Flight LeverageTechniques in Travel Hackinghttp://www.flightleverage.com/2015-02-23T16:00:00-08:00Ben HughesMy travel strategy, illustrated with my $421 trip to Budapest/blog/2015/02/24/budapest-for-cheap.html2015-02-23T16:00:00-08:002015-02-23T16:00:00-08:00Ben Hughes<p>I often get asked how I'm able to travel so much and keep it affordable. I'm not
rich: Indeed I could never afford most of the travel I do if it were not for
using the tricks and techniques of the frequent flyer world.</p>
<p>Here I'll share a bit about...</p><p>I often get asked how I'm able to travel so much and keep it affordable. I'm not
rich: Indeed I could never afford most of the travel I do if it were not for
using the tricks and techniques of the frequent flyer world.</p>
<p>Here I'll share a bit about my typical travel strategy, illustrated through a
recent trip to Budapest & Bratislava.</p>
<h2 id="reacting-to-opportunities">Reacting to opportunities</h2>
<p>I almost never sit down and say "I want to go to
X on date X" and then make bookings based on that. Instead, I'm constantly
<em>reacting to opportunities</em>. I start with the premise that there are lots of
places I want to go in the world, and just wait for good opportunities to come along, executing on them
when those opportunities stack well together.</p>
<p>In practice this means that I'm
almost never paying "normal" prices for travel.
There has to be a good fare or cheap hotel to begin with.</p>
<h2 id="taking-advantage-of-miles--points">Taking advantage of miles & points</h2>
<p>Both on the earning and the spending side, I'm adament about getting the best
value I can from travel using loyalty programs set up by the airlines and
hotels. Even if you don't give this much value, it's <em>free</em> and there's simply
no reason not to be earning miles or points when flying or staying in hotels.
Even exploited poorly, these things add up.</p>
<p>Although complicated, having a strong grasp on how all of that works can
really save quite a lot of money in the long run, because for any paid trip,
you're getting value <em>back</em> in addition to the cash out of pocket you are
spending. Which leads me to…</p>
<h2 id="the-net-cost-approach-of-travel-accounting">The net cost approach of travel accounting</h2>
<p>To keep things comparable, I advocate thinking always in terms of "net costs"
when it comes to trips. Any trip you take is going to involve some actual cash
outflows, but also some inflows in the form of miles or points, to a varying
degree. You should thus consider the "real" trip cost as the cash outflows minus
the value you're getting back.</p>
<p>This means, however, that when it comes to <em>redeeming</em> those points and miles,
you should consider the cost of the trip at your current valuation of the points
(and hence it's worth thinking pretty hard about your personal valuation
of those points). I am not a fan of ever calling a trip "free", as it implies no
resources were used. Miles and points are just a different form of currency: just
because it costs you 0 <em>US dollars</em> does not in any meaningful way make that trip "free".</p>
<p>If you <em>don't</em> approach things this way, making decisions becomes too sloppy. It
becomes almost purely emotional to compare one trip to another (either when using cash or
miles). I'd rather have at least a best-effort guess at a true net cost to help make a rational decision.
In the long run, this will better-maximize your travel dollar.</p>
<p>Thinking of things within this framework means that the definition of
a mileage run or mattress run (or both) is simple: it's when the net cost is
<em>less than</em> $0.</p>
<h2 id="food-accounting">Food accounting</h2>
<p>I rarely consider food costs when making financial decisions about travel. This
is primarily because even in San Diego I rarely cook, and I mostly eat out
already, so the <em>marginal cost</em> when traveling of my food purchases is usually
low or negative (and in places like Thailand, <em>very</em> negative).</p>
<p>Where I sometimes do account for food is what comes to me for free simply as result of flying.
With lots of lounge access, and ability
to get into premium cabins, this matters more than you might think. On a recent
one night mileage run to Hong Kong for $680 (involving an unplanned diversion to Taiwan),
I ended up with <em>thirteen</em> free meals (many of them excellent) along the way: on
the plane, vouchers from the diversion, and in the lounges. Those thirteen free
meals (with drink), even conservatively valued at $10 each, means I'm getting
$130 in "meal value" - money that, without having flown those flights, I would
have had to purchase in San Diego anyways: nearly 20% of the cash cost of the
flights!</p>
<p>Hence no matter what your eating patterns are, the right way to think about food
is "displacement" - by taking a trip, what's the "difference" in food costs.
Adding the raw cost of all food you buy on a trip is on some sense
double-counting: you wouldn't have spent $0 on that food at home anyways.</p>
<h1 id="budapest--bratislava">Budapest & Bratislava</h1>
<p>Although not a particularly high-value example, my recent trip to Budapest
illustrates how I used this strategy on a fairly mundane trip to travel for cheap.</p>
<p><strong>First, the opportunities that aligned to provoke the trip:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>There was an American Airlines fare on their 777-300ER to Budapest for $843
roundtrip from LAX through London. While nothing stellar, that's a decent fare.</li>
<li>I had two American Airlines systemwide upgrades expiring on February 28th,
and the best way to use them is on long-haul rounds aboard the 777-300ER.</li>
<li>Flight loads on that LAX-LHR route in February were quite low, so I was confident
my systemwides would clear into business class (normally that is a very
difficult route).</li>
<li>Club Carlson (a hotel group) came out with an extremely valuable promotion:
10,000 additional points per night (if booked the right way). Plus an initial
bonus of 10,000 for the first stay (from the early bird promo).
