Fare Deal: LAX to Liberia, Costa Rica

Impromptu trip to Costa Rica?  You could do worse....
 

** Note: this fare deal is good as of the time this was published.  These generally only stay active for a limited time, especially for certain dates.  If you're interested in this deal, I encourage you to hold your tickets as soon as you can!**

I don't usually post specific flight deals on this site, unless I'm in the process of planning for or taking the trip.  However, I've gotten multiple requests to share some examples of trips I'd recommend.  Usually I feel like my itineraries aren't for the casual traveler, as they're aimed at maximizing my miles and perks.  However, sometimes a deal pops up that serves both purposes of earning some serious qualifying miles, and having a great and comfortable trip too. 

This week's Los Angeles - Liberia, Costa Rica deal is one of those rare ones.  For around $670 round trip, including all taxes, you can fly to Costa Rica.... In business class!  Aside from having a good destination to spend a weekend, this trip will be comfortable start to finish, and earn 13,770 elite qualifying miles.  That's a good chunk of the miles needed to reach AA's Gold and Platinum levels, and doesn't hurt in your quest for the higher status levels either.

How to book it:

Both the AA.com site, and Google Flights are showing plenty of availability currently. To search for this fare, put in LAX as the starting point, and LIR as the destination.

Google flights showing tons of availability !

AA.com as well!

For bonus points, once a day American flies their biggest, nicest, plane between LAX and MIA.  For the same price, you can choose these flights and have a very comfortable lie-flat bed for most of this trip.  Just look for the flights (see photo above) that show "777" or "77W" as the plane type. 

This trip is similar to last year's Panama City and Quito deals, but comes even cheaper, with only a couple fewer miles.  All in all, this one's a great option. 

Happy travels!

~CruisingAltitude

If you want to know more about miles and points, or get help with booking tips like these (or any other travel) I'm happy to help.  Check out altitudeconsulting.net for more info!

Um, where's Qatar exactly, anyway.....??

Seriously people, I learned in telling friends and family about this mileage run I'd planned, that no one really knows where Qatar is.  The Qataris should pay me (or upgrade me, I'd take the upgrade) to fly there on a mileage run, and write about their city, like I'm doing anyway.  I mean it.  It could influence like...dozens of people....maybe.  For those still wondering, here you go:


So, what I really should have said, is "I'm going kinda near where Dubai is.  You know, the one with the tallest building in the world, and the indoor ski slope in the desert, and all the oil money." 

Every mileage run I set out to have a few new experiences of the frequent-flyer type.  New cities, airlines, airports, and the like, as well as sometimes revisiting old favorites.  It keeps things interesting, and there's a never-ending list of 'firsts' you can have when you're hopping around the world at 500mph.  Last weekend I accomplished all of the above, and have some 36,000 miles to go with it.  

This run was my first time to the Middle East, and it was overall a pretty good introduction.  The run was a mix of American and Qatar (finally learned how to say it correctly, if the voiceover on the safety video is correct), made up of 4 segments- LAX-LHR-DOH and return.  On top of it all, I added standard Arabic to the list of languages I've learned to say 'thank you' in, a tradition I have before going to a new country.  I figure if I'm only in town for a day or less, that's probably one of the more useful things I can sort out.

So, thank you, gracias, grazie, merci, danke, tak, xie-xie, arigato, obrigado, terima kasih, and of course shukraan for reading.

The trip started off extremely well, with a few hours at the Qantas 1st lounge at LAX, thanks to the new TBIT connector that lets OneWorld elites traveling abroad access the MUCH better lounges at TBIT before their flights.  I've reviewed this lounge last year [here] on our way to Peru on LAN.  Short story- it was great then, and it's still great now, especially earlier in the day before Qantas and BA start filling the terminal up.

Next....the obligatory upgrade list drama.  For background, I've only missed clearing two systemwide upgrades in my mileage running history.  One was the nonstop LAX-LHR a few years ago, the other was the dreaded 18 hour DFW-HKG outbound.

