Making my way home from London to Dallas via Miami, I was surprised to learn that my British Airways flight would be departing from Terminal 3. While Terminal 3 is a bit dated, it does offer the best OneWorld lounges in London Heathrow. Not only would this give me a chance to grab a delicious breakfast at the Cathay Pacific lounge, but it’d also allow me to visit the The Qantas London Lounge for the first time. I arrived at…
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…
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…
Continuing my journey from Dallas to Milan, I had a bit of an extended layover in Madrid. I was connecting from American Airlines and had arrived in Terminal 4S, connecting onto an Iberia flight to Milan. I’d visited the non-Schengen, Iberia Velázquez VIP Lounge in Terminal 4S many times. But this would be my first time having a chance to visit the Iberia Dalí VIP Lounge on the Schengen side of Terminal 4 in Madrid. After clearing immigration, I took the tram…
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 +…
I’ve just returned home from my nice week in Madrid and had somewhat of an interesting trip home. As a follow-up to my prior post on booking this trip, I was worried I”d signed myself up for a frustrating flight experience with Iberia.. I’ve had plenty of frustration with their strange baggage policies, slow agents at Madrid, and dingy aircraft. I’ve come to learn that using Your oneworld Elite Benefits on Iberia award travel takes work. As a OneWorld elite status…
Bound for London, my sister and I were flying British Airway from Pisa to London Heathrow after wrapping up a nice time in Florence and the surrounding region. While we were staying in Florence, there a more flight options out of Pisa than the Florence airport. Plus, award availability on British Airways was much better from Pisa. After riding the train from Florence, we took the brand new Pisa People Mover to the airport. The ride takes less than 5…
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…
After a nice long weekend in Berlin, it was time to fly from out Berlin’s Tegel Airport (TXL). Arriving a bit early, we decided to spend some time in the British Airways Terraces Lounge in Terminal A. TXL is an older airport but I love the clean, yet brutal design of hexagonal terminal, a throwback to the 1960s. However the layout at TXL is a bit confusing to the unfamiliar passenger. The location of the Terraces Lounges is a bit vague…
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…
Arriving a bit early at Singapore Changi Airport, I was is in need of a shower and nourishment before my departure to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific does not operate their own lounges at Singapore Changi Airport but contracts with dnata, an airport ground services and catering company, to provide access to the dnata Lounge. Cathay Pacific passengers with lounge access includes OneWorld Sapphire and Emerald flyers and those traveling aboard Cathay Pacific in First or Business Class. While passengers are…
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…
While not officially opening until the grand opening on December 7th, I had the lucky chance to visit the newly refreshed Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge at London Heathrow on only their second day of operation! Thanks to the heads up from a fellow travel geek, I happened to be transiting through London Heathrow Terminal 3 on American Airlines on this day. Chris, my Dad, and I were headed back to Dallas from our Irish road trip. This was certainly…
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…