This seriously changed the value proposition of hotels, especially cheap ones.</li>
<li>Winter in Budapest offered some great low rates on Club Carlson hotels.</li>
</ol>
<p>One or two of these opportunities were nothing too special, but all of them stacked together to produce a
nice opportunity to travel to Budapest (and surrounding areas) in a nice airplane
seat for fairly cheap.</p>
<p><strong>Here's a run-down of what I booked and what the out-of-pocket costs were:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>$843: American Airlines Los Angeles to Budapest through London roundtrip,
deliberately booked on dates with the lowest yields in business class, for
highest chance of upgrades clearing. Indeed I did end up clearing both ways.</li>
<li>$232: Three nights at the Radisson Blu Beke Budapest hotel.</li>
<li>$124: Two nights at the Park Inn Bratislava, Slovakia.</li>
<li>$156: Two nights at the art'otel Budapest Danube.</li>
<li>$32: Roundtrip train from Budapest to Bratislava.</li>
</ul>
<p>So the total out of pocket cash cost of the trip was <strong>$1,355</strong>. That's the money
that went on my credit cards. Even that alone is not a horrible price
for a 7 day trip to Europe in business class, but I certainly wouldn't have done it if that was
the end of story.</p>
<p><strong>The key is that I'm earning value <em>back</em> by as a result of booking these things.</strong>
Here's an account of exactly what I earned back - value that I received only by
booking and taking this trip:</p>
<ul>
<li>2,529 American Express Membership Rewards points, because I used my Amex Gold
credit card to book the airfare, and this card earns 3x points on airfare.</li>
<li>1,088 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, because I used my Chase Sapphire
Preferred card to book the hotels & train, and this card earns 2x points on travel.</li>
<li>25,536 American Airlines miles: LAX-LHR-BUD roundtrip is 12,768 miles, and
having ExecutivePlatinum on American gives me a 2x multiplier on
redeemable miles.</li>
<li>76,656 Club Carlson points: 10,000 from the early bird promo, 30,000 from the first stay's promo, 15,000 from
the second and third stay's promo, and 6,656 normal points earned on the
spend from being a Club Carlson Gold member.</li>
</ul>
<p>To calculate the true "net cost" of the trip, I need an approximate valuation of
those points. I think pretty thoroughly about point valuation, and although this
certainly varies from person to person (and the valuations are heightened for me
due to my flexible schedule & skill at redeeming them), I can defend valuations
for the relevant currencies earned on this trip:</p>
<ul>
<li>American Express membership rewards at 1.5 cents per point.</li>
<li>Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1.6 cents per point.</li>
<li>American Airlines miles at 1.5 cents per point.</li>
<li>Club Carlson points at 0.6 cents per point.</li>
</ul>
<p>Club Carlson points "normally" might be worth 0.3 cents, but since I have the
Club Carlson credit card, the value doubles due to the free night on
a two night award redemption.</p>
<p>Multiplying out the points I'm earning times their valuation yields:</p>
<ul>
<li>$38 in American Express membership rewards</li>
<li>$17 in Chase Ultimate rewards</li>
<li>$383 in American Airlines miles</li>
<li>$460 in Club Carlson points</li>
</ul>
<p>For a total of $878. But if you want to count the free meals I received (seven, by my count),
conservatively valued at $8 per meal let's say, that further increases the
"value back" by $56, bringing it up to <strong>$934 in value back - almost 70% of the
cash cost of the trip!</strong></p>
<p>Net that out from the price I paid, and we arrive a true net cost of <strong>$421 total,
for business class flights and seven nights in Budapest and Bratislava</strong>.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2015/02/24/budapest-for-cheap/flight.jpg" alt="Business Class on American Airlines 777-300ER" />
<img src="/blog/2015/02/24/budapest-for-cheap/danube.jpg" alt="Danube River in Budapest" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2015/02/24/budapest-for-cheap/church.jpg" alt="View of Budapest" />
<img src="/blog/2015/02/24/budapest-for-cheap/meal.jpg" alt="Meal in Bratislava" />
</div>
<p>Now, how replicateable is this to other people? That depends. Assuming you
<em>knew</em> everything about how to earn these points, there are certain things that
were required to get the value out of this that I did.</p>
<ul>
<li>I am ExecutivePlatinum on American, thus I get eight systemwide upgrades to
use. This is how I was in business class for no more than the price of
economy.</li>
<li>By being ExecutivePlatinum, I also earn a 2x multiplier on all miles flown.
Otherwise, I would have only earned 12,768 American Airlines miles.</li>
<li>I have the Club Carlson credit card, which doubles the value of those Club
Carlson points and by having Gold status (as a result of the credit card),
earns me more as well.</li>
<li>I have the American Express Business Gold card, which earns me triple points on
airfare.</li>
<li>I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, which earns me double points
on hotels.</li>
</ul>
<p>But let's assume that you have none of that, and that you aren't earning any
credit card points at all. Merely signing up for AAdvantage and Club Carlson as
a general member (and registering for the promos) would still give you some value back. Let's even be more
conservative with the valuations and assume American Airlines miles are worth
1.3 cents and Club Carlson points are worth 0.3 cents (since you don't have the
Club Carlson credit card). What would this look like then?</p>
<ul>
<li>Earning 12,768 American Airlines miles, valued at $166.</li>
<li>Earning 75,120 Club Carlson points, valued at $225.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Even having no status or credit cards, simply by filling out a few online
forms, you would get $391 in value back from booking this trip</strong>. That's 29%
of the cost of the trip - not bad at all.</p>
<p><strong>This all serves to illustrate my general strategy:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Be prepared to leverage opportunities by having the right credit cards and
elite status.</li>
<li>Wait for opportunities to stack together in alignment for a decent trip to
somewhere I actually want to go.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on the promos. Some of them are quite lucrative. And even if not,
it's free.</li>
<li>Do a rational accounting of the costs and benefits and arrive at a net cost,
even if it isn't perfect.</li>
<li>Decide whether that net cost is worth bearing for the trip in question.</li>
</ul>
Around the World in Business Class on US Airways Award for $1,146/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award.html2014-08-05T17:00:00-07:002014-08-05T17:00:00-07:00Ben Hughes<p>US Airways has always had one of the most lucrative award charts, especially for
stretching long international redemptions. They've got very flexible routing
rules, awards that are priced by the agent and not the computer, and an
extremely good award...</p><p>US Airways has always had one of the most lucrative award charts, especially for
stretching long international redemptions. They've got very flexible routing
rules, awards that are priced by the agent and not the computer, and an
extremely good award chart, especially amidst recent devaluations.</p>
<p><strong>There are two items on the award chart in particular that are very lucrative:</strong>
1. 90,000 miles in Business Class from the US to "North Asia"
2. 90,000 miles in Business Class from Mexico & the Caribbean to "Southeast Asia"</p>
<p>The US to North Asia award has since been devalued to 110,000 miles (though
first class remains a very lucrative 120,000 miles), but the second item
remains unchanged: 90,000 miles from Mexico or the Carribbean to Southeast Asia.
