Ask the Community - One Mile at a Time Forum

If you could only keep one airline perk, which would it be?

Seat1A — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:20:40 +0000

Whether it comes from the ticket, status or a credit card, what’s the one perk you value most when flying? Lounge access, an upgrade, extra legroom, seat selection, priority boarding, free checked bags, or something else completely?

Personally, it depends. Decent business class on a flight over 7 hours, I’ll take the upgrade. Domestic recliner seat or a decent lounge (capital one, chase, skyclub), I’ll take the lounge. If the lounge is a rather sad Priority Pass affair, I’ll happily buy my own pretzels and take any upgrade, even if it’s on a regional jet.

On a side note, as someone who’s very particular about where they sit (time of day, length of flight), I actually place more value than I realize on free seat selection

Curious what everyone would choose if they could only keep one.

How should I get home from Morocco?

Samar — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:36:46 +0000

I have a bit of dilemma I'm trying to work through. For background, I'm taking a trip to Morocco in January (Marrakesh followed by Rabat). For my return, I originally booked Air France Business RBA-CDG-PHX (for 60k Flying Blue miles); AF has since cancelled the CDG-PHX nonstop for Sunday in the winter schedule, requiring me to reroute if I wanted to keep my return to Sunday, which I selected RBA-CDG-JFK-PHX. My thoughts on that routing is potentially upgrading to La Premiere on the CDG-JFK route, though I know that is very unlikely to be possible with AF cracking down on upgrades for award tickets. It does allow me to visit the Delta One Lounge JFK (which I believe I have access to) or the T4 credit card lounges. The biggest issue for this flight is the 5am departure from RBA, which would be a bit brutal.

Yesterday, I decided to do a search on Roame for alternatives, and found an alternate routing out of Casablanca (CMN) with one stop in JFK that is currently slotted on the 787-9 (in 1-2-1 configuration) for 57.5k AAdvantage miles. It would give me an afternoon departure, which would allow me a proper night's sleep, but with the addition of a train to CMN and dealing with exit immigration from a much busier airport. The other issue is the short connection at JFK (90 minutes), which gives me little room to maneuver (and none if I check a bag, which is undecided), and would get me stuck in NYC for the night if I miss it. And while I could visit the Soho lounge, it's likely I won't have the time to bother (or only have a few minutes there at most).

I am personally leaning toward keeping my original flights just because I hate the stress of a short connection (the short CDG connection doesn't concern me because I don't have to deal with the border or baggage like I would with the short JFK connection), and also I heard CMN can be "fun" to travel through, but I'm curious what opinions others will have. I'm in no rush to cancel either flight (especially the Air France flight since I'd have to pay a cancellation fee), so I have plenty of time to decide my route.

Comparison below generated by Gemini:

Flight & Transit Comparison: Rabat (RBA) vs. Casablanca (CMN)

