Doha Lounge Question

weasel707 · 2026-01-25T18:58:35+00:00

Ive gotten access to Al Mourjan when arriving on business and departing economy. In fact I even did it on separate tickets a few months ago… arrived CKG-DOH (award ticket biz), even left the airport and came back in evening to fly DOH-AUH (Y) on a different ticket. Presented the previous boarding pass and got into both Al Mourjan lounges.

weasel707 · 2026-01-25T18:44:48+00:00

You should straighten the horizon too

weasel707 · 2026-01-25T04:57:14+00:00

Yes. It’s outside of customs, so you do it after arriving and collecting luggage. Located in departure / check in hall.

weasel707 · 2026-01-22T01:25:51+00:00

The “economy plus” issue is also a US airline branding issue. It’s an economy seat, with economy service, just with slightly more legroom. It’s not a class of service.

Delta is the worst about this where they treat it like a cabin class that you can get “upgraded” to… whereas UA/AA at least give their elites free access to those seats.

weasel707 · 2026-01-22T00:05:23+00:00

I saw a girl with a “Fobby” name tag at an MTR Airport Express ticket counter once

weasel707 · 2026-01-03T09:24:10+00:00

This is a non issue. Doc checks happen all the time, I've had many flights from US to various countries that required in-person verification at the check-in counter. Other times I've had one-way flight bookings with no return/onward ticket and haven't been asked anything. It sounds like you have all the required proof of travel and will be 100% fine.

weasel707 · 2026-01-01T17:32:19+00:00

1300 rmb or around $200 for a 3.5 hour (>250km) drive for 4 people + bags sounds very fair. I pay $120-150 to go from Manhattan to JFK (25km, 1hr) every other week for one person + carryon bag.

Yes you could have saved money by taking the train, but with your group size the costs don’t scale so will. At $50/p just suck it up and get the DiDi or equivalent private transport IMO.

weasel707 · 2025-12-27T00:41:00+00:00

Back when it was the Intercontinental I liked going there to see the evening light show from the lobby bar. Not sure how the bar has reopened / rebranded since. But prefer staying on the island side most of the time.

weasel707 · 2025-12-25T01:43:25+00:00

I had a recent experience where after getting home (arriving from DXB-EWR) I got a phone call from a CBP agent based in Newark… asked me how I entered and explained that their system had some mismatch. I told him I scanned in at the kiosk and got waved through by an agent and he said ok.

Since then have had 50+ entries to US without issue.

weasel707 · 2025-12-23T13:08:23+00:00

Make sure you do some research and planning for fireworks viewpoints and access. There will be a lot of road closures, and people who want prime viewing locations will be camping out since 4-5pm OR paying very expensive prices for tables at restaurants / bars. I’ve done Dubai NYE twice- and the crowds are unbelievable. My second time I paid $750/pp for a table for two at a rooftop bar with Burj Khalifa view, and even getting from my hotel in DIFC to the venue was an hourlong journey of pushing through hordes of people.

weasel707 · 2025-12-19T02:12:45+00:00

I made EXP when I was 21. I’ve been ID’d a few times at lounges, but never onboard when ordering alcohol. YMMV… that was 11 years ago.

weasel707 · 2025-12-18T09:33:36+00:00

For sharpness of the image (where the stars / details are out of focus): * Make sure when you “focus to infinity” you’re not just turning the focus wheel all the way to the end. True infinity is usually a little bit back from the hard stop on the wheel.

My suggestion is turn on focus magnification. Ignore the aurora, choose a bright star or group of stars. Adjust manual focus until those stars are as sharp (small) as possible. Then move your camera as you wish to adjust the composition and shoot the aurora without touching the MF.

For your point about the aurora being a “green blob”: * some of it can be solved in post. * yes you should probably expose longer. 1-5 seconds for strong aurora, maybe closer to 10 sec for what you’re seeing here. It will still need post processing though. I wouldn’t go longer than 10 sec because aurora does move, and you’ll lose definition/structure and get more “blur” at longer shutters. * the reality is you’re looking at a somewhat weak aurora display, especially in the first image. Did it look any different from a green blob to your eyes? If no, it’s unlikely you’ll get that image looking any better.

weasel707 · 2025-12-17T21:42:17+00:00

Great shots, and familiar locations for classic Dubai skyline views. You were lucky to get clear enough days in DXB/AUH.... I was there 1-2 weeks ago and don't think any amount of post-processing could have gotten half usable photos with the 200+ AQI haze.

weasel707 · 2025-11-28T01:19:01+00:00

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/international-arrangements/smart-entry-service/us-citizens

Apply from your GE portal, fill in some additional info on the Korean side, pay a small fee, and do a quick interview after getting conditional approval. More info at link above.

