Free First Class Upgade On British Airways

While there are a ton of terms as usual, British Airways is back with a promotion they offer at least semi-frequently. British Airways is offering a free one-way upgrade to first class if you book at least a semi-flexible Club World fare originating in the UK.

Ultimately this probably won't be of interest to you if you're a leisure traveler, as semi-flexible fares tend to be quite high. You're usually much better off booking a discounted business class ticket and then using Avios to upgrade. For example, this free upgrade won't work on any of the ~$1,600-2,000 business class fares between the west coast of the US and Europe that I wrote about a couple of days ago.

The post Free First Class Upgade On British Airways appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/free-first-class-upgade-british-airways/

MGM M Life Takes Away a Benefit That Hyatt Elites Should Care About

Last summer Hyatt launched a pretty incredible alliance with MGM hotels. It’s a pretty revolutionary hotel alliance, not unlike airline alliances. Hyatt didn’t have a big footprint in Las Vegas. Their members can earn points and elite qualifying stays and nights, as well as redeem points at MGM’s M Life hotel properties like Bellagio, Mandalay […]

The post MGM M Life Takes Away a Benefit That Hyatt Elites Should Care About appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/mgm-m-life-benefit-hyatt-elites-care/

New Japan Airlines Osaka To Los Angeles Flight

Yesterday I posted about Japan Airlines' upgraded service to Sydney later this year during peak season. They're upgrading their daily Tokyo Narita to Sydney flight from a 777-200ER to a 777-300ER, which is exciting since that plane features fully flat beds in business class, plus eight first class suites.

Given the introduction of first class on the route, Japan Airlines is releasing eight first class seats per flight, which is amazing.

In addition to that, Japan Airlines actually announced some other exciting service changes. There are lots of minor equipment changes, though personally I think the most interesting changes are as follows:

The post New Japan Airlines Osaka To Los Angeles Flight appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/new-japan-airlines-osaka-los-angeles-flight/

For 1 week only: a hand-drawn typographic map of Thailand’s foods

Why not wear the foods you love? Thailand food map, in t-shirt form.

The post For 1 week only: a hand-drawn typographic map of Thailand’s foods appeared first on Legal Nomads.

from Legal Nomads http://www.legalnomads.com/2014/09/thailand-map.html

New American Airlines First Class Meal Service

As part of their merger, American and US Airways have aligned their catering standards as of September 1, 2014. As you might expect in the case of a merger, they're meeting somewhere in the middle in terms of the standards compared to the two airlines' previous policies.

Yesterday I flew from Chicago to Las Vegas in American first class, which was my first flight on American since the new meal standards kicked in earlier in the week. It was a dinner flight, and at 1,514 miles in distance it fell in the 3:30-4:30 hour range, so it was a standard midcon dinner service.

This merger is especially interesting since American has historically had the best and most extensive domestic catering of any airline (in my opinion), while US Airways had among the worst.

The post New American Airlines First Class Meal Service appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/new-american-first-class-meal/

Is the Ultra High End Aman Resorts Imploding Amidst Death Threats from a Russian Oligarch?

There may be no more important story about the future of true luxury travel this summer than the epic struggle for control of Aman Resorts. Fortune goes in-depth into the ultra-luxury chain’s dirty laundry. I’ve never stayed at an Aman Resort. I have wanted to for many years, but I probably never will. There’s no […]

The post Is the Ultra High End Aman Resorts Imploding Amidst Death Threats from a Russian Oligarch? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/aman-resorts-imploding-amidst-death-threats-russian-oligarch/

SUPing across the Georgia Straight

Kirkby sought to redefine what "adventure" means.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/adventure-curiosity-crossing-georgia-straight-standup-paddleboard/

Farmers 'Ready to Fight' Against Mexico's 'Mega-Airport'

Mexico hopes a new $9.2 billion airport will become Latin America's biggest travel hub. But the plans are opening up old wounds for nearby farmers.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/mexicos-plans-92-billion-airport-revive-resistance-neighboring-farmers-1680162

Weekly Review: September 6, 2013

This has been an insane travel week (even for me). In the past seven days I've flown from Toronto to Brussels to Doha to Dubai, then to Oslo and back on the same day before driving to Abu Dhabi to fly to New York for two nights before heading to Las Vegas.

Over half these flights were planned at the very last minute, which has made for some interesting stories that I look forward to sharing with you guys. I might need a few days to catch up and remember what day it is first though. ;-)

The feedback from last week was generally positive, so hopefully this weekly review works well going forward!

The post Weekly Review: September 6, 2013 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/weekly-review-september-6-2013/

Secrets of Three Letter Airport Codes Revealed

That’s a Daily Mail piece that Alan H. forwards to me. There are three letter airport codes that match the first three letters of their city name, like SYD for Sydney and MEL for Melbourne, Australia. They don’t get to use the first three letters for Detroit Metropolitan Airport, since DET is actually the old […]

The post Secrets of Three Letter Airport Codes Revealed appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/secrets-three-letter-airport-codes-revealed/

In Transit Blog: Broaden Your Spatial Horizons

With a growing interest among travelers to better understand the galaxy, a number of hotels and resorts are creating ways for guests to appreciate the expanding universe.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3e35a733/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C0A60Cbroaden0Eyour0Espatial0Ehorizons0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Drone footage of Burning Man

I especially love the 'straight down' shots over Lee Burridge's annual 6 hour set at Robot Heart.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/nights/drone-footage-burning-man-2014/

Before Beginning, Prepare Carefully: Notes from AA 1220

“Pub date” is shorthand for publication date—the day when a new book is out. Here are a few thoughts I starting writing on a short break from a five-week process of full-time preparations. I’m now flying to New York City … preparing for launch! On Tuesday we’ll debut the book. *** The taxi comes to…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/before-beginning-prepare-carefully-notes-from-aa-1220/

On being a chef and a traveler

When preparing a soufflé patience is vital. Too early and the mix isn't cooked, too late and it begins sinking.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/chef-made-better-traveler/

Buying Your Airline Tickets Outside the U.S. to Save Money

Reader Andy G. passes along this article that talks about how you can ‘buy airline tickets international’ — getting the best deal on airfare based on the country in which tickets are purchased. I think it overstates the case a bit (“once I was in Bangkok, that same flight that was once $300 would fall […]

The post Buying Your Airline Tickets Outside the U.S. to Save Money appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/06/buying-airline-tickets-outside-u-s-save-money/