Airline Reviews – Benjamin J Travel

Trip Report: British Airways 777-200 Premium Economy | Houston to London Heathrow - World Traveler Plus - Blog Review

Trip Report: British Airways 777-200 Premium Economy | Houston to London Heathrow

2 October, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making my way to London for a long weekend, my in-flight product would be British Airways on the 777-200 in Premium Economy from Houston to London Heathrow. I’ve reviewed the British Airways 777-200 experience in Club World but it’d been a while since I’d been aboard a British Airways 777. Premium Economy is branded as World Traveller Plus but I will refer to it as Premium Economy in this review. The Cabin: Configured in a four-class arrangement (First, Club World, World Traveller…

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Trip Report: TAP Portugal Lie-Flat Business Class | A330-200 | Lisbon to Boston Blog Review

Trip Report: TAP Portugal Lie-Flat Business Class | A330-200 | Lisbon to Boston

22 July, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making the journey back home from Oslo, my transatlantic segment would be aboard an A330 in TAP Portugal Lie-Flat Business Class. In its long haul fleet, TAP Portugal operates A330s and A340s with their Business Class cabin current undergoing an retrofit. I selected my particular itinerary so that I could experience TAP Portugal’s new Business Class cabin on the A330 featuring it’s new lie flat seats. I left my Airbnb extra earlier to have a bit of time to hang out…

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Trip Report: TAP Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class | A320 | Oslo to Lisbon - Blog Review - Airbus - tap portugal a320 seat map

Trip Report: TAP Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class | A320 | Oslo to Lisbon

16 April, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Beginning my extended journey home from Oslo, the first leg of my journey would be in TAP Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class aboard an Airbus A320 from Oslo to Lisbon. Scheduled for an 6:55 PM departure, our flight time would be at 4 hours from gate to gate. Tap Portugal refers to their Business Class cabin as “Executive Class”. Boarding was slightly delayed and the gate area was packed but ultimately the boarding process was orderly with Business Class and Star…

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What's The Best Economy Seat on American Airlines' 777-300ER? - best seats american airlines 777-300er

What’s The Best Economy Seat on American Airlines’ 777-300ER?

15 April, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Traveling long-haul on one of American Airlines’ flagship 777-300ERs soon? What’s the best Economy Seat on board? While there are a number of “best” Economy Class seats on the American Airlines 777-300ER, your preference might not be the same as your fellow passenger. So what constitutes the best Economy Class seat on the American Airlines 777-300ER? Is it more legroom? More privacy? Or maybe simply avoiding extra cabin noise. I’ve flown American’s 777-300ER dozens of times and I’ve sat all…

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Trip Report: American Airlines 737 Business Class | Puerto Vallarta to DFW Blog Review First Class

Trip Report: American Airlines 737 Business Class | Puerto Vallarta to DFW

2 April, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making the short 2.5 hour journey home from Puerto Vallarta to DFW, we enjoyed a lovely flight with American Airlines in Business Class on one of their workhorse 737s. We had originally booked a one way ticket in Economy Class, Chris and I were upgraded thanks to my Executive Platinum status. Our complimentary upgrades cleared about 4 days prior to departure. My upgrade was complimentary and Chris, who holds Gold AAdvantage status, redeemed two 500-mile upgrade “stickers”. Premium cabin seats…

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Trip Report: American Airlines 777-200 Business Class | Honolulu to DFW

Trip Report: American Airlines 777-200 Business Class | Honolulu to DFW

1 April, 2018 Benjamin J Travel Comments 4 comments

Making our way home from Hawaii, our journey home would be aboard American’s 777-200 from Honolulu to DFW. The 777 is the workhorse between American’s fortress hub in in DFW and Honolulu. American has completed the retrofit of their 777-200s. You can expect a lie-flat seat in Business Class on all of American’s 777s across the fleet. The Cabin: SeatGuru isn’t exactly accurate on their seat maps American’s 772 so unfortunately a bit difficult to predict which Business Class seat…

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Trip Report: Alaska Airlines 737-800 Economy Class | San Diego to Honolulu Blog Review Legroom Airline Food

Trip Report: Alaska Airlines 737-800 Economy Class | San Diego to Honolulu

26 December, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making the journey to Hawaii for a 10 day holiday, our final outbound leg would be aboard Alaska Airlines from San Diego to Honolulu. This was an award booking with American Airlines AAdvantage miles with the first segment form DFW to San Diego on American Airlines. We’d been upgraded thanks to my Executive Platinum status on the first leg but we wouldn’t be eligible for an upgrade not the Alaska operated flight. Award booking method for this flight: Economy Class…

