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Cool Planes, The Traveling Millenial February 7, 2019

Video – Latam 787 Takes Off From Easter Island

Latam 787 on the tarmac at IPC airport on Easter Island. Flying Latam’s 787 both to and from Easter Island was a really cool experience, especially when I deplaned and boarded via stairs (IPC does not use jet bridges, it’s a very small airport). The view from the window when departing did not disappoint: When I was hiking the volcano crater at the Southern end of the island, Rano Kau, I saw Latam’s 787 getting ready to take off. I was fortunate enough to capture it on video, shared below. I was at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet above…

first class, Review, The Traveling Millenial January 2, 2019

Cathay Pacific 777-300er First Class – Review

Cathay Pacific first class champagne and nuts I traveled to Bali to relax for the New Year, and I did so in style with miles and points.  Each leg of my trip is discussed in a separate post: American Airlines Flagship First Dining (JFK) – Review Cathay Pacific 777-300er First Class – Review The Wing – HKG Airport – Review The Pier – HKG Airport – Review Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class – Review Hilton Bali –  Review Citadines Kuta Beach Bali – Review Uber and Ubud, Bali SingaporeAir A330-300 Business Class – Review SingaporeAir A350-900 Business Class (SIN-MAN-IAH) – Review…

Miles & Points December 15, 2018

St. Regis Maldives Now Bookable with Points (Web and App)

Beach in Bali, Indonesia. Recently, Marriott and SPG merged which, aside from having some downsides, created a few opportunities.  For example, you can book high-end Marriott and SPG properties for 60,000 points per night, with the fifth night free.  Unfortunately it has taken Marriott awhile (too long) to make its entire portfolio bookable online so favorites, such as the St. Regis Maldives, have not been easily bookable. The St. Regis Maldives is now bookable with points both online and though the Marriott app.  The St. Regis Maldives charges 60,000 points per night, $6 in fees per night, and $695 per…

Admirals Club, lounge, Review, The Traveling Millenial, Trip Review March 4, 2018

American Airlines Flagship First Dining (JFK) – Review

AA First Class Dining Room I recently traveled to Bali to relax for the New Year, and I did so in style with miles and points.  Each leg of my trip is discussed in a separate post: American Airlines Flagship First Dining (JFK) – Review Cathay Pacific 777-300er First Class – Review The Wing – HKG Airport – Review The Pier – HKG Airport – Review Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class – Review Hilton Bali – Review Citadines Kuta Beach Bali – Review Uber and Ubud, Bali SingaporeAir A330-300 Business Class – Review SingaporeAir A350-900 Business Class (SIN-MAN-IAH) – Review I…

The Traveling Millenial, Trip Review February 11, 2018

Driving the Furkapass – Switzerland

I recently traveled to Switzerland and had an incredible trip!  I will separately write about each segment of my trip: American Airlines 767-300 Review – Business Class American Airlines JFK Flagship Lounge Switzerland Overview – A Beautiful Country 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat (review) and Zermatt, Switzerland Driving the Furkapass, Switzerland These pictures do not do it justice, but driving the Furkapass was awesome!!!!  I rented a car to drive from Zurich to Zermatt because I wanted to drive on the Furkapass, so I was disappointed to learn the pass was closed on my journey to Zermatt.  However, the Kulmhotel confirmed that…

Deal Alert, The Traveling Millenial February 4, 2018

Delta Premium Economy – US to Europe – From $700s

Flower Shop in Amsterdam Update:  it appears Delta is offering cheap economy tickets during the same dates listed below.  For example, I’m seeing $435 from JFK (New York) to CDG (Paris) in Delta economy. While I understand that not everyone is in the market for a premium economy ticket, $700s is an excellent price for Delta premium economy airfare to Europe.  Premium economy on Delta earns 1.5 EQMs per mile flown and features seats that are similar to domestic first class seats, making it easier to sleep on overnight flights. New York – from $700s Departure airports:  JFK (New York)…

first class, Miles & Points, The Traveling Millenial January 31, 2018

U.S. DOT Complaint – JAL Does the Right Thing

I enjoyed my week in Dubai (location of Emirates’s hub) This evening I received unexpectedly good news from a rather surprising source.  Two months ago, I filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation over JAL’s unannounced imposition of significant fuel surcharges on Emirates award flights.  Today, JAL responded with news that may help more passengers than just me. JAL’s Surprise Fuel Surcharges – Emirates Award Flights In November, I wrote about how I transferred SPG points to JAL in order to book an Emirates first class award flight (the plane with the shower!!).  Travel aficionados would deem this…

Miles & Points, The Traveling Millenial December 22, 2017

SPG Transfers to JAL in Record Time!

JAL’s new online award booking interface. Previously, SPG Starpoints took about one week to transfer to JAL.  This delay is significant because award availability can disappear in that amount of time and JAL’s award program can completely overhaul how it imposes fuel surcharges in that amount of time (true story!).  JAL is a useful program because you can book a roundtrip first class flight on Emirates for 105,000 JAL miles or 85,000 SPG Starpoints (Starpoints have a 5,000 mile bonus for every 20,000 Starpoints that are transferred to JAL). I recently wrote about how JAL–without notice–started imposing significant fuel surcharges…

Miles & Points, The Traveling Millenial November 30, 2017

JAL Mileage Plan Partner Award Fuel Surcharges

Middle East carriers have excellent premium cabin products. UPDATE:  my workaround was updated. As I posted yesterday, JAL recently imposed fuel surcharges on Emirates award flights.  As TTM reader Josh pointed out, JAL published their award surcharges (maximum rates) online.  Here is JAL’s new fuel surcharge policy for partner award flights and my analysis on how to minimize these fuel surcharges. JAL Partner Award Fuel Surcharge Policy TAXES AND FEES: Each award is subject to government-imposed taxes and fees which must be paid by the customer when award travel is ticketed.  These fees are calculated based on the customer’s specific…

The Traveling Millenial November 29, 2017

JAL Mileage Bank Changes Emirates Award Fees

Etihad A380 First Class (plane with a shower!) UPDATE:  Here’s a link to JAL’s full partner award flight fuel surcharge policy. JAL Mileage Plan, a frequent flier program for a Japan-based airline, is often used by travel aficionados for its lucrative award flights.  Historically, the program has offered excellent partner awards, utilizing a distanced-based chart, but the process for redeeming the awards was difficult and often involved long phone conversations with JAL’s call center.  One of my favorite uses of the JAL Mileage Plan was to book medium- to long-haul Emirates award flights because the miles required were reasonable and…