Five Rules of Mileage Runing....

So...this is happening.

I thought it was time for a little enlightenment on the 'rules' of mileage runs, in the words of my favorite (now discontinued) safety video.  Bonus points for anyone who knows what I'm talking about, and double bonus points if you hate the new one as much as I do.

Additionally, this is probably a 'level 2' mileage running post, meaning there's a bit of flyer jargon and mileage nonsense used throughout.

Anyway, onwards:

1. There are so many places to go in this world, but only a few are a good deal.

I get asked all the time why I keep going back to Hong Kong, or why I ended up in Jakarta so often recently.  The challenge, or I like to think, fun, of the mileage lifestyle is in part that you book flights to far off places you never would have considered going.  And then, chances are, you go back.

The reason is that when you fly a specific airline or airline alliance, you go where they go.  More specifically, you go where they have too much inventory.  Empty seats = good pricing.  Obviously, other factors apply.  For instance, you'd pay more to go to Kuala Lumpur than to go to Lima, because the distance is the biggest factor in 'what it's worth'

People always ask me how I plan my trips, and besides checking around the internet, and any tips I might get from friends, knowing what cities are good candidates is the best place to start. For instance, what do these places have in common?

Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)
Hong Kong (HKG)
Doha (DOH)
Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Lima (LIM)

Answer: These are all 'homes' of Oneworld airlines.  American, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Malaysian, and LANTAM, respectively.  What this means is that these airlines have a lot of flights, and therefore a lot of seats, to and from these destinations.  In addition, with the possible exception of Doha, these destinations are all served by more than one Oneworld airline, increasing the price competition. 

Now, for the next level of expertise, it's important to know a few places that either are seasonally under appreciated, or are popular connecting cities from the Oneworld hubs.  Bonus points if they also are places with weak currencies, which makes a stay there cheap, and a flight that originates there very cheap. 

Jakarta (CGK) - On JAL or Cathay Pacific
Johannesburg (JNB) - On British Airways
Cairo- (CAI) -On Qatar
Bogota (BOG) - On American
Panama City (PTY) - On American
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) - On JAL or Cathay Pacific
Toronto (YYZ) - Is a good 'out of the box' place to start itineraries, especially to Asia.
Rapa Nui (IPC) -  (once in a blue moon, but it's a bucket list trip) - On LANTAM

Yes, in several of these places, you may need some situational awareness to travel comfortably.  However, with some good planning and/or making it a turn around with a longer stop at another city on the itinerary, they make for some good prices and fun trips.

Of course, with the new mileage and qualifying dollar system, these top destinations may change slightly, but even after the switch, I've still found myself being successful finding deals to many of my past places.

2. Secure your tickets first, and then assist other passengers.

In short, deals are only deals while they last.  Some fares my be dependent on the time they're booked, but the majority are influenced mainly by the number of seats being sold at a certain price.  For some deep discount flights, there may be only one or two seats available at that price. 

For example, I recently checked out a killer deal from Toronto (YYZ) to Shanghai (PVG).  While I was scanning around to see if I could find a weekend I was free to do the trip, the availability was quickly evaporating, with many dates going from $440...to $560... and onwards and upwards each time I refreshed the screen.

The Deal of the Day

The airline was likely only allowing a few passengers to book each flight at this rate, so as the rest of the travelers on the internet were jumping on this deal, it was going fast.  Still, the next fare 'bucket' up, in the $500s is still a good deal to Asia. 

The moral of the story?  Always get your tickets on hold or ticketed before sharing around the internet, if you're so inclined. Once a good deal hits 'the blogs,' it's just about gone.

3. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the features of your airplane.

It's a good idea to look further than just price when planning a trip.  It's key to get to know the types of planes, and the layout of the cabin before committing to spending some serious time flying in it.  The likelihood of upgrading, and the experience in general, have just about everything to do with the type of plane you're flying, and the crew you're flying with.  There is a very, very big difference in flying a 757 vs a 777-300 across an ocean. 

Google around for reviews of specific flights, there's a lot out there that can tell you what to expect.  Often the plane type or cabin interior (these differ also depending on the route on some airlines) may be what makes my decision for me.  There's also smaller details to know once you've booked, like what seats are know to be quietest on a given plane, or are best for flying with a companion, or even down to the best meal and drink options.

4. In the event of a quick turn, please leave all checked luggage behind.

It goes without saying that checking luggage on a long itinerary in the best of cases is risky if you actually need them when you land.  Add that to a convoluted, multi-segment itinerary, and you can pretty much give up hope.  Put directly- if you can't fit it in the overhead bin, you probably don't need it on a mileage run.  The above picture is the total amount of luggage brought by exactly four mileage runners, trekking all the way from across the US, to Jakarta, Bali, and back. 

