This has been one of the most exhausting travel weeks of the year for me. In the past week I’ve flown from Los Angeles to Seoul to Abu Dhabi to Cairo to Doha to London to Charlotte to Los Angeles. Suffice to say I’m in need of a nap. 😉

On the plus side, it was also a fruitful week in terms of sampling new premium cabin products, as I flew A380 first class on both Asiana and Qatar. That means I’ve flown A380 first class on every airline operating the whale-jet.

Fortunately my travel was a bit more exciting than I bargained for, so hopefully it made for an interesting week on the blog.

Featured Stories

15 Pictures From Qatar Airways A380 Inaugural Flight

The highlight of my week was definitely the inaugural Qatar Airways A380 flight between Doha and London Heathrow yesterday. While I haven’t posted the full trip report yet, I have shared my initial thoughts, with a more detailed review to follow tomorrow. I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience.

 My 13+ Hour Flight Delay…

I’ve really jinxed myself when it comes to delays lately. Over the past two years I’ve had virtually no delays, while over the past six weeks I’ve had more delays than in the rest of my travels combined. The longest delay of all was earlier in the week between Seoul Incheon and Abu Dhabi, where my flight was delayed by over 13 hours

On the plus side, at least it hopefully made for some interesting reading.

Is The Mileage “Game” Finally Dying? 

There have always been the doubters convinced that our hobby is “dying,” though I’ve never really bought into that. However, a series of changes lately sure do make me feel less confident about the future of our hobby than ever before. Between airlines award miles based on revenue, airlines raising the cost of purchased miles, and Delta now limiting the number of points you can transfer from a partner airline, I sure don’t feel too confident about this hobby at the moment.

Fortunately I firmly believe this is all cyclical, and if we continue to stay one step ahead of the curve we’ll continue to do well.

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

Last Chance: Chase Ink Plus 70K Sign-Up Offer
$40 Towards Uber Car Service Plus 2x Points
Earn A $75 Hotel Credit By Booking Flights
Register For Virgin America’s Feel The Earn Promotion
Will Hyatt Bring Back My Elite Rate In 2015?
Virgin Atlantic Mastercard Up To 90,000 Mile Sign-Up Bonus Back
Bonus On Purchased Avios — Should You Buy?

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

How Stingy Is American With First Class Award Space?
Rebooking Award Tickets During Irregular Operations
Cheapest Way To Try Garuda Indonesia First & Business Class
Is The Mileage “Game” Finally Dying?
Do You Know These Six Awesome Uses Of Ultimate Rewards?

TRAVEL With Lucky

Visiting Cairo On A Stopover
I Reached 75 Night Platinum With Starwood… Yay?
My Best Etihad First Class Flight Ever!
How Etihad Handled My 14 Hour Flight Delay
Changing Into Pajamas At Your Seat: Bad Idea Or Great Idea?
Watching Someone Quit At A Park Hyatt
My 13+ Hour Flight Delay…
Would You Eat A Salad From A Vending Machine?
My Favorite Hyatt Category 4 Hotel

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

Le Meridien Cairo Airport — WOW!
15 Pictures From Qatar Airways A380 Inaugural Flight
Review: American Business Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to Dallas
Review: Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Review: Cathay Pacific “The Bridge” Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
Asiana A380 First Class Los Angeles To Seoul

NEWS & Updates

What Are Reserve Flight Attendants?
You Have To See This Travel Agency Advertisement
Delta SkyMiles Raises MQD Requirements For 2016 Status
Status Match From Hyatt To MGM
Hilton Honors Increases Account Security
Did JetBlue Kick Passenger Off For Tweeting?
Delta Eliminates Upgrades On Basic Economy Fares
6 People Who Should Attend Frequent Traveler University
How To Get A Pilot’s Attention… Not
Is The W Hotel Chain One Big Pimp?
Delta SkyMiles Eliminating Round The World Awards January 1, 2015
Do Hotels Have A Duty To Communicate Tragedies?
Refurbished American 777-200 Now Flying

While perhaps not exciting for the blog, the next week will be much slower for me travel wise. Hopefully that means more sleep for me and more trip reports for you guys.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!