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Trip Report: SAS GO Economy Class | London Heathrow to Stavanger to Oslo | 737-800 Transit Time in Stavanger Blog Review Go Light SAS

Trip Report: SAS Go Economy Class | London Heathrow to Stavanger to Oslo | 737-800

29 October, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making my way to London to Oslo after my flight from Dallas, I had snagged a cheap ticket on SAS in SAS Go Economy Class with a connection in Stavanger. While I would have preferred a nonstop, the cheapest nonstop that worked for my departure time was over $400 USD. The SAS Go ticket was only $100 USD. That major price difference make my decision for me. Plus, it’d be a chance to fly through a new airport I’d never…

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Lounge Review: TAP Portugal Premium Lounge | Lisbon Terminal 1 Star Alliance Blog Review

Lounge Review: TAP Portugal Premium Lounge | Lisbon

26 October, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Located in Lisbon Airport’s Terminal 1, the TAP Portugal Premium Lounge serves TAP Portugal’s premium cabin customers, Victoria elite guests, and Star Alliance flyers. The TAP Portugal Premium Lounge is located on the sixth floor, above the main concourse of Terminal 1, just past security control and up the escalator. The lounge staff at the front desk was friendly and polite. Check-in was a prompt after a quick scan of my boarding pass. Access to the TAP Portugal Premium Lounge is…

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Trip Report: British Airways 747-400 Economy Class | Dallas DFW to London Heathrow LHR Blog Review

Trip Report: British Airways 747-400 Economy Class | Dallas to London

15 October, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

Flying one of my most frequent routes, Dallas to London, I’d be flying aboard the Queen of the Skies aboard a British Airways 747-400 in Economy Class. While I prefer the upper deck on the 747, I snagged an off-peak award with British Airways Avios that I couldn’t pass up for only 16,250 Avios points one-way. Award Booking Cost Points Used: 16,250 British Airways Avios Taxes and Fees Per Ticket: 153.10 USD Total Cost: 16,250 BA Avios + 153.10 USD…

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Trip Report: LOT Polish Business Class | 787 | Warsaw to Chicago Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: LOT Polish Business Class | 787 | Warsaw to Chicago

17 September, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making my way from Warsaw to Chicago, LOT Polish Business Class on the 787 would be my ride across the Atlantic. After a nice flight from Brussels to Warsaw on LOT Polish, I was looking forward to my firs long-haul flight with LOT Polish. I’d spent some time in the Polonez and Bolero Business Class lounges before heading to the boarding gate. The boarding process was a bit delayed and boarding commenced about 20 minutes late after the scheduled time….

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Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777-300ER Premium Economy | Los Angeles to Hong Kong Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777-300ER Premium Economy | Los Angeles to Hong Kong

31 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

Making my way to Singapore, my outbound transpacific leg would be in Cathay Pacific 777-300ER Premium Economy. After spending some time at the Qantas First lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), I decided to head to the gate a bit early. Our flight was to depart from Gate 153 although no boarding the time was published on my boarding pass or in the lounge so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to head the gate a bit early. As…

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Trip Report: LOT Polish Business Class | E190 | Brussels to Warsaw Embraer Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: LOT Polish Business Class | E195 | Brussels to Warsaw

26 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Continuing my journey home from the Côte d’Azur, my second segment would be aboard LOT Polish Business Class on an Embraer 195 regional jet. This would be my second time flying aboard LOT Polish after a trip to Krakow, Poland last year. The entire cabin of the E195 is in a 2-2 layout with a curtain separating the Business Class cabin from Economy. The first four rows were designated as Business Class but the seats in Economy Class are identical to…

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Trip Report: Brussels Airlines Business Class | A319 | Marseille to Brussels Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: Brussels Airlines Business Class | A319 | Marseille to Brussels

24 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Starting a very nontraditional routing home from Marseille to Dallas on Star Alliance carriers, my travels would begin in Brussels Airlines Business Class aboard the A319 from Marseille to Brussels. This would be my first time aboard Brussels Airlines and my second time at the Brussels Airport. As much as I hate early flights, my itinerary left me with little choice but a 6:40 AM departure from Marseille. I took an Uber from my Airbnb rental in Aix-en-Provence and arrived…

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Trip Report: Iberia Economy Class | A340 | Madrid to Chicago Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: Iberia Economy Class | A340 | Madrid to Chicago

23 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

As you you may know, I’ve just returned from a week in Madrid. Originally booked on American Airlines for the flight home, I changed my return journey and booked an Iberia Economy Class award for 20,000 Avios from Madrid to Chicago. I’d never really had a great experience with Iberia before but for 20,000 Avios, it was a cheap way to get home. Award booking method for this flight: Economy Class flight on Iberia Madrid to Chicago: 20,000 Avios +…

