airline tickets

[OTABILL]

For us, Southwest is the airline of choice. We use a southwest visa credit card ($69 per year with 3000 points at renewal) and have been able to accumulate enough points to have had several round trips paid for by points. If you sign up for the premium card ($99 per year, 6000 points at renewal) the current promotion is 50,000 bonus points if you charge $2000 over a 3 month period. What is nice about SW points is that, the amount needed for a flight depends upon the price of a ticket. Thus, even the same day to the same destination, the amount of points needed is different. Big bonus is 2 free checked bags (50 lbs or less) per passenger. This is not for everyone, but it works for us.

[notes1]

The Southwest sale makes it almost impossible to get on their site and book something, as the sale is so popular.

We persevered, and managed to get a trip, Buffalo - Las Vegas, and return, for two people, for $612 total.
  do you live in buffalo, we lived there for our first 33 years? go there to visit friends/family often and lose some money in NF. 

[Tedlark]

  So notes, you do shuffle off to Buffalo?

[notes1]

  So notes, you do shuffle off to Buffalo?
  as i have gotten older, my wife often describes my walking as more of a shuffle, than a stride. you are both clever and accurate.

[onemoretry]

Do you live in buffalo, we lived there for our first 33 years? go there to visit friends/family often and lose some money in NF.
No, I live in Ontario, about 35 miles north of Toronto. Ironically, we drive right by Pearson Airport in Toronto to get to Niagara Falls and Buffalo. But, airfares from Buffalo are significantly lower (even with our current discounted Canadian dollar).

And, Pearson is usually quite busy, and staffed with security personnel who are, for the most part, extremely rude and obnoxious. We much prefer driving the extra two hours to fly from Buffalo.

It helps that we can obtain a comped room at Seneca Niagara. For early flight times, we drive there the day before and stay overnight before proceeding to Buffalo. Late evening returns to Buffalo usually cause us to stop at Seneca before going home the next day (or, sometimes, the day after).

[notes1]

one, how do you like the remodeled NF casino? the stage is very nice, but the music gets so loud at night. do the machines seeem to be playing the same for you?

[onemoretry]

one, how do you like the remodeled NF casino? the stage is very nice, but the music gets so loud at night. do the machines seeem to be playing the same for you?
We like the new layout. It seems much more spacious and easy to get around, now that the centre stage is gone.

Almost all of our play is on four multi-line 50c machines located some distance from the new corner stage, so noise from the stage has not been an issue for us. As well, we do not very often play at night.

I have noticed no change in how the machines play. My returns for the most recent five years, starting with 2014 and proceeding back, are 99.21%, 97.85%, 99.88%, 99.20% and 98.10%. That's playing 8/5 bonus poker, a 99.17% game.

The biggest change we have seen there is the deterioration of slot club benefits. This started about three years ago, and,as a result, we have reduced our play there. No longer do we both have chairman status.

Lately, the benefits have been improved a bit. However, I doubt they will ever return to where they were in our early years there. Right now, they are, at best, no more than 30% of what they were then.

Our most recent visit there was an overnight stay on May 26, followed by some play on the 27th.

I got "creamed". However my wife had the happy experience of hitting a $2000 royal, and while awaiting completion of the associated paperwork and playing the adjacent machine, hitting another one!

[Lucky Larry]

notes1,
Thanks for the SWA heads up. Got in and snagged our trips for the fall.

Big difference between running a government agency vs private or corporate business. One is run to provide services, regulation and not for profit and the others for a profit. I appreciate the efficiency of our mom's Soc. Security checks coming in on time every month for the past 30+ years, the medicare coverage Sweet C gets, the FEMA response we've seen post hurricane (the State of Texas screwed that up and still has $millions in FEMA reimbursements they haven't distributed to home owners 10 years later), and the fact that I sleep well at night knowing the US military is protecting me and my family. Remember too, TSA is subcontracted out to one of those corporate entities. But, lets each agree that we have our own views and respect that the US allows us to share them even if NSA is tracking us.

[notes1]

LL, good to hear the airline ticket info worked out for you. also, glad to hear your mom's SS and your wife's medicare is working well. b/t/w, both programs are running huge deficits and will require massive bailouts or changes, likely paid for by the younger generation. all caused because those who are collecting (and i will be one in a couple of years) kept voting themselves benefit increases, without paying for it. TSA is a government run agency, under the dept of homeland security. they are responsible for their actions. no comment on your local FEMA, but texas must balance it's budget, the feds just keep printing money and running up a larger deficit, again paid for by the next generation. i too, love the troops.  i will agree with one thing, we both have different views.  

[onemoretry]

one, how do you like the remodeled NF casino? the stage is very nice, but the music gets so loud at night. do the machines seeem to be playing the same for you?
I now have a better appreciation of your concern over noise.

We stopped in at Seneca last Saturday afternoon (on our way to Buffalo airport for a Caesar's junket to Laughlin).

There was a live band playing, and even as far as we were from the stage, it was quite loud.

We stayed at Seneca on our return (Wednesday night). We played a bit after dinner, and even though there was just canned music, it was really loud.

And, Thursday morning, it was the same - quite loud canned music! Interestingly, my wife noticed that it was actually quieter near the stage.

And, their selection of canned music? Do they ever look at who is playing and wonder if the stuff they are playing is appropriate?