in one format.

Maybe there's room for both apps and eBooks in this crazy new world. With free Kindle and Nook apps for the iPhone and iPad, you can have your travel guide at your fingertips. So while you're searching for "volcano" within your Vegas travel guide on your iPhone to see what time it erupts, you can also see that there's a free tram to take you to TI so you can see Mystere. You'll also see on a good map that there's a pedestrian bridge to take you over to the Venetian so you can spend some non-gambling money at the Grand Canal Shoppes. Oh, and if you want to spend some money gambling, your travel guide will remind you to find a 3-2 blackjack table and stay away from those 6-5 tables.

In any event, make sure that you tell your own story (even if you make it up) the next time you... Go to Vegas. It's that simple.

Viva,
Mike

You Pad, We Pad, All Vegas Fans Can iPad!

Hi Vegas fans,

In case you haven't guessed, I recently purchased an iPad. I'd been looking for an excuse to buy one, and this year's income tax refund sealed the deal. It's quite a fun tablet, and it's so easy to use. It's light and surprisingly fast. It has fun games for free and stores a ton of iTunes music and photos. Great stuff.

One main reason I bought an iPad is to use when I travel to Vegas. I don't like lugging around a laptop through the airport and up to the hotel. And my Kindle just doesn't quite cut it when I need to do a lot of surfing online. Plus I can download the Kindle and Nook apps for the iPad, which allow me to read my books on one device.

With the iPad, I can get online quickly. If I don't want to pay for a hotel's wireless connection, I can go to a nearby Starbucks or other hot spot to get service. I'm not online a lot in Vegas, so it's not like I'd be dependent on the connection, but it's nice to have.

I will also find it useful on the plane. Between blackjack games, music and movies, I'll be able to pass the time faster and have a lot more fun. I can also read my travel guide and get really excited about my trip. While I have time to read on the plane, I'll also probably come up with some good ideas to modify it.

Some folks just need a smart phone. Others take a Kindle or a Nook to read on vacation. And some travelers will bring their laptops with them to Vegas. For me, the iPad is a win-win!

Viva,
Mike