Fun Friday Photo

Happy weekend!

Chicago Departure

QANTAS A380 Dallas to Sydney Business Class Review

I booked my round the world trip because of this flight. Premium cabin award space between North America and Australia/New Zealand is rare and it is not a flight to attempt in coach.  It was the longest flight in the world too when I booked QF8, DFW-SYD. Emirates launched a flight to Auckland two weeks before my trip, so it wasn’t the longest flight available when I flew it.  I was still excited for 17+ hours in QANTAS business class.

Upright Seat at Start of Trip

Yes, It Slops Down

Another View

QANTAS launched their A380 service in 2008. The aircraft interior has not been updated (excluding maintenance) since.  Slightly angled flatbed seats were an average offering in 2008, but now feel dated. The TV’s are small and lower definition than newer planes.  The feeling of privacy is also limited in business class.  The seat is firm, the duvet added for flight helps slightly, but the flight was long enough to get 7+ hours of rest.  The pajamas, or sleepy suit in Australian, were a fun touch, but not the most comfortable item to wear.  It also made a rush on the lavatories after breakfast to change (remember to change before landing; wearing pajamas in the lounge is a major faux pas).

Cool Flight Map

This was my first flight every on QANTAS and had high expectations from my brother and his adventures around Australia two years ago.  The service and food were disappointing.  The flight attendants were brief, almost curt, in their service.  My pre-ordered steak was very well done.  I picked at a sandwich later that was ok.  British Airways’ premium economy food was on par with QANTAS business.

View from 19K

Over Cooked Steak

I enjoyed the lounge in the front of the upper deck.  I sipped a beer while reading and spreading out.  I was less interested when chatty people found it later in the flight.  I also went down stairs to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing. 

A380 Lounge

I Love Stairs on Planes

I expected more from a foreign carrier.  The business class experience is 8 years old and needs to be replaced.  Upgraded food service is an easier task that also needs to be done.  It was a good use of 65,000 American miles, but my expectations surpassed QANTAS's offering.

Small TV

Beer With Breakfast

Window View

Great Review of AA's Fleet Planning

Cranky Flyer did a great review of American Airlines' fleet since 2000.

T Tails on the Way Out

Silly Inflight Maps

QANTAS is quirky.  For example, their inflight maps show famous ship wrecks and the year of the sinking. This is useful on long over water flights with few landmarks, but also a little distressing. 

Mapping What Lies Beneath

Underwater Features Include Mountains

American Airlines' New 737-800 First Class

The shortest flight of my 30,993 mile RTW trip was the first leg from Denver to Dallas.  Originally scheduled as a flat bed 757-200, the aircraft type was changed to a 737-800 a few weeks before departure.  This was a step down, but not as far as thought. I lucked out and got an almost brand new 737.  

New 737 < Old 757

I couldn’t tell from the outside, but once I stepped in, I noticed the Boeing Sky Interior bins and impressive looking new style seats. These were the best part of the flight. The TV screen was large and sharp.  The aircraft was loaded with movie selections and I was able to fit in The Godfather on my way to Dallas. The seats were a little closer together than I'd like, but the person in front didn't recline.

Great TV and Video Options

Nice New Option

The flight was blocked at 2:05 and flew during dinner hours, so I ate light in the Admirals Club (not difficult). I was anticipating a hot meal service with two entree options.  I was wrong. Cheese plate or a fruit plate were the options. Not bad as a starter, but that was it. Dejected, I enjoyed an amazing film and beer.  The flight landed soon after my movie and I was off to the QANTAS lounge for the most anticipated flight of the trip.

That's it?

American’s new first class seats put United’s new offering to shame. United has better meal service and a less chaotic boarding experience.  It’s hard to choose a better option, because no one is being upgraded anyway.

DIY Around the World Award Trip

I cashed in about 250,000 miles and flew around the world last month.  The trip was four one way awards, not a formal around the world award ticket. I feel like it gave me better value (way cheaper) and more flexibility (could book on different alliances).  With American’s devaluation staring me down, I decided to redeem almost all my AAdvantage miles on an epic adventure. 

Thanks For The Motivation

I went DEN-DFW-SYD-AKL in business class for about 65,000 American miles.  Premium cabin award space to Australia is very difficult to find, so the DFW-SYD seat I found drove the timing of the trip.  From there I flew AKL-SYD-PER on QANTAS with 17,500 American miles for business class.  I wanted the direct on Air New Zealand’s 787, but no business class space was available and coach with United miles was the same price as business with AA.  Perth to Cape Town, via JNB, was 85,000 United miles and good value. The other options were via Asia and North Africa.  Cape Town to Denver was 100,000 AA miles for first class on British Airways via London.  This was the best value because the ticket was only 25,000 more miles than London to Denver and I was in first for an extra 12 hours.

I Love Sydney Airport

Enjoy some photos, I’ll have more detailed posts soon.

Thanks oneworld As Well

Happy Travels

It's time to fly was a better slogan than the new friendly campaign.

United Had Better Marketing Before This Tail Logo

700 Free American Miles

700 miles and a reset expiration date is a few clicks away.

Don't Let Inactivity Make Your Miles Vanish

Air Mauritius Paid Upgrade Offer

Air Mauritius will sell you an upgrade from Cape Town to Mauritius for ZAR1,600 any day. That's about $107 and great value for a 4.5 hour flight. It's an A319, so don't expect flat beds, but the meal, space, and lounge would be worth it.

CPT-MRU Up Front for an Extra $107

First Class Fun on QANTAS

It's better to fly first, especially in an emergency. The guy on the safety card seems to enjoy the brace position.

Remember to Wink and Smile in an Emergency

Fun Photo

It's snowing in Denver this weekend. I'm dreaming of warmer destinations like LGB.

