Point Me to the Miles

Predicting the Top Travel Trends in 2017

With 2016 coming to a halt, our staff at Point Me to the Miles decided to gaze into the Crystal Ball to predict the Top Travel Trends in 2017:

1.   A Strong Dollar Means It’s Still a Great Time to Travel Abroad for US Citizens

At the time of writing this post, the US Dollar continues to be competitive against the Euro (€1 Euro = $1.05 US Dollars, or nearly 1:1) and fairly strong around the world.  While there is some speculation the the greenback (US Dollar) may begin to plummet a little bit, 2017 will be a great (and relatively cheap) time to travel abroad, especially Canada, Europe, and South Africa.

2.  Lower Airfares Will Still Be Available

While we would love to forecast mistake fares for the coming year, human error can be awfully unpredictable.

That said, back in April 2016, American Airlines announced that they expected airfares to continue to be relatively low into 2017, and so do we.

A helpful website for seeking out low fares is The Flight Deal, and can be filtered by origin, destination, and even airline.  Keep in mind that these fares may have restrictions that apply, such as departure dates and minimum stay requirements.

If your plans are not as flexible, it may be beneficial to search using Online Travel Agencies (OTA) such as Priceline or Kayak  (our favorite) then compare to the carrier’s own website.  A carrier’s own website may often have the same or even the cheapest fares, and booking through them can make for a more seamless experience, not to mention allowing for some elite status perks.

3. More Busy Flights, With Delays

With the uptick in the economy, more and more folks are flying these days.  In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects the total number of people flying commercially on U.S. airlines to increase to 1.2 Billion by 2032.  Furthermore, the number of people flying worldwide is anticipated to reach 7 Billion in the same time frame.

In the short term, this will surely make for higher capacity on airplanes and more delays.

4.  New Partnerships (Air Canada – Cathay Pacific)

In the last year Air Canada has made some intriguing partnerships, with  Virgin Australia, and as well as now Cathay Pacific.  This seems to be a recurring trend, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the trend continue into 2017.

5.  Frequent Flier Program Devaluations

Another recent, albeit unfortunate trend has been frequent flier program devaluations.  We haven’t seen a major one to a domestic carrier since American Airlines did so back in March 2016, but another such devaluation should be on the radar of savy travelers everywhere.  Keep in mind this means that if anything your miles and points depreciate (or even expire), and don’t appreciate in value.

6.  Revenue-Based Changes Continue

The domestic airline business is very a copycapt business, and it’s almost comical (if not sad) how United has copied Delta’s frequent flier program changes, especially when it comes to requirements to earn/maintain elite frequent flier status as well as changes to earning miles on flights.  It wouldn’t surprise us in the least to see more of the same in the coming year, especially from American Airlines.

7.  New & Revamped Airplane Interiors

Back to the positive side of things, airlines are increasingly revamping their airline interiors, or featuring even more exotic products on entirely new aircraft, such as what Singapore Airlines and Delta Air Lines plan to do with the Airbus A350.

It’s even more exciting to envision the future of aviation thanks to CNN, starting with 2017.

8.  Exciting Rewards Credit Card Offers Are Here to Stay

While frequent flier programs have consistently raised the cost to redeem your miles or points, conversely it has only become easier of getting them thanks to rewards credit card sign up bonuses.  In addition some great benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card currently has a sign-up bonus of 100,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of opening the account.  (Million Mile Secrets has some great tips to meet Minimum Credit Card Spend Bonus Requirements)

DISCLOSURE NOTE:  At the time of writing this post, I am not acting as a representative of any credit card issuer, and do not receive any referral benefits or bonuses for the credit cards that I mention.

SCREAMING DEAL ALERT: Emirates First Class as Low As ~$2,200 One-Way

Emirates A380 First Class

Emirates First Class is highly regarded the world over, especially on the A380.  It is after all, Jennifer Aniston‘s favorite airline.  Like it or not, it’s hard to top an on-board experience that includes a private suite with doors, fully stocked on-board bar, and the ability to take a shower 6 miles up in the air.

Emirates A380 First Class Private Suite

Never mind dreaming about it any more.  And I’m not just talking about Google’s street view of an entire Emirates A380.  No, there’s a great way that you can experience Emirates First Class for as little as ~$2,200 one-way.

Via One Mile at a Time, Emirates has published some CHEAP long-haul First Class fares from Maputo, Mozambique, connecting via Johannesburg.

Possible Routes

For folks on the West Coast, fares from Maputo to San Francisco are currently ~$2,400 with some flexibility in the month of September:

Maputo to San Francisco Calendar for September

Emirates First Class to San Francisco Fare Breakdown

After playing around with the dates a little bit I found out this deal gets even better for travel to the East Coast!