Just make sure you have the essentials- a change or two of comfortable clothes, basic necessities, and most importantly, electronics & chargers with international compatibility.  Less is more.  I've flown with people who can go around the world with just a small backpack. 

5. Always know the nearest exit (strategy).

Plan for contingencies.  It's no surprise that if you're trying to hop around the world on a shoestring, through multiple airports, and across every time zone in a weekend, the unexpected may happen.  Everyone's all too acquainted with the occasional mechanical issue with a plane, or airport tarmac delays.  In general it's best to have a few contingency plans in mind. 

If you have a tight connection, or a late arrival, it's good to know if there's a cheap airport hotel you can get on points, or a 24 hour airport lounge. Where possible, I also like to try to not be on the last flight of the night, on the chance I can get moved to a later flight, and still continue on my trip on the same day.

Remember the most important rule of ticketing- you can always stop and go home mid-itinerary, forgoing the last flight(s), but you CAN NOT skip an earlier segment, and pick up the rest of the trip.  If you try this, the rest of the trip will automatically cancel! 

So, if you have DFW-HKG-LAX-DFW booked, and you happen to live in Los Angeles, and are feeling done with the trip, you can walk out of the airport and head home with the only consequence being giving up the miles you would have earned for that last segment.  However, if you were flying DFW-LAX-HKG-DFW, you can't decide to start the trip in LAX, you would have to go to DFW because that's where the ticketing starts.  If you don't show up for that flight, the rest will be cancelled.

Whew...that ended up longer than I anticipated, but I hope some of  it is helpful!

Thank you for reading, I'm glad you're here.

Happy Flying,

-CruisingAltitude

The New Math, Mileage Style...

Welcome to Doha- Your destination for all your future mileage earning needs. 

 

So, so.... what can we say about current events?  Plenty, but this is not the blog for that.  As part of my angst over the past couple weeks, I decided to direct some energy elsewhere, and finish up planning my mileage runs for next year early.  I mean, it was that, or watching old episodes of "Commander In Chief" and killing a bottle of wine.  So, choices....

Now, I know that this type of early planning my not fit the traditional definition of 'Mileage Running' as it used to be, back when you'd just top up your mileage account in November or December on a few long flights, preferably with some added Double Miles bonus, or other incentive.  However, those days are over.  Since the revenue-based earnings and elite qualifying dollars have been introduced across the US's three major carriers, getting your status done each year has needed to get more creative.

Enter, the new Mileage Lifestyle.  Ironically, it's far more lucrative to renew you American Airlines status (or Delta for that matter) by trying to almost never step on an American flight on a mileage run.  Good job with that planning, AA leadership, we're all about to know way more about the Doha airport than we ever imagined.


"The Teddy Bear" at the DOH airport.  You will get used to it, I promise.

Instead, I'm heading to a few of the Oneworld partner airlines who, on occasion, have some very lucrative sales on premium class tickets to all corners of the world. What's important to know, is that partner flights in premium classes more or less earn redeemable miles like 'the good old days.'  For an Executive Platinum member, you stand to earn based on the miles flown, plus a 120% bonus, plus any cabin class bonus miles.  They also earn some extra elite qualifying miles, and more importantly, elite qualifying dollars based on a percentage of the distance flown.

Let's have a quick look at some 'sweet spot' examples.  First up, Qatar:

(Click on the chart for larger image)

So, what's the deal here?  The place to look on this chart is at those business R and I codes.  Qatar has been liking to sell promotional fares in these buckets for a fraction of what they're worth.  There have been discounts, holiday code sales, and 2 for 1 deals.  Simply put- this airline is growing, has a lot of business class seats to sell, and a lot of government 'equity.' 

What does this mean in terms of earnings?  How is it different than flying AA?  Well, for starters, let's do the math for each.  Let's take a hypothetical $1000 ticket for round numbers (yes, this is an expensive mileage run, but...math).  At the outset, on one of these fare deals you might be booking into business class for long haul on Qatar, while you almost certainly would be in coach on AA.  Let's say the ticket travels 20,000 base miles (this is like an itinerary from LAX-Doha-SE Asia and back, which is long, most average long haul ones lately have been in the 17-18k range for me but once again, math). 

On AA, in economy as an EXP, you would earn 11,000 redeemable miles (the $1000 you spent, times 11), 20,000 elite qualifying miles (the distance you flew), and $1000 elite qualifying dollars.  I'm assuming that the $1000 does not include the taxes that aren't included in the qualifying dollars under the new rules. So in short, the AA flight = economy travel (maybe you could standby for the upgrade) and 11k usable miles, 20k elite qualifying, and 1k elite qualifying dollars.