Date: Sunday, January 24, 2027 Origin: Four Seasons Hotel Rabat Kasr Al Bahr Destination: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric / Touchpoint	Option A: From Rabat (RBA)	Option B: From Casablanca (CMN)
Routing & Connections	2 Stops: RBA \rightarrow CDG \rightarrow JFK \rightarrow PHX	1 Stop: CMN \rightarrow JFK \rightarrow PHX
Airlines & Alliance	Air France / Delta (SkyTeam)	Royal Air Maroc / American (Oneworld)
Flight Numbers & Times	AF 1359: Dep RBA 05:00 AM \rightarrow Arr CDG 09:05 AM AF 4: Dep CDG 10:30 AM \rightarrow Arr JFK 12:55 PM DL 798: Dep JFK 06:00 PM \rightarrow Arr PHX 09:35 PM	AT 200: Dep CMN 02:50 PM \rightarrow Arr JFK 05:55 PM AA 636: Dep JFK 07:29 PM \rightarrow Arr PHX 11:17 PM
Layover Durations	CDG: 1h 25m (Standard / Manageable connection) JFK: 5h 05m (T1 \rightarrow T4)	JFK: 1h 34m ⚠ (Tight connection T1 \rightarrow T8)
Cabins	Business (RBA–CDG–JFK) / Economy (JFK–PHX)	Business (CMN–JFK) / Economy (JFK–PHX)
Hotel Logistics	2:00 AM wake-up; depart hotel by ~2:30 AM; forfeit sleep & breakfast	7:30 AM wake-up; depart hotel by ~8:30–9:00 AM; full Four Seasons breakfast
Ground Transport	~20–30 min night taxi/car to RBA (~200–300 MAD / $20–$30)	ONCF Train (~9:30 AM from Rabat Agdal to CMN Terminal 1) or private transfer
Exit Immigration	Low Volume: ~10–15 min queues at RBA (early morning 3:00 AM arrival).	Peak Volume (Fast-Tracked): Mid-day peak at CMN; RAM Business ticket grants Fast-Track access (~10–15 min).
Transatlantic Hard Product	1-2-1 layout (reverse-herringbone with sliding doors on 777-300ER / A350); 100% direct aisle access.	1-2-1 layout (787-9) or 2-2-2 layout (787-8 lie-flat, subject to aircraft assignment).
Transatlantic Soft Product	Michelin-curated French dining, Laurent-Perrier Champagne, expansive IFE library.	Authentic Moroccan gastronomy (tagines, pastilla, mint tea service), attentive hospitality.
Moroccan Airport Lounge	Pearl Lounge (RBA) — Basic contract lounge space.	Zenith VIP Lounge (CMN) — Average food selection, prone to crowding.
Mid-Trip Layover Lounge	AF Terminal 2E Lounge (CDG) — Quick visit possible during 1h 25m layover.	N/A (Direct transatlantic flight)
JFK Terminal Transfer	Arrive T1 \rightarrow AirTrain to Terminal 4	Arrive T1 \rightarrow AirTrain to Terminal 8
JFK Connection Buffer	Generous (5h 05m): Ample time to clear T1 customs, re-drop bags, transfer to T4, and enjoy T4 flagship lounges.	Tight / Risky (1h 34m ⚠): Clearing T1 customs, baggage claim, re-drop, AirTrain to T8, and T8 security in 94 mins is very tight.
JFK Layover Lounges	Delta One Lounge, Capital One Lounge(Level 3 Retail Hall), or Chase Sapphire Lounge (Concourse A).	Soho Lounge (T8 via Oneworld Emerald) or Greenwich Lounge (T8) — subject to connection time.

Strategic Trade-Off Summary

1. Connection Timing & Feasibility

Option A (RBA / Air France): With AF 1359 landing at CDG at 9:05 AM and AF 4 departing at 10:30 AM, you have a 1-hour 25-minute connection at Paris (CDG). This is a realistic, legal connection time. At JFK, you have a 5-hour 05-minute layover, giving you plenty of time to transfer from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 and relax in the Delta One, Capital One, or Chase Sapphire lounge.
Option B (CMN / Royal Air Maroc): AT 200 departing CMN at 2:50 PM lands at JFK at 5:55 PM, leaving a 1-hour 34-minute connection at JFK before AA 636 departs at 7:29 PM. Transferring from Terminal 1 to Terminal 8 requires clearing U.S. Passport Control, collecting checked bags, clearing Customs, re-dropping bags, taking the AirTrain, and re-clearing TSA security at T8 in 94 minutes. This leaves minimal margin for error.

2. Hotel Morning Schedule

Option A (RBA): Requires arriving at RBA by ~3:00 AM for the 5:00 AM flight (2:00 AM wake-up call, departing the Four Seasons around 2:30 AM).
Option B (CMN): Requires arriving at CMN by ~11:50 AM for the 2:50 PM flight (7:30 AM wake-up call), allowing you to enjoy breakfast and take a ~9:30 AM train or private car from Rabat.

Value of airline elite status these days?

