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Bring your falcon on your flight to Doha

November 8, 2016 By Trevor 4 Comments





There has been a lot of discussion about emotional support animals. What with the emotional support duck a few weeks ago, I thought it would be appropriate to share how you can bring your falcon on your flight to Doha on Qatar Airways. 

Falcon Photo from FlyterTalk

Photo from FlyerTalk

As it turns out, while a Falcon may not necessarily be an emotional support animal, you can bring your falcon on your flight to Doha, as long as it is on Qatar Airways. 

Here is Qatar’s cost per Falcon in the Economy cabin:

Take your Falcon with you

Now, lets say you want to fly via Abu Dhabi, on Etihad Airways – well apparently, they will allow you to fly with your Falcon as well. Mind you, however, that if you want to bring more than one falcon onboard, you’ll need to be in Business or First Class… but please don’t (as I selfishly proclaim):

Etihad First Apartments

Etihad First Apartments

Now I’m sure what you’re wondering. I’ve talked about Qatar and Etihad, what about my favorite airline, Emirates? Well, they have their own rules. Apparently they do not permit animals in the cabin:

with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan, and Guide Dogs for the Blind – please see our information on passengers with special needs.

So, there you have it, you might get exception for guide dogs. Falcons, also get exception. Yet, it is not entirely clear whether Falcons can fly in the passenger cabin. Personally, I don’t see why not, but, each airline to their own.

Conclusion: Bring your falcon on your flight to Doha

I don’t have a falcon, personally. I’ve wanted to give Falconry a try, but, you know, we must live within our means. I would feel horrible if I had a falcon, and couldn’t properly exercise said falcon, or give said falcon the kind of environment that they need. But, if you do have a falcon, my opinion is, that you need to fly Qatar or Etihad, because they have pretty flexible policies, that would allow you to travel with your falcon in your same cabin. I know, if I had my way, I’d prefer to take my #indydog in the passenger cabin, so why not a falcon? 

Have you ever seen a Falcon in the passenger cabin?

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Emirates, Emotional Support Animals, Etihad, Falcons, Qatar, Qatar Airways

Could Basic Business Be Coming?

September 25, 2016 By Trevor 10 Comments

Gary Leff, among others, have written a bunch about Basic Economy, the concept that Delta has embraced, where customers essentially buy the seat. They get no advance seat selection, in fact, if they are elites, they are not even eligible for an upgrade. American is embracing this idea as well.

From a consumer perspective, I think this is just bad news. I’ve already had a few friends that have mistakenly purchased these “basic” fares and not realized it until they boarded. All have regretted the experience.

A recent Skift article, interviewing Emirates CEO Tim Clark, reveals even more concerning news with the trend of “basic fares.”

Emirates Basic Business Class

Credit: Travel Codex

Basic Business Class

Skift asked Tim Clark if he would focus on selling discounted business class seats. Here is Tim Clark’s answer:

Clark: I know certain segments will take [premium economy] straightaway. Baby boomers, the aging population of Europe. No mortgages, money in the bank, spending the inheritance of the children, that kind of thing. But they would prefer to have a bed.

You might just say, ‘OK, I’ll give you a special price, just for the [business class] bed. I won’t give you the incentives. I won’t give you ground. You’ll get the business product in the air only, and that’s it.’ No chauffeur drive, no business-class lounge, no expedited [security] search. No uplifting your baggage allowance, et cetera. You just pay for the bed. I’ll give you a price for that. Maybe, if you’ve got business class seats going begging, that’s the easy way to go, rather than create a completely new product, which is going to upend the distribution systems, upend service delivery and upend the logistical management on the operational side.

My read of Tim Clark’s comment is that he’s thinking of something very similar to the concept of Basic Economy, perhaps not as dire, but still concerning. We’ve seen that Emirates has already instituted fees for advance seat assignment. In fact, Tim Clark even mentions the unbundling of airfares, in a separate statement in the interview:

You could offer premium check-in. You can offer expedited [security] search. [We can offer] our chauffeur drive, on a pay basis.

