Posts Tagged ‘Chicago’

Why You Can’t NonRev in September

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

I just rode in on Jet Blue and received some bad information for NonRevs. Jet Blue’s All You Can Jet Pass promotion is sold out. That means between September 6th and October 6th the planes will be more than full. I was lucky enough to meet the Senior Analyst for Network Planning and he gave me some great insight on how to NonRev in this difficult period.

With the kids going back to school,  September is known to be a great time to non-rev because the loads are low. This is why JetBlue does this promotion now. That means the demographics of people flying will be those without kids. Without those kids, there won’t be child weights on the numbers and more planes at JetBlue having weight and balance issues. So that empty seat may not be available. Make sure you ask when you sign if it will matter and plan you options accordingly.

According to last years numbers, the worst days to travel is Fridays and Sundays. The don’t have hard numbers for this year because the promotional passes can be booked up to 3 days prior to a flight. And don’t worry about the people booking a seat and not showing up because JetBlue has as ingenious solution, charge them $100 or more if they don’t show up!

The worst city pair was between Chicago and New York. The interesting thing is this is one of the shortest legs they have. It also shows how underserved this market really is. Hey Airlines! This is a hint! More seats between New York and Chicago! And guess what the busiest airport will be? JFK, their hub.

The best solutions to this problem in NonReving to New York I have written in a post “Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Non-Rev to New York.” I have the 5 top problems but more importantly the solution and the ways to avoid the problem. But the best solution to bring chocolate, lots of chocolate. Gate Agents love that stuff. I think it has something to do with their stress level.

Chicago’s Crown Jewel FOR FREE

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Chicago is now known for another landmark, the Bean. This sculpture is so engrained in the city’s persona, it real name has fallen by the wayside. This is the spirit of Chicago, and the spirit of Millinium Park.

Millenium park is the crown jewel of the city. It represents the attitude of the mayor’s vision to bring the city into the future. Not only is the bean part of the park, but so are futuristic fountains that squirt water from mouths of images of actual people. Besides that are art exhibits of unique sculptures, all for free. If you happen to have children, there is an area dedicated jst for them.

This free attraction in Chicago apitimized the new vibrence of the city. To pass this FREE attraction up is not frugal at all.
See more free attractions at Nonrevwebsite Chicago Attraction. See more free attractions from arond the world at Nonrevwebsite.

Best Food Deals in Chicago

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Chicago is a tough place t find cheap food, but if you are persistent you can find food for $2. And if you found this article, you are persistence and it will know pay off.
The cheapest I found was $2 Sliders. The best I found was $2.95 slices of pizza. Here is the list we found… for now;

$2 Sliders – LaSalle Power Company
$2.95 Pizza – Pompei
$5 Fish and Chips – Butch McGuire
$5 Burgers – Citizen Bar

Now these specials are on certain days of the week. That is why you need to click on the names above to get more information. Besides the day, you will get the location of the restaurant.
So enjoy the cheap food in Chicago. If you find anything better, tell us. If you want to find deals like this or better, tell us at nonrerwebsite.com.

Save $119, Top 10 Free Chicago Attractions

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

As a site that prides itself in finding the best deals when you travel, we think this is a great list. What makes it so great is the fact that it encompasses the best attractions the city has for FREE. These are places you will want to go, your children will want to go, and they are all FREE. Did I mention they were free?

With the financial difficulties we are all going through, I hope this list will help entertain you and your family and allow you to save money for things you might need it for, like a mortage. So take this list and share it with everyone you know. And feel free to share your own free things to do in Chicago. 

  1. Field Museum – Special FREE Days Savings $23.00
  2. Shedd Aquarium – Special Free Days Savings $15.95
  3. Chicago History MuseumFree Monday Savings $14.00
  4. Museum of Science and Industry – Free Days Savings $13.00
  5. Lincoln Park Zoo Free Days  Estimated Value $12.00
  6. Art Institute of Chicago – Free Days Savings $12.00
  7. Museum of Contemporary Art – Free Days Savings $10.00
  8. Adler Planetarium Free Days Savings $10.00
  9. Chicago Children’s Museum – Free Days Savings $9.00
  10. John Hancock Building

Your can see all othese with links to the days they are free at on our Chicago Free Attraction Section. Please feel free to share this and add your free attractions. The person you give this too may give you a tip to a great free attraction.

Cafe Spiaggia and Restaurant Week

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Today my wife and I went to one of the restaurants featured in Restaurant Week, Café Spiaggia which claims it has the best Gnocchi in Chicago. For $22 a person we had an salad, entrée, and a dessert. The Entrée was a pasta dish and the dessert was either gelato or sorbet. I have to admit, this pasta reminded me of Rome it was so good. Our waiter, who was more like the V-P of Marketing, was unbelievably helpful and knowledgeable. As a matter of fact, when you go there, ask for Greg.
They gave us a table by the window that was very intimate and had great view of Michigan Avenue. These tables are discreet enough that you can eat by yourself without being too obvious.

All in all this was an excellent experience. Would we go here if there wasn’t a special fixed menu, as a matter of fact we were talking about it. Restaurant Week  just pushed off top dead center to go. I think Restaurant Week, the last week in February, is a great motivating force to get people out to experience great restaurants and make them realize how many amazing restaurants we have.