I've booked Philippine Airlines' A330 and new A350-1000 business class home from Japan, plus three hotel stops in Tokyo and Osaka along the way.
Yay!!!!! This reminds me of the $900 fare from TPE-YYZ/JFK
YOU will find the Manila transit experience much better this time
Cebu is great. If you are on an international- domestic transfer in the sane ticket, they have an airside transfer passport check and bags are through checked. Arrival immigration there is also normally very quick.
Nice. For Osaka Station - only titanium and ambassador get onsen access. There’s also a train themed speakeasy on the lobby floor. You should hopefully clear into a corner room - ask for north facing so you can see the river, and even snap a good pic of the Waldorf. It’s beautiful.
@Sel Well you can get access to the Ofuro if you book suites or specialty rooms. And almost the same requirements for the Specialty Salon, but comp access is just for Ambassador members. Though, since February 1, guests may only order one item from each menu at the Specialty Salon.
That's an epic itinerary! Safe travels. Have heard good things about that BVLGARI in Tokyo. Wonder how it'll compared to the Aman Tokyo (nearby); I recall your review from 2019 ( https://onemileatatime.com/aman-tokyo-review/).
Ooh! Would you fly HND-ITM in a new ANA first class seat (maybe onboard their 787-10 or new 777), and compare it with the Japan Airlines A350?
I believe you’ll have to re-queue to clear security at Manila Airport (NAIA T1) though shouldn’t need to go through immigration and such though it keeps changing.
PAL also opened a new lounge in T1 that I’ve heard is better than the old one.
And there’s another security check at the gate area (or one for a collection of gates depending on the departure time).
$1700 for business class from Asia is a great price.
Ben, what actually is the standard Bonvoy lounge access because I don’t think there is such a thing. It is so Bonvoyed up that it would not be surprising if even Mr. Capuano cannot instantly explain it without having a cheat sheet. Unsurprisingly, that is how they want it and that is the standard they really want. Osaka Station Hotel is leading the way in what should be offered to Marriott Ambassador members and I am saying it as a lowly gold elite which translates to being a nobody in the Bonvoy program!
This is awesome! Classic OMAAT content that we all love. I've seen various reports on Reddit that BVLGARI is even better than Aman in Tokyo these days. I realize you have limited time, but is there any way to work in the new Four Seasons in Osaka?
Aman needs a refresh. Bulgari (to me) is also just a lighter, friendlier product and more comfortable. Aman's aesthetic is not for everyone.
I really liked FS Osaka. I stayed right after it opened and it far exceeded my expectations. Had much more of a sense of place than I was expecting, the team was great, as we're the dining outlets. Their "ryokan" floor is also really well done and a fun stay - especially for those who don't do well going out of their comfort zone and staying at a real ryokan. The location is just very corporate... Haven't stayed at Waldorf but I've heard great things about that and Patina too.
Ben, I believe you only earn Atmos points on PAL if you book directly on Alaska website and not any third party sites.
@ Luis -- You're right! That's super frustrating, hadn't realized that. BLEH! Thanks for the heads up, I'll update the post to reflect that.
That’s not true. You can earn AS points by booking direct with PAL. Look at the partner earning page with Alaska.
Your flights are 118 and 437 which fall in the earning flight number ranges. You will earn 125 percent with AS!!!
It was there before but I agree, that restriction is only there for starlux now. Around the same time we were able to start redeeming miles for PAL
‘Moving forward, you can still earn Atmos Rewards points when flying Philippines Airlines, but the flights must be booked via Alaska Airlines. You’ll no longer be able to book the prices shown on the Philippine Airlines website and earn points by adding your Atmos Rewards number to the booking that way.’
https://upgradedpoints.com/news/alaska-airlines-philippine-airlines-partnership/
@Stanley That article was written before redemptions on PAL became active. My understanding is that once redemptions were live, so was partner earning.
Really excited for each of these reviews. We've meet with the PAL team a few times recently, so I'm excited to finally read an actual review of the new product.
Bulgari Tokyo was one of my favorite hotel stays ever. Their team is beyond fantastic and I love the views. Having a cocktail on the roof terrace at sunset with Fuji way in the background and listening to some music is an incredible memory.
Ben- any chance you would reconsider or squeeze in a night at Patina Osaka? Was recently ranked #1 hotel in the world by travel and leisure (I know rankings are subjective, etc) so I feel like it would be super relevant/noteworthy. It's also on FHR and during some times of the year the out of pocket outlay is pretty low with credit. Also from the pictures it might be the most gorgeous hotel ive ever looked at
@ Funkyflapjak -- Grrrr, you know, I think you might've just inspired me. It looks like I can maybe move things around a bit to make this happen. Should I do it?!
@Lucky At first, I thought you could credit it to AA but your article from 2023 explained how this new codeshare between PR and AA left a lot to be desired.
Osaka Station Hotel may have the world's best hotel breakfast. It's spectacular.
Looking forward to the PAL review! I recently booked PAL J awards for travel next spring SFO-MNL and MNL-PVG where we'll be self-connecting in MNL so am especially looking forward to your description of your MNL transit experience. It was less Atmos to book two awards than a single SFO-MNL-PVG award, which is why we are self-connecting.
I'm somewhat surprised the flight wasn't available to book with Atmos miles. I've noticed its cheaper to book separately when adding a destination beyond MNL on Atmos for PAL redemptions in almost every scenario.