My read is that many of these comments are pointed to unbundling Business class, in fact, embracing the trend that US and European Airlines are doing for economy passengers, and extending it to business class passengers.

A single statement as to why they might do it

While this quote is taken completely out of context, I think it is still very much a statement of the Emirates Business model. Furthermore, I think Emirates has proven that they are willing to buck the trend, and in some cases–such as the Shower on the A380–to lead the industry. That said, this statement makes me think that Emirates just might be ambitious enough to consider an industry shocking “basic business” approach:

The whole Emirates business model has been a complete destabilizer, disruptor to the aviation world.

And if you don’t believe me, just read what Tim Clark says about the onboard bar for Business and First Class on the Emirates A380:

Clark: [They said,] ‘No, no, no, we can’t do it.’ I said, ‘Watch. It’ll happen.’ People said, ‘No, nobody will use it.’ I said, ‘You’re telling me that nobody will want to get up and stretch their legs on a 16-hour flight?’ [They said,] ‘they’ll never use the bar. It’s waste of space. Put business-class seats in there.’ [I wanted] an upper deck of quality — a premium offering. A bit like a cruise ship there, on the top decks. The collegial, convivial atmosphere is great.

Wrapping Up

I hope I’m wrong. I sincerely do. But as I read the Skift’s interview with Tim Clark, so many things resonate with me. Perhaps even more concerning; I would be seriously considering this “basic business.” The idea of having a layflat at a discounted cost is great! Losing lounge access? Well, perhaps I would just arrive at the airport later. No Chauffeur? I’ll take Uber. If I’m going to fly business (which would be a first for me on Emirates), the thing that matters most to me, is the onboard experience. I’m talking first about the aisle-access, layflat bed–something that is lacking on everything but the A380–and the meal, perhaps even the bar experience, when on the A380.

Emirates Basic Business Class

Credit: Travel Codex

What do you think? Would you embrace a Basic Business fare?

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Business Class Travel, Emirates, Tim Clark

Marriott-SPG Program Future, Emirates, Second City Travel, Chase Sapphire Reserve

September 23, 2016 By Trevor 1 Comment

The Weekly News Roundup is a collection of headlines from around the internet that caught the attention of the Tagging Miles team. Content on these blogs do not necessarily reflect the positions of Tagging Miles, and should not be considered endorsements. Have a great story we should read? Contact us now and let us know.

Travel:

  • Second City Travel – a cool concept, and important to remember. My favorite second city is Melbourne, Australia, but there are so many other great ones across the world!
    Black Market Cigars in Santa Clara, Cuba.
  • Southwest has introduced a standby benefit, but it is so restrictive, that except for a small subset of flights, its not terribly useful. The two most restrictive components: Standby must be requested at the airport, and must be within 2 hours of original flight.
  • H/T to Gary for this one – insightful interview of the CEO of Emirates.
  • A video blogger experiences Emirates First Class for the first time. check out the video, its a fun watch!
  • The worlds shortest international flight – traffic must be horrible, if folks would rather fly 12 miles!

Miles and Points

  • The biggest news in the miles and points world this week was the Marriott-SPG Merger being finalized, and the future of Marriott Rewards and SPG. The news is fairly positive in that SPG points will transferred at 3 Marriott Rewards Points per SPG, however, I’m concerned that the likelihood of SPG awards being tripled is on the horizon.
  • Seth highlights United’s funky award pricing, and how things will, unfortunately get worse in October.
  • Joe opines on a humorous few blog posts from one of the “titans.” Its good if you need a laugh on your Friday morning!
  • No more ebay bucks on gift card purchases starting in October.
  • From Business Week (H/T Vinh) an interesting read on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR). The analysis is similar to what we’ve seen elsewhere, being the CSR is more rewarding. The thing that is less clear, is how Chase is making this card a profit maker, the implication is that it is through interchange fees, but, I’m skeptical.