That's a heck of a deal! It's especially perverse because it costs 120,000 miles
to go to Southeast Asia <em>from the US</em> - so you save 30,000 miles by starting in
Mexico.</p>
<p><strong>Back in December, when US Airways was still in Star Alliance, I decided to book
a 90,000 mile business class award</strong>, deliberately starting in Mexico to take
advantage of being able to go all the way to Southeast Asia for only 90,000
miles roundtrip. US Airways allows
one stopover <em>or</em> one open jaw on an award, and allows routings through Europe.
I planned on doing a stopover in Europe.</p>
<p>I knew I had to start in Mexico, but planned on routing through LAX on the
return so I could just get off the plane and skip the remaining segments. I also
wanted to use this award as an opportunity to sample new Star Alliance business
class products I had never flown, so specifically looked for interesting routes.</p>
<p>After a lot of research using United.com for award availability, I eventually
found and ticketed this award - <strong>23,952 miles around-the-world in business
class</strong>:</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/map.png" alt="Map of Award" />
</div>
<pre>
MEX-FRA on Lufthansa 747-8i Business Class (Upper Deck)
FRA-ZRH on Lufthansa A320 Business Class
Stopover in Zurich for 5 Days
ZRH-BKK on Swiss A340 Business Class
BKK-CGK on Thai 777 Business Class
Destination Jakarta, Indonesia for 9 Days
CGK-TPE on EVA A330 Business Class
Deliberate 21 hour "Layover" in Taipei
TPE-LAX on EVA 777-300ER "Hello Kitty" Business Class
LAX-PHX-MEX on US Airways (Skipped Segments)
</pre>
<p>This award would cost 90,000 US Airways miles and $156.20 in taxes. Since I took
advantage of two US Airways share miles promos that effectively allowed me to
buy 100,000 miles at 1.1 cents a piece, <strong>the net cost to me was $1,146</strong> (not
counting my positioning flight to Mexico).</p>
<h3 id="mexico-city">Mexico City</h3>
<p>I flew to Mexico City on a paid United Airlines ticket from Rochester, where I
was participating in an RIT Alumni Jazz reunion. Even though I had lived in San
Diego for almost three years, I had never been to Mexico before.</p>
<p>Mexico City was pretty awesome. I stayed at the Marriott Reforma hotel on
points, and had a lovely two night stay in Mexico exploring the streets and
eating some delicious food.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/mexico_city_1.jpg" alt="Mexico City" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/mexico_city_2.jpg" alt="Mexico City" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/mexico_city_3.jpg" alt="Mexico City" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/mexico_city_4.jpg" alt="Mexico City" />
</div>
<h3 id="mex-fra-on-lufthansa-747-8i-business-class-upper-deck">MEX-FRA on Lufthansa 747-8i Business Class (Upper Deck)</h3>
<p>I'm a huge fan of Lufthansa's 747-8i - a stretched version of the 747 that
currently only Lufthansa is flying. In booking this
award, I was happy to find that MEX-FRA was on this new plane. I was able to
secure an upper deck seat and had a pretty good flight. Service wasn't quite as
good as I remember it being FRA-LAX on a previous trip, but the I got plenty of
sleep in the lie-flat seat, and the timing was just about perfect (leaving at
8:30PM).</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/lufthansa_2.jpg" alt="Lufthansa" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/lufthansa_1.jpg" alt="Lufthansa" />
</div>
<h3 id="zurich-and-munich">Zurich and Munich</h3>
<p>I chose Zurich as my stopover in part because I had never been there, and partly
because I've been wanting to try Swiss Airlines business class. Zurich is a wonderful city to walk around and explore,
and Lake Zurich is absolutely beautiful. I stayed at the Crowne Plaza hotel on
points.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/zurich_1.jpg" alt="Zurich" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/zurich_2.jpg" alt="Zurich" />
</div>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/zurich_3.jpg" alt="Zurich" />
</div>
<p>But… Zurich is an incredibly expensive city, so I decided to spend most of my
stopover in Munich (a four hour train ride away), where I met up with some
friends passing through on a different round-the-world trip booked with United
miles.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/munich_1.jpg" alt="Munich" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/munich_2.jpg" alt="Munich" />
</div>
<p>In Munich I stayed primarily at a Marriott that I booked for free with some MegaBonus
certificates, then moved to a super cheap Priceline booking at the five-star Le Meridien, where I
was able to provide my SPG number and get SPG Platinum benefits.</p>
<h3 id="zrh-bkk-on-swiss-a340-business-class">ZRH-BKK on Swiss A340 Business Class</h3>
<p>My first time in Swiss Airlines business class was a little dissapointing. The
seat felt cramped, jammed up against the window, although it was lie-flat and I
ended up getting a great seat. Service was definitely above average, but the
hard product felt fairly dated.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/swiss_1.jpg" alt="Swiss Airlines" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/swiss_2.jpg" alt="Swiss Airlines" />
</div>
<h3 id="bangkok-layover">Bangkok Layover</h3>
<p>The only available award flight to Jakarta was at 8AM, which required a forced
overnight in Bangkok. This ended up being shortly after the Thai Army declared
martial law on Bangkok. Aside from a warning sign at my hotel, I didn't
notice anything different in the city. It turns out, during my flight from
Bangkok to Jakarta, Thailand then had a full-scale military coup.</p>
<p>I had dinner at my favorite restaurant in Bangkok (Somtum Der),
serving up authentic Issan (northern Thai) food, then walked around the
Siam area near my hotel.</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/bangkok_1.jpg" alt="Bangkok" />
</div>
<p>I stayed at the Hyatt Erawan Bangkok for the first time, and used one of my
expiring Hyatt Diamond Suite upgrade certificates to reserve a suite on
their Club floor.</p>
<p>Because I was leaving too early to enjoy breakfast in the lounge, they gave me
complementary early morning room service: a full "Thai Breakfast" spread.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/bangkok_hotel_1.jpg" alt="Bangkok" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/bangkok_hotel_3.jpg" alt="Bangkok" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/bangkok_hotel_2.jpg" alt="Bangkok" />
</div>