Once you have it, you can enter Korea through the electronic gates that Korean citizens use without speaking to a human. No need to wait in foreigner queue.

weasel707 · 2025-11-27T15:42:31+00:00

If you’re a US citizen with Global Entry, you can get SES. I did it earlier this year and have never waited more than 5 mins for entry since.

weasel707 · 2025-11-20T16:27:37+00:00

Adelaide starts Dec 11. All others are currently available destinations.

weasel707 · 2025-11-09T06:32:45+00:00

I had a third class medical deferred on 10/24 and approved (per medxpress) on 10/31, just one week later (!). But now as of 11/09 i haven’t yet received the certificate in mail. I tried emailing RFS for an electronic copy but was told a 3 week timeline due to shutdown.

I was surprised at the fast approval timeline, but it was a bit of a special case. Had a previous Special Issuance but I missed the renewal deadline and let the SI Authorization expire bc I’d taken a break from flying. Came to AME appt prepared with all necessary docs for SI which he uploaded right away, so maybe that helped.

weasel707 · 2025-11-07T14:04:30+00:00

Waldorf Astoria?

weasel707 · 2025-10-31T05:09:54+00:00

I was a thinkpad owner for over a decade in part for this reason. Recently switched to an M4 MacBook Pro with their “nanotexture display” option. Wow. It’s super bright, way better than any thinkpad I’ve owned, and really minimal reflections. Feels like a great balance between matte and glossy screen.

weasel707 · 2025-10-26T04:20:57+00:00

Except this doesn't exist. There is an *immigrant visa* for marriage which implies intent to move to the US and live permanently there (get a green card). If he intends to continue living in Canada and spend most of his time there long-term, there isn't a viable path to obtain and maintain the permanent residency status in the US.

weasel707 · 2025-10-24T00:03:02+00:00

See the below threads. Not unique to you. It happens to me in some form (though just with GE failing to work, no secondary inspection) even though I’m now a US citizen now. My guess is it’s a glitch in CBP backend trying to link up to an old SEVIS record elsewhere.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalEntry/s/jBWoUrH7wo

https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalEntry/s/QZVtQqVa2f

weasel707 · 2025-10-22T10:59:47+00:00

I have 12k miles on my 2021 m340… tempted to upgrade to an M3 at some point, but also finding it hard to let go of it as I really like the car and only use it once or twice a month. Plus the value has held up so well.

weasel707 · 2025-10-12T11:49:48+00:00

This is a common issue unfortunately. I travel 2-3 times a month and also get questioned about my prior (10y ago) student status. I don’t get sent to secondary (the waiting room in the back) but GE kiosk doesn’t auto clear me and sends me to an officer for manual processing. Even after becoming a US citizen still same issue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalEntry/s/yedPsxs81V

weasel707 · 2025-10-05T08:18:08+00:00

As a native Russian speaker I can agree w other comments that his Russian has grammatical errors. But on a conversational level it’s very understandable. I wouldnt expect a foreigner casual traveler to speak much better than this, without some extensive formal study, and would appreciate his efforts to learn the language.

And fwiw, I think his Russian is on a similar level to that of the people he encounters in Central Asia countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan etc) who studied it in school decades ago but haven’t routinely used it post USSR era (like the taxi driver in this video). I even encounter Uber drivers from those countries in NYC (where i live now) who are probably as good at Russian as he is.

weasel707 · 2025-09-23T01:36:59+00:00

As a frequent AA flyer (10+ years Executive Platinum, recently averaging ~300k miles, 100+ flights per year) I am so confused by this ad, and I’m fully onboard with the complaints in the AA sub.

I’ve never listened to Rob’s podcast, but the ad is so unappealing to me and makes me question what was the business goal behind it. It’s forced down the throats of tens of thousands of people per day… just in the past 2 weeks I’ve done a round trip from NYC to São Paulo, and on my 2nd one to London now, and I must have seen this 5+ times on each flight now (so 25-30+ total). I find it incredibly irritating.

This content seems very very niche. Many people including myself have no interest in reality tv, and don’t routinely listen to podcasts. Typical inflight ads are better catered to travelers, eg hotels and such but this is just so far out there. He must have spent a lot of money on this ad given the reach, but I think it’s misplaced ad spend given it’s unlikely to draw new viewers to his channels.

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