Now the same $1000 ticket on Qatar- at the start, you'd be in business class. So there's that.  Your earnings would look like this: 44,000 redeemable miles (20k + 120% bonus), 30,000 elite qualifying miles (the 20k with a 1.5 multiplier), and $4000 elite qualifying dollars (20k flown miles times .20).

Anyone see where I'm going with this???

I'll also note that I've recently been able to find some great deals on one way and shorter-haul Qatar tickets that book into A and D classes, making them even more lucrative.

Now, let's assume that in all honesty you're likely to pay a bit more for that Qatar business ticket, than the AA economy ticket.  Fair enough, but with current rates you're only going to be paying a few hundred more from what I've seen, if you're willing to dig around for the deals.  Add to that that at a $.02 value, those extra miles are worth in the neighborhood of $600, and with miles being harder to come by these days, I value them even more. Further, you don't need to burn a systemwide upgrade (someplace around a $350+ value) trying to make this trip comfortable, which is good, since we're only getting four now.  Save those for that trip with the family to Europe.

But, you say, 'What if I don't want to go to Doha? I'm trying to avoid 110 degree heat and questionable governments this year!'  Well, there are some other bright spots in the partner charts.  Take, for instance, British Airways' premium economy tickets.

(Click on the chart for a larger image)

Have a look at those W, E and T fares.  I've seen those get reasonably priced for some long haul flights.  What's even more interesting about those, is that if you have some Avios, or some AmEx Membership awards points that can be made into Avios, those fares can be upgraded to business class using them. Not a bad way to go to, say, Africa, and back in business class for well under 2k. 

So, this is the first iteration of the new mileage math.  It has its downsides: you're more limited in destination on average, though AA also has a few routes that always came up as well.  The initial price may be a shade higher, but you get more for it, and may need to do less.  The takeaway here, is that it's still possible to find some good deals to keep your status, and enjoy doing it.  

As an added bonus, we're about to finally know where Qatar is.

To see my preview of what a 'new math' mileage run looks like: Best Worst Decisions

Thanks for reading and travel well,

-CruisingAltitude

PS, if you don't want to spend your days and nights learning the ins and outs of mileage math, but still want to travel better, let me help you!  Check out Altitude Consulting and get in touch!

It's the end of the world as we know it....

British Airways tails at Heathrow from my last mileage run-your connection to Europe just got longer.

Well, this post could be about so very many things.  So very, very many things.

In the major headlines last week, a slim majority of UK voters decided to take their country out of the EU.  There are lots of feelings about this going around.  So very, very many feelings.  I have some, but that's not the point of this post, or this blog really.  What I will say though, is it's a sad week for the future of travel if you're considering transiting LHR on the way to other European cities.  Heathrow already isn't the smoothest connection, now add an exit from the EU passport control, possible additional tariffs, and no good can come of it.  On the other hand.... the pound and the euro are on the way down, so it's possibly a good time to snatch up some decent ex-UK tickets, if you're in the market.  So, you know, priorities.

So, there's that.  There are also quite a few other world events that could be in line with this post's title, but they're not what I'm supposed to be talking about here.

However, what is on topic for this blog, is American's decision to end the last great mileage program as we know it.  In fact, American was the first airline to 'invent' the frequent flyer program, advertising it with the simple "fly a mile, get a mile" slogan that has lasted decades, and became the model for the other carriers that followed.  Yet, under new management due to the US Air merger, starting August 1, this system will no longer be followed.  Instead of distance flown, all that will matter is how much you paid for your ticket.  This is extremely bad news for the large majority of flyers, your correspondent included. 

There is no point to this pic, I've just been typing far too many 'words' without a picture, so here's a nice view of takeoff from DUS.  Much better than the words.

The new system that has been set up, is targeted on two groups of travelers.  The first are the people who don't really belong to any mileage programs.  They don't use them, only travel a few times a year, and generally just book the lowest fare, no matter what airline it is, or how bad the product or service.  These people couldn't care less, and just want everything stripped down so that when they click purchase on Orbitz, they think they have a good deal (never mind that they'll probably end up getting nickel and dimed out of quite a bit of extra money along the way in fees for bags, food, picking seats, and the like.)  This new program allows AA to bottom-out the benefits they offer, scrape a few dollars per fare out of the overhead costs, and try and compete for these people with the likes of Frontier and Spirit.  Trying to be like the most hated airlines in the country.  Makes sense.  

