I’ve had quite a few Southwest flights over the last few months and I continue to be surprised that I still have yet to see a seat retrofit on 737-700 plane, including two in the last 2 weeks. Given the hard deadline to have the extra legroom seats installed by January 27th, 2026, they are running out of time. On the bright side, every -800 and MAX8 plane I have flown has had the new layout, including one with the brand new seats.
Last weekend I was in Tulsa, OK, and had an otherwise fine and unmemorable stay at a Holiday Inn Express property. My frustration, which unfortunately has been too common in my experience: complete lack of elite benefits being honored. I arrived right at midnight so making sure I got a welcome amenity was not a priority. The real kick in the butt was being unable to get a late checkout which would have been really helpful to be able to shower and pack after being outside all day and before our early evening flight home. Even showing the benefit listed on the keycard holder and the fact that I had arranged a group stay that brough them over 75 room-nights of business didn’t matter. Yes, I understand it is “subject to availability”, but availability should be at least > 50% of the time. I can’t think of a time I’ve had this issue at a Hyatt property but my luck with IHG Platinum status has been terrible.
No late checkout meant a longer wait at the airport. It was my first time in the Tulsa airport so I was excited to get to try the new Escape lounge that just opened this summer. I was pretty impressed with the lounge and will post a full review soon.
With my Bank of America Flying Blue card up for renewal and no current need for it, I decided to give them a call and see if any retention offers were available. No luck getting the annual fee waived or any spending bonus (just a balance transfer offer), so it was an easy decision to cancel. I was able to get the annual fee refunded about 3 weeks after it posted and the call was quick and easy, so kudos to BoA for good customer service in this case.
Lastly, as things get caught back up after the government shutdown challenges, I have to reflect on how fortunate I was during this period. I had 4 trips since the shutdown started and did not experience any delays. Some of that was due to avoiding the Northeast which was hit the hardest by delays and cancellations, but regardless, I count myself lucky. One of those trips was a return to the Hyatt Ziva Cancun which will also have a full review coming soon!