Tagging Miles

  • More changes to Fulfillment by Amazon Storage Fees – No more exemption for a single unit of inventory.
  • Thoughts from Reselling DO 3 – and a sneak peak for Reselling DO 4.
  • Tales from Seat 28B – yes, I did actually fly economy!

Filed Under: Weekly News Roundup Tagged With: Chase Sapphire Reserve, Emirates, Marriott Rewards, spg, United

Hotel cars, kickfurther for MS, airline stocks

July 29, 2016 By Trevor 2 Comments

The Weekly News Roundup is a collection of headlines from around the internet that caught the attention of the Tagging Miles team. Content on these blogs do not necessarily reflect the positions of Tagging Miles, and should not be considered endorsements. Have a great story we should read? Contact us now and let us know.

Travel

  • Miles to Memories highlights an awesome perk of the American Express Platinum card – that being a 4 hour grace period with Hertz.
  • Flying one of the longest flights in the world, in economy. You won’t see a trip report like that on Tagging Miles–even though I do enjoy flying Emirates. But, this is an entertaining read none-the-less!
  • Lucky discusses taking a hotel car. For me, this is part of my $20 rule. – If it makes my life easier and reduces stress, even if its a little more than $20 difference, I’ll still do it. Besides, I value my marriage.
  • American Airlines raises checked bag fees. Seems like no notice, plus surge pricing. I can understand the surge pricing on some routes – if you’ve ever flown to the Middle East or Africa, some people check a ton of bags.

Miles and Points

  • An update on Kickfurther from Frequent Miler. I’ve been using Kickfurther myself, more for the investment opportunity, where the miles / points are a bonus, but, it is still a pretty good option for those looking for manufactured spending opportunities… just note, there is risk and there is a period of time before you get your payout.
  • Doctor of Credit reports rumors of a new, enhanced Chase Sapphire card. This card will likely be a competitor to the recently devalued Citi Prestige, and American Express Platinum.
  • American Airlines reduces partner earnings… This one really hurts, more than baggage fees.

Non Sequitur

  • Runway Girl Network Reports that Air Force One will get Viasat Internet.
  • An interesting discussion on airline stocks despite record profits. Airline stocks have never really seemed to be a good buy, since they have to leverage so much to put out a great product (aircraft aren’t cheap after all, and that’s only part of the expenditures necessary!).

Tagging Miles:

  • Are ice cold beverages an American thing?
  • MXP Sheraton airport hotel. 
  • Mile High Resellers still have a few spots.

Filed Under: Weekly News Roundup Tagged With: American Airlines, Emirates, kickfurther

Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

July 12, 2016 By Trevor 5 Comments

  • Introduction
  • Starting Out and American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge – Chicago
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Chicago-Narita
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge – Haneda
  • Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777-200 Haneda to Bangkok
  • Review: Thai Airways Orchid Spa and Royal Orchid Lounge
  • Review: Thai Airways 787-8 Business Class – Bangkok to Denpasar-Bali
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Bali
  • Review: Denpasar-Bali Airport and Premier Lounge
  • Review: Singapore A330 Business Class Denpasar-Bali to Singapore
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore
  • Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room
  • Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates Lounge – Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai
  • Review: Emirates First Class Terminal – Dubai
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

We boarded our A380 bound for home (Dulles) after last call had already been announced via the monitors. As you can see below, last call wasn’t truly last call. You’ll also see below that we were on an older A380, with lower walls.

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The Emirates A380 First Class Seat

The seat was comfortable, and just like our previous flight. Hopefully some of these angles are different, to give you a better view of the seat.

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Since we had an older variation of the A380, you can see the older seat / flatscreen control.

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We were provided pajama’s and amenities. Below are those offered to my wife.

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The Meal Service

We couldn’t start off an Emirates A380 First Class experience any way other than with caviar. There is just no other option.

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Following that, we had entrees, here is the beef entree:

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My wife attempted to go healthy with some vegetables and cheese.

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There was also a pre-arrival meal:

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The On board First Class Bar

The bar at the back of the plane was quite crowded but the front bar was very nice. This is of course the same bar that gets converted into a tranquil waterfall after the shower. Note the Henessey Paradis on the left.

