This has been an insane travel week (even for me). In the past seven days I’ve flown from Toronto to Brussels to Doha to Dubai, then to Oslo and back on the same day before driving to Abu Dhabi to fly to New York for two nights before heading to Las Vegas.
Over half these flights were planned at the very last minute, which has made for some interesting stories that I look forward to sharing with you guys. I might need a few days to catch up and remember what day it is first though. 😉
The feedback from last week was generally positive, so hopefully this weekly review works well going forward!
Featured Stories
How Delta Prices Award Tickets
Their award calendar is “broken,” you can’t redeem for international first class, and their agents are comically uneducated about the rules of the program. But there are some fantastic uses of Delta SkyMiles, and as the points are so easy to accrue I thought it would be helpful to go through how Delta prices award tickets.
This isn’t the ultimate guide to redeeming SkyMiles or anything, but should help explain why you’re seeing prices of 385,000 miles between Topeka and Vancouver!
They Ran Out Of Food In Etihad First Class… AGAIN!!!
To be clear, I don’t feel personally slighted here, and I’m not trying to create a firestorm on my behalf.
At the end of the day though, I review airlines and hotels for a living.
That’s ultimately the reason why I fly these products, so my approach here wasn’t meant to sound entitled in any way, but this is a significantly different experience than what I (or you) would expect in an international premium cabin.
And I think that’s worth calling Etihad out for. There’s no way they can be competitive with Qatar and Emirates if this is what they’re going to offer their first class passengers.
And for those who think I’m overreacting on this, just wait ’til you hear my thoughts on the train wreck that is the pre-clearance facility 😉
Travis Joins One Mile at a Time
This is a huge change for the blog, and one I’m really excited about. Adding a new contributor to the blog is scary, since this is definitely my “baby,” but I think it’s a good move.
I don’t know anyone else who travels like Travis and his family, and I think he’ll add a unique and passionate voice to the blog.
In this post he introduces himself, and his family, and I’m looking forward to seeing more posts from him in the coming weeks.
Earning Miles & Promos
Register For IHG Into The Nights Promotion
$1,600 Business Class Fares From West Coast To Europe!
IHG Into The Nights Promo Launches Tomorrow
50% Bonus Aeroplan Miles For Newly Booked Travel
Better Hotel Credit Card For Everyday Spend?
United MileagePlus Up To 100% Bonus On Purchased Miles
Up To 100% Bonus On Purchased US Airways Miles
LifeMiles 100% Bonus On Purchased Miles Through September 30, 2014
American AAdvantage Discount On Shared Miles
MileagePlus Explorer Card 50,000 Mile Sign-Up Bonus Last Chance
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Using ANA Award Search Without Miles?
More Virgin Atlantic Flights To The United States
Best Uses Of LifeMiles Pre-Devaluation?
Does Alaska Allow Stopovers Within Asia On Award Tickets?
Redeem Starpoints For Suites Or Premium Rooms
Redeem Aeromexico Kilometers For Flights On Northwest!
How Delta Prices Award Tickets
EVA Air Limiting Business Class Partner Award Space
Japan Airlines First Class Awards Tokyo To Sydney!
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
They Ran Out Of Food In Etihad First Class… AGAIN!!!
Teddy Bear At Doha Hamad International Airport
Is Emirates 777 Business Class Fully Flat?
Doha Taxis: Pay What You Want?
“I Just Need Your Paper Ticket, Please”
American Admirals Club AAngels Still Exist
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
W Doha Hotel… WOW!
Qatar Airways 787 Business Class
NEWS & Updates
Malaysia Airlines Bucket List Contest — Bad Taste, Or?
Travis Joins One Mile at a Time
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Los Angeles LAX Coming Soon!
How Much Is Etihad’s The Residence To Sydney?
ExpertFlyer Pulls All Delta Information
Lufthansa A380 Flights To India
How To Pick Up Flight Attendants?
Next week should be fun as well, as I am joining @HackMyTrip in Las Vegas for some #MlifeMoments, then have my first mileage run since February, so stay tuned!
What about you? Anyone traveling anywhere fun this week?
I'm flying to Oslo for a conference on Friday. Staying there until Sunday, then flying back home (Bodø, airport code BOO) on Sunday.
After this week, I definitely need this weekend to calm down. Woke up Thursday morning in my Park Hyatt Dubai bed at 0630 am, when my Emirates flight from Dubai to Oslo was scheduled to depart at 0700 am. Needless to say, I didn't make it. Booked an award ticket on Lufthansa...
I'm flying to Oslo for a conference on Friday. Staying there until Sunday, then flying back home (Bodø, airport code BOO) on Sunday.
After this week, I definitely need this weekend to calm down. Woke up Thursday morning in my Park Hyatt Dubai bed at 0630 am, when my Emirates flight from Dubai to Oslo was scheduled to depart at 0700 am. Needless to say, I didn't make it. Booked an award ticket on Lufthansa and SAS back home 0130 am the following morning.
Worst. Hungover. Ever.
Shouldn't it say September 6,2014 not 2013 ????????????
I like these weekly summaries! You do a lot of work and even on Wednesdays when you have a guest post, you still published so many articles that day! I don't know how you do it but you're doing an amazing job!
I've never been on a flight with a pre-clearance facility but I do know Shannon Airport in Ireland and Abu Dhabi airport in UAE both offer it. It seems to me the...
I like these weekly summaries! You do a lot of work and even on Wednesdays when you have a guest post, you still published so many articles that day! I don't know how you do it but you're doing an amazing job!
I've never been on a flight with a pre-clearance facility but I do know Shannon Airport in Ireland and Abu Dhabi airport in UAE both offer it. It seems to me the one in AUH is a disaster from what most passengers are saying, but have you been to the Shannon pre-clearance facility? Is it similar to AUH?
@ Joey -- I'll have another post about the Abu Dhabi facility tomorrow, as it really is a disaster. I've done the Dublin one, and it's actually quite pleasant.
What happened with the Qatar flight to the US?
@ AlanT -- Sadly had a change in schedule which meant I had to take a more direct flight back to the US.
Could you elaborate on the easy ways to accumulate skymiles, compare to say chase ur?
@ anon -- American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to SkyMiles, and there are some good sign-up bonuses on the co-branded Delta cards right now.
Sitting in Miami at the LATam lounge, heading to Lima, Machu Picchu, Guayaquil and the Galápagos Islands! Just booked 2.5 weeks ago.