Blog Review – Page 2 – Benjamin J Travel

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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Lounge Review: oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX | Los Angeles

Lounge Review: oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX

26 July, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

After a long light from Hong Kong, I found myself with a long layover at LAX. With time to kill, I decided to check out the oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). I had access to the more upscale Qantas First Lounge in the same terminal but I wanted to sample something new. Access to the oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX access is permitted to oneworld elites with Sapphire or Emerald status or those traveling in…

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Trip Report: Qantas A330 Economy Class | Sydney to Melbourne

Trip Report: Qantas A330 Economy Class | Sydney to Melbourne

24 July, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

Making our way from Sydney to Melbourne, a Qantas A330-200 would be our ride for the short ride between Australia’s two largest cities. This trip report will cover our overall experience in Qantas A330 Economy Class on a domestic Australian route. I’d booked this particular segment with British Airways Avios as the cash price was bit pricey for such a short flight. British Airways (BA) Avios still represent a great value for short haul redemptions, especially outside on flights outside…

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Trip Report: Trip Report: Swiss 777-300ER Business Class | Los Angeles to Zurich Blog Airline Review777-300ER Business Class | Los Angeles to Zurich Blog Airline Review

Trip Report: Swiss 777-300ER Business Class | Los Angeles to Zurich

17 July, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 3 comments

Making my way to the the Cote d’Azur for a week long holiday, my outbound journey would be in Swiss 777-300ER Business Class. I booked an award journey on Star Alliance carriers via Aeroplan, Air Canada’s reward program. Aeroplan represents a great value for transatlantic premium cabin bookings with roundtrip Business Class bookings from North America to Western Europe for 110,000 Aeroplan miles. After spending the day in Los Angeles, I arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at…

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Hotel Review: Hotel International Paris | 11th Arrondissement Blog Review

Hotel Review: Hotel International Paris | 11th Arrondissement

7 July, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 2 comments

Spending a quick weekend in Paris in February, the Hotel International Paris would be home for just a night in the 11th arrondissement. On my last visit to Paris, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Paris Gare De L’Est which was an interesting hotel experience. I’d booked the room on Hotels.com for about $75 USD which is a nice cash rate for Paris. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 4 of 5 Stars Service: 3 of 5 Stars Comfort: 4 of 5…

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Lounge Review: Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge | Sydney Blog Terminal Paxex

Lounge Review: Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge | Sydney

25 June, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

After a very long flight in Economy from Los Angeles, a bit of refreshment was in order. Qantas hosts numerous lounges in it’s home airport but as our connecting flight was departing from Terminal 3. We headed to the the Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge. Access to the Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge is granted to those traveling in a premium cabin with Qantas or OneWorld carrier, Qantas Platinum/Platinum One, Emirates Platinum, or OneWorld Emerald in any cabin of travel. One guest…

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Hotel Review: The Larwill Studio | Melbourne Art Series Hotels

Hotel Review: The Larwill Studio | Melbourne

1 June, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”] Spending 5 days in Victoria, we’d be just spending one night in Melbourne initially. I’d booked The Larwill Studio of a reasonable rate of $100 USD for the night on Booking.com. I rarely use Booking.com but there was a fantastic rate through a partnership with TripAdvisor. Although we’d later return to Melbourne on this trip, we wouldn’t be returning to The Larwill Studio as…

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Trip Report: British Airways 747 Economy Class Boston to London Airline Review

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

9 May, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 2 comments

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Making our way to Florence for a siblings trip, my sister and I found ourselves in British Airways’ 747 Economy Class from Boston to London. A short hop just over 6.5 hours, the flight from Boston to London is on the short end of transatlantic flights. I flew in this same cabin and aircraft from London to Dallas just about 2 months ago. We had arrived from DFW on…

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Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Paris Gare de l'Est

Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Paris Gare de l’Est

7 May, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Arriving from Germany late in the evening, we arrived very late in the evening at the Holiday Inn Paris Gare de l’Est. We were only staying only one night in Paris and leaving the next evening from the Gare du Nord on the Eurostar. While the location isn’t my favorite part of Paris, it is extremely convenient to both the Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord. Overall Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars Location: 3…

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Why is it so Popular to Dislike American Airlines and AAdvantage Lately?

Why is it so Popular to Dislike American Airlines and AAdvantage Lately?