<h3 id="bkk-cgk-on-thai-777-business-class">BKK-CGK on Thai 777 Business Class</h3>
<p>I had a fairly typical flight in Thai Airways Royal Silk. I have flown their
angle-flat 777 business class before and it's definitely more than adequate. I
ended up getting some sleep on this flight because I was pretty tired from all the time
zone hopping.</p>
<h3 id="jakarta-indonesia">Jakarta, Indonesia</h3>
<p>Wow, Jakarta. This isn't a particularly touristed place, and I really wanted to
go here just because I had never been. The traffic is absolutely crazy: on my
one hour journey from the airport to my hotel, the taxi drove mostly in the
shoulder and cut off two police cars. There are no rules, but somehow people get
by.</p>
<p>I had several encounters of Indonesian school children wanting to take pictures
with me and practice their English. They all learn English in school, but have
few opportunities to speak with a native speaker, given virtually no Westerners
visit Indonesia except for business.</p>
<p>Especially for a hot city in Southeast Asia, I did quite a lot of walking
around, but Jakarta is very unfriendly to pedestrians. Although I'm glad I
finally went there, I probably will not be back.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/jakarta_1.jpg" alt="Jakarta" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/jakarta_2.jpg" alt="Jakarta" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/jakarta_3.jpg" alt="Jakarta" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/jakarta_4.jpg" alt="Jakarta" />
</div>
<p>I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta on a cash & points rate, also applying one
of my expiring Hyatt Diamond suite upgrades. The hotel was a bit dated, but
overall pretty nice considering where I was.</p>
<h3 id="side-trips-to-kuala-lumpur--panang-malaysia-on-malaysia-airlines">Side Trips to Kuala Lumpur & Panang, Malaysia on Malaysia Airlines</h3>
<p>Within Jakarta on my "shell" trip, I decided to book separate flights on
Malaysian Airlines to visit Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia, both delightful
cities. Kuala Lumpur was great to walk around, and ascend one of the tallest
buildings in the world.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_1.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_2.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_3.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_4.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" />
</div>
<p>I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, one of the nicest Hyatt Properties
I've been to. I used one of my Hyatt Diamond suite upgrades.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_hotel_1.jpg" alt="Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/kuala_lumpur_hotel_2.jpg" alt="Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur" />
</div>
<p>In Penang I stayed off the beaten path at the Four Points by Sheraton on a very
cheapCash
& Points rate (1,500 points + $30 / night), and applied one of my Starwood Platinum suite upgrades). I had a
relaxing time there on the beach and eating some incredibly delicious food. I'd
come back to Penang just for the food!</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/penang_1.jpg" alt="Penang" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/penang_2.jpg" alt="Penang" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/penang_3.jpg" alt="Penang" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/penang_4.jpg" alt="Penang" />
</div>
<p>Returning from Penang to Jakarta I used the Malaysian Airlines First Class lounge due to my
OneWorld Emerald status (through American Airlines ExecutivePlatinum), even
flying economy on a cheap ticket. The lounge had a sit-down restaurant and
outstanding service.</p>
<h3 id="cgk-tpe-on-eva-a330-business-class">CGK-TPE on EVA A330 Business Class</h3>
<p>After a quick overnight in Jakarta, I arrived at Jakarta airport quite early.
Shortly after my arrival the check-in queue opened, and a
lady asked if I was traveling in business class. She pulled me out of the line
and escorted me to a separate sit-down checkin area for premium passengers
departing CGK, where I got my boarding passes for <em>four flights</em>:
CGK-TPE-LAX-PHX-MEX. I definitely chuckled at seeing a boarding pass for a US
Airways flight Phoenix to Mexicoty City printed on <em>EVA Airlines card stock</em>.</p>
<h3 id="taipei-layover">Taipei Layover</h3>
<p>I deliberately booked a long layover in Taipei since it was free on the award I
booked, and I was looking forward to visiting the original location of Din
Tai Fung that a friend and I visited last time I was in Taipei.</p>
<p>I spent my short layover eating delicious dumplings and strolling around the
streets of Taipei.</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/taipei_1.jpg" alt="Taipei" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/taipei_dumplings_1.jpg" alt="Taipei" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/taipei_dumplings_2.jpg" alt="Taipei" />
</div>
<h3 id="tpe-lax-on-eva-airlines-777-300er-hello-kitty-business-class">TPE-LAX on EVA Airlines 777-300ER "Hello Kitty" Business Class</h3>
<p>The flight I was looking forward to the most was my Taipei to Los Angeles flight
on the EVA Airlines 777-300ER. Their reverse herringbone lie-flat business class
is highly acclaimed in the blogosphere, and I was lucky enough to be on their
"Hello Kitty" service.</p>
<p>Unfortunately the plane did not end up being adorned in Hello Kitty livery, but
the service was fully Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty aprons, Hello Kity coasters,
Hello Kitty menus, Hello Kitty checkin kiosks, Hello Kitty boarding passes, even
Hello Kitty <em>toilet paper</em>! It was definitely a ridiculous experience.</p>
<p>Besides the Hello Kitty, this flight was my best business class flight ever. The
service was outstanding, and EVA's reverse herringbone seat is just about
perfect.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/eva_1.jpg" alt="EVA Airlines" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/eva_2.jpg" alt="EVA Airlines" />
</div>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/eva_3.jpg" alt="EVA Airlines" />
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/eva_4.jpg" alt="EVA Airlines" />
</div>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/08/06/round-the-world-on-us-airways-90k-award/eva_5.jpg" alt="EVA Airlines" />
</div>
<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>
<p>The value I got from this 90,000 mile award on the US Airways chart was huge.
