Yesterday I talked about tracking down the history of N724PA and how it was used on two different airplane types. Today, I look at why the heck was Alaska Airlines flying a different Boeing 707 over the summer, for four summers in a row. I was able to learn from Ron Suttell, Alaska Air Group director of facilities planning and administration and company historian (can that title even fit on a business card?) about Alaska and Boeing 707s. He explained that Alaska has operated four different Boeing 707s, which were all leased over the summers from…

‘Tis the season for lots of vacation talk, and so the Capitol Hill crowd turned its attention to shrinking vacation syndrome this week: First, a British columnist speculated that Americans “find it hard to relax” because of their Puritan heritage. Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein responded : I’d say it’s more closely related to the fact that it’s hard to pass social welfare legislation in the American political system, and thus America is the only industrialized country that doesn’t guarantee its workers some amount of paid-vacation leave. NRO’s Reihan Salam followed up with

Via the MilesLink newsletter , you can earn Delta elite qualifying miles for Hilton stays of 2 nights or more (registration required) between September 1 and December 10. Naturally, you have to select Delta Skymiles as your ‘double dip’ earning partner. If your Hilton HHonors earning selection is ‘Variable Miles’ you will earn 1 bonus mile and 1 Medallion Qualifying Miles per dollar spent. If your Hilton HHonors earning selection is ‘Fixed Miles’ you were earn 500 bonus miles and 500 Medallion Qualifying Miles per stay. You can earn up to 10,000 qualifying miles through this promotion.

LAN Airlines has an interesting special for those looking to travel in comfort from the US to South America, especially to Argentina, Chile, Peru, or Ecuador: They’re running a strong sale for business class, and throwing in a free (economy) domestic roundtrip ticket. The domestic roundtrip isn’t a connection: it’s a separate ticket that’s valid as long as the dates are embedded between the …

Priority Club has a pretty cool custom tailored promotion right now, entitled “ Crack the Case .” Basically, you have to complete certain “challenges” to get a nice points bonus. Some people got insanely generous offers, while others not so much. I’m somewhere in the middle, but sure as heck am not complaining. My “challenge” is as follows: Take a survey Stay 18 room …

This week, our household received three credit card offers from Citibank, all for American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards. Each came with a different sum of bonus miles: 30,000, 50,000, and 75,000 miles. (Two of the envelopes were addressed to my wife, one to me.) Talk about mixed messages! The 75K bonus (with $1,500 in purchases within 6 months) and a 100K bonus (with $10,000 in purchases within a year) first hit the inter-tubes about a month ago. I thought I had posted about it, but looking back, I didn’t. (Gary Leff was on the scene .) This sort of deal usually doesn’t last long, but the fact that they’re sending it out to folks via snail mail and not just electronically…

This October, an already reinvigorated Dockers is amping things up further by collaborating with venerable New York menswear designer Steven Alan on a capsule collection this Fall. We got an early look at the khaki-centric collection and the wares are modern, tailored, and completely laid-back. Think “bourbon” not “Budweiser”. Well-appointed garb for a frill-free Fall BBQ? Yup, that works. Available at select Steven Alan Stores and Barney’

Album Tacos . Brilliant. Just one example of many:

Quincy Jones, a musician who needs little introduction (think: producer behind Thriller and We Are the World ) has partnered with AKG to release a signature line of headphones. Three models make up the lineup: the Q702 ($479, shown above) reference-class premium headphones with flat-wire voice coils, patented Varimotion two-layer diaphragm, and 3D-Form ear pads. The Q460 ($229) portable on-ear mini headphones with a 3D-Axis flat folding design, in-line mic and remote, and …

American Express is back with 50,000 Membership Rewards points after $10,000 in spend on the card within four months for getting the Business Gold Rewards card. The annual fee is waived the first year. You shouldn’t need it, but for future reference the ‘Bonus ID’ is 4729 and the offer suggests applications must be in by November 14, 2010 though they warn they could pull the offer earlier. (HT: Peter )

If you hadn’t noticed, we have a penchant for shoes made in the US here at Gear Patrol. So, when Oak Street Bootmakers hit the web with yesterday announcement it was a perfect storm to win our lustful eye. Based out of Chicago, Oak Street was founded by George Vlagos to carry on the shoe making traditions garnered from his father James. Paying homage to that quality focused upbringing, all Oak Street’s offerings are made by hand in the great Pine Tree State (Maine) from Horween Leather . Combine that with some classic yet intriguing models and you’ve got a contender. Of the four models released, our favorite is the Trail Oxford ($220) with camp sole (a gallery of exclusive images for GP is after the…

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

Golf has for better or worse has been labeled a “fair weather” sport. Many golfers hightail it for the 19th hole at the first hint of precipitation. That’s too bad. With the proper armaments, facing down a rain shower can be easy, dare I say, routine. If you can stay dry your golf game should remain intact. Who knows, you may even have your own Caddyshack moment . Recently we put the Nike Storm-FIT N-Destrukt Jacket ($400) and Pants ($250) through the Gear Patrol torture test to see if they were as good as advertised or if they were all, well, wet. N-Destrukt Jacket Constructed of Nike’s Storm-FIT fabric that repels both…

Through the end of the year, Sun Trust is offering 25,000 SkyMiles for a business debit card and 15,000 miles for a personal debit card. Each comes with a $55 annual fee. As far as I can tell, this deal is even easier than the one with Chase, as only a single qualifying purchase is required, and you just need to keep your card open until the bonus posts. Fortunately I have a Sun Trust branch about three feet from my house, so I’ll be heading there tomorrow to sign up. If you don’t live near a branch, Frugal Travel Guy seems to have a contact that can help open an account. While SkyMiles aren’t the most valuable