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

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

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: LOT Polish Business Class | E195 | Brussels to Warsaw

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

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

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

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: Swiss A320 Business Class | Zurich to Nice

Trip Report: Swiss A320 Business Class | Zurich to Nice

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

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

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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Lounge Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt | Concourse Z

Lounge Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt | Concourse Z

While the First Class lounges and the dedicated First Class Terminal get all the attention at Frankfurt Airport, I think the Lufthansa Business Class Senator Lounge in Frankfurt is worth more than just an honorable mention. After connecting from my BA CitFlyer flight from London City, I had about 2 hours to transfer terminals and explore the lounge. Fortunately, I avoided checking a bag at London City with British Airways to make the transfer at FRA relatively painless. I had arrived at Terminal 2…

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

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

Making the trek home from our wonderful holiday in Italy and Greece, I was looking forward to our flight home. I love American’s 777-300ER Business Class seat. It is one of the best airline hard products out there right now. Soft product (customer service-wise) can be hit-or-miss on American Airlines unfortunately, so I try to moderate my expectations. I’m incredibly loyal to American Airlines but I have to be honest that it’s a realistic expectation. We had connected from our…

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Lounge Review: Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge | London Heathrow

Lounge Review: Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge | London Heathrow

To be honest, I often feel a bit disappointed with some airlines’ arrival lounges. They aren’t usually as nice as the departure lounges you often see airside. Well thanks to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge, my faith in the arrivals lounge has been restored.. We had just arrived from Detroit on VS 108 aboard Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class product. Our flight had been quite the pleasure but even after a delightful flight, I crave the chance to freshen up and…

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

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

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 used my Priority Pass membership to access the KAL Lounge in…

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Lounge Review: Caral VIP Lounge | Mérida Airport

Lounge Review: Caral VIP Lounge | Mérida Airport

It’s no secret that the Mérida airport is a small one. For a city of over a million inhabitants, I am a little surprised at the petite nature of this Yucatan gateway. But nonetheless, there are two full air lounges at MID, although both landslide. As a Priority Pass holder, I received access for myself and Chris to visit the Caral VIP Lounge. The other lounge in the Mérida airport is the Aeromexico Sala Premier. Check-in was very quick and the…

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

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

I’ve just returned from a quick trip to Madrid for the weekend and flew aboard American Airlines’ 777-300ER in Business Class. The 777-300ER is American’s “flagship” airliner and the only new American Airlines aircraft to feature both Business and First class.I was ticketed on American Airlines from DFW to London Heathrow and then connecting onto British Airways to Madrid. My ticket was purchased in Economy but I decided to apply an award upgrade to my outbound flight. The upgrade was 25,000…

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Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777 Regional Business Class, Hong Kong to Taipei

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777 Regional Business Class, Hong Kong to Taipei

Cathay Pacific is well renowned for it’s exceptional in-flight service and it’s short haul regional service is no exception! On a recent trip to Hong Kong, we took a side trip to Taipei, redeeming 36,000 Avios and roughly $70 in taxes for round-trip Business Class on Cathay Pacific for two of us. This was one of my best redemptions using Avios on partner travel. This redemption is within Zone 1 of the BA award chart so it should remain intact…

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Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki

Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki

I’ve just returned from a 36 hour visit to Helsinki which included some express sightseeing, a few great lounge visits, a new airline for me, and a stay at the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki. Location: The central location of the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki is hard to beat. It’s just about 2 blocks from the Central Railway station in Helsinki. And if you’re coming directly from the Airport train platforms, there’s a side street that’s a nice direct shortcut to the…

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Migration Updates

Migration Updates

As I look forward to a fresh start at BenjaminJTravel.com, I will be migrating some items from the old Avion Addiction. Some of my in-flight product reviews and hotel reviews were the most popular posts.Over the coming days, I’ll be migrating many of these trip report posts post as reposts from Avion Addiction to BenjaminJTravel.com.

Hotel Review: Shangri-La Jakarta

Hotel Review: Shangri-La Jakarta

On my recent trip to Indonesia, I had the opportunity to stay at the Shangri-La Jakarta for 7 nights. Our company hosted a multi-day event at the Shangri-La and my colleagues and myself stayed at the Shangri-La for a full week. I expected good service from a Shangri-La but I was absolutely thrilled with the service I received.Everyone in Jakarta loves to smiles and the Shangri-La is no exception. Everyone: bellhops, wait staff, chefs, front desk, management….all were incredibly warm…

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