There are first class awards that are tough to book with miles through a partner program, like Qantas first, Qatar first, Etihad first, etc. Then there are awards that are generally impossible to book with miles through a partner program, like Air France first and Swiss first.
Continue reading: Introduction: A Rare First Class Opportunity
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Re: staying near the airport. The time of day really isn't an issue for an airport this close to the city with great train options, right? I understand the getting over a cold and not having energy to sightsee, but I would want to be in the city so I could at least be sure I could get a nice meal. It's not like you arrived at the airport at night.
I guess when you travel as much as you do, the value of having things be really simple is valuable because you only have so much mental energy for any specific step. So doing things like finding a hotel in the city, train back and forth, researching food, etc might not be worth it. Especially because you are working when you are at the hotel, right?
Flying to Europe and back for one day for no real reason? You and your environmentalist friends' heads must be exploding trying to reconcile your beliefs with your actions
Dragon air is now Cathay Dragon
R.I.P Dragon air 1985-2016
This is unreleased to this post but oh well.
It's not "for no real reason." The reason is to review airline products. That's what this blog is all about, it's his job. It's awfully hard to review an airline unless you actually fly somewhere on it.
You mentioned that Air Tahiti Nui is the best airline for flights to Tahiti. Isn't Air NZ still flying that route? I flew LAX to Papeete a few years ago, and t was a pleasant flight. Did a killer return: Aitutaki-Rarotonga on Air Rarotonga, Air NZ from Rarotonga to Papeete to LAX, and connecting to UA from LAX to Heathrow 3 hours later. Ten timezones and two overnights back to back on airplanes - not exactly relaxing
Lucky,
Your flying and the articles you publish enrich my understanding of this area in a way that I will never achieve on my own. Far from being "for no real reason," your flying and your writing about it are important to me and to many, many others who read and appreciate your blog. Keep flying and keep writing - please!
Joe Meboe
Hello Lucky, quiet but long time big fan. Please take your time with the report, been waiting for it a long time.
I was on the maiden flight of the Swiss 777 last February to test out C class over their standard from A343 and A333 and well I'm quite disappointed. Yes more throne seats on one side (for SEN and HON) but also more without aisle access on the other. As a single C pax you have to seat center and even then one side is right on the aisle. Y is now industry norm 10 abreast so there's no premium there either (except maybe the chocolate?)
Swiss does take itself very seriously as a premium brand but consistently and perhaps too cautiously fail to deliver something outstanding.
No premium economy to standout either so it's either in C or with all the others. Their WiFi price isn't attractive and it's not the, as you mentioned, business class meal that is worthy of the term world class and innovation.
They "didn't want to wait" for the A350, they didn't take any risks on this product with a bar, lounge or anything except filling in more seats.
It is their choice of "flagship", so please be honest and objective (as usual) and be very thorough, looking at every detail, considering they want to position themselves in the premium league (price-wise and award availability) where every company out there is putting in a hell of an effort to distinguish themselves in the market.
Slogan is "our sign is a promise", did they deliver in first class on their flagship?
Eagerly awaiting.