Happy Birthday: The Bulkhead Seat Turns One Today

One year ago today, I launched The Bulkhead Seat. This blog has been a way to share my experiences, provide news, and express my point of view on all things travel. Thank you for taking the time to read, comment, and interact with each other and me.

By the Numbers

During the first year, I wrote 1,294 posts about airlines, hotels, lounges, destinations, restaurants, credit cards, and more. Our first day saw 587 visitors and our best day had 171,134. Here are the Top 10 most-read posts of the past 12 months:

1. TSA Expands Free Access to PreCheck
2. Plus-Sized Influencer Faults United Because She Can’t Squeeze Down the Aisle
3. American Tourist Killed at Neuschwanstein Castle
4. Dublin Jet Bridge Rips Door Off of American Airlines Boeing 787-8
5. I Remembered Why I Don’t Fly American Airlines
6. Passenger Rightfully Refuses to Give Up Her Seat for Mother and Two Children
7. American Airlines Passenger Storms Off Flight, Insists Ghost Was Seated Next to Her
8. Disabled Karen Feels She Has the Right to Mistreat Flight Attendants
9. Delta Air Lines Cancels Six Transatlantic Routes Next Winter
10. United Airlines Flew From O’Hare to Midway This Week

The Story That Resulted in Change

I stayed at the St. Regis Chicago shortly after it opened in May. They were not adhering to Marriott Bonvoy® rules when it came to the free breakfast benefit for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members not being honored. I challenged this and wrote up my experience. The story was picked up by multiple other blogs and some news outlets. The St. Regis started offering breakfast a few days later and now follows the rules.

The Story I Had the Most Fun Writing

Shortly after I launched the blog last December, I was falling short of maintaining Delta Platinum status. I decided to do a mileage run, and not just any mileage run…I went to all of Delta’s hubs back to back to back. I called this “The Dash for Platinum.” Here are all the parts of my adventure:

• The Dash for Platinum: Positioning Flight – TPA to MSP
• The Dash for Platinum: First Leg – MSP to SLC
• The Dash for Platinum: Second Leg – SLC to SEA
• The Dash for Platinum: Third Leg – SEA to LAX
• The Dash for Platinum: Fourth Leg – LAX to BOS
• The Dash for Platinum: Fifth Leg – BOS to LGA
• The Dash for Platinum: Sixth Leg – LGA to JFK to DTW
• The Dash for Platinum: Seventh Leg – DTW to ATL
• The Dash for Platinum: Positioning Home Leg – ATL to TPA
• The Dash for Platinum: Mission Accomplished

58 Hotel Reviews

During the past year, I’ve stayed at 58 different hotels (some more than once) and reviewed them all. You can find those here:

• Hilton
• Hyatt
• Marriott
• Other Hotels

49 Lounge Reviews

I also visited and reviewed 49 lounges, including:

• Centurion Lounges by American Express
• Capital One Lounges
• Delta Sky Clubs®
• United Clubs℠ and Polaris Lounges
• Other Lounges

What’s Coming Next Year?

I’ll be launching a newsletter in 2024 and will post when it’s ready to sign up. I’ll continue to cover news and review all of the hotels, attractions, flights, lounges, restaurants, and more that make up my travels.

Anthony’s Take: Thank you for reading and making this site possible. I look forward to year two and hope that you continue to learn and enjoy the content produced here.