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Trip Report: British Airways Club Europe | A321 | London Heathrow to Madrid Airline Blog Review

Trip Report: British Airways Club Europe | A321 | London Heathrow to Madrid

10 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

After a nice Business Class flight with American Airlines from DFW to London, the final leg of my journey would be from London Heathrow to Madrid. I’d be flying about British Airways in Club Europe aboard an Airbus A321, a workhorse of BA’s intra-Europe fleet. I had about a three hour layover at Heathrow and I spent most of my time in the Galleries First Lounge in Terminal 5. Although, ideally, I would have rather spent my time in the…

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Trip Report: American Airlines Business Class | 777-300ER | DFW to London Heathrow Blog Review August 2017

Trip Report: American Airlines Business Class | 777-300ER | DFW to London Heathrow

8 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 2 comments

I’ve written extensively about American’s Business Class product on the 777-300ER on the DFW to London route as well other routes like Sydney to Los Angeles. But I wanted to write-up a “mini review” of my latest journey aboard American Airlines Business Class. Boarding from Gate D23 (which I despise for it’s compact space), the boarding process started right on time for AA 78 from DFW to London Heathrow. Boarding was slow as there was only one agent scanning boarding…

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Trip Report: American Airlines 787-9 Economy Class | Dallas DFW to Paris CDG Blog Airline Review

Trip Report: American Airlines 787-9 Economy Class | DFW to Paris

3 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 2 comments

Making my may to Paris for a quick extended weekend, I’d be traveling with American Airlines in 787-9 Economy Class. I was pleased when American “upgraded” this route from an older 777-200 to a 787-9 although now that nearly all 777-200s have been retrofitted, the 787-9 is newer but a slightly smaller passenger capacity. Before departure, I spent about an hour in the DFW Amex Centurion Lounge before heading to my gate about 15 minutes before departure. American loves to…

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Trip Report: British Airways 777 Club World | DFW to London Heathrow Dallas Blog Review

Trip Report: British Airways 777 Club World | DFW to London Heathrow

2 August, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Thanks to the joint transatlantic venture between OneWorld partners American Airlines and British Airways, there isn’t a shortage of flight options between Dallas (DFW) and London Heathrow (LHR). We had purchased tickets from Dallas to Budapest in British Airways Business Class cabin (branded as Club World) for a fantastic cash price. We were looking forward to the experience in 777 Club World and our trip to Budapest. Our journey started in the Amex Centurion Lounge at DFW but ultimately spent most…

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Making my way to Nice for a week in Provence, my the final leg of my outbound journey would be in aboard Swiss A320 Business Class. After a nice journey aboard Swiss' 777-300ER in Business Class from Los Angeles to Zurich, I was looking forward to another Swiss flight. My connection in Zurich was just under two hours so I spent most of my time in the SWISS Business Lounge in Terminal A. About 15 minutes before scheduled boarding time, I headed over to Terminal A and to our boarding gate, A81. Boarding started right on time and I boarded with the Priority group for Hon Circle, Miles & More Senator, Business Class, Miles & More Frequent Traveller, and Star Alliance Gold passengers. Boarding was orderly and I was the first passneger to board so I had a chance to snap a couple of quick photos of the cabin. Swiss' Business Class cabin on the A320 is standard for European Business Class cabins with a 3-3 layout just like the Economy Class cabin. However, for extra comfort, the middle seat is blocked in Business Class. The curtain between Economy and Business can be moved to adjust the size of Business Class depending on demand. On Swiss, the middle seat is not blocked with an extra tray table like it is on British Airways in Club Europe. We were served a light afternoon lunch for this short 90 minute flight. To be honest, I did't know exactly what I was eating as there were no menus distributed. It appeared there was an egg quiche, a pate with fish eggs, and a tiramisu style dessert. The food was a tasty but it also helped that I was quite hungry. Our final approach offered a lovely view of the Nice and the surrounding Côte d'Azur.

Trip Report: Swiss A320 Business Class | Zurich to Nice

29 July, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

Making my way to Nice for a week in Provence, my the final leg of my outbound journey would be in Swiss A320 Business Class. After a nice journey aboard Swiss’ 777-300ER in Business Class from Los Angeles to Zurich, I was looking forward to another Swiss flight. My connection in Zurich was just under two hours so I spent most of my time in the SWISS Business Lounge in Terminal A. About 15 minutes before scheduled boarding time, I headed…

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