Review: Qantas Business Class 737 Melbourne To Sydney

Upon boarding through the forward door we were welcomed by Grant, who was the cabin manager. He addressed us by name immediately and directed us to our seats, 3D & 3F.

Qantas' 737 business class cabin consists of a total of 12 seats, spread across three rows in a 2-2 configuration.

The seats are definitely on the extreme end of being "pre-enjoyed," and could use some reupholstering/love.

That being said, the legroom was quite good, roughly comparable to what you'd get in domestic first class within the US. Maybe even a little bit better.

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/review-qantas-business-class-737-melbourne-to-sydney/

Citi ThankYou Points Adds A New Airline Transfer Partner

I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/citi-thankyou-points-adds-new-airline-transfer-partner/

The Key Questions to Ask Before You Panic Over a Purchase of Airline Gift Cards With an Amex Fee Credit

Airline gift cards aren’t supposed to be reimbursable with the $200 American Express fee credit. In practice, and in my own experience is that they have been. This could always change of course. Readers will reach out to me when they try this with concerns that they won’t get reimbursed. There are (4) questions I’ll […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/key-questions-ask-panic-purchase-airline-gift-cards-amex-fee-credit/

Memories of Johannesburg Airport, 2006 to 2015

Yesterday I walked off the jetway into the transit area of Johannesburg’s international airport and had a flashback. I’d been here so many times… yet I always remember coming here years ago, way back in 2006 for the first time. Back then I was beginning a new way of life. I had ended my four-year…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/johannesburg-airport/

Qatar Airways A350 Business Class Inaugural Flight

Qatar Airways is the launch customer of the Airbus A350, and this past Thursday I had the opportunity to fly on the inaugural commercial A350 flight from Doha to Frankfurt.

Usually it's a big deal when an airline takes delivery of a new plane (just look at Etihad and their A380), but in this case it was even bigger than that, since Qatar Airways was the first ever airline to take delivery of the A350. So it wasn't just a big deal for Qatar Airways, but also for Airbus.

I had the chance to attend the Qatar Airways A350 delivery ceremony in Toulouse a few weeks back, which included a 45 minute media flight. I was curious to see how my impressions of the plane differed when actually flying it on a longer journey.

The awesome thing about this experience was that there were a bunch of avgeeks on the plane, so with these flights there's not only the excitement of flying on a new plane, but also the fun of getting to see a bunch of old friends.

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/qatar-airways-a350-business-class-inaugural-flight/

Dear America: If you love kids, let your schools show your affection

"Out of all the countries I’ve ever visited [...], no place showers affection on children like Italy [...] But the strangest thing is that Italian schools are not so child-friendly, especially for young children."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/network/dear-america-love-kids-let-schools-show-affection/

Avoiding Tourist Traps: Good Places to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower and Picasso Museum in Paris

Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite Paris is a fantastic city to experience food. But it’s also a city with a […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/best-places-to-eat-near-eiffel-tower-and-picasso-museum/

How To Select Etihad Seats Online

One of the awesome things about this hobby is that I learn something new every day. And my lesson for today is how to assign Etihad seats online, courtesy of reader RH.

I've always only booked Etihad award tickets using American AAdvantage miles, and I've been under the impression that you can't select Etihad seats online when booking through a partner airline. So my strategy has always been to ask for the Etihad record locator when booking the ticket with American, and then phoning up Etihad for the seats.

That's an easy enough process, since when you phone up Etihad the phone prompt asks if you're in first or business class, and if you are, the hold times are virtually non-existent.

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/select-etihad-seats-online/

It’s not too late – Deals still alive as of 1/18/2015

Each week we publish a number of fantastic deals on the blog and in Quick Deals. Most deals don’t last long, but some hang around for awhile. In an effort to keep you up to date, we have gone back through each of the deals posted over the last couple of months to let you know which ones are still active. Here are the deals still alive as of January 18, 2015. Through January 18…

The post It’s not too late – Deals still alive as of 1/18/2015 appeared first on The Frequent Miler.

from The Frequent Miler http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/not-late-deals-still-alive-1182015/

10 stunning images of Hawaii's ocean

"The ocean — it's under our skin, it's in our blood." A beautiful photo essay by Anianikū Chong.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/10-images-show-connection-hawaiians-ocean/

The Solution to Sleeping on Short Overnight Flights

Short overnight flights, like flying Eastbound East Coast to Europe, can be frustrating. You leave at night and arrive in the morning and have a full day ahead of you, but to really take advantage of it you need to sleep. (Here’s how I beat jet lag.) New York, DC, or Boston to London or […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/solution-sleeping-short-overnight-flights/

Review: Qantas Club Melbourne MEL

We arrived at Melbourne Airport at around 12:30PM for our 2PM flight to Sydney.

There's a separate domestic terminal in Melbourne Airport, which is nice enough, though certainly not memorable.

We decided to check bags for this sector, so quickly found the business class queue, where there was no wait.

The agent that helped us was friendly, and had our boarding passes and baggage tags printed within moments.

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/review-qantas-club-melbourne-mel/

How Do You Estimate Travel Time from Lounge to Gate?

TPG reader Precia tweeted me to ask: @thepointsguy- “I’m new to lounges; how do you make sure you get from the lounge to your gate in time for your flight?” This question hits home for me because I often fly out of New York, and the Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia Airport is located before security,...



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2015/01/how-do-you-estimate-travel-time-from-lounge-to-gate/

Hope, Assumptions, and Expectations (Hint: Only One Is Good for You)

“You have got to have hope. But maybe you must learn, and it is hard learning, not to hope out loud … You must not let your hope turn into expectation.” -Wendell Berry Assumptions are typically unhelpful and can lead to disappointment. When we assume, we convert our own beliefs and perceptions into a general…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/hope-assumptions-expectations/

Review: Battle House Renaissance in Mobile, Alabama (and My Strangest Taxi Experience)

I spent Thursday night at the Battle House Hotel, a Marriott Renaissance property. It was booked at my host’s $99 rate there, so a fantastic value for arguably the nicest hotel in town and certainly the nicest one near my morning meeting. The lobby of the hotel is fairly grand. When I checked in my […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/01/18/review-battle-house-renaissance-mobile-alabama/