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The Emirates A380 First Class Shower

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the shower.

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You’ll note below the different shampoos and soap amenities. Personally, I was disappointed with this change.

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Wrapping Up

Overall, the flight was wonderful. Further, it was nice to arrive at one of our home airports on an A380. It was our first time with that wonderful option! Emirates’ upgauge of their flight to Washington-Dulles is certainly a great benefit. The service, as always, was wonderful.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: A380, Emirates, First Class, Premium Travel

Review: Emirates First Class Terminal – Dubai

July 11, 2016 By Trevor Leave a Comment

  • Introduction
  • Starting Out and American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge – Chicago
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Chicago-Narita
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge – Haneda
  • Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777-200 Haneda to Bangkok
  • Review: Thai Airways Orchid Spa and Royal Orchid Lounge
  • Review: Thai Airways 787-8 Business Class – Bangkok to Denpasar-Bali
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Bali
  • Review: Denpasar-Bali Airport and Premier Lounge
  • Review: Singapore A330 Business Class Denpasar-Bali to Singapore
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore
  • Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room
  • Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates Lounge – Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai
  • Review: Emirates First Class Terminal – Dubai
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

We arrived into Dubai with only a few hours to enjoy the awesome First Class Terminal. I call it a terminal, but that’s really not accurate. You see the terminal building is geared for 5-6 A380’s, with multiple levels. The main level is open to all–aka Economy. The second level is the First Class level, which includes a spa, restaurants, a cigar lounge, and many areas for seating. The third level is for business class passengers. Unfortunately, I’ve never actually visited the business class level. I’m sure it’s lovely.

In Dubai you have to clear security to connect onward. We did that rather quickly, and made our way to the lounge.

Since we were fairly limited on time, we skipped the massages, instead opting to sit down for a brief meal. I enjoyed a wonderful Wagyu beef burger. Its not my first at the lounge, and it won’t be my last, it is just that good.

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We also poked our heads into the Cigar lounge. I’m not a big cigar person, but, well, it was there.

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Before we knew it, our flight was on Last Call, which really just means that boarding had started. I’m not a huge fan of the Middle Eastern airlines’ approach to boarding announcements, but, they didn’t ask my opinion. Alas, we boarded and were still among the first to board in the First Class cabin. No complaints there though, since they only serve Moet Chandon in the lounge, vs. Dom Perignon onboard.

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Airline Lounge, Emirates, Emirates First Class Terminal

Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai

July 7, 2016 By Trevor 2 Comments

  • Introduction
  • Starting Out and American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge – Chicago
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Chicago-Narita
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge – Haneda
  • Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777-200 Haneda to Bangkok
  • Review: Thai Airways Orchid Spa and Royal Orchid Lounge
  • Review: Thai Airways 787-8 Business Class – Bangkok to Denpasar-Bali
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Bali
  • Review: Denpasar-Bali Airport and Premier Lounge
  • Review: Singapore A330 Business Class Denpasar-Bali to Singapore
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore
  • Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room
  • Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates Lounge – Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai
  • Review: Emirates First Class Terminal – Dubai
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

After our visit to the lounge, we were more than anxious to get onboard our Emirates A380 to Dubai.

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The aircraft interior was noticeably newer, with the walls of the suites going higher than the older version. There was also the noticeable difference in the LCD for controlling the seat.

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The seat itself was just like usual.

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Including the mini-bar

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As we settled in, we were offered the standard pre-departure champagne.

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Then a few minutes later, we were offered Arabic coffee and dates. I really do enjoy the arabic coffee.

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A few minutes later one of the cabin crew came around to schedule shower appointments. I chose 2 hours before arrival, as I like to arrive refreshed.

Before long, boarding was complete and we were on our way.

The Meal Service

We started the meal service off with some sort of seafood option. I ended up skipping it, but my wife took one for the team. I think she ended up enjoying it.

