Etihad First Apartment Awards Wide Open (and Business Class for Up to 9)

airline bed
Jul 12 2019

One of my most frequent and best uses of American AAdvantage miles over the past 7 years has been booking first class awards on Etihad. I’ve used them to fly to the Maldives four times, to India, to the Gulf region and from the Mideast to Australia to name just a few.

And they offer an excellent hard product in first class – on their Airbus A380 the ‘First Apartment’ with an on board shower.

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US Customs and Border Protection Will No Longer Require Mandatory ID Checks Getting Off Domestic Flights

passport getting stamped
Jul 11 2019

On February 22, 2017 Delta flight DL1583 arrived at New York JFK from San Francisco and passengers were greeted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection demanding to see ID from everyone getting off the aircraft. Apparently they were looking for an individual who had been ordered to be deported.

Except that US CBP has no authority to do that.

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American Just Introduced Online Booking for Japan Airlines Awards

japan airlines plane
Jul 11 2019

The biggest mistake the average member of a frequent flyer program makes when it comes to using their miles for travel is believing that you just go to your airline’s website, enter the city you’re traveling from and where you want to go, and the website will spit out your options.

It’s a perfectly reasonable expectation in 2019, but it’s not how it works. Although with American AAdvantage it’s one step closer today.

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ANA Introduces New First and Business Suites, Will Start Flying Them in Just 3 Weeks

first class ANA
Jul 11 2019

First class currently is a cube, lacking a door. The new seat will be a suite with doors and will be called The Suite. It will offer access to windows for window seat passengers, and a better divider between middle seats offering a choice of privacy or access to a seatmate.

ANA’s business class will be a suite with doors called The Room, and according to the airline will offer twice the width of the current business seat.

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