SIGNALS
The last SIGNALS of 2025. Finding Mastery in Japan, the airline status paradox, mad for plaid, plus some links.
Welcome to SIGNALS, a collection of thoughts on style, life and links from around the internet. It’s almost time for everyone to shut things down for one day and then move from their computer to their iPad. Just kidding. Wishing everyone the best for a festive rest of December. I plan to continue publishing as I have many stories from the year I’m hoping to share and this stuff is fun for me. Ok, let’s get into it.
I. The Search for Shokunin
You might remember my trip to Japan in September. I was there to make a film for The Old Ghosts, the golf editorial site that I edit. I went with Eric Stepanian and a few of the guys who run The Fliers Club. We traveled to Japan with a mission to simply understand a golf destination better. What we uncovered was so much deeper. Guided by a Tokyo man (who is originally from North Berwick), we explored one of the most spectacular golf courses carved into the volcanic cliffs of the Izu Peninsula. We spent time with two creatives crafting meticulous golf accessories in Tokyo. Then we followed the trail south to Osaka to better understand the Japanese concept of shokunin through the eyes of the incredible denim maker Boncoura. The journey that followed became our first film, The Search for Shokunin, which Titleist presented. This was a dream project to help concept, write, and produce with Eric, Omar Rawlings, the crew from The Fliers Club and the Director Andrew David Watson (who I have worked with for over a decade). The film is below and I hope you like it as much as I do.
II. A Case for Plaid
The Original Madras Trading Co. collaboration shirts I have been wearing all summer were such a key part of my wardrobe; it got me thinking. What I was going to do when the temps got cooler? The answer was there on my visit to the OMTC archive in New York. I found a few great earth-tone driven patterns which could be done in a heavier weight and still made with the same handloom process. These shirts feel sort of like a traditional flannel but also have a depth of texture due to the handloom nature of the make. I think they turned out incredible and there’s just something easy about these shirts. These shirts are officially launching today and we will rush them if they are gift. That’s it — I’m just making stuff I personally want to wear.
III. It’s a Major Award
This year I passed one million miles on both Delta and United. It took me almost 25 years of flying United (and Continental) to cross this threshold. It only took me 12 years to make it with Delta thanks to all of my California to New York transcons. United sent me this goofy plaque that really gives serious Motel 6 vibes to celebrate all of the time I have wasted being trapped in a metal tube at 30,000 feet. These, ah, milestones also come with lifetime status for me on both airlines. That’s the good news since I feel like my time as a member of the status game has officially come to a close. This is due to several factors, but I think it’s worth talking about as we all reflect a bit on our travel for the year.
Over the past five years I have slowly come to the conclusion that status is a trap. It’s just a program to get you to pay money and the airlines don’t even try to hide it anymore. (The primary tracking device for Delta is Medallion Qualification Dollars.) Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the airlines and understand the realities (and complexities) of operating a business at this scale. I just want to say the romance of travel is at all time lows. Everything now is just a sliding scale of pain. The more you can endure the less you need to spend. That’s the awful truth. Business Class to some is the representation of money well earned. Or its an apology for the amount of corporate pain hoisted upon you. To others in the points world it’s a game to be played. Finally some people just value comfort and would rather spend the money.
Delta — Great on the ground product. The Delta One lounges in the US are really solid and the staff is by far the most friendly of any domestic carrier. Operationally it performs very well and I have only encountered a handful of issues over the years. The planes can be old but they are getting better. You can actually get upgrades on Detla and the vouchers you earn from status are actually useful and valuable. Delta has good hubs in the US, solid service across the Pacific and to the UK. I find the route network to be extremely frustrating and you get so much less credit for flying on other partner airlines they really force you to pay for their limited schedule and expensive seats on long hauls. Overall I like everything about Delta except JFK being it’s hub in New York and the premium pricing for basically the same product across all classes.
United — To me United is a downgrade from Delta, but I find myself flying it more often than Delta based on the route map, partners and schedule. I have had so many more delays and issues with United flights (which is why I left for Delta when I did), but in the past few years I’ve returned because it’s just a lot less expensive and generally more convenient. I also find the load factor on United to be less aggressive than Delta which means often this year I found myself in economy with an empty seat next to me (which on anything but a red-eye is perfectly fine). United has a business class fire sale leading up to every departure so if you want to get upfront then the best thing to do is pay for that upgrade. Don’t expect to ever get a natural upgrade on United and even as a 1K or using the Plus Points shell game. I did somehow get upgraded to Hawai’i once this summer randomly as a lowly gold, but generally I would never even look at the upgrade list.
On my path to lifetime status to both of these carriers I did manage to maintain my Diamond status on Delta through some conversion thing that happened around the Skymiles program change. When I look at what I would need to spend on flights to maintain that status next year I just can’t justify it. I would rather gut it out in economy and pay for a nice hotel, or redirect that money to other hobbies or things in my life. This year I refused to buy business class seats and used just some of that money to get a ton of sessions with my trainer.
Having some level of baseline status is helpful with customer service and not being nickel and dimed with bags, seats, etc. Everyone can basically achieve some status through a minimal amount of credit card strategy so I’m not saying you can’t be a part of this on any level. If you fly a decent amount you can also just buy a subscription to United Economy Plus which does offer value for what it costs. All I am saying here is that it feels like the right move to meet these programs on your own terms and not theirs.
Look, I love Delta One and generally would kill for a lay-flat seat, but I have to remind myself that getting wrapped up in the game of status just makes you the product. If you can game the system through credit card spending or playing the points game I’m all for that. If the money doesn’t matter to you (because you have enough) then by all means fly as comfortably as possible. It’s cool that both Delta and United acknowledged me at a million miles, but it’s important not to lose the thread about what we are doing here. There are dozens of things in our lives that matter more than airline status. The only one who cares about that is you and I guess the corporate gift guy who supplies your million miler plaque.
IV. Links
Yolo Journal asked me to talk to them about travel gadgets. Here are some of my favorites from 2025. [YOLO Journal]
Last week I roasted a whole chicken and yesterday I made Beef Bourguignon before our kids Christmas Carols performance. My dutch oven is working overtime and so are my cooking social media feeds. So here are some comfort Food Links:
Rivay hung out with my pal Marco to highlight the new waxed canvas woodland field jacket. Marco has great style and impeccable taste. This is a fun Q&A and nice photos from Glen Allsop as usual! [Rivay]
Speaking of Rivay. We have a few sizes back and available in The Drop Off Jacket collab which sold through quickly last month. They are available here so grab one if you missed out. [Drop Off Jacket]
My pal John Peabody shared this link this week and I found this article about sleep to be fascinating. [Atlantic]