With an average of eight to 10 days on the road each month, I've learned that my use of AA because of proximity was really use of the best. I'm now an AAdvantage Gold member, and I always seek out AA flights first. I find the staff to be professional and friendly, and the overall service is outstanding.

One of the first actions I take on each flight is to seek out the newest issue of American Way. Often, I feel as if I'm walking the streets or tasting the food discussed in your magazine. I'm a regular user of postcards while on the road, so the cover line ["Postcards from the Edges of NYC"] on Maggie Gyllenhaal's trip through New York City ["Hiding in Plain Sight," November 1] caught my eye; her take on New York was highly enjoyable.

I had never really thought about a possible trip to Scotland, but traveling to Edinburgh ["The New Face of Edinburgh," November 1] sounds like a great trek through history and an opportunity for adventure. Thanks to the entire American Airlines team!

Colonel Robert Felderman, Dubuque, Iowa

Dear Robert: We believe everything happens for a reason, and we're glad that your travels put you in a situation that enabled you to do some comparative shopping. If you indeed visit Edinburgh, we'd love to hear your consumer report on that trip as well.

BLACK OUT
I read Sherri Burns's editorial on the BlackBerry [October 1], and I agree with her conclusions. During weekends, my BlackBerry stays in my desk. When somebody needs my response to an important e-mail, they call my home or my mobile phone. I am a latecomer to the BlackBerry, and I find it discourteous when someone talks to me with their head inside the Berry. By the way, I had to sit at National Airport for two hours (waiting for my luggage) and decided to e-mail you from my BlackBerry.