Frequent Flyer Guy - Miles, Points, Tips, and Advice to Help Flying

Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 - Year In Review

2012 was a busy year! I flew 140,595 miles (new high score), 108,115 of them paid with cash (partially financed by my real job). Inexpensive trans-con trips in February and cheap tickets to San Juan, PR in fall helped me reach and race past 1K status. Work travel was better than expected and I took advantage of a $300 DEN-SJU fare that allowed two stops in each direction (I never left the airport in SJU on any of my 5 visits) that let me cheaply go from not quite Premier Exec to comfortably 1K.

Paid Travel in 2012 - http://www.gcmap.com/

All Flights from 2012 - http://www.gcmap.com/

Selected favorites from 2012:

Helsinki was a great city to visit and a delight to experience.
The Park Hyatt Tokyo was far and away the best hotel of the year, maybe ever.
The A340-600 was my favorite new airplane (for me) to fly; it feels special.
ANA business class was the best of 2012.
HEL (Helsinki) is my new favorite airport (FRA is a close second).
"I flew around the world" is a fun new phase I can use (thanks US Airways Dividend Miles Around the World fare).
Writing this blog, it really is fun.

Thanks for reading this year and I hope you have a great 2013 filled with new adventures.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

US Airways A320 First Class Lunch Review

I had a bad first impression with US Airways first class last month. They got a second chance last week and I had a much better experience. I was on an older, former America West, A320 and the seat reclined about 1 inch. There was no wifi (first class has to pay if available) or other form of entertainment offered other than the meal service.

US Airways First Class Lunch - It's Chicken

The meal service was a choice of chicken or pasta. I went with chicken (too many bad pasta experiences, even though it looked good for my seatmate) and enjoyed it thoroughly. There was great flavor to the main dish. I also like the Caesar salad and cheese and tomato dish. Desert was a light lemon cake, but I didn't eat much because I was comfortable full from the main dish. A snack basket with chips, cookies, and other treats was passed around after about two hours and available to pick over until landing. It's a nice touch I hope United will copy and help cement a good experience despite an uncomfortable seat.

US Airways First Class Dessert

Friday, December 28, 2012

US Airways Express CRJ-900 First Class Review

I flew on a new (for me) aircraft type today. The CRJ-900 is the stretched version of the CRJ-700 and doesn't feel very spacious. The windows are narrow and the overhead bins are tiny (Embraer jets have bigger windows, usable bins, and feel more spacious). The seat was comfortable and had plenty of leg room, even with my backpack under the seat in front. The first class service was spartan (45 min flight) with a single drink and a small snack bag. Not a bad flight, but the CRJ-900 feels obsolete even though it's a newer model. I have another flight in US Airways first class today, so things can still improve.