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Then there was Caviar

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For my entree, I had a teriyaki beef dish, it was good, not terribly amazing, but certainly was good.

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My wife selected a beef dish, she enjoyed it more than I enjoyed mine.

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Desert was sweet, but not terribly memorable.

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My wife on the other hand, had a chocolate cake / lava cake type thing, which she enjoyed.

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The On board Bar

Despite the short flight, we still found time to make a trip back to the onboard bar. Its really a great amenity, in that it gives you an opportunity to stretch your legs, and mingle with others. I also had the chance to chat with the purser, who at one point stepped behind the bar–a bit uncomfortably so. An interesting point came up in the conversation, was that Emirates doesn’t give their flight attendants crew rest on flights under 8 hours. I guess I can understand that, but 8 hours of constant work in addition to all the pre-departure prep seems like a long time without a break.

Emirates A380 On Board Bar

Emirates A380 On Board Bar

The Emirates A380 First Class Shower

Perhaps the biggest deal about flying Emirates First Class is being able to shower at 40,000 feet. It really is that nice. Each A380 has two shower spas, located on the upper deck, in the nose of the aircraft (or as far forward as is possible on the upper deck).

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They are pretty roomy, have heated floors, and a monitor that shows the airshow–because who doesn’t want to know where they are, when they’re in the shower?

Of particular note on this flight was that Emirates is moving to different soaps / shampoos amenities. Previously Emirates offered two types of soaps / shampoos. One for energizing, and one for relaxing. They are now shifting to only one. This for me, was kind of a shame because I enjoyed the two types. I also enjoyed the extras they had like the exfoliating body wash. Prior to flying Emirates, I didn’t even know that exfoliating body wash existed, but its certainly a nice perk.

Wrapping Up

Overall, the flight was wonderful. If only it was a bit longer.

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: A380, Emirates, First Class, Premium Travel

Review: Emirates Lounge in Hong Kong

July 6, 2016 By Trevor Leave a Comment

Introduction

  • Starting Out and American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge – Chicago
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Chicago-Narita
  • Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge – Haneda
  • Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777-200 Haneda to Bangkok
  • Review: Thai Airways Orchid Spa and Royal Orchid Lounge
  • Review: Thai Airways 787-8 Business Class – Bangkok to Denpasar-Bali
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Bali
  • Review: Denpasar-Bali Airport and Premier Lounge
  • Review: Singapore A330 Business Class Denpasar-Bali to Singapore
  • Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore
  • Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room
  • Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates Lounge – Hong Kong
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai
  • Review: Emirates First Class Terminal – Dubai
  • Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

Our Singapore Airlines A380 dropped us off 5-6 hours before our Emirates flight was due to take off. Unfortunately, Emirates Lounge in Hong Kong doesn’t open until a few hours before flight, so we wandered about, and browsed the duty free stores–of course, looking for things to resell.

A few hours before our flight, when we knew the lounge would open (the time escapes me, as I sit down to write this trip report), we headed to the lounge, which was up a level from where the gates are, but still had an open air feel to it.

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The layout, look and feel, and amenities were all consistent with other remote lounges–e.g. those not in Dubai–that we had visited.

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Veuve Clicquot for the champagne, lounge open to business and first class, a generous buffet selection.

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We pretty much stayed until it made more sense to head to the aircraft. This was one of those lounges that was very nice to have for the free wi-fi and amenities, but, when choosing between being on the plane or in the lounge, we chose that we’d rather be on the plane and settling in. Overall though, it was a good respite from the hustle and bustle of the terminal.

Emirates A380

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Emirates, Emirates Lounge, hong kong

Alaska Demolished Emirates Award Chart, then provides Q and A a day later

March 31, 2016 By Trevor 8 Comments

AS - Customer Loyalty

The big news today (other than Anbang bowing out of the bid for Starwood) is Alaska’s no notice changes to the Emirates Award Chart. This is a big deal. We’re talking increases of 50-100% for the cost. Folks that had enough for a round trip to Africa, now have enough for a one way, for example. Here’s the new chart:

AS EK Changes 31 Mar 16

It’s funny, because I was on the phone with Alaska Air yesterday evening, for over 45 minutes from 7:30 to just past 8:20pm Eastern, and in that time, I went from having the perfect seats, to the availability disappearing as I was providing our Alaska numbers (I was booking for my father and brother as well). No notice, the agent had no idea what was going on. First had been available, then poof, only business. Had I been on longer, I probably would’ve seen business go as well, but, alas, I had to sleep.