These business class flights would cost somewhere around $20,000 if paying cash,
yet I was able to buy those 90,000 miles for $990 (plus $156 in taxes).</p>
<p>If anyone out there is considering using their US Airways miles,
around-the-world trips like this are still doable, but a little more difficult
now that US Airways is in OneWorld alliance. Nevertheless, routings like this
should be possible in theory:</p>
<pre>
MEX-LAX-HKG-HKT (Cathay Pacific 777-300ER Business Class)
Destination Phuket, Thailand
HKT-KUL-CDG (Malaysian Airlines A380 Business Class)
Stopover Paris, France
CDG-LHR-LAX-MEX (American or British Airways Business Class)
</pre>
<p>Since US Airways and American are in the process of merging, I can pretty much
guarentee these miles will devalue sometime within the next two years. But they
are probably safe for at least the next six months. Beyond that, I'd recommend
burning your US Airways miles on a redemption like this.</p>
Bizarre US Airways Chairman's Certificate Availability/blog/2014/03/26/bizarre-us-airways-chairmans-certificate-availability.html2014-03-25T17:00:00-07:002014-03-25T17:00:00-07:00Ben Hughes<p>I'm pretty tolerant of low award/upgrade space, and am extremely flexible when
it comes to using my miles and upgrade instruments. I'm grateful to even be in
the position to use such things, even if not at my ideal time.</p>
<p>But the experience I've had...</p><p>I'm pretty tolerant of low award/upgrade space, and am extremely flexible when
it comes to using my miles and upgrade instruments. I'm grateful to even be in
the position to use such things, even if not at my ideal time.</p>
<p>But the experience I've had trying to find US Airways Chairman's certificate
upgrade availability has been insane. I'm currently eyeing a random weekend trip
to London on a cheap LAX-LHR fare, returning April 1st. US Airway's A330-300 flight
LHR-CLT on April 1st has a <strong>completely empty Envoy cabin</strong>. It's not just the
seat map - the Chairman's desk even confirmed as such. US Airways has not sold a
single one of their <em>twenty eight seats</em>, and it's six days out.</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/03/26/bizarre-us-airways-chairmans-certificate-availability/seatmap.png" alt="" />
</div>
<p>That is well-reflected in the award space they are releasing to their
Star Alliance partners - <em>eight</em> seats are available:</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/03/26/bizarre-us-airways-chairmans-certificate-availability/award_availability.png" alt="" />
</div>
<p>Yet US Airways has released <strong>no
space for their own Chairman's members on upgrade certificates</strong>.</p>
<p>The agent tried to tell me, "looks like they are holding those seats back for
revenue". But they clearly aren't if they are releasing eight seats for awards.</p>
<p>What's more extreme in this case is that I will only pay for a ticket if I can
confirm availability. So if no space is released, US Airways gets $0. If they
release space, I will be <em>giving them actual revenue</em>.</p>
<p>Is yield management at US Airways asleep? Is this deliberate? In fairness, they're probably waist
deep in the OneWorld transition. But it certainly does not breed goodwill to
their top elite members when someone can book themselves and seven of their
friends on miles on the same route that I am unable to <em>pay US Airways</em> and use
one of my upgrade instruments.</p>
<p>I must say, I really will chuckle if this flight goes out on the first without a
single seat in Envoy paid for.</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
Accessing Lufthansa Lounges when flying Domestically as a Star Alliance Gold/blog/2014/03/16/accessing-lufthansa-lounges-domestically-as-star-gold.html2014-03-15T17:00:00-07:002014-03-15T17:00:00-07:00Ben Hughes<p>Unlike most of the rest of the world, lounge access within the United States
comes primarily through membership. Even with top elite status on three
airlines, I get no lounge access when traveling domestically on them. A typical
exception is when traveling...</p><p>Unlike most of the rest of the world, lounge access within the United States
comes primarily through membership. Even with top elite status on three
airlines, I get no lounge access when traveling domestically on them. A typical
exception is when traveling internationally, when Star Alliance Gold members can
indeed access Star Alliance lounges.</p>
<p>This often leads people to believe - incorrectly - that when traveling
domestically it's simply not possible to access a lounge.</p>
<p>But that's not quite what the rules say. The way the <a href="http://www.staralliance.com/en/benefits/status-benefits/lounge-access-policy/">rules are written</a> for Star
Alliance actually makes specific exceptions for United Clubs and US Airways
clubs, but <em>not</em> other Star Alliance Gold lounges:</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img src="/blog/2014/03/16/accessing-lufthansa-lounges-domestically-as-star-gold/rules.png" alt="Lounge Access Rules" />
</div>
<p>This means that non-United and US Airways Star Alliance Gold lounges are
actually accessible <em>even on domestic trips</em>!</p>
<p>Now, <em>in practice</em> this isn't quite as amazing as it sounds, since often foreign
Star Alliance Gold lounges are simply not accessible from domestic terminals.
