I’m constantly talking to friends, family, and even strangers about the points and miles hobby. I do understand that it can be a bit intimidating to get started, so I’ve even tried to boil it down into a “how to get started” presentation that I’ve given a few times. But even after spelling things out for people, I’ve noticed that the uptake rate has still been pretty low in terms of those that dive head first into it like I had.
I’m one of the charter members of the “Korean Air Fan Club” and in recent years have been funneling the vast majority of my Chase Ultimate Rewards points into the Korean Air Skypass program. I’m planning a trip to Asia later this year, and decided to finally cash in those Skypass miles. I blocked off an hour of time to go through the incredibly confusing and annoying award booking experience that I remembered from 2014, but to my surprise, I had confirmed tickets in my account in less than 10 minutes.
For Silicon Valley Alaska Airlines frequent flyers, right now there aren’t really any good options when traveling to Orange County or San Diego. Starting June 8, 2016, that will change as Alaska Airlines begins 3x daily non-stop service to both destinations from San Jose.
In the market for a new home in the Seattle area? Learn about FlyHomes, which is a new real estate brokerage firm which will give you 1 Alaska Airlines mile for every $1 you spend on a home. But before diving in, there are a few things you need to consider.
The Golden State Warriors vs. Miami Heat game on January 11th, 2016 features a giveaway to the first 12,000 fans of a 50% voucher off a future Alaska Airlines flight between April 21, 2016 to June 15, 2016.
As I wrote about here, it seems like I was the only person in the frequent flyer community that was actually excited for this flight. On the plus side, because I’d heard so many negative comments, the bar had been set really, really low. After a few final stretching exercises in the Etihad US Premium Lounge, we headed over to the gate and on-board our 16-hour flight back home to San Francisco. It was well past midnight and I was half-asleep, so I remember having to do a double-take when I saw the exterior of the plane showing the Jet Airways livery.
I can’t remember the last time that I was out with friends, family, or coworkers, and someone hasn’t made the comment “you seem like you’re always traveling”. That always cracks me up. Sure, through the nature of having a travel blog I’m sure that I talk about my travels more often than the average person, but I really don’t feel like I travel all that often.
We disembarked and navigated out way over to the Etihad Premium Lounge. While the First Class Lounge is under construction, there was a small section in this lounge roped off for First Class passengers. However, the section was filled so we ended up finding a seat elsewhere near the bar.
Even on partner mileage redemptions, Etihad provides chauffeur service for premium cabin passengers and this made for a relaxing start to our 24-hour journey home. Pick-up from our hotel was scheduled in advance, and I was very impressed with the logistics. Not only did we receive an email and phone call the day before to confirm, we also received about 2-3 text messages the day-of with updates on when the driver was expected to arrive. We jumped into the sleek Mercedes S-Class, which definitely stood out like a sore thumb as we drove through the streets of Hyderabad on the way to the airport.
As I mentioned in the introduction, the whole reason for this trip was to attend my coworker’s wedding in Hyderabad. While I’ve attended Indian weddings in the US, this would be my first one in India. And from the itinerary, it appeared that was going to be an action-packed several days.
While I’m primarily a Hilton loyalist, Hyatts are a close second and the Park Hyatt brand in particular is my favorite within that group. And what if I told you that you could stay in a Park Hyatt for just $90 per night? Or how about a 1,200 square ft. suite for $175 per night? Welcome to the Park Hyatt Hyderabad.
Our flight wasn’t scheduled until 8P, so even with a late check-out time of 3PM, it still left several hours to kill. We mulled over the various options, but ultimately decided to just head over to the airport early. Besides, if you had to spend time at an airport, Changi is probably the best place to do that. We had about an hour left and had exhausted all of the options in that terminal, so we decided to hop into the Premier Lounge to relax. This lounge was part of the Lounge Club network, and I used my two free passes that come with the Chase Ink card since they were about to expire.