On this trip, it looked like history was set to repeat itself, and I was agonizing over rolling the dice and not trying to stop over in Dallas to take the connecting flight, that tends to be much easier to upgrade on.  Even a few days out, it was showing sold out in business class.  There were many calls to the EXP desk comprising of begging and scheming, and continuous obsessive checking and re-checking of the seat count on ExpertFlyer.  There was also plenty of rationalizing- it's what you sign up for when you buy a dirt-cheap economy ticket and hope for the upgrade.

So, when the time came, I boarded and took my MCE seat.  I was okay with it, I really was (the free-flowing champagne in the lounge helped with this), I was getting settled in, meeting the nice guy sandwiched into the middle seat next to me, when one of my (awesome, fearless, and ever-capable) mileage running buddies starts yelling my name from seat 18G, and waiving his phone to show the coveted check-mark now next to my name on the upgrade list!

Best. Battlefield. Upgrade. Ever.

I don't think I ever even got my actual boarding pass, since the FA who had it just pointed from the other aisle of the plane and yelled "4J" at me as I scrambled to figure out what was going on. Long story short, 16J -> 4J.  All the winning...and the PDBs.

On arrival, we had a long layover in London before our onwards flight to Doha.  All I'll say about this is the following:  1) I have a massive love-hate relationship with Heathrow- I love many of the lounges, and the array of possible connections, but I kinda hate just about everything else.  Connections between the terminals, if even possible given their policies, are simply rage-inducing.  Because WHO DESIGNS AN AIRPORT WITH THE RUNWAYS TO THE INSIDE OF THE TERMINALS?  WHO DOES THAT?!?!?

For clarity on the above- when you fly with Qatar, despite being in the Oneworld alliance, you get banished to Terminal 4, which will hereinafter be known as the 'Reject Terminal of Despair.'  It's the Skyteam gates, which should tell you just about all you need to know.  The Reject Terminal of Despair is located pretty much in a different timezone from the others, making connections lengthy.  An additional rage-inducing fact is that, Oneworld membership not withstanding, Qatar has taken it upon themselves to banish Oneworld elites from their actual good lounges, in clear violation of the policy that the other airlines all follow.  I have lots of feelings about this.  It will come up again later in this entry.  I apologize in advance. 

Since they have to provide some lounge access, Qatar gives you an 'invite' to the Skyteam lounge.  It is both ridiculous, and disappointing.  I didn't even really take pictures of the Skyteam lounge, I just wasn't feeling it.  If I wanted to fly Skyteam, I'd move to Atlanta or something.  Interestingly....this will not be the most depressing lounge story of this trip report...just wait for it...

On the flip side, there is one shining ray of hope in this situation, which is that for some inexplicable reason, Malaysia Air is also stuck in the Reject Terminal of Despair.  Say what you want about their recent bad luck, but this is an airline that maintains top level customer service, and plays nicely by the Oneworld rules.  They operate a lovely set of lounges (business and first sides) in LHR T4, and our stop by there was definitely the highlight of the layover.  One unfortunate caveat though, is that they only open 3hrs prior to their departure times, so they're closed for several hours in the middle of the day.



So. Much. Better. 

Up next, we hopped on our "short" 7 hour flight down to Doha.  It was my first Qatar flight, and it was...fine, I suppose.  It was a fairly packed flight on an older A330, but nothing particularly bad for economy.  I slept most of the way, and woke up in time to take some shots of the long approach over the desert.

We landed on time into Doha, immigration was easy enough (you do have to pay a $25 visa on arrival), and we were out and into an Uber car in less than 45 minutes.  One odd thing about Uber here, is that every single car we got in was a Honda Accord.  Every single one.