Post Long Beach Grand Prix Flight From LGB

JNB Airport Viewing Deck

Nice to have a viewing deck, but not much of a view.  It's most popular as a smoking deck for employees.

View From The Pre-Security Viewing Deck

OR Tambo Airport - JNB

Johannesburg Airport, JNB, has some IT issues. Their website is broken, the video explaining security and customs wasn't working in line, and I noticed their copy of Windows is not genuine. 

JNB Airport Using Bootleg Software

Loo With A View

I found this in the SLOW (Comair) lounge in Cape Town. The entire lounge had stunning views, even the bathroom.

Loo with a View

Round the World

I flew around the world this month and am working on some posts. I'm a fan of the right side of the aircraft, so enjoy some preliminary photos.

British Airway (Comair) 737-400 out of CPT

South African A340-600

QANTAS 737-800 out of AKL

Air New Zealand 75 Years Exhibition

Air New Zealand is 75 years old and the Auckland Museum has a special exhibit on the airline.  There were crew uniforms over time, bock boxes from flight 901, and other airline artifacts. Did you know that they stopped flying boat service in 1960 and was the last international airline to do so? The Auckland Museum is a great museum that didn't dumb down when renovating recently. I wish more museums would follow that model.

A320 Engine

Uniforms Over Time

NZ 901 Flight Data Recorders

Rico the Puppet

Spitfire 

Museum and War Memorial

Here's the Rico ad:

IHG Sharing Promo

Thanks for the 1,000 points for signing up, but I'm not interested in participating beyond that.

No Thanks

New Starbucks Rewards Program Tuesday

The new Starbucks rewards program started Tuesday. Unlike airlines making rewards program transitions, ample warning was provided and the last few weeks have been full of generous bonus point opportunities. I'm still not keen on the change, but it stings less.

Unrelated Thai 747-400 Photo I Like

That's Nice of American

Huh, an airline is treating their passengers like adults. I hope they get carried away and do this more often, like with the seat belt sign.

The Godfather Warning

No Thanks

Nope Airlines Based at SJU

Need Better Photos

Alaska is 100% 737 and has been for a while. Way to go Denver Post.

Starwood and Caesars Las Vegas

The Westin Las Vegas used to be the only SPG option by the strip. Now all the Caesars properties in Las Vegas count for SPG points and benefits. Registration is required to link SPG and Caesars accounts.

Less Traditional View of Las Vegas

Hyatt Bonus Season

Up to 75,000 bonus points from Hyatt! Wow, they are serious about stealing customers from SPG. If I had any business travel coming up, I'd be tempted to switch.

Great Idea from Hyatt

Bonus Lufthansa Miles

Note: I am NOT compensated for this post.

Think you can spend $5,000 in 90 days? Then the Lufthansa Miles & More credit card is a good grab. Lufthansa has better first class availability for their members than Star Alliance partners, so it's a valuable currancy to collect.

Lufthansa A340-300 at FRA

Brussels Airport Reopens Today

I Love Brussels

Fun Lufthansa Picture

Runner up for airline April Fools jokes.

Lufthansa 747-8i

I Love April 1st Announcements

CALGARY, April 1, 2016 /CNW/ - In its never-ending quest to deliver the most caring and personalized service to its guests, WestJet announced today the replacement of all standard-issue food and beverage carts with the Robotic Automated Light Food Handler (RALFH). RALFH provides incredible guest service utilizing a powerful memory, a facial-recognition camera and an audio conveyance system that allows it to interact with guests to deliver food and beverage orders in an efficient, personalized and technologically awe-inspiring manner.

"With RALFH, the only thing we've changed is everything. As not only a Canadian-airline first, but a global-aviation first, RALFH is a demonstration of WestJet's innovative thinking and dedication to guest experience," said Richard Bartrem, WestJet Vice-President, Marketing Communications. "By using RALFH to order and distribute food and beverages, we have eliminated the need for our flight attendants to push a heavy cart up and down the aisle. We can't wait for RALFH to start providing an entirely new and fun way to wine and dine our guests."

The installation of RALFH means that WestJet's flight attendants now have the ability to provide even more of the caring guest experience that makes WestJet the proud Canadian airline it is today.

Said Bartrem, "The idea behind RALFH started with WestJet's beloved flight attendants, who always provide remarkable experiences. We have simply evolved and reinvented the flight attendant, resulting in the most beautiful and powerful hi-tech food dispenser in the world. Anyone who wants to order a coke, a sandwich or even just a bottle of water is going to love RALFH."

RALFH also makes it easy for guests to get up and down the aisles of the plane, which was noted in consumer testing as awesome.

To celebrate the launch of RALFH, WestJet is having a No Foolin' Just Savin' Sale: Seriously great savings on flights and vacation packages to select destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe.  One-way fares starting from $99 CAD* total price on select routes within Canada, or save up to $1,300 on select vacation packages. Take advantage of these great savings by booking before April 5, 2016 (11:59 p.m. MDT) for travel from April 1 to July 13 and September 7 to October 31, 2016. Lowest fares can be found on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Blackout dates from May 19 to 24, June 29 to July 15 and October 6 to 11, 2016. Advance purchase of 14 days required for travel within Canada and seven days for travel to the U.S. Other restrictions apply. Visit westjet.com/sale for complete details.

Double Miles on QANTAS

This is awful nice of QANTAS:
Simply register and then make your bookings between 29 March and 5 April 2016, for travel between 29 March 2016 and 17 March 2017. So with almost a year to fly, you can book all of your flights now for twice the rewards later.
Too bad Northern Hemisphere airlines won't copy this promotion.

I don't seem to have a QANTAS picture handy