Fares from Maputo to Washington Dulles are even cheaper, for only about ~$2,200.  In fact, I was even able to get this to price on Emirates website:

Emirates First Class to Washington for ~$2,200!!!

It just goes to show, you can settle for what others tell you, or do your own research and find even better results!

Is This a Good Deal?

To put this in perspective, keep in mind what an Emirates First Class ticket between Los Angeles and Cape Town would cost–over $5,000 each way, or $10,000 roundtrip:

$10,000 Ticket From Los Angeles to Cape Town

Personally, I would rather pay $2,200 than $5,000+ to experience all that is Emirates First Class, including complimentary limo transfers.

This is especially a good deal if you area considering travel to Southern Africa and open to booking a one-way outbound segment as well.  It should be noted that a visa is required for US Citizens visiting Mozambique, even if you are only transiting via the airport.

Off to See the Wonderful Ayers of Oz: Introduction

Introduction
Pasco (PSC) to Portland (PDX)
Delta SkyClub Portland
Delta One Business Class Portland (PDX) to Tokyo (NRT)
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Hotel Review – The BEST Hotel Stay of My Life
24 Hours in Tokyo is Not Much Time in a Big, Big City
Japan Airlines Sakura First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class SkySuite Tokyo (NRT) to Sydney (SYD)
Park Hyatt Sydney and My Ridiculously Insane View
Seeing Sydney Is Cheap and Easy
Virgin Australia Business Lounge Sydney
Virgin Australia Business Class Sydney (SYD) to Ayers Rock (AYQ)
Desert Gardens Hotel Review – A Lot of Money for a Mediocre Hotel
Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) in 24 Hours – It Can Be Done
DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs Prison Cell Review
Qantas Lounge Alice Springs
Qantas Economy Class Alice Springs (ASP) to Melbourne (MEL)
Qantas Business Class Lounge Melbourne (MEL)
Qantas Business Class Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD)
Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel Review
Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney (SYD)
Qantas Business Class Sydney (SYD) to Melbourne (MEL)
Melbourne Marriott Hotel Review
Marching around Magnificent Melbourne
Qantas First Class Lounge Melbourne
Qantas First Class Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Qantas First Class Lounge Los Angeles – Not as Nice as Their Australia Lounges
Alaska First Class Los Angeles (LAX) to Seattle (SEA)
Horizon Air Economy Class Seattle to Pasco (PSC)… If You Really Care

The Big, Dreaded 3-0

Believe it or not, I’m about to hit the big 3-0 come December.  Your 20s are supposed to be the most intense and fun decade of your life, and I am sad I will soon be leaving them behind.

Fortunately, I will have (or am on pace to) accomplish at at least one goal by the time I am 30–Having traveled across 6 continents.  While it is certainly the most substantial goal I am on pace to meet, the thought of making it a reality only occurred within the last year or two.

It certainly helps that including North America, I have already been to 4 continents (South America, Asia, and Europe).  Which leaves Australia (well, until recently!) and South Africa (later in the year)!!

I Wasn’t Going to be in Kansas Anymore…

My travels seem to be a sequence of haphazard planning that manifest themselves at very opportune moments.  Last fall, as serendipity would have it, Qantas First Class award seats became quite readily available using partner miles, which is incredibly rare. They say that which is hardest to achieve is most desirable.  Well, I suppose because Qantas First Class seemed so impossible and beyond me, I had long hoped to fly Qantas First Class since first getting into the miles and points game, whilst admiring One Mile at a Time’s Qantas First Class trip Report way back in 2011.

My Routing and Flights

As seems to be my norm with increasing regularity, I booked this trip backwards, starting with the return flight.

Connecting in Tokyo:  The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

I ended up with a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy in routing through Tokyo.  I badly wanted to fly Singapore Suites on the Airbus A380 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT), but even with a little flexibility for my departure dates, my only option was to waitlist flights on this route.

I didn’t want to be left out in the cold and without a way to get to Australia, so I booked a back-up award ticket using up 110,000 Delta miles I had stockpiled for Delta One Business Class from Portland to Tokyo.  More than I wanted to pay, but originally it was just a back-up option.  A couple of weeks from departure, I noticed the Saver Level of 70,000 miles was available on the same date and flight, so after calling up Delta and kindly reminding them of my Gold Medallion status, I was able to get 40,000 miles re-deposited as a “one-time” courtesy, as well as tack on the Pasco (PSC) to Portland (PDX) flight on the same award ticket for no extra charge.