This is true at almost all airports with foreign lounges, with one notable exception: Washington Dulles.</p>
<p>Washington Dulles has Lufthansa Senator & Business lounges near gate B49 that
are perfectly accessible from the rest of the terminal. While little-known, it's
entirely possible for any Star Alliance Gold member to walk right into the
Senator Lounge with nothing other than their boarding pass and Gold card.</p>
<p>Even more strange is that with Lufthansa's separation of their Senator Lounge (for first
class and Star Alliance Gold) and their Business Lounge (for business class),
Star gold passengers on a $50 ticket flying 200 miles have access to a better
lounge than full fare business class passengers flying across the Atlantic
ocean!</p>
<p>Access to the IAD Lufthansa lounge must be little-known, otherwise why does one see hoards of United elites at
the much-inferior United Club? One legitimate explanation is that, although
accessible from other gates, the Lufthansa Senator lounge isn't particulary
convenient if you're departing out of gates C & D - predominantly for United
domestic departures.</p>
<p>Still, even when departing out of a far-off gate, I find it more than worthwhile
making the trip to B49 to visit the Senator lounge.</p>
<p>I even go so far as to deliberately try to route myself through IAD simply to
get a free (excellent) meal and shower while passing through.</p>
Ancillary Benefits of Mileage Running (as a Nomad)/blog/2014/03/14/ancillary-benefits-of-mileage-running.html2014-03-13T17:00:00-07:002014-03-13T17:00:00-07:00Ben Hughes<p>Since June 2013 I have been a homeless nomad, <a href="http://travel.benhughes.name">traveling full time</a>. Travel
hacking, frequent flyer miles, and hotel points are the only way I could even remotely afford
to do this. While nomading, I have continued to do a fair amount of mileage running...</p><p>Since June 2013 I have been a homeless nomad, <a href="http://travel.benhughes.name">traveling full time</a>. Travel
hacking, frequent flyer miles, and hotel points are the only way I could even remotely afford
to do this. While nomading, I have continued to do a fair amount of mileage running, and I've
really come to appreciate some of the ancillary benefits beyond just the miles
that anyone in a similar situation should factor into the analysis.</p>
<p><strong>Let's look at a typical weighing of the costs & benefits of mileage running, in
order of intensity:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Potential Benefits:</strong>
* Elite-qualifying miles earned
* Redeemable miles earned
* Seeing a new city for a day
* Experiencing the joy of flying (if you actively enjoy it)</p>
<p><strong>Potential Costs:</strong>
* Airfare
* Transportation costs
* Lodging costs (if staying overnight)
* Positioning flights, if applicable
* Wasted time on the plane
* Wasted time in logistics of getting to and on the plane</p>
<p>The last two don't particularly apply to me, since I am a very productive worker on
airplanes, but I think for most people that's a reasonable accounting costs
and benefits of mileage running. Depending on your assessment of those
costs/benefits, mileage running may or may not be worth it for any given
scenario.</p>
<p><strong>But there are some other benefits I think most overlook, and they are
particularly applicable to nomads like myself:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>A free place to sleep. This displaces money that would otherwise have to be spent on some sort of lodging. The value of this may be low given the "accomodations" don't approach hotel-level, but it's surely non-zero.</li>
<li>A free place to take a shower in the lounge. I have taken many free showers (coupled with a free night stay) that has some value to me.</li>
<li>Free food and drink on the airplanes. Again, this displaces money you'd need to spend on food anyways, nomad or not.</li>
<li>Free food and drink in the lounge.</li>
<li>Free massage in the lounge (e.g. Amex Centurion in DFW, Thai Airways First Class Lounge in BKK)</li>
</ul>
<p>While some of these may sound small, I assert that they can actually be quite
large.</p>
<p>On a recent mileage run to Shanghai (with a pretty ridiculous routing) I
enjoyed <em>fifteen</em> free meals (with drink) entirely as a consequence of paying my
airfare. Conservatively valued at $10/meal, that's $150 on a $600 ticket - 1/4th
of the entire cost! Add in the fact that I got three free nights of lodging with
shower (on the airplane, in business/first class, showered in the lounges), valued at even $40/night,
that's a total of $270 in ancillary benefits, <strong>almost one-half of the entire
ticket cost</strong>.</p>
<p>But those are merely benefits from using the airport system. There's also
potential benefits with re-positioning to a place with a lower cost of living.
During my recent mileage run to Beijing, I spent way below my normal budget on both food and
lodging simply because Beijing was so cheap. You can
argue about whether that should be considered a net benefit, but I do think mileage
running can <em>open the door</em> to experiencing a lower cost of living - even if for
a short period of time.</p>
<p>Of course, these benefits are not always applicable to everybody. If you're
missing work, unable to work on planes, paying rent or a mortgage regardless, or
have other costs without compensating differentials from mileage
running, it may not make sense. It's important to be realistic with
yourself about the value you are or are not getting.</p>
<p>But it's equally important to keep these potential benefits in mind, as they
are real and non-zero.</p>
Mileage Running to AA ExecutivePlatinum in 9 Days for $1,162/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162.html2013-12-23T16:00:00-08:002013-12-23T16:00:00-08:00Ben Hughes<p>When American Airlines briefly had their <a href="http://thepointsguy.com/2013/08/american-airlines-elite-status-fast-track-offer/">FastTrack Promo back in August</a>, I couldn't resist: by flying 30,000 miles by the end of the year, American Airlines would hand me their top elite status with eight systemwide upgrade certificates.</p>
<p>At the time...</p><p>When American Airlines briefly had their <a href="http://thepointsguy.com/2013/08/american-airlines-elite-status-fast-track-offer/">FastTrack Promo back in August</a>, I couldn't resist: by flying 30,000 miles by the end of the year, American Airlines would hand me their top elite status with eight systemwide upgrade certificates.</p>
<p>At the time, I had recently attained United 1K status largely through cheap mileage runs to ZFV (Philadelphia Amtrak Station), and had planned on re-qualifying for Chairman's Preferred status on US Airways by the end of the year. Adding a third top elite status in theory didn't make much sense, especially since Chairman's would presumably get me ExecPlat in the merger anyways. But I'm a sucker for a challenge, and the thought of completing the trinity of top elite statuses (on UA, US, and AA) excited me. More practically, it would get me eight highly-valued "systemwide upgrades" on American that I wouldn't otherwise get by just maintaining Chairman's.</p>
