Many thanks for the email. Unlike the email from United’s CEO Munoz to whom I wish a speedy recovery, this one will remain positive though I do have a few recommendations as to how you can make American the best airline in the world.
First, I think AAdvantage points are the best currency in the game. They are easy to obtain thanks to Citi and its diverse product portfolio. Next, they are easy to redeem on great carriers. In a couple of weeks I’ll be flying Etihad first class from Abu Dhabi to LAX for only 90k miles and ten percent of those miles will be credited back thanks to my Citi AA card. While this doesn’t compare to the One World Explorer Award that you ungraciously removed without a moment’s notice, it is still a great redemption.
My greatest compliment to you is in the following recommendation: never change. Changes or the euphemism of enhancements are seldom for the positive. Do not be like United and charge exorbitant points on codeshare flights. I know that Cathay first from Hong Kong is harder to book than before but it still can be booked! And it can be booked at a great rate of 67,000 miles.
Now for the complaints. Sorry, I have some. If I had none then you would already be the greatest airline and you have admitted that you are not.
Here they are:
Allow stopovers.
Workout a deal with Citi to make ThankYou points redeemable on American.
Can’t you squeeze in a deal with Emirates? You’re already BFF with Alaska.
Found my way back to the D this week en route to Athens which meant a necessary carb load stop at grandma’s house.
Marathon Biryani Carb Load
How great does that food look? Anyhow, I was speaking with my uncle when he brought up how AARP’s membership has gone up from $8 to $16. I replied that the $16 was the best money I had ever spent. Perplexed, he asked why I was a member of AARP. Of course I had to show him the blog post of how I booked a round trip ticket on British business next summer for $800 (should’ve been $400) to St. Tropez thanks in part to the AARP discount.
“But you aren’t over fifty and you aren’t retired,” he declared. Technically only part of that statement is true. And technically you don’t have to be either to become a member. Even after I told him that there is nothing illegal or immoral about me joining AARP, he still shook his head in disbelief.
My aunt overheard our conversation and was also dumbfounded. Knowing I’m obsessed with points, she proudly told me that my other uncle (the one who makes the best kebab) had flown first class from Phoenix to Detroit on American using points. I was heartbroken when I heard he had spent 40k points to do so. She then asked if I had seen the Jennifer Aniston commercial which made me pull up my post from when I flew Emirates Shower Class. If you thought they were shocked by my AARP membership…
The point of this post is that we as points enthusiasts forget that 94.75% of the rest of the world has no knowledge of this points hustle. Explaining to them that they can do the same if they only read their [favorite] nephew’s blog falls on deaf ears. They think I’m crazy or criminal and want nothing to do with it. So while we get mad at deal killers let’s not forget that there’s a whole world out there that is completely oblivious to the points lifestyle.
The only thing we share in common with the uninformed is our membership in AARP.
We’re going to be making a change to the Executive Club pricing structure for shorter reward flights originating or terminating within the United States of America. From 2 February 2016, reward flights will start from 7,500 Avios, instead of 4,500 Avios, plus taxes, fees and carrier charges (“TFCs”) from $5.60 USD.
Another day another devaluation. British is taking the fun away from the N America Avios program by charging more for short-haul flights. Surely American Airlines is partly to blame for this as the deval doesn’t cross the pond to Europe or Asia. For the time being, I still believe in Avios especially for Asia but have to say that I am lucky I didn’t transfer tons of points before the Amex MR transfer devaluation. Luckily the amount I did transfer conveniently was used to book two business class flights to Europe during the British sale leaving me with a balance of 429 Avios before I hit the mins on my British Airways card. Still, this is more bad news to report in what has been quite a tough year for points churners.
This was a pleasant surprise. Next week I was supposed to fly from Montana to London with inconvenient stops in Minnesota then Detroit. The drive to the airport is 4 hours with the flight departing at 6am.