While my Singapore Suites waitlist would eventually clear couple of days before departure, I ran into issues confirming my flight (BUMMER!) as my account was audited.  Delta has a pesky policy that does not allow redeposited mileage on award tickets cancelled within 72 hours of departure, so I decided to stick it out with Delta.

Enter the Japan Airlines First Class SkySuite

Either way, I had intended to connect through Tokyo anyway, so a couple of months before departure I checked Japan Airlines’s (JAL’s) website for options.  Within just a few minutes I found a First Class award ticket in JAL’s Boeing 777 Sky Suite, then called up American Airlines and successfully booked the ticket for 60,000 American Airlines miles.  Honestly, it surprises me how effortless booking some award flights can be, as a quick and easy search showed me that I actually had my pick of multiple departure days–in First Class.  Then again, there probably isn’t a backlogged list of folks calling up American to redeem airlines for JAL First Class between Tokyo and Sydney.

Anyway, my Tokyo to Sydney flight was scheduled such that I could connect from my Delta flight overnight as a buffer (besides, I’ve never heard anyone complain about “having” to visit Tokyo), and then then fly out to Sydney the following evening.  Added to that, I flew All Nippon Airways a few years back, so the chance to fly the “other Japanese carrier” was intriguing personally.

Inter-Australian Flights

For the inter-Australia flights, for the most part I was able to use a combination of British Airways and American miles to get me where I wanted to go.

To do my first trip to Australia justice, I badly wanted to visit the Outback and Ayers Rock.  However, as anyone who has been there will likely attest to, it does not come cheap!  (As in $350 a night for a basic hotel expensive!  Yeah.)

Added to that, I have a bad habit of booking at the last minute, so all of the outbound award options were gone.  The easiest and quickest option was to book a direct Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Ayers Rock.  In the end, based on opportunity, timing, and the fact that this was my only revenue (non-frequent flier miles) flight on the entire trip,  I justified ~$700 for Virgin Australia Business Class to Ayers Rock.

For various reasons I decided to fly out of Alice Springs, back to Sydney.  This actually which worked out in my favor twofold:
1) I arrived in Australia, and accustomed to my first taste of Australia in the comfort of Sydney.
2) I will admit that while flying is quick and easy, there is a certain beauty to driving (or in my case riding) cross-country, as it allows you to see and experience all the scenery you so easily take for granted up in the air.  I ended up booking a bus transfer to get me from Ayers Rock to Alice Springs, which allowed me to see some sights and enjoy the scenery along the way.  Thus, I considered such a ride as much a “sight” as any of the tours or attractions I saw on my entire trip!

My Routing to Oz and Back

My full itinerary was as follows, PSC-PDX-NRT-SYD-AYQ, ASP-MEL-SYD-MEL-LAX-SEA-PSC:

Full Itinerary to Oz

The Damage

__________________________________
Total Transportation Lodging Costs – 343,440 Miles/Points** $2,121

**All miles and points are not considered equal.  Addition of them is done only for high-level summary purposes only.

A Good Start for Pasco’s Delta Service to Seattle

I am currently in transit to Las Vegas for the Freddie Awards  as well as fulfilling my everlasting thirst for all things travel, miles and points by attending the Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Signature Event.  If you see me feel free to say hi, and how I haven’t been blogging enough lately.
Anyway, upon boarding my flight from Pasco to Seattle this morning, I noticed this lovely token of appreciation for my loyalty and for flying out of Pasco:

“Team Pasco – Thank you for flying Delta. This seat has been sanitized just for you.

My first impression was “Since when did Captain Denny start working for Delta?

Look, I know it’s small (but genuine) token of appreciation, but it’s the small things that can make the biggest of differences when there is more than enough hassle in travel.  Especially when one is headed to the awards ceremony that highlights the best of the customer experience in the travel and loyalty industry!

You Can Go Your Own Way with Airplane Food

Just mention the term “airplane food” many and you’re likely to be met with repulsed response.

Airplane Food Can Be Repulsive

(Photo Provided by Shutterstock)

Fortunately, my knowledge of travel hacking has enabled me to have some great meals, including Delta One (transcontinental) Business Class:

GREAT Steak On Delta One

But depending on rout, airline, and last but not least class of service, your mileage may vary.

Which is why I found a New York Times article on frequent fliers opting for their own fresh meals very interesting.

On occasion I have followed suit, including bringing my own dry cereal and a banana through security with me, then purchasing milk before boarding my flight.  I have also frequented the Outback Cincinnati Airport by calling in my steak ahead of time when connecting there.

But there is certainly something to be said for bringing your own food with you, especially if it is healthier for you.  I suppose I better back off of the ice cream sundaes…

What foods do you bring with you when you travel?

