I’m planning on doing a trip report of some sort, I’m just back in the US from a jaunt to Asia in First Class on Cathay Pacific (Toronto – Hong Kong – Manila – Hong Kong – London) with a return to North America on British Airways in First Class. I had the Presidential Suite at the Intercontinental Manila, and suites on Mactan Island and in Macau, plus lunch at the Fat Duck Restaurant outside London. Certainly plenty of stories to share.

But since I’m just back to the States today, and need to oh I dunno work all week (and I won’t be back in the air for about 11 days..) the trip report will have to wait. I’m not promising anything at all for specific delivery dates. I have to do my taxes as well, and while I care about my readers the government scares me. 😉

Y’all may recall that I shared my approach to the British Airways strike, that I made a one-way mileage booking on United as a backup in case BA couldn’t get me home. Fortunately I didn’t need the backup flight, and I cancelled the award and have the miles back in my account.

In that thread, commenter Blake reminded me of something I had been aware of a few months back and then forgotten —

When you check-in for the BA flight, change your FF # (from AA or whatever it is you used to book the award ticket) to your BA number. I flew BA first during the strike (which didn’t end up hapening) over the holidays and got a 25k mile present for the inconvenience…even though it was an award ticket.

I immediately recognized this as good advice! The flight segment was an award issued with American miles issued from my account. As a result, the booking had my American AAdvantage number in it. I couldn’t change that online. My wife’s reservation had no number associated with it, so I added her BA account through the British Airways website. Then at check-in I gave them my BA account as well.

Well, no apology bonus yet but it’d be too soon for that. We’ll see if one comes, it would certainly be deserved with no hot food and barely any service (the flight attendant complement was 8 rather than the standard 11 for the flight, and many weren’t really up to par in any case). Though ultimately I was just happy to fly and not have to use my backup award.

But we did both earn miles for the flight itself. And since it was a first class booking, we earned double miles.

So.. thanks, Blake, for the reminder!