From there I’d land in the D at 3pm and leave on Virgin Upper Class at 645pm. Just writing that has me exhausted. Today (Monday) I randomly searched for a flight from Montana to Flint and couldn’t believe there was flights available for 12,500 Skypesos and $5 in taxes. I called Delta and was surprised at how easy it was to get the change fee waived. The flight times had changed a few times qualifying this flight for the free change. The revenue flight would’ve been $534 further demonstrating what a sweet deal this is.
Now I’m in this gross Motel 6 hoping I don’t carry on bed bugs on my flight.
Next week I’m off to London on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from the D to LHR in the hopes of running the marathon in Athens the Sunday after. The original plan called for taking a train from London to Athens because I can’t drink, eat, and party as I would like before the race. Given my lame injury, the exorbitant prices for train tickets, and the opening and closing of routes due to the humanitarian crisis, I decided to be a wimp and fly to Athens instead.
As a newly minted Hyatt Diamond member and uninspired blogger, I thought I would go from London to Paris and write another mind numbing review of the Park Hyatt Vendome: “And because I was Diamond, I was upgraded to a suite and was given free breakfast, a value of 100 euros!” Luckily, my blogging soul was saved by expensive flights and bad routing to and from Paris.
With no Avios options, I almost settled for the lazy choice: fly Ryanair to Greece the same day I arrived in London. I tried to rationalize that this would give me more time to see Greece. Simultaneously, I couldn’t ignore the voice in my head that was mocking me for what a travel softy I had become. “Oh no what will you do without the Park Hyatt? Your foot hurts. Maybe you shouldn’t run at all,” and on and on.
Committed to remaining a world explorer and not a sheltered sissy, I went to skyscanner.com typed in the origin of London and my destination of ‘everywhere’.
Here were a few of the results:
Going through each one by one, I needed to find a destination that gave me enough time to make my connection from London and had a reasonable price to Athens. Gibraltar would’ve been cool, Malta, Cyprus, or the Canary Islands would’ve been nice, but the one that fit was Warsaw, Poland.
I know going to Warsaw doesn’t require balls of steel but the idea of picking a random place and booking it is a lot more adventurous than just flying to Athens early and consequently violating TPOL’s Travel Philosophy. Not to mention it is another destination that I could add to my Country Count List which will reach 76 after this trip.
Next time I go to Europe, I won’t pack a set itinerary. Instead, I’ll just use Skyscanner when I’m ready to move from one city to the next. That way I can try to salvage my reputation as an intrepid traveler and not a timid tourist.
Fifteen weeks of training is done for the Athens marathon and in order to keep myself honest and motivated, here’s my weekly diary of all things marathon.
Here’s what happened this week:
x-rays were negative last week but I still can’t run without pain.
I purchased every PED from Amazon including Biofreeze, KT tape, compression socks, and a brace.
Went to physical therapy for electric shock treatment.
At this point, there’s no more running. Just lifting.
The Radisson Blu Waterfront Cape Town Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting There: Go to myciti.org.za and select from airport to waterfront. The fare is 81 rand or $6.
Without question, the Radisson Blu Waterfront is one of the best hotels to use your Club Carlson points and Office of the President stay certificates if you haven’t burned them already.
The Location
Right next to the Waterfront, right across the street from the barely used soccer stadium is the idyllic Radisson Blu Cape Town. It’s in an excellent, safe spot from which to explore one of the best cities in the world.
To the WaterfrontThe converted soccer stadium grounds is now a golf course
The Room
As is usually the case, the Club Carlson gold status didn’t earn me a complimentary upgrade. It did get me an ocean view room that was so close to the ocean I thought I would be swept away during high tide. The room had a king size bed that took up most of the space along with a shower and bath tub.
As close to the ocean as you can getView from the room
The Service
Everyone was very friendly and helpful. If I needed a taxi one was called promptly. When I had to deal with setting up tours, the hotel helped make the arrangement.
The Pool
I didn’t go for a soak in the pool because there are too many things to do in Cape Town but after exploring the city it was nice to come back to the resort and sit by the pool while the live band played some tunes and I drank some wine.
