Travel Hacking

American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles Combine – What it means to you

BySean March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

On Tuesday, American Airlines announced that it would combine the legacy loyalty programs of American Airlines and US Airways on this coming Saturday, March 28. Previously, American had stated that these two programs would be merging sometime in the second quarter 0f 2015, so this puts them a little ahead of schedule. The newly combined…

My Last Hurrah as a United Premier 1K: A Weekend in Dubai

BySean March 11, 2015May 4, 2015

With my United Premier 1K status set to end at the end of January 2015, I wanted to make the most of it before it expired. That meant I had some Global Premier Upgrades to burn! United 1K members receive six Global Premier Upgrades (and two regional premier upgrades) that are good for an upgrade from economy…

Review: LAN Economy Class Santiago to Sao Paulo on the B787

BySean January 30, 2015January 1, 2024

I was scheduled to have about an hour and twenty minutes on the ground in Santiago between my incoming flight from New York-JFK and my connecting flight to Sao Paulo. After a quick trip to freshen up in the LAN Mistral VIP Salon, I made my way to the gate, passing Dreamliner after Dreamliner. Santiago…

2014 Year in Review

BySean January 15, 2015January 15, 2015

Another year has passed, and once again I was fortunate enough to travel a good bit. Now, I didn’t fly nearly as much as I did in 2013, but my 2014 effort ain’t too shabby! Nevertheless, my stats for this year were less than 2013 for a variety of reasons: In 2014, I focused on…

Pardon My Absence Over the Holidays

BySean January 14, 2015January 14, 2015

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting the last month. The last 30 or so days, my life has been completely and utterly swamped with moving, as I moved into Washington, DC from Arlington, VA. That, combined with the Holidays and work really left no time to blog in my spare time….

Review: ANA Suite Lounge – Tokyo-Narita

BySean December 19, 2014December 19, 2014

We arrived at Narita Airport after about an hour and 45 minute bus ride from the Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Since we were on different flights, my buddy and I split up at check-in and planned to meet up again at the lounge. I proceeded to the ANA Suite Check-In, and WOW, it was nice. At…

A Twenty-Two Hour Layover in Tokyo and the Hyatt Regency Tokyo

BySean December 17, 2014January 1, 2024

For my return flights home to Washington, DC, I intentionally booked a twenty-two hour layover in Tokyo between my inbound flight on Air China from Shanghai and my final leg in ANA First Class to Washington-Dulles. Why, you ask? Because I freakin’ love Tokyo. And my buddy had never been. That, my friends is an opportunity…

Review: Air China First Class Lounge – Shanghai Pudong

BySean December 14, 2014January 1, 2024

We arrived at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport after a quick, 35-minute commute from the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the metro and the maglev. First Class check-in was painless and uneventful, as was the short trek through immigration and security. We made our way directly to the new Air China lounges, located near gate 71 in Shanghai-Pudong’s…

Weekly Roundup – 12/12/2014

BySean December 12, 2014December 12, 2014

First of all, my apologies — I’ve been M.I.A. for the last couple weeks. Frankly, life has gotten into the way, as I’ve been busy with work, finding a new place for when my lease expires next month, and of course spending time with my family over Thanksgiving. Once everything settles down, I will start…

Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai

BySean December 3, 2014January 1, 2024

Since I was scheduled to pick up my award ticket and start my journey back to Washington, DC via Tokyo on an Air China flight from Shanghai to Tokyo, I arranged to get back to Shanghai the prior day, leaving the two of us with one last afternoon and evening in Shanghai. Since we were…