Before a recent trip to Las Vegas, Will received an e-mail with a great offer to stay at the Aria hotel in the brand new City Center complex. Although we all know that staying at a new hotel can be dicey, we figured a luxury property would have to be running relatively smoothly.

Date: December 2009

Parking: Since construction continues on City Center, parking was a mess. There was no back entrance to the self parking lot and we missed the entrance twice forcing us to circle back around the strip. Eventually we used the valet which we stumbled upon by accident. We figured this would make life easier, but the pickup is in a different location so getting our car back was as much a hassle as dropping it off had been.

Check-in/Check-out: We had no wait at the front desk and the woman who helped us was very nice. Although she didn’t have a record of the promotion we had booked, she called a manager over who was able to correct our account. Although it took longer than average, we were satisfied and were given a room on a high floor as requested. Check-out went smoothly and our bill was accurate.

Room: We stayed in a standard room and since we were the first or second guest to stay there it was very clean. Our view was not of the strip, but it was still nice from the floor to ceiling windows. Everything in the room was controlled via a small computer screen on the night table which was somewhat tricky to figure out. I knocked it over during the night causing the curtains to fly open and all the lights to turn on. Overall the room was decent and the bed was comfortable but it seemed unfinished. Wires dangled from the TV, our heat didn’t work, a handle fell off a bathroom drawer and one of the lights above the bed was dangerously loose. I was not impressed at all with the bathroom. The connected shower and bath were strange, the water pressure was horrible, and the sinks had little counter space and splashed water everywhere when used.

Overall Impression: It seemed like a lot of things were thrown together to get the Aria open ASAP even though it’s not really ready. Although all of the employees were very nice, many of them didn’t yet know how things work at the hotel. Hopefully, it will improve with time but I don’t think there should be such a steep learning curve at a 5 star accommodation.

Grade: D+

Date: November 2009

Route: Newark-Lisbon Round-trip

Check-in: Although we were able to select our seats in advance by phone, there was no online check-in so we had to get to the airport early and do it in person. Since we were flying business class, we had a dedicated line and there was no wait but the coach lines weren’t crowded either. In Lisbon, we had access to a special security line and the TAP lounge which had a nice food spread but was crowded and noisy. TAP has no lounge in Newark, but we were given passes to the Virgin Atlantic lounge which was quiet but sparse with no food offered other than bags of pretzels and chips.

Plane: Boarding was fast and easy, even in Lisbon where we had to board by bus. Executive class was given a separate bus and entrance onto the plane which was very efficient as it allowed economy to board simultaneously on another staircase. The business class seats were comfortable to sit in but hard to sleep in. They are cradle-style seats that don’t lean back but slide forward and are angled flat so your head is up and your feet down. It was like sleeping on a hard seesaw with no back support. The cabin temperature was all over the map, sweltering one minute and freezing the next. Although I love being up front, I’ve definitely slept better in a coach seat. We had two bathrooms set aside for business class which meant we rarely had to wait for a turn.

Service: The attendants on both flights were cheerful and attentive. We were given great vanity kits that could hang from the seat back in front of you and were filled with lots of useful things to use during the flight like eye shades, socks and lotion. We were given plenty of drinks, bottled water and a meal service consisting of an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. The food was bland and only slightly better than you would expect in coach.

Verdict: Although the TAP employees try hard, top executive class feels more like premium economy than first.

Grade: C

Date: June 2009

Price from New York to Boston: $358/person including taxes. This is $140 more than a regular seat on the Acela, but after taking this trip for years and dreading it, I decided to find out if it was worth it.

Check-in: Check-in is a breeze at an Amtrak kiosk. Just scan the bar code on a printout of your confirmation e-mail and your tickets pop out. You can also go to an agent if necessary. With the First Class ticket, you have access to the Club Acela lounges located in both places. I didn’t arrive early enough at the stations to take advantage of this so I can’t rate the lounges. When I boarded in Boston, it seemed that the other first class passengers were already on the train so I believe an agent brought them directly from the lounge before the other passengers were allowed to board.

Train: The train was worn, but the seats seemed newer and clean. They were all leather, big and comfortable. There were single, double and quad seat configurations. Not all of the tray tables worked properly and some seats reclined more than others so I had to test a couple before I found one I liked. Overall, I liked the setup and felt it allowed for a decent amount of privacy and peace. The bathroom was standard, but clean and less crowded since it was reserved for the First Class car. Although the car wasn’t empty on either trip, unlike the main part of the train it wasn’t packed full so I felt I had room to spread out and a good choice of seats both ways.

Service: Amtrak is not known for being on time and, in fact, I arrived in Boston an hour and a half late on my departure. Luckily, I planned for this and took an earlier train. There are one or two attendants assigned to the First Class car that provide at seat drink and meal service during the ride. At boarding, you are immediately offered a drink and a menu with a limited selection of food items. I found the lunch service more complete and better than breakfast. The food itself was not quite as good as what you would be served on a first class flight, but it wasn’t bad. For the remainder of the ride, the attendants came down the aisle frequently to offer more drinks and bottled water to the passengers.

Verdict: I really enjoyed the Acela First Class car. Was it amazing? No, but it definitely made the trip more comfortable and it felt faster. I absolutely think it was worth the extra money and I would do it again on my next visit to Boston.

Grade: B-

JetBlue understands that some people don’t like to travel without their 4 legged friend so they’ve introduced a new program called JetPaws. Enroll your dog or cat for free and you’ll receive a downloadable pet travel guide, a pet carrier travel tag and, best of all, TrueBlue points for your pet’s ticket!

