JAL stays in OneWorld

JAL Stays in AMR Alliance, Delta Out 

Japan Airlines Corp. is planning to announce Tuesday afternoon in Tokyo that it will maintain its alliance with AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, according to a person familiar with the matter, dealing a blow to rival Delta Air Lines Inc.

The decision is the culmination of a months-long battle between the two leading airlines in the U.S. over Japan's ailing national carrier, which filed for protection from creditors last month with $25 billion in debt.

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Looks  like I'll be able to access the infamous Sakura Lounge in Tokyo for a little bit longer... had me worried that I would never get to fly FIRST on Japan Airlines using American AAdvantage miles.

Heading to San Antonio

I got off work at 6PM sharp and rushed like a maniac to the airport via park n' fly .  I was lucky that it was a slow night so I was the only passenger the drive took to the airport for that run.  My flight was scheduled to depart at 7:55PM and I got there with 40 minutes to spare.  I quickly went to print out my boarding pass (thank goodness for online check in) and the security line was short.  The TSA agent commented that I could DRIVE to San Antonio... I am like "um... yeah, just got off of work...."  It would have been close to 11 PM if I drove down there.

American Airlines raises baggage fees $5 on Feb 1, 2010

 Changes To Domestic Checked Bag Charges Effective February 1
Before you head to the airport, please familiarize yourself with changes affecting international and domestic checked bag charges.

Domestic Travel
Within And Between the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
For customers who purchase domestic Economy Class tickets, please see the chart below for applicable charges for checking a first and/or second bag.

Some passengers are exempt from paying any checked bag charges such as: 

• AAdvantage Gold®, AAdvantage Platinum® and AAdvantage Executive Platinum® as well as oneworld® Alliance Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby members
• Those who purchase tickets in First and Business Class as well as those who purchase full-fare tickets in Economy Class
• Active U.S. Military personnel traveling on orders or personal travel and active U.S. Military dependents traveling on orders
• View a complete list of exceptions

The changes apply for travel on American Airlines, America Eagle and AmericanConnection® flights within the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

	Tickets purchased before August 14, 2009	Tickets purchased on or after August 14, 2009	Tickets purchased on or after February 1, 2010
1st Checked Bag Charge	$15	$20	$25
2nd Checked Bag Charge	$25	$30	$35

Leaving Hawaii

The wild chickens woke me up at 5AM so I surfed on the Internet for 3 hours until it was time for breakfast. We ate breakfast/brunch and finished cleaning and packing to go home. We went in two groups, my brother and mom was dropped off first at the airport with most of the bags. We had to fill up our gas tank since I did not pay for their convenience of $3.72 times 20 gallons regardless of how much fuel would be left. I ended up paying $50 to fill 13 gallons and saved about $25 by not going with the Hertz offer. Then I went back to grab my brother-in-law and sister for their journey to the airport. After dropping them off, I headed back to Hertz to drop off the rental. It was quick and painless since the gas tank was full and they did a quick once over around the exterior. I hopped on the shuttle to the airport.

We checked in at Hawaiian Airlines and had to pay $30 for 3 checked bags. My sister and her husband checked in at American for their flight. We waited around at the gate until it was time to leave for Honolulu for our flight to the mainland. We did grab a quick bite at the nasty airport restaurant with rude service. They have a monopoly at the small airport so there was no alternative for those who did not bring food and were sitting in coach.

We left Maui at 4:15PM and arrived at 4:45. My brother and I headed down to the interisland baggage claim to get our three bags. Then we dragged the luggage to the main terminal to check them in at the American Airlines counter. We had to have the luggage screened through USDA scan again even though one was done in Maui. We went through security again and met my mom on the other side with our carry on bags. We had big dinner at sit down cafeteria style restaurant and went through our trip photos while waiting to board the plane. I did manage to get a crew seat in aisle 17 that fully reclines, but I gave it to my mom since she needed the good sleep more than me. The flight was bumpy initially for the first third and I slept for 2 hours after that. We had 1 beverage service after departing and a package of OJ in the morning. They had water and sodas for self service in the galley overnight.

Overall, it was a good trip for spending time with family and doing fun stuff. We went to the beach, surfed, whale watched, sailed on a catamaran, enjoyed a luau, went to the Dole plantation, went on train tour rides, rode a horse, saw the sun rise on a (sleeping) active volcano, Oahu island tour, drove to Hana and back, went 3 islands, went in a submarine, went to the aquarium, went to nature center, visited Iao valley, attempted to ride a moped, went to pearl harbor, went to the outlet mall, got tan, and snorkeled twice. On to the next trip...