No Notice Award Chart Changes

Ok, this is a pet peeve of anyone that plays this game. We devote a lot of time to accruing miles. We risk, what many call, one of our most valuable assets, our credit (I personally think it’s 2nd, behind reputation), to apply for credit cards, to fly these great awards. Some go out and manufacture spend, meaning that they spend countless hours in lines at Walmart and other places to generate Alaska miles. Others, fly, whether they are mileage runs, business, or otherwise, they fly to earn enough for that awesome experience. My point here is: We can’t snap our fingers one day and suddenly double our Alaska mileage stash (without buying them for a minimum of 2.11 cents per mile), why should Alaska change their chart with no advance notice? I call this a lack of decency.

A Demolished Emirates Award Chart

Emirates is a truly awesome Alaska partner, for many in the mile and point community. We are the 1% when it comes to pursuing this type of award, so, pat yourself on the back. But then ask – if, according to Alaska’s investor day in 2013, if 3.5% of Mileage Plan Member Award Redemptions are on “International Partners” which includes more than just Emirates, how are we even moving the needle?

Alaska Investor Day 2013

The FAQ That Tells it Like it is

A day after the changes were officially made, on 31 March (the day most folks noticed those changes), Alaska finally got around to putting out a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about their change. There are some interesting points in that FAQ.

First, “Track Hacking:”

Alaska’s premium Emirates awards have long been known as an exceptionally good deal. With the rise of “travel-hacking,” intended to exploit Mileage Plan’s award routing rules, coupled with below-market award levels, our previous award levels were unsustainable. The new award levels enable Alaska to continue to offer Emirates Business Class and First Class as a redemption option.

I dare say that Bank of America was more the loser when it comes to “travel hacking.” If anything, Alaska was doing exceptionally well, because beyond applying for credit cards, (which seem to be increasing pretty substantially, see chart from 3 December 15 Investor Day):

AS Affinity Cards

So, please, Alaska, tell us how much you were “losing” from “travel hackers.”

The next question – Why didn’t Mileage Plan give advance notice?

Given the dynamics of this particular award, we were unable to announce changes in advance. This approach doesn’t represent a new normal. Our policy is to communicate significant program changes with at least 30 days’ notice when at all possible.

I really don’t understand this. We’re talking about an award that is less than 2.5% (based on 2013 numbers) of overall Mileage Plan redemptions, from a company that is returning significant dollars back to shareholders (a great thing for shareholders), which has reasonably low debt, and in general, is doing pretty well (another chart from 2015):

Alaska Investor Day 2015 - 2

So yeah – why, Alaska, do you need to stick it to folks that are such a small percentage of award bookings, with absolutely no notice. There is no goodwill here.

Of course, there is a bright side:

If you purchased miles on or after March 1, 2016, you can contact our Customer Care team for a refund.

I guess that’s the benefit of booking during their 40% bonus on purchased miles program.

And the final point glossed from the FAQ: What about future changes?

Future changes, if any, to these award levels will be given with advance notice.

Because, somehow, even though Alaska states that they could not announce changes in advance based on the dynamic of Emirates awards, Alaska still believes they can provide advance notice in the future. Does that mean we can still trust them?

A Reminder – Earn and Burn

We should all know this by now. But if we haven’t, we have Kenny, and Milenomics to help remind us. Miles and Points are an unregulated currency, and as a result, airlines can do what they please, when they please, if they please, and we get virtually no say. I’m just as guilty. As I mentioned earlier. I had gotten my brother and father up to 100,000 Alaska miles, and waited. I waited because I wanted the availability to open up for our window (well within the booking window), so I could architect the perfect trip. Ironically, I even stated in a meeting today: Perfect is the enemy of good. In other words, if good is enough, do it.