We were staying at the Marriott Marquis, which is well placed right downtown.  However, 'Downtown Doha' isn't big at all.  All the hotels are situated within reasonable walking distance (though no one really walked).  The city makes a pretty decent impression- it's clean, modern, safe, and the architecture is very impressive.  More than anything, though, it's a business city, and there's very little else.  This, combined with being in an Islamic culture that hampers nightlife, makes it an easy stopover, but not a place you would need days on end to sight see around.

When asking what to do in the city, there were really two (maybe three) things that anyone told us about: the Museum of Islamic Art (worth the trip, very beautiful), and the Souq Waqif (so many spices, so many birds).

To make it all even more efficient, these two attractions are across the street from each other, connected by a tunnel under the main road that passes along the coastline at 'The Pearl,' which is a giant clam shell sculpture with, you guessed it, a pearl in it (I suppose if you wanted to stretch things, you could call this a 4th attraction).

Also, we were repeatedly told we should "Really go to Dubai."  "Did we have time to go to Dubai?"  "Had we been to Dubai?"  For some reason the answer, "No, because Emirates isn't in the Oneworld Alliance." wasn't satisfying to anyone.  

 

 The one other thing the concierge told us to do was to walk along the Corniche, (the '3rd thing') which is a long greenbelt park that stretches along the water from the museum, to downtown.  We did some of this by default going to the Museum, because it's right there, and you can't help it.  It does offer some great photo opps back across the water to the skyline, and would have been a great walk, if it hadn't been all of 106 degrees that day.  This area also gives you some views of what's left of Doha's heritage as a fishing port- a marina filled with wooden boats, most of which now seem to be in the tourist trade taking people out for harbor tours.

The Marriott was very comfortable and modern, and the service was impeccable, both at check in and in the lounge.  We had breakfast on arrival, and later went back for happy hour, which offered plenty of food and a few hours of hosted bar.  The pool and spa areas were also a great addition to the trip, especially after over 18 flight hours to get there.

After a nap, and a visit to the Museum, I decided to take the rest of the stopover to head out into the city, and see what the nightlife (if any) was like.  Our return flight wasn't until 3:30 am (!!), and my internal clock was insisting it was about 2 in the afternoon.  It's one of my rules of mileage running- obey your original timezone, or suffer the consequences.

One thing to know about Doha, as well as similar parts of the world, is that when you're looking for a drink, you have to head to one of the foreign-owned hotels.  I was prepared for this, so I took a walk to the Sheraton, which is located on the water, about a 20 minute walk from the Marriott.  (Did I mention nobody really walks in the city??  Yeah, well, except me apparently.)

What I was not prepared for, and still am not sure what all I'd do about it if I go back, is that in order to get into the hotel bars if you're not a current guest, they want to see your passport.  Your actual passport.  I do not take my passport out when bar hopping (I use the term lightly) in foreign cities at night, I just don't.  However, I had my regular ID on me, and after much admonishing about 'next time,' they did let me in.  I'll just leave this bit of info there, what you do with it the next time you find yourself in Doha and in need of a Carlsberg on draft (or whatever) is your choice.

Though, I will say that one of the more memorable experiences of this trip was definitely witnessing an all male (of course) Qatari cover band do a rousing rendition of "Royals" in a faux-Irish pub on the ground floor of the Doha Sheraton....so.....yeah. 

I eventually wandered back to the Marriott in time for one last drink at "Glo," which is the cocktail bar in the lobby, before heading up to pack up and set out back to the airport.  We didn't arrive too early, because we knew in advance the absolute hypocrisy we were about to encounter when we tried to get any amount of service on account of our Oneworld status with Qatar.

(I warned above there would be more about this....so here it is)

Qatar is well aware that as a member of the Oneworld alliance, they're obligated to provide first and business class lounge services to Oneworld Emerald and Saphire members, respectively.  This is something they most definitely do NOT want to do, reserving any and all actual privileges only to customers in premium classes.  Sorry, but that's not how it works.  The other airlines, yes, even the good ones, like Cathay and JAL, deal with the occasional economy traveling Oneworld heathen, because membership benefits them and their own elites when traveling abroad.  They, likewise, do not allow 1st class check in to Oneworld Emerald, which they are supposed to do.