CXP — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:37:14 +0000

Would love everyone's take on the value of airline elite status these days. I've been Star Alliance Gold for over two decades and am debating whether it's worthwhile to try to maintain that (via United). United is making it increasingly difficult. I like the fast-track and lounge access I get with *Gold at many airports (Swiss and LH in particular for Senator lounges), and also wonder whether maintaining United Gold helps with United's lower redemption costs (or whether a credit card is sufficient for that). Curious where the community stands on this?

SFO to Hawaii in proper lie-flat seats

Likes-to-fly — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 10:34:31 +0000

Next year I plan to fly from SFO to Hawaii for a short holiday. I would like to book proper lie-flat seats like on international business class, not standard US "first" class seats. Which airline would be the best bet?

EVA J Lounge Access at IAD for 1 AM flights

cloudypie — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:16:47 +0000

Would EVA business class get lounge access at IAD for a 1:15 AM departure? All lounges at IAD seem to close at 10 pm, which is more than 3 hours before EVA's scheduled departure time for certain dates.

Ritz Carlton San Francisco Lounge and Club lounge remodel?

Calidude — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:17:51 +0000

I have an upcoming stay at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco in a "Club" suite. While making the reservation it says that the Lounge (I think it is a bar in the lobby) and the Club Lounge (on the Club floors) is being "upgraded". But I could not find any end date or any mention on the website. AI tells me that the update was completed on August 31 without citation. My stay in not until later in the fall. If the Club Lounge is being upgraded and it is closed, then why pay the extra $250-300 per night? Thank you for chiming in.

Adding Lap Infant to Etihad Flight Booking through Flying Blue

berty619 — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:38:38 +0000

Hi all - first time post, looking for any prior experience of being successful in adding a lap infant to a points partner booking. I have booked using Flying Blue points (AF) x4 return flights from Dublin to Abu Dhabi - direct each way on Etihad. The current booking is for x2 adults and x2 kids but I now need to add a lap infant, from initial calls with each airline both Etihad and AF have pointed to each other to do it and despite appearing to permit adding a lap infant for 10% of the adult cash fare, neither were willing to do so. After much back and forward with AF they finally quoted a price of almost USD9000 for the lap infant and so offered to charge 10% of that, USD900 - you can currently book the flights for less than this figure for an adult (less than the USD 900). I should say, flights are all economy. Has anyone had this situation before? Many thanks

Aeroplan partner flight missing miles claim not being accepted

Sean M. — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:08:27 +0000

I am trying to claim missing miles for my parents on an Air Mauritius flight claimed to Aeroplan. 3 of the 4 sectors have credited automatically on time, but one sector did not credit. I was unable to claim via the website after 2 weeks so emailed credits@aircanada.ca and received the following response.

The airport information you provided is invalid because the airline does not have a record of the ticket number you entered. The airport, ticket and flight number must match those of the missing flight you are submitting.

I had attached copies of the ticket and boarding pass, and the other flights on the same ticket credited just fine (including the preceding connection flight the same morning). The missing sector is MRU to CPT if that matters and the class is Business Class (I) which is eligible for 125% miles.

What's my next step to escalate this?

Southwest Touchless ID not registering

travelingposer — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 22:02:40 +0000

Has anyone else been having any issues with Southwest's Touchless ID opt in? I've tried opting in and out multiple times, each days in advance for each flight yet only ever get the standard PreCheck icon. Any potential workarounds?

Wyndham removing hotels and not honoring existing award reservations

JG — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 03:31:01 +0000

It looks like a bunch of European hotels are leaving Wyndham some time in September.

My parents bought Wyndham points nearly a year ago to use on a stay in Berlin next month. They got a weird call from Wyndham that the hotel is leaving the program soon, and that they need to change to another hotel that wouldn't work for them.

Oddly, that hotel is still bookable well into 2027, even using points. After speaking to the guy from Wyndham and someone at the hotel, the actual date the hotel is leaving still hasn't been decided yet.

I read the Wyndham Rewards T&Cs, and apparently there's no guarantee of the reservations. So, caveat emptor.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get Wyndham to honor the reservation?