<p>Little did I know how much drama was about to unfold.</p>
<h3 id="trip-planning">Trip Planning</h3>
<p>To complete the challenge affordably, I knew I would need some low-CPM mileage runs, ideally a few to destinations I wanted to travel to anyways. One challenge is that due to pre-existing travel and some planned destinations for my nomading, I really didn't have much time to spend mileage running for this goal.</p>
<p>I started out with a decent fare to Shanghai, booked for December with a one day turnaround:</p>
<h4 id="los-angeles-to-shanghai-lax-bna-ord-pvg-ord-mia-lax-19858-mi--37-cpm">$741 Los Angeles to Shanghai: LAX-BNA-ORD-PVG-ORD-MIA-LAX (19,858 mi @ 3.7 CPM)</h4>
<p><img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/lax_pvg.png" alt="LAX-PVG Routing" /></p>
<p>The key to this fare working well was the routing I was able to attain, connecting through Nashville and Chicago on the outbound (way out of the way), and then Chicago and Miami on the return (even further out of the way), netting 19,859 miles for $741 (3.7 CPM).</p>
<p>A few months later I was able to find a low fare to Panama City for a one night trip with timing directly before the Shanghai trip, putting me within range of completing the 30,000 miles for the challenge:</p>
<h4 id="los-angeles-to-panama-city-lax-bna-dfw-pty-dfw-lax-7643-mi--45-cpm">$347 Los Angeles to Panama City: LAX-BNA-DFW-PTY-DFW-LAX (7,643 mi @ 4.5 CPM)</h4>
<p><img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/lax_pty.png" alt="LAX-PTY Routing" /></p>
<p>I then added in positioning flights from Austin, Texas (where I planned to be in December):</p>
<h4 id="austin-to-los-angeles-aus-dfw-lax-1425-mi--113-cpm">$161 Austin to Los Angeles: AUS-DFW-LAX (1,425 mi @ 11.3 CPM)</h4>
<p>#### $123 San Diego to Austin: SAN-LAX-AUS (1,351 mi @ 9.1 CPM)</p>
<p>This all combined into the following compact nine day trip for December 6th - 13th:</p>
<h4 id="aus-dfw-lax-bna-dfw-pty-dfw-lax-bna-ord-pvg-ord-mia-laxsan-lax-aus-30278-mi--48-cpm">$1,462: AUS-DFW-LAX-BNA-DFW-PTY-DFW-LAX-BNA-ORD-PVG-ORD-MIA-LAX,SAN-LAX-AUS (30,278 mi @ 4.8 CPM)</h4>
<p><img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/full_map.png" alt="Full Routing" /></p>
<p>The above does not consider 500 mile minimums, as I didn't want to make any assumptions about earning those given the circumstances.</p>
<p>In the process of flying these miles, due to the fact that I'd earn mileage multipliers as soon as I hit Gold (6,000 miles) and Platinum (12,000 miles), I'd be earning about 42,000 redeemable miles, which I value at roughly $750, meaning on net balance I'd be paying $712 for ExecutivePlatinum status and eight international business class (not to mention, short trips to Shanghai and Panama). Not a bad deal, I thought.</p>
<h3 id="execution">Execution</h3>
<h4 id="major-irregular-operations">Major Irregular Operations</h4>
<p>My first day was supposed to be simple: fly AUS-DFW-LAX, then red-eye to BNA. Unfortunately, the huge cold front approaching DFW posed a significant problem and almost unraveled the whole thing from the start. On the morning of departure I got a notice that my AUS-DFW flight had been canceled, and decided to be taken to the airport immediately so I could try to deal with the issues with a lounge agent (phone agents were almost inaccessible with the significant DFW cancelations going on). Missing my first flight to LAX would destroy the rest of the entire trip, as there was almost no slack for re-booking. The lounge agent put me on standby for an AUS-LAX direct flight, still allowing me to clear the 30,000 miles. Given I had no status, the standby was very unlikely to clear, but my luck prevailed and I was the last standby to clear at the gate. I had never been so happy to sit in a middle seat at the back of the plane.</p>
<p>Having dodged a bullet by making it to LAX, I relaxed in the lounge a while before the next issue: a cancelation of my BNA-DFW flight the next day, which was supposed to connect me to Panama City. The lounge agent offered to rebook me through Miami (LAX-MIA-PTY), but I was relucant to accept given I knew this would put me under the 30,000 miles. Unfortunately there was simply no other option, and I had to accept. Perhaps I could do a quick AUS-DFW-AUS run the day I return to make up the mile deficit later.</p>
<p>At boarding time for LAX-MIA, the gate agents asked for volunteers to bump to the next LAX-MIA flight only an hour later for a $300 voucher. I immediately ran up and said I'm available with a safe connection and no checked bags. I once again got lucky and cleared this VDB (Voluntary Denied Boarding), scoring a $300 voucher, and successfully flying LAX-MIA-PTY with no issues.</p>
<h4 id="panama-city-for-three-hours">Panama City for Three Hours</h4>
<p>The drama got serious as soon as I arrived in PTY, where I was scheduled to spend one night and fly back in the morning. I took a cab to my hotel, was unable to check in quite yet, and upon sitting down to use the internet got a notice that my PTY-DFW flight the next day had been canceled. I immediately hopped on ExpertFlyer to investigate alternatives, and knew I wasn't going to be getting out of Panama City anytime soon - certainly not soon enough to continue on to Shanghai for the second half of the mile marathon. There was, however, a flight leaving Panama City for Miami departing in three hours with tons of seats. I told the hotel that I immediately need a cab and may not be checking in after all, then went striaght to the check-in desk to try to get rebooked out of Panama City on the next flight.</p>
<p>Lots of issues ensued from here: the check-in agents weren't directly powered to re-ticket, and there was some communication issues trying to explain my situation and the fact that I had literally just flown into Panama City and want to fly out again (and that I was flying to Shanghai the next day). I ended up spending <em>one hour and fifteen minutes</em> with the check-in agent, who was incredibly patient with me and at the last possible minute got me re-ticketed onto the next flight to Miami. In the rush of getting this done, she was only able to connect me back to LAX two days later on a direct MIA-LAX, which I knew was too late but also knew I needed to get out of Panama City as fast as possible. I ran through the airport and made the flight to Miami, again having dodged a potentially trip-ruining bullet.</p>
<h4 id="avoiding-miami--reversing-the-mile-deficit">Avoiding Miami & Reversing the Mile Deficit</h4>
<p>Due to the huge irregular operations throughout AA's network, Miami was a madhouse. All the hotels were booked, and lines everywhere. But, I knew I had to get out of Miami and back to Los Angeles in time for my flight to Shanghai - earlier than I had originally been reticketed. In particularly, having done some research on ExpertFlyer, I wanted to connect through IAD - a spoke airport for AA, but one with seats available both MIA-IAD and IAD-LAX. Doing this had two major benefits:
1. By getting to IAD that night, I could stay at a reasonably-priced airport hotel which would have been impossible at MIA (I would have slept on a bench).