It's all more of a you know what to Oneworld as their actual premium lounges in DOH are by all accounts some of the best in the world, on any airline.  They're also huge, and for the most part empty.   

To circumvent these rules, they just half-heartedly (not even that much really...more like quarter-heartedly) made an additional fake "priority" check in desk for Oneworld elites, and an even more fake set of "first and business class lounges" for the sole purpose of giving Oneworld elites a place to go, without having to actually provide them with the level of service that's required.  It's bad, like really bad....like....I really really wish it was even half as nice as a standard domestic Admiral's Club.  I swear to the deity of your choice, the food was 3 kinds of soggy sandwiches, there was one bottle of white wine, and I'm pretty sure at least some of the walls were temporary.  These lounges shall hereinafter be known as the 'Twin Lounges of Infinite Sadness."

Let me just give you a few alternate options to do with your time instead of waiting in the Twin Lounges of Infinite Sadness:

-Walk the entire Corniche in aforementioned 106 degree heat.
-Go back and see if that cover band takes requests.  No Free bird.
-Just have your Accord-driving Uber guy make random right turns around the city for awhile.
-Put on some mall-walking shoes, and see how many steps it is across the departures terminal it is.
-Take a variety of selfies with the stuffed bear sculpture in the middle of the terminal.  Change clothes mid-way if you have time. (Or for that matter, a change of clothes)

In other words, do literally anything else.  **Rant officially over**

 Now that I'm off that soapbox, the flight back up to LHR was actually quite pleasant, given that it was in economy.  It was their a380, and we got seats on the upper deck, which has a small economy section behind the much larger first and business class sections (as well as the bar area).  It was quiet, and not entirely full, so I ended up with a a window row of two seats to myself (the upper deck is a 2-4-2 config).  Plus, the plane is so massive, it handles any turbulence well, and I was able to sleep most of the 6 hour flight.  Here, I actually had some Emerald service, if only in the form of extra greetings from the FAs and Purser, and being asked what breakfast I'd like ahead of the rest of the cabin.  It was reminiscent of flying on CX- doesn't cost them anything, but makes you feel better.

What was unique about this route was that it was a true 'sunrise' flight- hitting altitude just in time for the first light to show up on the horizon.  It was the counterpart to those US transcons heading west at the end of the day, where you're chasing daylight.

 

We landed in LHR a full hour early, and transferred terminals, this time out of the Reject Terminal of Despair, headed for T3.  T3 houses the Flagship Lounge for AA, but also quite a nice BA Galleries 1st lounge, which is impressive in offerings given that it's more or less a satellite lounge counterpart to their actual lounges at T5.  Champagne from the gold bar for everyone!  Yes, it was 9 am, what's your point?

Then as it always does, it was time to roll on out, board the last flight and head back home.  I cleared the upgrade at 24 hours out, and as it always is on the  777-300, had a relaxing flight home to eat, catch up on sleep, and think over the events of the last 48 hours or so.

It was another memorable trip, and despite some lounge envy, was a great experience.  I'd definitely take the opportunity to go to Doha again.  It's a beautiful, safe, very modern city that definitely feels like nowhere I've been before.  The Qatari heritage is apparent everywhere, even among the high rises, malls, and manicured strips of parkland.  Plus, I can't say no to 18,000 qualifying miles, can I??

 I'd like to end this trip report with sharing Qatar Airways promo video.  You see, after watching it multiple times (it plays before each and every TV show or movie you select on their IFE, as well as before the safety video) I realized what it depicts is what well crafted mileage season feels like:  adventure, freedom, and luxury extras, all mixed in with a feeling that flying 8,000 miles in a day, going across the Pacific just for dinner, or connecting in a series of foreign airports without stopping, is somehow comfortingly predictable and easy.  Also, and possibly more importantly, that the urge to hop from New York, to Paris, to Doha, and then Shanghai is perfectly normal, and not, as some of my friends have implied, an un-diagnosed mental disorder....

