Transportation

An Uber ride with a Brussels Airport worker

Transportation, ,

https://youtu.be/5i8oVobjpB0

The Uber driver taking us from Brussels central train station to our hotel was on duty  Wednesday only because he couldn’t go to his regular job out at the airport.  President Donald Trump was scheduled to land in Air Force one at Brussels Airport on his way to attend a NATO summit meeting and the driver said his airline had canceled flights for the day.

I asked him if he had been working at the airport the day of the terrorist attacks last March.  He had. And had lost a friend who was working the ticket counters that day. It took him six months and a lot of therapy to get back to work, he said, and he knows many passengers are still choosing not to travel to through Brussels.

I didn’t ask him if the Manchester terrorist attack was giving him new nightmares, but as we drove through town, past clusters of police and armored vehicles in the streets in advance of Trump’s visit, he said he couldn’t wait till this visit was over.

 

Amex offering free Uber rides from 11 airports

Free Stuff, Transportation, ,

Uber app

Here’s a great perk for travelers who need a ride from the airport this holiday season.

Uber is partnering with American Express to give card members 2 free rides home (up to $65 a ride) from 11 different U.S. airports through December 31, 2016.

To get your ride credits, start your Uber trip one of these airports:

JFK International Airport

LaGuardia Airport

Newark Liberty International airport

Chicago O’Hare Airport

Chicago Midway

Dulles International Airport

Reagan Washington National Airport

Boston Logan Airport

Houston Bush International Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

McCarran International Airport – Las Vegas

Then: enter ‘AMEXAIRPORT’ in the promotions tab on the Uber iOS or Android app when you request a ride and make sure you’ve selected your American Express card as your method of payment.

The $65 will automatically be taken off the total cost of the ride when your trip has ended.

Amex Card Members (prepaid cards aren’t eligible) can redeem this offer for up two eligible rides during – for a total value of $130 – through December 31, 2016.

See more details here.

Travel Tidbits: Use Thanks Again points for an Uber ride

Transportation, , ,

Temporary sign at PIT Airport marks where Uber pick-ups are allowed.

Ride-hailing service Uber is making inroads at an increasing number of airports and, as you head off for that end-of-summer vacation, keep in mind that you can now use those Thanks Again points you’ve been earning for purchases you’ve made while stuck at the airport to pay for part of an Uber ride.

Earlier this month Thanks Again announced that program participants can redeem 500 Thanks Again points for a $10 Uber promotional code good toward rides – whether at the airport or in town.

What’s Thankgs Again? It’s a free program that lets you accumulate points for purchases (restaurants, shopping, services and, in many cases, parking) you make a more than 100 airports around the country. That’s on top of points/miles you might get for using your credit card in the first place.

Thanks Again program participants can redeem their points for a array of hotel and airline miles and even towards the  TSA Precheck registration fee.

You can download the Thanks Again App and earn 100 Thanks Again Points for enrolling on the Apple App Store or Google Play.  And if you haven’t yet signed up for Uber, use the “ThanksAgain2016” promotional code to get $15 off your first ride.

Travel Tidbits: rides, babies & parks

Airports, Art, family travel, Transportation, , ,

SFO exhibit

Ride-hailing services got the go-ahead to serve some airports just in time for the busy Thanksgiving weekend:

Lyft can now pick-up and drop off passengers at O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway, but Uber is still working out its paperwork. And Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) gave the green light to Wingz.

OHare mother's room chair

OHare Mother's Room sink

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has opened a third “Mother’s Room.” This one is located past security in Terminal 1, B Concourse across from Gate B10. The other Mother’s Rooms at ORD are in theTerminal 3 Rotunda area and Terminal 5 near Gate M14.

MIA EVERGLADES GRASS

Clyde Butcher, Big Cypress #2.

And, to help mark the National Park Service’s Centennial Year, Miami International Airport is hosting an exhibition of black-and-white photography by Clyde Butcher featuring images of South Florida’s three national parks: Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park and Biscayne National Park.