And the beat goes on. I applied and was approved for the Barclays Hawaiian Airlines card. 60k points that can be transferred to Alaska for a 2k spend is one of the best offers I have received in a long time. I used my Alaska points to fly to Melbourne with a stop in Fiji two years ago as part of the Bula! Trip Report and Melbourne Residency. (see Bula! Fiji Airways Vancouver to Nadi Flight Review). Where will I go this time? And, more importantly, will I be approved for the business version of the card, allowing me to book a return flight?
Seated in 1A, I attempted to board the plane. I was turned away by the gate agent, who said that they were only boarding first-class passengers. Instead of a typical Miami airport confrontation, I patiently let the ‘first class’ passengers pass and waited my turn. Moments later, business class passengers were welcomed aboard. Taking my seat, I noticed that there were only 4 seats in business and that those who went ahead of me were seated in row 2.
Business or first?
Delayed
“Due to thunderstorms in Roatan, we are delayed. The captain is waiting for a call back.” The flight attendant informed us that the precaution was because the runway is very short. Fair point.
Service
Unlike the flight from Puerto Rico to Miami, where the service was curt and uncourteous (see AA Business SJU-MIA: Flick the White Button!), the service on this flight was fantastic. While we waited to take off, the flight attendant brought drinks and snacks to both the ‘first class’ and business class passengers. The attentiveness continued throughout the flight, bolstering my claim that one never knows what to expect when flying business on AA.
Before I go on a trip, I go hard with the workouts and have a strict meal plan. It’s no longer for the Tahiti photo opp (see The Tahiti Diet: Making the Bungalow Selfie Count), it’s to create a buffer for the overeating and drinking that I will do (see A Holiday of Healthy, Tipsy, & on Budget? Basically Impossible). The first opportunity to let my guard down is on the plane. On any good international carrier, you will be offered an assortment of dough. From croissants, to garlic bread, to my favorite, pretzel bread, there’s no shortage of opportunities to become soft. I may be strong enough to resist on the first go around, but when they politely ask, “Are you sure you don’t want bread?”, I typically cave. One piece will not hurt anyone, but when an itinerary lasts for the normal 24 days and there are a dozen flights, little pieces of manna do not help. For my trip to Roatan, my self-control did not last long. Despite the sour service (see AA Business SJU-MIA: Flick the White Button!), I could not resist the sweet bread.
“We are going to dim the cabin lights. If you need additional lights, please use the one located above your seat.”
That announcement reminds me of my first time flying Qatar Airways. (see Trip Heard Round the World). Long before QSuites, Qatar had a standard business class configuration. On that flight, my seatmate left his overhead light on for the duration of the flight, despite passing out shortly after takeoff. I was tempted to wake him up and ask him to turn it off because I couldn’t sleep. Less confrontational than I am now (see The Etiquette of Things: Playing Your Music in Public), I opted not to do so.
This brings me to my flight from MIA-SJU. The time was 6:20AM. The same announcement came on. Instead of turning on the light, the passenger across the way opened the window shade. Bright lights pierced my eyes. My blood began to boil. Did this person realize what she had done? Is it going to be open for a few seconds or will it last forever? Like the Pops commercial, my freak out almost spills over into this audible suggestion, “Close the f*cking window!’. Before it reaches that point, the window shade is drawn closed.
My relief only lasted but a moment. Suddenly, and without warning, she opened it again. It was bad enough that the window shade was initially opened, interrupting my rest and relaxation. It was another level of irritation that the passenger felt the need to continue the torturous game of peekaboo throughout the flight.
For 25k versus 15k, I gladly chose business class from San Juan to Roatan via Miami. But I am always on edge when I fly business class on domestic carriers. I never know what type of flight attendant I will encounter. On this flight, I came across the one who acts like she’s doing you a favor to serve you. From the outset, I knew this wasn’t going to be fun. With my flight at 6AM, I had only slept for two hours the night before. Prior to takeoff, I took a quick nap. In the fog of sleep, I heard the flight attendant ask Ms. TPOL what she wanted for breakfast. I tried to wake up in time to catch her, but was not successful. Fearing I had missed the opportunity, I did the unthinkable: I rang the call button.
She came over and said, “I wasn’t done,” and then took my order. When the food arrived, I was again asleep. Lost in my dreams, I couldn’t figure out how to open the tray table. Impatient, she hissed, “Flick the white button!” I was confused, forcing her to do it herself. That did not please her.