[Click for Video] 

Where do I want to go??  Well, dinner with a view at the Intercontinental HK sounds pretty good.  Who's in?

Until the next departure, fly safe.

~CruisingAAltitude

Oneworld, three days part II: Second Red-eye, Roaring Good Time...

Is this the way to the premium check in counter??

[Part I of this trip report here: The one where I crossed an ocean for a drink with a lampshade]

Now about that second 11 hour redeye....

It wasn't all that bad, at least in retrospect, but let me be real here for a second.  I'll admit a lot of mileage runners like to brag about how easy all this is, how flying to Hong Kong and back in two days is no big deal, and how they 'love to fly' and on and on.  In fact, I believe an exact quote I heard regarding someone's same day turn around going LAX-JNB was 'easy peasy lemon squeezy.' But the reality is, in that moment 4 hours in with 7 to go on a non-upgradable flight, when it's about 3am in your home time-zone, with the screaming baby, and the drink service over, you do have brushes with insanity.

You might start to rationalize the timeframe:
 '7 hours left, I can do that, it's like JFK to LAX, I've done that tons of times.  Well, and then two more hours, but that's just like an onward connection to Seattle.  No big deal, Seattle's so close...'

Or, instead, if you're a rewards-focused type, your monologue might go:
 '4 hours at 500mph, that's 2000 more qualifying miles, only 3500 left...I can feel my account growing by the minute.'

Or you start really looking for the analogies:
 'It's like only half a workday left, and a drive home in somewhat moderate LA traffic.."

This is also about the time you start wondering if you should get up and move around, and if maybe no one would notice if you started doing lunges down the aisle.  Hint: they will, but you may not care at this point. This is when my 'game face' changes to my 'deal with it' face, and I'm vaguely aware that in my oversized sweatshirt complete with hood, yoga pants and tall socks I probably look like a trendily vagrant teenager.

But, still, it wasn't all that bad.... I love to fly ;)

Besides, BA serves free alcohol in economy, and for some bizarre reason, has an entire season of Portlandia on their (fairly decrepit) IFE.  The two go well together.

One additional drawback to the timing of this flight is that you bisect the African continent- at night, and thereby see nothing.  However, there's no way around it on the current flight schedules.  BA flies 3 (huge) planes within 2 hours of each other on this route pretty much 'nose to tail.'  This is, yes a LOT of seats.  Yet somehow, just about every single one was filled.  I also heard rumor that this is a big cargo route, and so on more empty flights, the passengers and their revenue are somewhat of an afterthought in BA's bottom line.

Back to the flight though.  Dinner was... airplane food.  I took a picture, but it's not all that exciting.  Not that I was even that hungry after almost six hours in the Galleries Lounge.  I did manage to get about 6-7 hours of sleep, though I woke up every few for some reason or another.  Still, upon arrival in JNB, the mileage run adrenaline hadn't worn all the way off yet.  Plus, 'the mileage running crew' was finally all in one place, and we could head out for a one-day adventure before most everyone went right back on flights up to LHR 18 hours later.

First stop- Sandton, ZA since a couple of us had hotel rooms booked.  Johannesburg's accessibility got an upgrade in the construction for the last World Cup, and so there's a fast (and well-policed) train that leaves from JNB and goes direct to Sandton with only a few stops.  It's about a $24 round trip, and tickets can be bought with either cash or credit at the stations.  From the station in Sandton, you can walk to several of the area hotels (though I wouldn't recommend it at night) or the hotels also have shuttles you can call for.  

The 'Gautrain' at the JNB stop.

The train goes almost express from the airport stop to Sandton, so it's impossible to get lost.  As an added benefit, you get a good look at the lay of the land, including a few tightly-packed townships along the way.  The train goes underground in Sandton, and consequently you have to take switchback escalators up several stories to get to the ground level. 

