American announced that it plans to begin Dallas – Beijing service next year, talking advantage of allowable frequencies between the US and China that aren’t currently being used. Beijing flying adds to the Hong Kong and Shanghai service from Dallas that began in June, and to the Seoul and Tokyo Narita service that’s already been in place. American is adding a more substantial Asia presence than before, a presence US Airways never had at all. The press release doesn’t mention a start date for the service, but does note that the route will be operated by a Boeing 777-200… which will mean their new business class product but no first class. What’s important here, I think, is that it’s a new Asia route announced by new management. Pre-merger American went forward with Dallas – Shanghai…
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Award Space Wide Open: Take Your Whole Family to Asia in Business or First!
Star Alliance member Air China often has very good premium cabin award space from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston to Beiing. Air China rarely ever has much premium cabin award space from New York (or Washington Dulles) to Beijing. That’s changed, and award space on their flights — with a new, very good product — is so good that it has to be a mistake and cannot last. Starting in December you can find award space in a premium cabin almost every day. There are plenty of dates where first class is wide open — not just two seats but four or six. And there are even a handful of dates where eight business class seats are available. Air China has two daily flights. Here’s a day where I was searching for four seats:…
Up to 100,000 Bonus Miles for American Flights to Asia
American is offering a bunch of bonus miles to goose their new Dallas – Hong Kong and Dallas – Shanghai flights as well as Chicago – Shanghai. Headline offers “up to 100,000 miles” are fun. But what it means is you can earn the bonus four times, for four roundtrips. You’d have to travel in paid premium classes in order to earn 25,000 points per trip though. Nonetheless, I like that even discount coach fares earn bonuses. Which means that anyone flying a paid ticket should be in a position to earn, and there’s no downside to registering. The offer is valid for travel between June 24 and December 6 — but only for tickets purchased June 24 onward, a restriction I do not like at all. They don’t want to spend extra money marketing…
$54 Starbucks Drink, My $400 Giveaway Could Buy You 7, a Free Flight and 35% Off in Asia (Bits ‘n Pieces for May 28, 2014)
News and notes from around the interweb: I’m giving away $400, it’s easy to enter with a comment. The record gets set for a Starbucks free drink American will subleasing gates from United in LAX’s terminal 6. Here’s what it means for travelers. As American tries to grow in such a space-constrained airport, their operations wind up all over the place. CardWatchdog is giving away a roundtrip flight to Europe Club Carlson is running a 35% off sale for stays of 2 nights or longer booked by May 30 and consumed between June 1 and September 30. Of course, nothing beats second night free on award stays with their co-brand credit card…! You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just…
How to Get Cheap Custom Suits Made in Southeast Asia
I love getting custom-made suits done in Southeast Asia. I’ve done it multiple times in Thailand. Labor is cheap, skill level is high, and competition is intense. That translates into a great opportunity for consumers. But it isn’t the same opportunity that many think it is. Tailor shops will make clothes for you in whatever time you have. But if you don’t have 4-5 days you probably aren’t really getting custom-made. Suits aren’t being properly made for you in a day. Suits are cheap but they aren’t dirt cheap if you want quality. Don’t buy a suit with shirt and tie thrown in for $99. It’s going to be a $99 suit, and more or less wastes your time getting it and the opportunity foregone for something better. Expect to pay for quality — while…
Free Hotel Nights in Asia, Hijacking a Plane With Chocolate, and the Most Disappointing Destinations (Bits ‘n Pieces for April 20, 2014)
News and notes from around the interweb: More bad news for US Airways on Twitter. Getting the most value for your money at Chipotle despite rising prices there. Get a $56 hotel credit, enough for a free room in Asia. The IHG Rewards Club 50% off award sale for certain hotels in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean is now live. A Cathay Pacific passenger tried to hijack a plane with a toblerone bar. It didn’t work, because that’s just chocolate. The passenger then returned to his seat when asked to do so. (HT: Loyalty Lobby) The passenger’s head was wrapped in two economy class blankets, leaving only his eyes visible, and he wore another blanket on his back like a cape. In one hand was a large Toblerone chocolate bar that Manselius was “grasping…
US Airways Eliminates the 90,000 Business Class Asia Award
One of the very best awards in the frequent flyer universe is gone without any notice. But it’s still priced pretty reasonably. The US Airways award chart (.pdf) has been tweaked with one significant change. Business class travel between the US and “North Asia” which extends as far south as Hong Kong has gone from 90,000 miles to 110,000 miles. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s business class It’s worth noting that some other minor adjustments have been made. Caribbean – North Asia business class has also gone up to 110,000 miles for instance. But most of the rest of the great values of the chart have been left in place. North Asia – North Asia and South Asia – South Asia business class awards remain 30,000 miles roundtrip each, for instance. I’ve long suggested that: The…
Get 100,000 Miles a Second Time, Eating in Asia, Bonus Points in Europe, and Revenue-Based Programs Spreading (Bits ‘n Pieces for January 17, 2014)
News and notes from around the interweb: Check out my Fly and Dine interview (and a giveaway!) You can get a free $35 credit plus 10% off using discount code PONYPOINTS10 through the end of March with hotel discount site TravelPony. $45 free for first-time Uber users is still available. People are successfully getting more than one Citi Executive / AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard with 100,000 mile signup bonus. Club Carlson is offering up to 25,000 bonus points for stays through May 31 at 45 participating Radisson Blu hotels in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. New Skyteam member Garuda Indonesia is relaunching their ‘Garuda Frequent Flyer’ program as ‘Garuda Miles’ with a new top tier Diamond level, online redemption, and possibly for future consideration consideration… revenue-based points-earning. Currently you…
How to Book Deeply Discounted Awards Flying Around Asia
Back in March I wrote about one of the best award values for flying around Asia: Japan Airlines discounted award for travel on Bangkok Airways. You may not have Japan Airlines miles, but they are a transfer partner of Starwood Preferred Guest. (JAL is also the best way to many book roundtrip first class Emirates awards.) The Bangkok Airways discounted awards were set to expire December 31. But it has been extended through December 31, 2014. (HT: @fotograaf) The promotion applies to economy redemptions only: These mileage bands are total trip miles (roundtrip, not one way, and including stopovers where relevant). Any trip up to 1000 miles total flown normally runs 15,000 miles. But with this promotion it’s just 5000 miles. That’s 2/3rds off. Travel between 1001 and 2000 miles are normally 20,000 miles. Through…
How to Book a Business Class Award to Bangkok in North Asia Using US Airways Miles (in Front of Hundreds of People)
After my fateful phone call to Delta to book a two passenger business class award to India, it was Lucky of the One Mile at a Time blog’s turn at the microphone. This was all part of a presentation in a ballroom at Frequent Traveler University — after giving a talk on the basics of award booking, making the most of your miles, the idea was to bring the lessons together and watch them in practice. I had managed to get a telephone agent to construct an award on Saudia and on Aeroflot between New York JFK and Delhi — after running through all of the standard traps of a Delta agent not knowing who their partners are, not seeing award availability, and not thinking it was a permissable routing. Now it was Lucky’s turn…