2. By going through IAD, I would <em>recoop the mile deficit I gained through the rerouting on the outbound, and push me back over 30,000 without the need for more flying!</em></p>
<p>I ran through the airport to get down to a check-in agent, but they didn't let me through: only ticketed flights leaving that night or the next day were allowed for help. The directed me to the "future ticketing" office, which was full of some angry passengers. I finally got through to an agent, who could not have been more helpful, that was able to re-ticket me MIA-IAD that night then IAD-LAX the next morning, leaving me one night in Los Angeles before my Shanghai flight: <em>perfect</em>. She did the reticketing literally five minutes before boarding, so I ran back through the airport, was mistakenly told that TSA PreCheck was closed and waited in a long security line, ran to my gate and just barely made my MIA-IAD flight. Another bullet dodged. While sitting on my plane I booked The Westin Dulles Airport on my SPG iPhone application that night for $89.</p>
<h4 id="snow-slams-dulles-airport">Snow Slams Dulles Airport</h4>
<p>After a short night's sleep at Dulles Airport, I went back for my 8:30AM flight IAD-LAX, but another problem was brewing: the same cold front that affected DFW was moving towards IAD, and lots of cancelations were expected that day. While onboard my 8:30AM flight, snow began falling and the pilot announced a delay due to a flight attendant calling in sick. We waited on the plane for nearly an hour before they found someone else, but finally departed around 9:30 and again I could not have been more happy for wheels up. I made it to LAX after all. Later on I learned that most of the flights after mine out of IAD had been canceled.</p>
<p>At this point I was halfway through my journey and had not taken a single flight I'd originally booked: they were all canceled. I had made up the mile deficit from my original re-routing and was incredibly grateful for my good luck in re-ticketing around the significant irregular operations at Dallas Airport. When in these kind of situations, it really pays to be pro-active and know what you're doing. Each time I ran into an issue, I was on ExpertFlyer looking at flight loads and possible re-routing options, minding my mileage total.</p>
<h4 id="shanghai-for-lunch">Shanghai for Lunch</h4>
<p>Thankfully, my irregular operations issues ended there, and I was able to fly Los Angeles - Nashville - Chicago - Shanghai mostly without isssue. I'd even say my Chicago to Shanghai flight was excellent: I was in seat 41C (extra legroom, extra wide) and had a great sleep (well, mostly from sheer exhaustion). I had a wonderful day in Shanghai - my first time there - and ate some outstanding xiaolongbao for my only meal there.</p>
<div class="image-container two-up">
<img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/shanghai_1.jpg" alt="Shanghai" />
<img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/shanghai_2.jpg" alt="Xiaolongbao" />
</div>
<p>While in Shanghai, I did had to call the AAdvantage customer service line to get my Platinum status manually applied. Apparently in the system update, the automated system that posts status for the FastTrack promo wasn't working as frequently as anticipated.</p>
<h4 id="shanghai-to-los-angeles-through-chicago-and-miami">Shanghai to Los Angeles… Through Chicago and Miami</h4>
<p>My flight back was also uneventful, and I was able to make it to Miami that night. Once in Miami I breathed a huge sigh of relief, since I knew at that point that no matter what irregular operations occur, I was far enough away from Los Angeles that any routing would still land me the 30,000 miles necessary for ExecutivePlatinum. The next morning I flew MIA-LAX, had a relaxing night in San Diego, then flew back to Austin having flown a total of 30,306 miles in nine days.</p>
<h4 id="final-nine-day-routing">Final Nine-Day Routing:</h4>
<p><img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/final_map.png" alt="Final Routing" /></p>
<h3 id="executiveplatinum-finally-attained">ExecutivePlatinum Finally Attained</h3>
<p>About a week later, my ExecutivePlatinum status posted along with my eight systemwide (international business classs) upgrade certificates:</p>
<p><img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/status.png" alt="Status Posted" />
<img src="/blog/2013/12/24/mileage-running-to-executive-platinum-in-9-days-for-1162/swus.png" alt="Systemwide Upgrades" /></p>
<p>All told, I paid <strong>$1,162</strong> ($1,462 in airfare, less then $300 volunteer travel certificate) for:
* 46,257 Redeemable Miles (~ $800, more than enough for a free round-trip to Europe in economy)
* Eight International Business Class Upgrade Certificates
* ExecutivePlatinum Status until February 2015, granting: 100% mileage bonus on future travel and unlimited complimentary domestic first class upgrades</p>
<p>Though the first part of the trip was drama-filled and stressful, navigating through the storm was a challenge unto itself, and I had a blast. It feels great to set a goal, dodge bullets, and see your goal fulfilled. Next year when flying American's new 777-300ER aircraft in lie-flat business class eight times, I'll look back on my nine days of mileage running and thank myself for doing this.</p>
<h3 id="lessons-learned">Lessons Learned</h3>
<ol>
<li>Build in some slack with extreme itineraries. Irregular operations are a fact of life, and involuntary re-routing may destroy your mile goals ("original routing credit" is not a sure thing). I only made it through the DFW weather issues with a lot of luck.</li>
<li>Be pro-activate with your itineraries: monitor incoming aircraft and keep an eye out on alternative routes with seat availability.</li>
<li>When phone agents are slammed, stay in the lounge. Lounge agents ("AAngels") are always accessible and available to help you. I've had extremely positive experiences with all lounge agents.</li>
<li>Regardless of your stress level, keep calm, <em>smile</em>, and address agents with the utmost respect and kindness. I have no doubt that my attitude towards the agents was a huge factor in getting me where I needed to be. Every time I got re-ticketed, the agents put me in a "Main Cabin Extra" seat. Thanking and giving praise to agents when due is also important.</li>
<li>Don't ever check bags. I cannot imagine doing what I did on this trip with a checked bag, or even a bag that required an overhead bin.</li>
<li>Flying between two major hubs in irregular operations can actually be a good thing: this means <em>you can find re-routings through spoke airports!</em> Connecting in IAD seems bizarre, but since MIA and LAX are both AA hubs, tons of connection possibilities open up that most people would not even think of.</li>
<li>Don't book hotels early. Booking hotels commits your money to locations where you may not be. I book at the last minute only when I'm positive I'll make it to a given airport.</li>
</ol>