Day 13 Wednesday - Maui

It was our last full day in Maui and we took it slow. We left at about 9 AM to the Nature Center in Iao Valley. The 30 minute ride there was fast and we went to the interactive museum where they had many exhibits for us to play with and experience the natural aspect of the islands.

We then went to the Iao Valley state park to walk, take photos and enjoy the tranquility of the brook running through and the peacefulness of the jungle. The trees/vines provided much shade for us. It was a beautiful sight to see and experience. After that, we headed back to Kahului to eat lunch at another Japanese restaurant where we had our last meal out as a family. We went back to the condo to rest and pack for our journey home. It took me about 10 minutes to get my bags together. It would be our last home cooked dinner in Hawaii followed by American Idol watching party. I went to bed early to get a head start on the next day.

Day 12 Tuesday - Maui

Since our submarine ride did not start until 10AM, we had a late breakfast and sleep in a bit as well. We got to Lahaina Harbor to get on the ferry to the sub. We were one of the last ones on but we got in there on time for check in. The tour guide was not that funny but he was trying real hard to be cheesy with his jokes. We got in on an actual submarine. We dove all the way down to about 120 feet near the bottom with the coral.

It was an awesome experience to see all of the fishes swimming in schools. There was also a sunken ship that cost them $250,000 to intentionally sink with no ecological impact. The ride was about 45 minutes and it proved to be a bit entertaining. We got out to the ferry boat with a new crew of people to go into the sub. After that, we went to the Maui Ocean Center which has the largest coral reef in a museum. We stayed for about 90 minutes going through the exhibits.

Lunch at Ichiban and the service was ok. They charged us for a side of salted cabbage. The prices were decent and the portion was big. I got the teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, and teriyaki beef. We visited the Maui Tropical Plantation and took some pictures around the place. We hopped on the tram for a 45 minute tour that included a show on how to open coconuts. Our tour guide was funny and she seemed a bit ditzy as well. We had dinner at the condo that night followed by the American Idol premiere watching party that we had.

Day 11 Monday - Maui

I got up pretty early from being rested from the weekend. We had breakfast and left for Lahaina to our day trip to Lanai. We were greeted by the crew and a cup of pineapple juice. We sailed off when the crew raised the sails and the ride was about two hours. We got homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, and deli wraps on our journey. I lost my right flip-flop on the way there.

We got to the beach to snorkel on Hupoloe Beach. I saw coral and fishes in my 45 minutes in the water. We left for a guided van tour of the island for an hour. Here are some facts I learned:

• Lanai has 3200 residents on the island with 75% being Pilipino and only 300 are Hawaiian/mixed (Hapa).
• Niihau is privately owned by the Robinson family with 200 people and need invitation to visit.
• Hawaii big island is the biggest and youngest out of the 132 island chain. There a new one forming currently but we will not see it in this lifetime.
• 1990 was the last time to ship out Pineapple from Lanai after 71 years on the island. It is cheaper to grow them in Thailand from labor costs. They are big on tourism and real estate now. 98% is owned by Robert Murdock and 2% is owned by resident.
• Lanai does not have coconuts or palm trees but have Cook Island pine tree instead and weeds.
• There's only one beach on Lanai and the other side is cliffs. There is only two highways so no confusion on how to get anywhere.
• There are 2 Four Seasons resorts on the island and 1000 people work for the resorts. The Lodge at Hoele that is $295 to $1500 per night and the Manele beachside resort goes up to $7000 a night.
• About 40% of the people on Lanai are unemployed since the main industry is the resorts.
• There are three family owned general stores. The Richards family store got sold to Richard Murdock.
• There is a culture and heritage center set to be opened on January 16th.
• They have a community college that is distanced learning from Maui with instructors teaching all local islands.
• Hospital has 10 rooms with two practitioners. They now have dialysis machines there now.
• Lanai is only 3371 feet and gets 30 inches of rain a year.

We got to the one gas station in town to get drinks and snacks. They had $27 flip flops and our tour guide was really nice as she took me to a general store and I got a pair for $3.50. We headed back to the beach for a BBQ dinner. We had salad, teriyaki chicken, Yaki soba, and peas. They did a really great job on the food as I did not shy from a second serving. We left at about 4 PM and the waves were heavy. I got tired and slept on a bench until we got back to Maui. It was dark when we got back and we went straight to bed. I enjoyed our excursion as the crew took real good care of us and were professional. I would highly recommend them to everyone. I left my left flip-flop on the Catamaran… so they both live in Hawai’i now.