The other, drastically smaller, group of flyers the new system is aimed at are the "1%" or less of flyers who habitually buy full fare business and first class tickets.  Everyone else in-between, they don't seem to care about retaining as loyal customers.  This is all allegedly well and good, I would suppose, for the bottom line according to current management.  However, if I'm being honest, if I had the corporate backing to be buying international business and first fares regularly there's no way I'd be picking any of the legacy US carriers at all.  I'd be going with the top service, and the flight and connection times that suited me best.  None of these criteria would lead me to a US based airline.  The product, and especially the service, is just simply better on most international carriers.  Even in economy the service on Japan Airlines, Qantas, or Malaysia puts any US airline to shame, jetbridge to jetbridge.

Nevertheless, AA has decided to forgo staying as the one international US airline with a true mileage program, rather than a spend based program, in favor of just doing what the others did.  I suppose if there's no competition doing any better, why bother.  My eventual reaction to this will be a post for another time, or not, if I know what's good for me.

So..... anyway.....to the point, and on a much better, if a bit nostalgic, note....

Given this particular 'end of the world as we know it,' with the blessing of Mrs. CruisingAltitude, I hurried up and booked one "last" true mileage run before the Aug 1 deadline.  As luck would have it, there was one weekend left where Hong Kong was still within mileage run territory.  As I've said over and over again, I love Hong Kong as a mileage destination.  It is an intersection of cultures, new and old architecture, and beautiful natural sights, all wrapped up in an accessible and visitor friendly urban landscape.  It really is one of the finest cities in the world.  Plus, and almost as importantly, it is very, very far away. 

Morning views from my last HKG run: Beautiful Hong Kong island in the foreground, Kowloon in the distance.

My itinerary this time takes me on the overnight flight to Dallas from LAX, letting me start off the journey at the Qantas 1st lounge, followed by time for a nap, shower, and breakfast in the DFW Centurion, before getting on the ultra-long haul flight to HKG.  At 17 hours, and over 8,000 miles one way, it's still the longest flight on AA metal you can fly.  My return, just under two days later, connects through Tokyo's Heneda airport on Cathay Pacific, before heading on home to LAX on one of AA's new 787s.  The HND-LAX is a relatively new route, and it will be my first stop at that airport, as I usually connect through Narita.  Unfortunately, the 5 hour stop will be just shy of enough time to really justify going into the city, but I've never complained about time spent in the JAL 1st lounge!

From the northeastern vector into TYO- beautiful sea and sky!

So, all in all, I'm trying to make the best of the 'last' real mileage run.  This trip will earn me over 33,000 miles.  If I take it after August 1 this year, it would barely have earned 8,000.  End of the world as we know it, indeed. 

With that in mind, I have some plans for my time on the ground.  I'll see how many of them I get to in the end, but for now I'm hoping to hit up any (or all of the following):

-At least one night of the 'Symphony of Lights' laser show.
-Enjoying the views from Kowloon from the waterfront, and possibly from the 118th floor of the Ritz at the 'tallest bar' in the world, Ozone. 
-Running the 5k loop path at the top of "The Peak."
-Finding the old "Checkerboard Hill" in Kowloon (See my ramblings about this HERE)
-Dim sum
-Possibly some time at the rooftop pool/spa of the Kowloon Sheraton Towers Hotel.
-Finding the perfect cocktail (after I find the way in) at Foxglove, and/or Quinary...and/or....and/or...
-Of course, some quality time before my outbound flight at the many fantastic lounges at HKG.

Yes, this is what I mean by 'quality time' at the HKG lounges.

In other words, I don't plan to waste this opportunity to send real 'mileage running' off with a memorable weekend.  Sure, there will still be mileage trips to gain status, but it's the end of an era for sure. 

I suppose the best light to cast this in, is to be thankful for the experiences that the AAdvantage program in it's last incarnation has allowed me, both on mileage runs and redemption trips-  I've seen every continent (save Antarctica), with stops in over 20 cities I otherwise wouldn't have been to, pet lions in Africa, been harassed by monkeys in Malaysia, and yes, had my share of memorable (if a bit strange) foreign airport and plane experiences.  What's more, I've made quite a few good friends who are just crazy enough to feel the same way about the occasional one-day trip to Tokyo (or Brazil...Doha....). 

So, what else is there to say about the end of this particular little world?  Where do we go from here? Another airline? (*cough* Alaska Air *cough*)  Something else entirely?  I'm really not sure yet.  For now, I'm just looking forward to the next adventure. 

~CruisingAltitude

A last backward glance at the 'old AA' - sunset over DFW and an endangered MD80 'Mad Dog' to go with.