It’s the start of a new year, and time for me to put my corporate taxes in order for the old year. This amounts to taking 12 months’ worth of info and combining it into one spreadsheet that shows all my write-offs. One of my favorite parts of all this is my travel expenses. I gather up what the flights cost and I cross-reference them against the airline miles I made. I am indeed, one of those geeks who figures out ways to get several free plane tickets every year.
Another Attack
Keeping an open eye at the airport is now a priority. Last week a disturbed individual took a gun out of his checked luggage and opened fire at a Florida baggage carousel. The limited news hit the airwaves early, as all terror attacks do. And, once again, I turn to social media for first-hand reports, prior to getting any info on the television.
Sure enough, there were two industry veterans reporting from the airport. One friend of mine had just landed, albeit away from the physical confrontation. He witnessed the commotion and, by “some stroke of luck, managed to get out of the airport before it was locked down.” Another lighting designer friend of mine had just arrived to check in for an outbound flight. He was among the 5,000 people in the airport who ran in sheer terror when the bullets flew. His post sounded quite traumatic, and I hope he’s doing better with time.
Unavoidable Risks
Let’s face it, we travel constantly for work. I took 27 round-trip flights involving 70 planes last year. This is typical for many, especially if you work on corporate shows. The chance of someone from our business being near the terrorist action in any airport is large. We lost one of our own in one of the 9-11 planes that went down. With terror incidents happening at public events it makes it even more important to train our technicians in dealing with such events, so we are more prepared to know what to do and possibly aid in any crowded situation.
The Silver Lining
My family and I are still going to Disneyland next week. On Delta, my preferred airline. I find it amusing to watch the widespread negativity towards airlines posted regularly on Facebook. Everyone has an airline they despise. Many hate Delta. I hear about lost bags, delayed flights, bad service all the time. Face it; social media has made it so easy for people to spread the hate. But Delta has a hub in my city and I love them. The terminals are modern. My flights leave on schedule 90 percent of the time and, knock on wood, they have never lost my luggage. Nobody likes delayed flights. But I think people love to get on Facebook to rant if they are inconvenienced for a couple hours of their life. I am inconvenienced by audio and video guys daily, but I don’t post any hate on them.
Adding ‘em Up
Another problem with social media is the spread of what I call the Great Frequent Flyer Myth. The myth that all airlines have taken away the amount of miles you actually travel, and just issue the miles equivalent to money spent on a ticket. Yes, lots of airlines have come up with this new plan. If you don’t actually fly frequently, they don’t want you getting miles. But if you are on Delta — you still get the miles. I am living proof. Every month I get a statement, and it lists the miles I just traveled and keeps a current tally of miles earned between free tickets. Nowadays there are programs that show you how to obtain 200,000 miles per year without ever getting on a plane. It’s my opinion that those are the people who the airlines don’t want to give the actual miles.
Every year I do the math. I traveled 27 round trip flights. I don’t know the overall mileage (just the one that includes purchases), but let’s just say each trip averaged 3,000 miles. That comes out to about 81,000 miles total. Being generous, since I book a month in advance, the price of each ticket averages $500. So if the Great FF myth was true, I would get a lousy 13,500 miles based on dollars spent. But no, Delta accredited me 110,000 miles last year for time in the air.
Granted, I book many of my own tickets on my Amex Delta card. Delta gives me double the miles when I do that. I’m a platinum flyer this year. I get double the miles on many flights that my clients pay for during the next year. I’m platinum because of how I spend my money. I use my Amex card for probably $3,000 worth of stuff every month. I pay my doctors with Amex instead of a check. Using Amex to pay for the mortgage and car payments is a great deal. If my bank ever complains (they haven’t yet), I will ask Wells Fargo why they don’t cut a deal with Delta? Citibank has one with American Airlines.
For Nook Schoenfeld’s introduction of the January 2017 issue of PLSN magazine, go to http://plsn.me/201701ednote