JetPaws

Date: December 2008

Price from New York to Las Vegas: $418.50/person including taxes. This seemed like a good holiday airfare when I booked it but when the economy tanked so did ticket prices. Since we had already paid just $42.50 less then the cost of a round trip Main Cabin Select ticket, I paid the difference and upgraded us. On the way back, we were able to upgrade to First Class for an additional $150/person. If First Class is available, you can always upgrade from a regular economy ticket at the airport for $250/person.

Check-in: VA has online check-in so we printed our boarding passes and were ready to go.

Plane: The planes looked new and clean. The leather seats are the most comfortable economy seats I’ve ever sat in and the seat back TV screens were great. Premium movies, games and Wi-Fi (when available) cost extra in coach. First Class seats have a massage function though it isn’t as nice as a typical massage chair. Main Cabin Select seats are simply the exit and bulkhead rows but, in addition to more legroom, you get priority boarding, reserved overheard space and free snacks. The snacks and legroom were nice but, on one leg of the flight, boarding was a free for all and I saw non Select passengers putting their luggage in the “reserved” bins. Also, I noticed some late passengers got assigned to Main Cain Select without paying the premium fare. It’s not really worth it unless the price drops after you’ve already bought a ticket and the difference is small.

Service: Virgin America aims to build a loyal customer base by providing the best service in the industry. One of their tactics is to deliver food and drinks that you order by touch screen directly to your seat. This would be cool if it worked. Will had to order food three times before the flight attendants could see it on their screen and I noticed others having the same problem. On top of that, the staff blamed the passengers for not ordering correctly. The flight attendants also seemed to resent having to run around serving people and complained about their lack of space at the back of the plane. Now I may agree with them that serving people and having no space is annoying, but since service is VA’s selling point, they shouldn’t be complaining out loud. Once it arrived, the food was pretty good.

Verdict: Virgin America has all the tools and amenities in place to become the top U.S. airline. Their biggest problem is they don’t provide the great service they promise. Right now, I think Jetblue tops them in the service category. They are a fairly new airline and may still be working out their procedures so I would give them another try if the price was right.

Grade: B-

Date: November 2008

Price from New York: $561.45/person including taxes. When I booked this over the summer it was a good price, but there are better deals now with the softened economy.

Check-in: Seat selection was not allowed in advance and neither was online check-in, a combo that stressed me out as I dreaded being stuck in a middle seat between two strangers. Luckily, no such scenario occurred. The check-in counter was a breeze in both New York and Reykjavik. Tip: If you have computer access in Iceland, log on to the SAS Airlines website 22 hours before your flight, choose check-in and enter your name and booking reference. Although you will not be able to complete check-in, you will be able to choose your seats for your return flight to the United States.

Plane: Icelandair recently renovated their planes adding an Economy Comfort class and seat-back entertainment centers. The “new” planes pretty much look like any other. At double the price of standard Economy, Economy Comfort seats are not worth it. They are in the same cabin as standard Economy, right next to a bathroom and offer just one additional inch of legroom. Standard legroom was average. The bathrooms were a bit grungy and the movies selections were old but I enjoyed the GPS maps that let me track our flight progress.

Service: Although drinks are free, food is not unless you are sitting in one of the premium classes. A limited selection of sandwiches and candy are offered for purchase. I can’t comment on the quality of the food as I didn’t try any of it. Service was slow but the flight attendants were friendly and nice.

Verdict: Overall I had some annoyances but no major complaints with Icelandair. I’d like to see them allow advance seat selection and give passengers a complimentary snack. I would say the flight was average; not the best, but not the worst either.

Grade: C-

I just got back from a trip to Rome, Italy and I flew the airline Eurofly. I was nervous when I booked with them because I didn’t know anything about them and I couldn’t find much information online. Now that I’ve travelled with them, I’d like to share my experience.

Date: May 2007

Price: $368/person including taxes. This was an amazing deal.

Check-in: They issued paper tickets and seats had to be chosen at the airport. Seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 pattern. Arriving 3 hours before our flight wasn’t enough to get a coveted exit row but we were able to at least get in a two seater. In NY we checked right in but in Rome, check in was a nightmare. The staff waited for over an hour while the entire flight seemed to show up before they finally opened check in. The line was at least 100 people long and was kept in no particular order. Even first class passengers had to stand and wait an unacceptable amount of time. They were painfully slow at the counter and rude when asked any questions.

Plane: I can’t comment on first class as I didn’t see it, but in coach, legroom was nonexistent. It seemed like they used every last inch to squeeze in as many seats as possible. I’ve flown a lot of airlines and I know most are tight, but this was horrible. When the person in front of me reclined their seat, they were literally in my lap, I had no access to my bag in front of me and I could barely squeeze out to the aisle for a bathroom break. I’m 5’1 so I can’t imagine how a tall person would get through this. The only positive thing I can say about the plane was that the seats were equipped with individual TVs which is always nice.

Food: The food was hands down the worst I’ve ever had in the air. My vegetarian meal was plain white rice and spinach….no sauce…not even salt. It was stuck together and gross. My snack was a piece of eggplant between two slices of bread….again, no condiments of any kind. Will, who eats meat got a slice of plain ham in bread. They didn’t serve enough food or water for such a long flight, but as it was mostly inedible maybe it was for the best.

Verdict: I would never fly this airline again. Had I not gotten this special deal and paid $800 for my ticket I would have been furious. The service was terrible from start to finish. Flying coach is never particularly fun, but on Eurofly you are truly treated like cattle. Calling this airline no frills is too kind. This was the worst flight experience I’ve had to date.

Grade: F