Search Results for "ASIA".
SkyTeam member Vietnam Airlines flies non-stop between the U.S. and Vietnam – four-times weekly San Francisco – Ho Chi Minh City service – with an Airbus A350. There is fantastic business class award availability right now for this flight, for up to 4 passengers per flight, whether looking for trips right away through eleven months from now. You can use this flight to connect onward in Southeast Asia (or, if you’re willing to pay the requisite miles, even beyond).
United Airlines is planning to expand its operation of Boeing 737s flying out of Tokyo Narita airport to other destinations in Asia. The world is different, demand is different, and United has unique assets worth trying to deploy – to see if intra-Asia flying from Tokyo works, and if not to fail quickly and pivot.
It began last week watching the prices for Lufthansa and ANA first class awards skyrocket but apparently United wasn’t done devaluing its MileagePlus miles.
Days ago business class intra-Europe over 800 miles was 27,500 miles. Now it’s 45,000 to 49,500. Short-haul business class is now 33,000 miles. The devaluation stretches to intra-Asia redemptions as well.
Delta SkyMiles rarely have much value for international business class travel. They charge 4-6 times more than their partners do for the same flights. And flights to Asia are usually even more expensive than to Europe.
Right now, though, there is amazing business class availability on their Seattle – Taipei flight. You can get 9 or more passengers in business on many flights. And pricing starts at just 146,200 miles roundtrip.
U.S. airlines are lobbying against Chinese airlines’ restoration of pre-COVID flights to the U.S., hindered by Russian airspace restrictions and a complex web of political and economic factors, leading to strategic route squatting and financial losses amidst a slow restoration of flights between the two countries.
Star Alliance member Asiana is offering free lounge access to all coach passengers transiting through Seoul for all of 2024. Anyone with an airport transit of less than 24 hours booking their flights through a travel agent can take advantage of access to a Plaza Premium lounge at the Incheon airport.
The experience on low cost carrier AirAsia is so bad their CEO flies Singapore Airlines? Tony Fernandes says the reason is because his flights were full, three in a row, and he couldn’t get a seat – and didn’t want to bump paying passengers. So he was humble bragging. Fernandes, who recently got a shirtless massage at a management meeting, was humble bragging about his airline’s load factors. No seat on @flyairasia for three flights so had to take @singaporeair. Hehehe View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) Airline executives flying competitors is common, and should be more common to understand their product. Then-American Airlines Executive Vice President Elise Eberwein flew United and filed a trip report discovering that seat back entertainment (which American was moving away from) really matters…
The Asiana-Korean Air merger is set to consolidate the two major Korean airlines, potentially affecting competition on key international routes, despite concerns from US and European regulators. Virgin Atlantic’s proposed Seoul route hinges on the deal’s approval, underscoring the complex interplay between airline alliances and market competition.
Spending Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for new partner Starlux went live today. And availability between the U.S. and Taipei, Taiwan is amazing. You will frequently find seven or more business class award seats available if you wish to travel to Asia. And redemption pricing is good!
Cathay Pacific has announced a devaluation which goes into effect October 1. Unlike U.S. carriers they still have a true award chart, which means that when raising award prices they have to tell you. And they’re giving three months’ advance notice.
Make no mistake, though: Asia Miles will be worth less. The FAQ for the changes even has a question “Are you devaluing Asia Miles?” And even they do not say no.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
