Qantas first class on US-Australia routes is one of the toughest awards to book in the world. There’s been a trick that makes it easier. I’ll describe the trick, and also the challenge to making that trick work that’s crept up in recent months.
There were some downsides to serving as emcee for the Freddie Awards at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta. Two things that weren’t downsides, though, were getting to have dinner sitting down inside an L-1011, and the fantastic hospitality of Delta’s employees. They deserve my thanks. Plus it’s an example to gratuitously highlight the Delta Red Dress.
Here I begin my next trip report — a SkyMiles redemption for business class on Virgin Australia and Delta, plus stays at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas and the Park Hyatt Sydney. This trip features both my perfect travel day, and the biggest travel mistake I’ve ever made…
A street vendor in New York was charging tourists as much as $30 for a hot dog. He’s been fired. He was apparently telling the cart’s owners he was getting only $2 and pocketing the difference. And yet it’s the cart owners who are facing fines for “being too close to a crosswalk, having items outside of his cart and failure to list prices” (this last in furtherance of overcharging tourists). I don’t have a problem with charging tourists $30 for a hot dog, per se. I do have a problem with tourists who would pay $30 for a hot dog. Nonetheless, contra Gawker, the guy isn’t a hero because his fraud in my view was perpetrated against his boss. That said, If Ahmed Mohammed had built a shitty “prix-fixe” dinner restaurant charging $60 for…
American is replacing their West Coast – Hawaii Boeing 757s with a subfleet of Airbus A321s that have greater fuel efficiency. This is supposed to happen in September — even before Virgin America was scheduled to introduce Airbus Hawaii flights for the first time. This may be a challenge. And it’ll be unpopular among elite frequent flyers.
Having flown Emirates first class onboard their Airbus A380, I can say it’s truly one of the best first class products in the world. The suite isn’t as spacious as Singapore’s or Etihad’s. But the service is good, the food is good, and despite the bling (there’s a *lot* going on, and a lot of *stuff* they give you) there’s substance to it too.
Most of all, they have the single greatest amenity ever introduced into an aircraft: two giant shower spas, with heated floors. Taking a shower in the sky prior to arrival can’t be beat!
Next year Cathay Pacific will finally have inflight internet, with the introduction of its fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft. They’ve refreshed the premium cabin coffee service, and are looking at offering pre-order meals as well.
Hotel booking site Kaligo has a one week only minimum mileage-earn of 2000 miles (and a guarantee of 5000 miles on a $500 booking). And they’ve introduced a new referral that nets you 1000 miles on your first booking. The two offers are stackable, so this can be pretty lucrative.
A collection of interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.
Emirates dedicates an entire level of their Airbus A380 ‘A’ terminal at the Dubai airport for their First Class lounge. It expands across the entire concourse. And there’s just no one there, except for employees. Just how surreal an experience is it to spend time in a lounge that you cannot see the end of off in the horizon?
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 »