From the train-Township in the background

I had a night on $60 cash & points at the Hilton, and I'd definitely stay there again.  As a Gold, I was upgraded to a nice two room suite with a decent view.  Check in was quick and professional, and the property was well appointed.  No complaints.  The staff even took a few of my companions to the spa to take showers and use the facilities even though they weren't on my reservation.  However....I did hear rumor from one of them that the laundry in the spa may not be up to standard, so I'd take a lesson from The Guide, and always know where your towel is. (I noticed no unusual lack of housekeeping in my room, so it may have been an isolated occurrence)

 



Bedroom Hilton Sandton- Nice amenities, quiet and comfortable.  6 TV channels, 3 of them soccer, 2 rugby.

Beautiful Southern Sky- Sandton, ZA

(Note to Club Carlson elites as well- the 'Raddison Blu Gautrian' also looked quite nice, and is directly across the street from the train, so no shuttle connection is necessary)

Since we had a group, I'd emailed with the hotel ahead of time, and had arranged for a driver to take us out to the Lion Park for a few hours.  The price was reasonable, especially in a group and included our tickets to the park and entrance to the lion cub area.  No, it wasn't a week at Kruger, but for an outing on a same day turn mid mileage run, it wasn't half bad.  If you want, these tours can also be arranged with pick up right from the airport, if you don't have a hotel reservation.  There are various excursions like this from similar companies with different attractions- museums, city, animals, etc.     

Now comes the excuse to put up a bunch of pictures of animals (you knew it was coming).  The tour of the Lion Park starts with a drive through fields filled with antelope, zebras, giraffes, and various other non-carnivorous animals I can't remember all the names of.  You get up close, and sometimes have to wait for herds to cross in front of the van. 

Now, on to the LIONS...which is what this run was all about, right?  Well, that, and 22.5k EQMs...  The lion part of the park includes several enclosures with adult lions wandering around (roll those car windows up, they are NOT shy).  We got there just after feeding time, and they were still chewing on what looked like some tasty half goats or sheep.  Served rare, of course.

 

 

 The park also is home to quite a few 'white lions,' like this little guy...

Last stop on the tour is a more typical 'zoo-like' area where you're free to get out and roam around and see more animals in enclosures.  This is also where they take you to go pet (and take selfies with) somewhat domesticated lion cubs.  Yes, it's all very touristy and whatnot, but like I said- same day turn mileage run activity.  I'll take it.

One thing these photos of sleeping cubs doesn't show is that when they wake up, they're not as docile as they seem, nor are their teeth at all small.  I had the memorable experience of having one decide to growl, grab on to my sleeve, and not let go.  Even better was one of the handlers coming over, nonchalantly swatting the offender on the nose, prying her off and shrugging, saying 'yeah, we're working on her with that.'  No big deal.... 

Siiimba.... (couldn't help myself)

Your correspondent & a new friend at the Lion Park

 

The whole crew- So much fun traveling with everyone!

Up next- the road home, complete with a missing passport, some surprise upgrades, business class on the 77W, and the realization that in some cases the same day turn may be the easier option.**

~CruisingAltitude

At least Giraffe thinks I'm funny...

**Theory yet to be scientifically tested.

 

Oneworld, Three Days Part I: The One Where I Crossed an Ocean For a Drink With a Lampshade...

777-300ER, parked at T3 in LHR

 

It occurs to me, as I book the first flight of the 2014 mileage season, that I have some considerable (daunting, even) catching up to do around here.  As I’ve written, 2013 closed with some epic mileage runs and lasting memories.  Despite some close calls with bad weather and serious jetlag, all went well.  However, I’ve neglected my trip reports, badly.  So, while I (probably futilely) sit and wait for AA to match the UA and DL fare deal to Hong Kong for this fall again, I’ll do my best to remedy that. Bear with me though, as 38,000 miles across 4 continents is going to take more than one chapter.  Some information may overlap with other entries already posted, but I’ll do my best.  

