Happy Saturday!
This was a fairly low-key week, with most of my time spent blogging and catching up on trip reports. I was able to meet up with my dad in Los Angeles for a few days, and it was fun showing him around the city.
This was really the calm before the storm for me, since the next few weeks will feature an insane amount of travel (even by my standards), including flights on Hainan Airlines, Oman Air, Iberia, LAN, and Air France. I’ll also be headed to Colombia for a week. Make sure you’re following along on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for live updates.
Featured Stories
What Are The Differences Between Virtuoso And Amex FHR?
While hotel loyalty programs in and of themselves can be extremely rewarding, there are many ways to get additional perks for stays at luxury hotels. In many cases these are perks at hotels which don’t otherwise have loyalty programs (like the Sunset Tower Hotel West Hollywood), so these perks are as good as they get.
I’ve written extensively about some of these programs, including American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and Virtuoso. I figured it would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of the two programs.
Should You Buy American Miles Pre-Devaluation?
Through March 1, 2016, American is offering up to 42,500 bonus AAdvantage miles when buying miles.
Furthermore, if you complete your mileage purchase by February 8, 2016, you can get a 10% discount on the purchase price.
But is it a good enough deal to consider making a speculative purchase?
Three Trip Reports
If you haven’t been keeping up with the blog lately, there are three series of trip reports that overlapped this week.
- The conclusion to my Air India adventure
- Mike’s family trip to the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- The start to my “Arabian Nights” trip to Oman and Dubai, with a cameo by Andrew B.
All are worth reading, so check them out if you haven’t already!
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
$1,100 New York To London Business Class Fares
2-For-1 Tickets To Hawaii On Virgin America
Earn Bonus Miles On American’s New Tokyo Haneda Flight
Is Unlimited Flying With OneGo A Good Deal?
30% Off Select Singapore Airlines Economy Awards
Great Deal: Park Hyatt Dubai Presidential Suite For Cheap!
Delta Offering Double Miles To Australia
Should You Buy American Miles Pre-Devaluation?
Amazing Deal: ~$1,150 Roundtrip Transatlantic Business Class Fares (Departing Dublin)
Hilton Selling Points For ~0.56 Cents Each
American Is Still Offering Bonus Miles For Premium Travel In 2016
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Great Deal: LAN Business Class Awards From Los Angeles To Santiago
Redeem American Miles For Business Class To New Zealand!
Should You Redeem Citi ThankYou Points For Gift Cards?
International American Airlines Upgrades Are Getting Easier
Book The Most Comfortable British Airways Business Class Seat Ever
Why Miles Are Becoming Less Important To Me (Sort Of)
FlyingBlue’s February Promo Awards — Save 25% On Business Class
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
I Learned Something New: Aircraft Swaps Qualify As Schedule Changes
Say Hi To Pam, LAX’s Friendliest Employee!
Does An Aircraft Swap Qualify As A Schedule Change?
What Are The Differences Between Virtuoso And Amex FHR?
Going To London Via Asia And Australia And Asia?
How To Share Inflight Wifi Between Multiple Devices
I Just Bought Access To Air France’s First Class Lounge
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: Six Senses Zighy Bay Activities & Dining
Review: Six Senses Zighy Bay Villa
From Airbus To Megabus: A Trip Of Contrasts
Review: VIP Lounge Los Cabos Airport
Introduction: To The Middle East… The Very Long Way
Review: Final Thoughts On The Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Review: Air India Lounge Delhi Airport
Review: Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Restaurants And Bars
Review: Air India First Class 777 Delhi To San Francisco
Review: Zen Spa, Pools And Other Activities At Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Review: Air India’s AMAZING First Class Ground Experience In Delhi
NEWS & Updates
A Jet Airways Crew Was Suspended Over WHAT?!
4 Reasons I Prefer The A350 To The 787
Alaska Introduces Elite Rollover Miles (Targeted)
Air France’s Tribute To The 747
Video Footage Following This Week’s Mid-Flight Explosion
Why Is Lufthansa’s New Flight To San Jose Delayed?
JetBlue Mint Now Bookable To Boston, Starting At $599
Breaking: Delta CEO Richard Anderson To Retire
British Airways’ Brilliant New India Ad
LAN Restarting Nonstop Los Angeles To Santiago Flights
AWESOME: Icelandair Introduces Stopover Buddies
ANA’s A380 Will Feature First Class (And More Details)
Etihad’s First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi To Open In May 2016
American’s New Domestic First Class Seat Looks Familiar…
American Brings Back Free Snacks In Economy
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and safe travels to those on the road!
Hi Ben,
My name is Jonathan, and my grandmother and I are wanting to book a first class trip with miles through American Airlines, but fly Etihad Airways to the UAE and possibly the Maldives. However, I need some help on how to go about this. We both have over 200,000 miles on AA so not having enough miles shouldn't be a problem, I hope. First, she lives in Los Angeles and I St. Louis....
Hi Ben,
My name is Jonathan, and my grandmother and I are wanting to book a first class trip with miles through American Airlines, but fly Etihad Airways to the UAE and possibly the Maldives. However, I need some help on how to go about this. We both have over 200,000 miles on AA so not having enough miles shouldn't be a problem, I hope. First, she lives in Los Angeles and I St. Louis. If our flight (together) was starting in LA could I actually start my trip on American from STL first and then meet my grandmother at LAX or not? Second, should I contact AA and have an agent look up flights and book this way or this the only way to do it? Finally, I believe the Maldives is part of the Indian Subcontinent (according to AA) and I need to know if this is true first of all, and can I fly there for the same number of miles as Abu Dhabi (90,000 miles one way first class)? How long can one stay in Abu Dhabi before having to continue to the Maldives, e.g. is there a time limit on how long I can stay over in Abu Dhabi? I apologize for so many questions. We are wanting to book before March 22 to avoid using extra miles, and as I am a school teacher, I am limited on when we can go on vacation. We were thinking this July.
Sincerely,
Jonathan
We want some more pictures of Ford!