Wrapping Up

Today was a bad day. I dare say it was Black Thursday (since so many Black Fridays, and who could forget, Blue Tuesday). For me personally, this is huge, not because I won’t ever fly Emirates again–I’ll find a way, as those ways are still out there, just more difficult–but rather, Alaska showed what are perhaps their true colors. All of those positive overtones, and yet, just like I mentioned earlier, your reputation is your most important asset, and Alaska has just tarnished their reputation of being trustworthy and customer focused, for what? To eek out a little bit of extra profit for Emirates awards.

Filed Under: Airline Programs Tagged With: Alaska, Award Travel, Devaluation, Emirates

My Year in Travel

December 31, 2015 By Trevor 1 Comment

It’s that time of the year again, where you look back at the year behind, and look forward to the year ahead.

A whole lot of flying–even for me

This year I flew 159,029 miles. All of it either funded by myself or through miles. Here’s that travel charted out:

Map courtesy of gcmap.

Map courtesy of gcmap.

My travel brought me to 12 countries, of which 2 were new to me: Egypt and Chile. I flew a lot of American Airlines and Qatar Airways revenue, Emirates and Etihad on miles, but got a couple of flights on Lufthansa First Class (including visits to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal). I also finally flew my White Whale.

New Airlines for me this year included: Virgin Atlantic (post coming), Cathay Pacific Long-haul First Class, Qantas domestic, and Singapore Regional.

New Cities

This year I felt like I was in a bit of a travel rut. I started the year visiting Cairo–which was awesome, then found myself returning to a lot of places I’d been: Dubai, Doha, Bali, and Singapore. Even though I revisited Mainz, Germany, I don’t see that as part of the rut. I did see my wife and I get out of that rut in visiting Melbourne, Australia, and would recommend anyone and everyone to visit, it was truly the most surprisingly enjoyable city of the year. I’ll have a post on that in early 2016 to share more.

Elite Status

I started the year with the goal of re-qualifying Executive Platinum (EXP) status on American Airlines through Elite Qualifying Points (EQPs). I am happy to say that I made it. Not only that, but I made it before August 1st.

2015 EXP Status

For hotel status, I had previously been downgraded from Marriott Platinum to Marriott Gold, did a Platinum challenge to get back up there, and am ending the year well short of 75 nights. I will likely try for the same challenge next year, if they will allow it. I did however re-qualify for Hyatt Diamond status. I tend to value Hyatt Diamond status quite a bit, so had no problem doing some mattress runs at the end of the year.

Looking Ahead

As far as travel, I’m starting the year with the fewest completely planned trips in many years. The only two completely planned trips I have are to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in January, and to Reykjavik, Iceland in February. I’ve got a bunch of partials, but those are the only two. Furthermore, I’ll be flying Economy to Iceland! I’m sure long-time readers will know how I feel about that, but there just isn’t an economical options that doesn’t require a trans-Atlantic, so far as I could figure out.

As far as my loyalty in 2016, I’m a bit on the fence, as I shared last week. Despite American AAdvantage’s devaluation, I’m still leaning more toward re-qualifying for EXP status, but only if I can do it in the first half of the year! I think re-qualifying for Hyatt Diamond status is a no-brainer, and I’ve already got some stays booked.

I’m hopeful to make it back to Bali, perhaps finally try out a Hyatt All Inclusive closer to home, and maybe even make it to South Africa. I’ve got more countries and cities on my “dream” list, but I’m trying to keep things reasonable, if you consider those I’ve identified as reasonable. I’m hopeful also to get a couple of trips on Emirates’ A380, hopefully fly Japan Airlines’ First Class, and if all works out, get another Cathay Pacific flight before the AAdvantage Devaluation.

How was your year in travel? What are your plans for the future?

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: American Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Hyatt, Qatar Airways, Year in Travel

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