In the interest of keeping things relevant, I'll note that this run is likely to be available this year again for somewhere around the 5cpm range.  Recently, it was available on BA metal out of LAX, and I'd expect the AA metal version to come up in the fall.  Also interesting, for those willing to go a few more CPM in the name of comfort, is a WT+ fare in the low $2000 all in on BA planes that is upgradable on Avios to Club World.  I've seen these fares for scattered dates throughout the fall and winter.  This trip in their lie-flat a380 cabin would be a wonderfully comfortable 22k mileage run!

So, here we go....

They say when writing to ‘begin at the beginning, go on until you get to the end, and then stop.’  Let’s call the beginning of this story my arrival at LAX to start the journey, as all the plotting, agonizing, and rationalizing has already been posted here before.  See? and See?  

Though this flight was transatlantic, it was operated by American on the new 777-300ER and so departed from LAX Terminal 4, rather than the newly renovated Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT, if you’re the acronym-loving type).  

As an EXP/ Oneworld Emerald, even flying economy I had access to the American Airlines Flagship Lounge, which is co-located with the Admiral’s Club.  This trip was my first time in the FL side of the T4 AC.  It’s significantly smaller than the main side, but also has much better offerings: Open (self serve) bar with decent choices in both beer/wine and the harder stuff (yes 3 white tequilas, as previously highlighted), buffet sufficient enough to make a light meal- chicken, salad, rice, pasta, small desserts, etc., and bottled drinks and water (great to grab and take with you for the flight).  The lounge does have access to showers, but they’re shared with the AC, and in my opinion, the view is somewhat lacking in comparison to the AC side.  In particular, this evening I crossed back over to get some great shots of the sunset to the West.  

The food.

The Drinks

Now, a note about the plane.  It’s my favorite plane of all the planes.  The 777-300ER is American’s new long-haul aircraft, and is geared well toward the current trends in bookings.  It comes with 4 classes of service- First, Business, Main Cabin Extra, and Economy.  Now, I’ll qualify my love letter here with the admission that if I wasn’t EXP or PLT with American, this might not be my favorite plane of all the planes.  The main cabin seats are tight- 10 across in a 3-4-3 configuration, which, even on this widebody jet is cramped.  Honestly, if I didn't have status to get a Main Cabin Extra seat, I'd probably fly a codeshare on a different carrier.  Main Cabin Extra is 9 across in a 3-3-3 configuration with some extra legroom, making it a decent choice.  It also has a whopping 52 business class seats with all-aisle access and fully flat beds, making it the best business class product in the fleet, and just 8 First class open suites up front.

 

10 Across in 'Sardine Class'

For the 12 hour outbound LAX-LHR, I had seat 18F, which is a MCE aisle seat.  I’m not all that tall, so I found the legroom to be sufficient.  Though, they could take a lesson from the Qantas a380 product and put in a footrest.  The seat width also would have been fine, but the person who boarded late and took the middle seat next to me took up a bit more space, and I found myself on multiple occasions during the flight a little more up close and personal with her...and her coat,  blanket...hair….than I would have liked.  On the positive side, each seat has personal screens with a decent amount of IFE, enough to get through dinner and put you to sleep.  As for seat-tips, go for row 16, which has even more legroom due to being an exit/bulkhead row.  The only downside here is the lack of under-seat storage.  

Speaking of dinner, mine was a standard chicken-something meal.  Not terrible, but not memorable either.  A note on MCE service- they do serve you first in that cabin (in my case, just in time to get knocked around by some decent chop while trying to not spill my airplane wine), but there was no printed menu or upgraded choices like is offered in BA WT+ or QF premium economy.  You’re just basically getting a bigger seat, closer to the pointy end of the plane.      