The ducks
The Cost
Unlike the Doubletree, the cost of food and drink at the hotel were pricey. With the Waterfront only minutes away, it would be unwise to spend money here with so many better, cheaper dining and drinking options close by. The rate of $330 night highlights what a great deal the US Bank card used to be.
Overall
The Radisson Blu Cape Town is one of the best hotels in the Club Carlson collection. I highly recommend staying there especially if you have some points to be rid of.
The Doubletree Cape Town Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting There: While the hotel isn’t close to the major attractions of Cape Town, it is a 15 minute tax from the airport which according to the hotel’s website should cost 320ZAR or $23.
The Doubletree Cape Town
The Overview
The Doubletree Cape Town Upper Eastside is not in a good location. It is far from the waterfront, far from the beach, and far from any taxi driver’s recollection of how to get there. That is a huge negative. The positive is that it was available for New Years at a rate of 20,000 HHonors points a night when the going rate was $250/night.
The Location
The Upper Eastside is a neighborhood undergoing revitalization. However, apart from the hotel, there were no restaurants nearby and I was advised not to walk in the surrounding areas. Instead, I could either take the complimentary shuttle to the waterfront or take a taxi. If you missed the shuttle, you had to wait a half hour. If you called for a taxi, you had to wait for a half hour.
The Staff
The staff was more than accommodating. I arrived on New Year’s Eve and the front desk made calls to see which parties were still available and offered a complimentary driver to take me to pick up the ticket.
My last day there the tour bus was supposed to take me for a wine and penguin tour (mutually exclusive). There was a mix up and the bus didn’t show. The hotel called every private tour company available until they found a driver to show me around. They even split the cost of the tour with me. It doesn’t get better than that.
The Hotel
The buildings around the Doubletree are run down but the hotel itself has been renovated. It is modern and clean with a great bar and nice breakfast area. The breakfast buffet was excellent.
Room Service
Room service is the tourist trap of all tourist traps. It’s often a rip off and despite the allure of not leaving your cozy bed, the food isn’t as delicious as we romanticize it to be. This is not the case at the Doubletree. The food is very affordable and of top quality.
The Room
This was one of the smallest rooms I’ve seen for a Hilton but it did the job.
Overall
The hotel’s location isn’t a deal breaker but it is awfully inconvenient. No taxis knew where the hotel was making coming and going a laborious task. But the price and service, make it worth checking out if you aren’t SPG or Club Carlson points rich.
Why do we go to the gym everyday? Is it to stay healthy? Is it because we have nothing better to do? No. For the shallow, vain among us, it’s to take that one great picture on the beach. After that, all bets are off as we eat and drink whatever we want. Inspired by hedonist tourism, TPOL has launched Let’s Eat! Libations Travel Menu to celebrate the joy of international food and drink. This menu will showcase the best places to grub from the isolation of Montana to the global crossroads of Shanghai. The goal is to highlight those can’t miss restaurants that cause your stomach to grumble as you read the posts from the quarantine of your cubicle.
In the end it all came together. 8 nights in Tahiti for $103 + the incidentals like $1,000,000 for a burger. My first choice was to stay at the Hilton Bora Bora but good luck trying to find availability even a year out.
This rate goes on for months and months.
I rationalized that 3 nights at the InterContinentals in Bora Bora would be sufficient and that I owe it to myself to go to Moorea seeing as how I would be in the neighborhood. Furthermore, to sweeten the deal, I received one night free for booking five. That brought the required points down from 350,000 to 280,000 causing my nerdy points hoarding heart to skip a beat. Even better, the cost of the overwater bungalow upgrade is cheaper at the Hilton Moorea than the Hilton Bora Bora. Also, from what I read prices are generally cheaper in Moorea. Maybe a beer will cost only $12 instead of $16.
Points enthusiasts will appreciate my cynicism for this trip because Constructing Tahiti is more about solving the puzzle of how to get there on points versus the desire of being on an isolated, though breathtaking island. TPOL is more of a big city guy, a thrill seeker, and libations binger than a Corona, find your beach retiree. Nonetheless, I am very much looking forward to doing nothing, until that gets old.