18 April, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 4 comments

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”.et_pb_text ul, .et_pb_text ol { margin: 30px; }||.et_pb_text li { margin-top: 16px; }”] While the recent United Airlines’ passenger incident (I’m not touching that topic, folks) has dominated the news, there’s another hot topic in the airline blogging world: a sudden distaste for American Airlines’ AAdvantage. So why is it so popular to dislike American Airlines lately? I’m still trying to figure that one out. It’s not as if there’s been any major changes to…

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Hotel Review: Residence Inn New York Manhattan | Midtown East

Hotel Review: Residence Inn New York Manhattan | Midtown East

16 April, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Spending a quick weekend in New York City, we wanted a comfortable place to stay without busting the bank. New York City hotels are generally quite expensive and after a bit of scouring, I found the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East on Hotels.com. After double-checking rates and the TripAdvisor reviews, it seemed to be a solid option in a great location. Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5…

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Lounge Review: Plaza Premium Lounge | London Heathrow | Terminal 2 Arrivals

Lounge Review: Plaza Premium Lounge | London Heathrow | Terminal 2 Arrivals

19 March, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

After arriving from Los Angles on my pleasant Air New Zealand flight, I need a quick chance to freshen up before heading into London. I rarely arrive into Terminal 2 so the Queen’s Terminal was a bit of an unfamiliar experience for me. After clearing immigration, I head out through the baggage claim and took a turn towards the Plaza Premium Lounge. The lounge is located just outside the baggage claim area in Terminal 2. As you walk into the entrance,…

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Hotel Review: Hotel Agora Bruxelles Grand Place

Hotel Review: Hotel Agora Bruxelles Grand Place

13 March, 2017 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

With Brussels as our first stop on a 9-day trip to Europe the New Year, I had selected the Hotel Agora Bruxelles Grand Place for it’s incredibly central location and great cash rate. As you know, I’m a fan of the Hotels.com Rewards program with it’s simple rewards earning concept. I had booked the room on Hotels.com for a cash rate of about $85 USD quite in advance. I’m not one to typically book a hotel five months out but I went ahead and…

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Lounge Review Escape Lounge MSP Airport

Lounge Review: Escape Lounge at MSP Airport

8 October, 2016 Benjamin J Travel Comments 0 Comment

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] With a decently long layover before our Air France flight to Paris, we had some time to pass at the Minneapolis airport. MSP is a pretty nice airport in itself and probably my favorite US Delta hub. We decided to have some lounge time at he Escape Lounge which is located on the upper or Mezzanine level of the terminal, right at the entrance to Concourse E. We gained…

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Air New Zealand 777-300ER Economy Class

Trip Report: Air New Zealand 777-300 Economy Class | Los Angeles to London

1 September, 2016 Benjamin J Travel Comments 9 comments

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Taking the unconventional routing from Dallas to London via LAX, I was excited for my first flight aboard Air New Zealand, even if it’s in Economy! I had snagged a pretty cheap flight for under $400 USD one-way from LAX to London Heathrow. This route is “fifth-freedom” route for Air New Zealand, and a popular one! I had arrived on a separate American Airlines flight from Dallas so I…

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How Overrated is the DFW Amex Centurion Lounge?

How Overrated is the DFW Amex Centurion Lounge?

14 August, 2016 Benjamin J Travel Comments 4 comments

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Let me preface this “review” with a full admission that I frequent the DFW Amex Centurion Lounge on a regular basis. As an American Express Platinum card holder, I receive complimentary access, regardless of airline or class of service I’m flying. Platinum Card and Centurion Card holders receive complimentary access (plus 2 guests) while holders of any other American Express card can access the lounge for a $50 fee. When this…

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Trip Report: DFW to Hong Kong | American Airlines 777-300ER Main Cabin Extra

24 April, 2016 Benjamin J Travel Comments 7 comments

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”1″ padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.64″] Hong Kong has become one of my favorite cities and I just returned from a quick trip. With American Airlines’ nonstop service between DFW and Hong Kong, it makes short trips doable over a long weekend. (At least for me!) Here’s my full report on the world’s tenth longest commercial airline route,…

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Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York Blog Airline Review

Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York

5 April, 2016 Benjamin J Travel Comments 1 comment

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.0.64″] After 36 hours in Finland, it was time to go home. I really enjoyed my short visit in Helsinki so I wasn’t quite ready to go. I had arrived quite early at the Helsinki Airport since I wanted some avgeek time, snapping photos and checking out the Finnair Lounge. This was only my second flight on Finnair ever and my first one was just days before…

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