In terms of the flight, the sweet bread is worth mentioning. The egg frittata was ok.
Overall
Flying AA is like a box of chocolates:
It may look the part…But the champagne is terrible.
Disclaimer: If you use my link to buy something, I might get paid.
I have been looking for a great combo for on-the-go blogging for quite some time (see ThinkPad Compact BT Keyboard: I Can’t Stop Blogging). With the death of the precious Blackberry (see My Travel Technology), I believe I found a suitable replacement. It’s the same Thinkpad keyboard along with an iPad Mini. While I hate Apple, nothing can beat their tablets. And with this small size, I can write whenever I want, including on this flight from San Juan to Miami, bound for Roatan.
I wonder what it would be like to travel without having to document everything? I think it would be boring.
I was stationary in Puerto Rico for a long time but that didn’t mean I felt like leaving. The reason I did is because my IHG stay cert was expiring and my birthday was coming up. I could’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Condado to justify paying the IHG card’s annual fee, but that hotel is quite terrible (see Holiday Inn Express San Juan Condado: Turrible).
Instead, I searched for IHG hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean in a new country that I have not visited (see Where I’ve Traveled). There were two results: Dominica and Honduras. While the hotel in Dominica looked nice, the logistics of getting there coupled with the fact that I didn’t want to trade one island for another had me intrigued to check out what there was to do in Honduras.
I came to find out that Roatan is also an island, the largest of the Bay Islands. The hotel was a Kimpton, a brand that I quite enjoyed when I visited Bangkok (see Kimpton Bangkok: The Best Here?). I quickly rationalized that sitting on a beach in Honduras is quite adventurous because it’s Honduras. I also found a superb flight for 25,000 points and $5.60 from SJU-MIA-RTB. Locked in on Roatan, I went to my favorite website for adventure, Wikiairports, to see where I could go next (see Wiki Airports: Finding Flights to the Unbeaten Path). While the choices were limited, I, within two days, pieced together a spectacular itinerary (see Bus-Ted: Central America Trip Report Points & Cash Summary).
TPOL’s Tip: IHG certificates have to be booked, not used by the expiration date.
Almost ready to congratulate myself, I received an alert that my Hyatt Category 7 certificate which I received for qualifying for Globalist (see Hyatt Globalist: Now What?) was expiring. “Ay Caramba!”, I declared. I wonder if there are any Cat 7s in Latin America or the Caribbean in countries I have not visited. There were not. “Dios mio!”, I exclaimed. I wonder if there are any Category 6 Hyatts in Latin America or the Caribbean in countries that I haven’t visited. There weren’t any.
Maybe I should save my certificate, I thought. That was an impossibility because there was no time between this trip, the expiration of the certificate at the end of June, and my residency trip in July (see Off Again! SJU-TBD Trip Report).
TPOL’s Tip: Hyatt stay certs must be used by the expiration date.
I checked out Category 5 but also found nothing. Out of options, I rationalized burning it on a lower category. I quickly talked myself out of that idea. Instead, I booked the Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen. I did this for three reasons: 1) It was the best value for the cert as the room was going for 29k or $700 a night. 2). In my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong…Including Mine (purchase here), I ridiculed people who go to Playa Del Carmen who believe that place is the ‘dream’ vacation and wanted to see it for myself. (That distinction now belongs to Tulum (see I’m Still Not Going to Tulum)). 3). It was an easy flight from where I was coming from El Salvador.
2 certs expiring, 2 certs booked. I was ready to go.
Overall
I resent the obligation that expiring stay certificates impose. However, without due dates, I would never leave my bubble.
Judging from this photo, do you think it was worth leaving?
The time has come for great writing. The time is now. I have now been to every country in Central America, minus Nicaragua. What an overlooked and underrated region! Plenty of posts to come.
I am planning my Central America trip, which is turning out quite nicely. Due to heightened security, each time I go to a hotel portal, bank portal, or airline portal, I am asked to verify that it is me using a code. That code is either sent by email or by text. Although I have asked all these programs to ‘remember me’. They, like some of my readers, have forgotten me. Booking complicated itineraries is time-consuming on its own. This makes it intolerablely consuming. Where is AI to realize that I am who I say I am? My, #AlexIntelligence >#ArtificialIntelligence.
Who’s with me?
By far, JetBlue has the worst tech in the industry. They make Avianca look good.