Get $100 from American Express for Hotel Bookings of $600 or More

Now through September 15, 2015 you can earn a one-time $100 statement credit from American Express for hotel bookings made through the American Express (AMEX) Travel Portal.

Earn a $600 Statement Credit for Hotel Stays Book through American Express Travel

Analysis

This is a pretty good offer, but unfortunately Fine Hotels & Resorts are excluded.  Also, due to the fact that booking must be made through AMEX Travel, you will may not be eligible to earn points and/or elite stay credit on your stay, but your mileage may vary.

And I wouldn’t necessarily go out of your way to take advantage of this offer.  Some rates I have seen are more expensive than what hotel websites are offering, so take that into consideration.

Terms & Conditions

Registration is required beforehand and must be completed no later than August 31, 2015.  You must be an American Express cardmember to book travel through American Express.  Offer does not include Fine Hotels & Resorts hotels.  The full terms and conditions can be found here.

A Delta Flight Attendant Who Sets the Bar High

I was traveling recently to New York for Flyertalk’s infamous Brooklyn Reality Tour  and had a flight attendant who was truly exceptional.

Thomas was the flight attendant in charge of First Class, but frankly I don’t think it would have made a difference in service, as he was truly attentive, friendly while maintaining a professional level of courtesy, and had a great sense of humor. Personality-wise he reminds me of a combination of the ever-affable Randy Peterson and Captain Denny, for those who have the fortune to meet both of those individuals.

The first thing I noticed of Thomas was that he went person to person through First Class asking very politely if we would like something to drink prior to takeoff. Sure, any First Class flight attendant should do this, but he took drink orders one at a time and came across very personally.

As boarding continued, from the front of the plane I heard “This is your first flight, come this way!” I watched, in awe, as two young kids were shown around the cockpit and met another flight attendant. “How many other times” I thought, “in this post-9/11 security-crazed world, would other pilots and flight attendants be willing to do such a thing for kids?

During the course of the flight snacks were distributed (the flight time was just over an hour) whenever I had trash he was quick to nice and offer to take it me.

After talking to him for a while about travel (I knew just enough Italian from travels there to answer his “grazi” with “prego”) we exchanged contact information. Thomas, who is showing signs of the silver strands of wisdom, explained that he shares a last name with Iron Man and exclaimed “I’m Iron Man’s older brother!”

At the end of the short flight, there are not many flight attendants I have shaken hands with and been told “I will be contacting, you Bryce.”

Thomas’s service was quite exemplary, and he deserve to be recognized for his service.

Being Nice is Never Devalued

I rang up United today, and was reminded the importance of patience and being nice.

Background Story

Last year, my family and I had travel nearly interrupted when United abruptly cancelled the outbound flight of our trip. Due to some quick thinking on my part (I find it’s always helpful to call on your cell phone line rather than wait with the masses) I got us re-routed on Delta, and we actually arrived sooner than originally expected.

My Call to United

Flash forward today. It’s nearly been a year, and I realize I still need to request original flow mileage credit for a family member if they are to earn miles from the ticket. Yikes!

I called up United, and provided the information, but only after an extensive wait on the phone. I should note that I could have easily grown impatient with the agent. Rather, I kept my calm.

Keep Calm

I was informed that while mileage the return could be credited, because the outbound was on another carrier, they could not provide mileage credit for that portion of the trip. Which is of course, WRONG information. But, no need to be defensive.

I maintained my cool, and simply asked “O, really, why is that?” It would have been easy to get defensive and upset, but by responding patiently and playing dumb a little, I was able to disarm the agent. She said she would check something, then came back a minute later and retracted what she had said—the miles could in fact be credit!

The Lesson

I know folks who would become quickly irate, but in doing so you make no friends for yourself—you make enemies.

So do yourself and everyone a favor today if they tell you something you don’t want to hear: Be Nice. They just might go the extra mile for you!

And United Dissapoints….

I am currently off to Philadelphia, the the City of Brotherly Love, for the July 4th holiday weekend.

Anyway, I am flying United, and hell must have frozen over because my flight out of San Francisco features in-flight wi-fi:

United In-Flight Wi-Fi Available

However, there is a serious downside to this flight:

No Seat Power Available!!

Honestly, the aircraft that I am on (an Airbus A319) is probably about 20 years old.  And just because an aircraft is retrofitted with in-flight wi-fi does not mean that it has in-flight power.  But, if you plan on using one or electronic devices on a 5-1/2 flight, you would certainly expect being able to power said devices using wi-fi.  UnitedFail.