Now, let me back up for a moment here and give a nod to the amazing group I ended up traveling with for this weekend.  Since this trip was such a monster deal, and simply netted so friggin' many miles, quite a few mileage runners signed up, so we decided to meet up along the way.  We started all over the US- 4 of us from LAX, and others from JFK, DFW, IAH, etc.  Due to the number of AA and BA flights that run on this routing, we weren’t all on the same exact flights, but kept meeting up with more and more of us at various points until we were all in one place finally in JNB.  It made the trip even better to be traveling with this group.  I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet such a diverse, interesting and capable group of people on such a unique basis.  If you get the chance, don’t pass it up.   

The flight passed as well as any 12 hour flight does, no big complaints.  We taxiied to Heathrow’s Terminal 3, where American’s gates are located.  It then takes a hike, a bus, a train, and another hike to make the transfer and get to the (much anticipated) T5 Galleries First lounge.  It might have been the low travel season, a well-timed bus arrival, and definitely having access to the fast track lanes for customs/security as a OW Emerald, but it actually only took about 30 minutes point to point. 

The lounge itself is well worth planning a layover for.  There are actually 3 premium lounges in T5- Business class “Terraces” (Paid J cabin ticket holders, OW Sapphire), First Class “Galleries” (F cabin tickets, OW Emerald) and the Concorde Room (First class international...various high rollers…the Queen, probably...).  All have access to shower facilities, food, and drink.  

Once you complete the trek from T3 and find the lounges in the first place, watch out for the lounge dragons on the way in.  They do strictly enforce the entrance and one guest only policies.  I’ve gotten away with several guests at some ACs state-side, “this is my Mother...Sister...Brother in Law...BFF...etc.” Don’t even try it here, they scan your boarding pass and note who’s with you. Once you get by them, though, you’re next greeted by a couple of horses with lampshades on their heads.  They’ve apparently been hanging around the 5 or so self-serve bars a little too long, but I just flew across the Atlantic for no reason, so I’m not about to judge.

My new friend.  I will call him AArnold.

This lounge is one of those reasons your clothes always shrink a size by the end of a trip.  There’s food everywhere, including a complimentary made to order menu, and an entire section of the dessert bar dedicated just to scones.  

Yes, you heard me- just scones. 

As if that wasn’t enough, a walk through, on your way to, say, check out the open-air terrace that overlooks a row of a380s, you’ll also find a couple gold-rimmed champagne bars full of Taittinger on ice. 

Make that 2 sizes of clothes-shrinkage.  

Okay, okay, clothes shrinkage, and if you’re doing really well, inspiration to take a selfie with one of those lampshade horses on the way out.

Self-Serve Bar(s) Note- The ginger ale is addictive.

My brave new traveling friends and I took over some prime real estate in this frequent flyer promised land, and spent some time getting to know each other a little better.  Oh, one thing this lounge could use more of is power outlets.  But, never fear, mileage runners come prepared.  Yes, we did also have a contingency plan for evacuating the room quietly if having a power strip, plugged into another power strip, plugged into a converter, with about 6 devices on it were to blow out the lounge fuses.  Spoiler alert- no electrical circuits were harmed in the making of this mileage run.  

Voltage abuse

All too soon though, we were showered, (well) fed, (over) indulged, and ready to board the next 11 hour flight from LHR-JNB.  At this point, I have a vague (there was also 18yr scotch at the bar) memory of the group of us realizing we missed the start of pre-boarding (the horror), somewhat inelegantly charging through a duty-free shop as a shortcut to the gate, and plunging through the several hundred passengers waiting, to reach the priority lane and ensure our all-important overhead space rights.  Maybe not my smoothest airport moment, but I’ve done worse.  A lot worse. But, that’s a story for another post…





Up next: The trials of a second redeye 11 hour flight in economy, navigating Jo’burg, and lions...lots and lots of lions.

~CruisingAltitude

No, I will not make a 'long face' joke...I won't....