Weekly Review: November 16, 2019

Weekly Review: November 16, 2019

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This has been a heck of a week of travel for me, as I crossed the Atlantic four times, experiencing four new business class products. I’m continuing to roll out that trip report at a quick pace, and was so surprised (in different ways) by my four experiences. Stay tuned, because I have a lot more review trips coming up in the next few weeks.

On the points & travel front, this week Austrian and Iberia announced new transatlantic routes, a fat cat went viral for what happened on a flight, Hyatt announced they’d eliminate single-use toiletries, JetBlue introduced basic economy fares, the opening date for the Qantas First Lounge Singapore was announced, and more.

With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:

Featured Stories

Full Review of the NEW Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class

Boy was I excited to fly Virgin Atlantic’s A350-1000! Not only was it my first time flying Virgin Atlantic in several years (and I love Virgin Atlantic), but it was also my first time experiencing their new Upper Class. Lastly, the A350-1000 is one of my favorite planes in the sky. So when you combine the three, I knew I was in for a great flight.


How To Redeem Miles For Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class

I just reviewed Virgin Atlantic’s new A350-1000 Upper Class, which I flew from London to New York recently. The flight was fantastic, and while I had booked a discounted business class ticket, I wanted to talk a bit about the best options for redeeming miles for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.

As it stands, only Virgin Atlantic’s A350-1000s have their new Upper Class seats. The airline has a total of 12 of these planes on order, with four already in their fleet, and a further eight expected to join the fleet soon.


One Cup At A Time: Musings About Airline And Hotel Coffee

In this post I wanted to talk about something I’m very passionate about — good coffee.

Since I travel all the time, am constantly jetlagged, and am an early riser, I’m going to keep this focused on the core of the blog, and talk specifically about good airline and hotel coffee (which on the surface seems like an oxymoron, since you’ll usually get the best coffee at local cafes).

But there’s such massive variance in terms of quality when it comes to airline and hotel coffee, so I think it’s not a bad topic to discuss.


One Week at a Time

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

Chase Ink Bonuses: $500 Or 50,000 Points?
Credit Card Showdown: British Airways Vs. Virgin Atlantic
Today Only: Earn 11% Cash Back (Or 11x Amex Points) With Rakuten
8 Reasons To Get The New Amex Green Card
Mileage Run For Lufthansa’s Uber-Exclusive HON Circle Status
Buy United MileagePlus Miles With 100% Bonus
Hilton’s Biggest Ever Bonus On Purchased Points
LifeMiles 115% Mileage Transfer Bonus
8 Reasons To Get The British Airways Visa
New Alaska Mileage Plan Bonus On Purchased Miles
Buy IHG Rewards Club Points For 0.5 Cents Each (Last Chance)
Buy Hyatt Points With Up To 40% Bonus
New Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes Awards

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

How To Redeem Miles For Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class
Fly Delta One To Europe (And Back!) For 98,000 SkyMiles
Save 20% On Radisson Rewards Award Nights
Etihad Guest Miles No Longer Expire (With Activity)
United MileagePlus Increases All Award Costs Close To Departure

TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)

BOOKED: 9 Airlines I’m Reviewing Shortly
The Most Outrageous Airline Hold Time Ever
The 9 Airport Lounges I’m Most Excited To Review
One Cup At A Time: Musings About Airline And Hotel Coffee
Hot Take: Bulk Hotel Toiletries Won’t Kill You

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Heathrow
Review: NEW Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class
Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Miami Airport
Review: American Admirals Club Miami Airport
Introduction: A Week Above The Atlantic
Review: Air France-KLM Lounge Toronto Airport
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto Airport
Review: Air France A350 Business Class
Review: Air France Arrivals Lounge Paris CDG
Review: Le Bus Direct (Paris Airport Bus)
Review: Icare Lounge Paris Orly Airport

NEWS & Updates

ATC Audio: American Eagle Jet Loses Control
Qantas First Class Lounge Singapore Opens December 2, 2019
Is The Apple Credit Card Sexist?
FAA Downgrades Malaysia Safety Rating
Details: Lufthansa Miles & More Changes
Video: American Eagle Plane Skids Off O’Hare Runway
Boeing’s Update On 737 MAX Returning To Service
Turkish Airlines Adds Newark To Route Network
JetBlue Introduces Basic Economy Fares
Hyatt Eliminating Single-Use Toiletries Globally
Austrian Airlines Launching Boston Flights
Iberia Adding Washington To Madrid Flights In 2020
Man’s Brilliant Plan To Fly With Overweight Cat Backfires
Amex Business Platinum Losing Gogo Wifi Passes
Qantas Flying Nonstop From London To Sydney Today
American Airlines’ New Policy To Reduce Bump Compensation
Emirates President: Other Airlines Use A380 Wrong
Could A Strike Be The End Of South African Airways?
Singapore Airlines Will Fly New A380s To Paris
TWA Hotel JFK Getting Ice Skating Rink
Starlux Airlines May Not Be Flying Yet, But They Already Have An Awesome Safety Video
Cathay Pacific Unveils New First & Business Class Soft Product
Will American Airlines Extend Systemwide Upgrades In 2019?
Fascinating Statistics About American Airlines Upgrades
Buckle Up: Major Air Canada System Migration Starts Monday
La Compagnie’s Industry Leading Inflight Wifi
American Admirals Club Tokyo Narita Closing
SAS Reveals Snazzy A321LR Cabin Layout
Airline CEO Wants To Ban Business Class
New Trailer For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020


I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!

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  1. Tom Fox Guest

    Loving these trip reports Lucky! The Romanian road trip looked awesome too.

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Tom Fox Guest

Loving these trip reports Lucky! The Romanian road trip looked awesome too.

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