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Tag: Elite Status

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

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

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

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

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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Lounge Review: Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney

Lounge Review: Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney

Not quite ready to leave Australia but time to head home, we started our long journey back to Texas in the Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney. We had woken up quite early so I was still quite sleepy as we made our through the long security queues. The Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney is located just beyond the duty free shopping in Sydney’s Terminal 1. Access to the Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney is granted to those traveling in a premium…

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Do Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Passengers Receive Lounge Access?

Do Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Passengers Receive Lounge Access?

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in London Heathrow has to be one of my favorite airline lounges in the world. Following up on a frequent reader question that I get, do Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Passengers Receive Lounge Access? The short answer is no. Unless you have equivalent elite status with Virgin Atlantic (Gold) or a partner airline such as Delta (Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion members). Other than qualifying elite status passengers, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse access is reserved for passengers…

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Lounge Review: The Wing First Class Lounge | Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong

Lounge Review: The Wing First Class Lounge | Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong

Connecting in Hong Kong on my flight from Singapore onward to Los Angeles, I had a bit of time to pass on one of my favorite airports. I’ve visited most of the Cathay Pacific lounges at HKG with the The Pier First Class Lounge being my favorite. On this layover, I opted to spend my time in The Wing First Class Lounge. The Cathay Pacific Wing lounge has a Business Class section on the lower level and a First Class…

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Join Aer Club, Aer Lingus’ New Loyalty Program, and Earn 250 Bonus Avios

Join Aer Club, Aer Lingus’ New Loyalty Program, and Earn 250 Bonus Avios

Aer Lingus is replacing their Gold Circle loyalty program with Aer Club and will join the Avios currency along the rest of the IAG family which includes British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. If you join Aer Club before August 31, 2017, you’ll receive 250 bonus Avios points. If you’re an existing Gold Circle program member, you’ll need to login to your Gold Circle account and activate your Aer Club membership. Per the campaign email: We’d like to extend the opportunity to…

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My First Experience Booking a Flight via US Bank Altitude Rewards

My First Experience Booking a Flight via US Bank Altitude Rewards

I’ve had the US Bank Altitude Reserve Card for a few months now and it’s become one of my top go-to cards, especially for the 3x points earning on mobile wallet payments. I’ve accumulated a nice stash of Altitude points and I had a good opportunity to redeem some of these points for a flight booking. So how was my experience booking a flight via US Bank Altitude rewards? I had already had a particular flight in mind form Chicago…

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Lounge Review: oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX

Lounge Review: oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX

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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Lounge Review: Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge | Sydney

Lounge Review: Qantas T3 Domestic Business Lounge | Sydney

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

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

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 American’s AAdvantage program in the last few months. And many long-time loyalists to American Airlines are jumping on the bandwagon of discontent. Perhaps all it…

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Quirks of Iberia Basic Fares and OneWorld Elite Status

Quirks of Iberia Basic Fares and OneWorld Elite Status

With just about airline around the world offering or getting ready to introduce “basic” fares, Iberia was early to the party on offering these fare bargains. Like most basic fares, Iberia Basic fares doesn’t include perks like checked bags, seat selections, or refunds. When planning our recent trip to Brussels, we booked a one-way cash ticket on Iberia from Madrid to Brussels. The cheapest option by far was the “Basic” fare which doesn’t include a checked bag. We were both going…

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Trip Report: Upper Deck Club World on British Airways’ 747 | DFW to London

Trip Report: Upper Deck Club World on British Airways’ 747 | DFW to London

Bound for Ireland for the Thanksgiving holiday, this particular trip was extra special to me. My Dad has done so much for me throughout my life. Raising me, taking care of me, and helping mold me into the person I am today. In decades past, my dad has traveled to Mexico and Canada with the US Navy but this truly was going to be his first “overseas” trip. I travel so much for my blog and personal travel, but I…

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Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong | The Wing Business Class vs. The Bridge Business Class

Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong | The Wing Business Class vs. The Bridge Business Class

On my latest trip to Hong Kong, I flew American’s ultra-longhaul flight between DFW and Hong Kong on both outbound and the return. I did visit the American Airlines Admiral Club at DFW on the outbound flight which is an okay lounge. However, in comparison, the Cathay Pacific lounges at HKG are fantastic. With a 2:30 PM departure from HKG on my return flight, I arrived fairly early to the airport as I wanted plenty of time spend in one or more of…

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Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York

Trip Report: Finnair Economy Comfort | Helsinki to New York

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 from Paris to Helsinki. This was an intra-European flight on an A321 in Economy. I…

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