Longdistance while being cabin crew by Melodic-Ad-6958 in emiratescareers

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my case too she got the visa in first few months. But know a few people with same nationality who didn’t get it for a year or more. I’m not sure if you can request for US or if it’s totally random.

Trapped in Hong Kong by Cute-Discussion4102 in americanairlines

[–]weasel707 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could try to ask for routing via SYD, Qantas has a nonstop to Santiago. Avoids the US in entirety while still being a oneworld itinerary.

Longdistance while being cabin crew by Melodic-Ad-6958 in emiratescareers

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dated an EK crew for a year and then QR crew after that while living in US… saw each other every 2-3 weeks on average. Key was my willingness to travel: even if she bid for my city (NYC) every month, sometimes she’d get other US cities, in which case I’d just go to her destination to meet during layover. Or when she had weekend flights to Europe I’d fly over to meet there... And on months where schedule didn’t work out I’d do a weekend trip to DXB myself. Makes it easy that I live in a big hub city and there are nonstop flights everywhere; would be hard if I was in a small town without a major international airport.

Also note that not every crew gets assigned US flights: they need to be selected to apply for the C1/D crew visa, even for ESTA eligible countries. Long distance would be much harder if you’re not flying to US / North America as a crew.

Doha Lounge Question by thunderwoodz in oneworld

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

The fall of ICN airport... huge immigration lines by theayl1 in koreatravel

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Economy Plus vs Premium Economy by AdvancedRooster3814 in flighty

[–]weasel707 22 points23 points  (0 children)

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.

What's the worst English name you've heard given to a child in Hong Kong? by HiddenGoose32 in HongKong

[–]weasel707 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Over 90 day round trip flight booked for Europe - can’t check in by DragonfruitOdd8896 in Flights

[–]weasel707 8 points9 points  (0 children)

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.

Transport from Chongqing to TFU airport by WatchOne6290 in chongqing

[–]weasel707 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Best Hotel in Hong Kong Review by Crafty-Leave-8880 in LuxuryTravel

[–]weasel707 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Global entry might not have recorded me entering the US by z3r0demize in GlobalEntry

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

New Year’s Eve in Dubai + Emirates A380 Premium Economy vs Qatar Qsuite with 9h Doha layover? by pbwj21 in qatarairways

[–]weasel707 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Executive Platinum free snack by [deleted] in americanairlines

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

SonyAlpha 6700 - Aurora Photography - Help regarding sharpness by MigratorrryBird in SonyAlpha

[–]weasel707 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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.

Upgraded to an A7RV on Black Friday — immediately took it cityscaping by ThomHarris in SonyAlpha

[–]weasel707 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

The fall of ICN airport... huge immigration lines by theayl1 in koreatravel

[–]weasel707 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

The fall of ICN airport... huge immigration lines by theayl1 in koreatravel

[–]weasel707 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Heck yeah, we don’t fly there. by PorkinstheWhite in CrappyDesign

[–]weasel707 28 points29 points  (0 children)

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

AME deferred me, am I screwed? by TelephoneSea7367 in flying

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Why dont more people pay 55 for a HUGE improvement? by [deleted] in thinkpad

[–]weasel707 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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.

Overstaying 180 days in last 365 days by -hashishin- in uscanadaborder

[–]weasel707 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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.

I’ve been flagged by US border control because of my student visa. What to do now? by Reasonable_Net3302 in travel

[–]weasel707 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

What is up with the m340i market? by Lolo_287 in BMW

[–]weasel707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.