American Airlines' New 737-800 First Class

The shortest flight of my 30,993 mile RTW trip was the first leg from Denver to Dallas.  Originally scheduled as a flat bed 757-200, the aircraft type was changed to a 737-800 a few weeks before departure.  This was a step down, but not as far as thought. I lucked out and got an almost brand new 737.  

New 737 < Old 757

I couldn’t tell from the outside, but once I stepped in, I noticed the Boeing Sky Interior bins and impressive looking new style seats. These were the best part of the flight. The TV screen was large and sharp.  The aircraft was loaded with movie selections and I was able to fit in The Godfather on my way to Dallas. The seats were a little closer together than I'd like, but the person in front didn't recline.

Great TV and Video Options

Nice New Option

The flight was blocked at 2:05 and flew during dinner hours, so I ate light in the Admirals Club (not difficult). I was anticipating a hot meal service with two entree options.  I was wrong. Cheese plate or a fruit plate were the options. Not bad as a starter, but that was it. Dejected, I enjoyed an amazing film and beer.  The flight landed soon after my movie and I was off to the QANTAS lounge for the most anticipated flight of the trip.

That's it?

American’s new first class seats put United’s new offering to shame. United has better meal service and a less chaotic boarding experience.  It’s hard to choose a better option, because no one is being upgraded anyway.

Big Bonus Miles on AA Credit Card

Note: I am NOT compensated for this post.

The Citi AA Executive card is offering a 75,000 mile sign up bonus.  The card also comes with an Admirals Club membership, Global Entry fee waiver, and a slew of other perks.  The card costs $450 a year. Also $7,500 in net spending is required in the first three months for the bonus miles.  Not a bad deal for frequent American Airlines flyers who can put $2,500 a month on the card, but I'll pass.

I'll Let This One Go By, View From 747-8 Top Deck

American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles Account Merged

My US Airways and American Airlines mileage accounts correctly merged this weekend. The combined balance will help me spend my American balance on fun international flights with oneworld partner carriers (business or first preferred).  I don't want to pay a fortune in taxes and fees, so I'll need to fly airlines other than British Airways.  Good luck on your account merger, if it happened.  If not, there will be a process to merge duplicate accounts sometime soon.

Award Space Is Great - Carrier Fees Are Miserable

US Airways A321 First Class Review

I wanted to use my United miles for a trip to Europe before United changed their prices.  I also wanted to try the US Airways business class product before they switched from Star Alliance to oneworld.  Luckily US Airways had great availability to Europe.  I was able to book a flight from Denver to Madrid with a 90 minute connection in Philadelphia.  The trip was booked about four months in advance and included a free stopover in Brussels and an easy trip back to Denver with a direct on Lufthansa from FRA.

US Airways A321 First Class Seat

The flight from DEN to PHL was in a newer US Airways A321.  US Airways, soon to be American Airlines, has a basic first class offering on domestic flights.  There is no in flight entertainment, but WiFi is available to purchase.  The seat is acceptable, but feels a little cheap, under padded, and I was not able to take a nap.  

US Airways Airbus First Class Seat - Full Recline

The meal service on the three hour flight was much better than expected.  The first class cabin flight attendant provided attentive and friendly service.  He was so good, I filled out a US Airways online complement form for him before the aircraft parked at to gate so I wouldn't forget.  US Airways offers Dos Equis, a great option to break up the Budweiser / Miller Lite routine.  The steak was tasty and tender and everything was flavorful.  The red velvet cake was moist and springy too, a great end to a great meal (and what turns out to be the only in flight entertainment).  My dinning review is helped by never having an empty beer glass.  

Beer and Mixed Nuts Starter

Steak and Sides

Red Velvet Cake

I had a great experience with US Airways on my flight to PHL and was excited to hop onto the A330-200 to MAD and settle into the Envoy flat bed seat and experience US Airways' international business class offering.

US Airways A319 In American Airlines Colors

I spotted my first US Airways plane in American Airlines paint.  N809AW was in the US Airways fleet (AW stands for America West, the airline that took over US Airways and now American), but recently received a fresh coat of paint.  US Airways is making very fast progress.

US Airways A319 Now In American Paint

Earn Airline Miles With Bing Rewards

Bing Rewards now earns now lets you earn airline miles.  Assuming you are a gold Bing member, it's easy and warns you discounted awards, you can earn 100 miles for 385 points.  A $5 gift card to Amazon or Starbucks is 475 points, so you are buying points at about 4c per mile.  That's too expensive for me, but it could be useful to top up an account or reset an expiration date.

Earn American Miles on Bing

Redeem your credits and get 100 points/miles for your favorite frequent flyer, hotel or retail loyalty program. Participating programs include American Airlines AAdvantage®, Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns®, Hawaiian Airlines® HawaiianMiles®, Icelandair Saga Club, IHG® Rewards Club, LifeMiles, My BestBuy™ Rewards, SVM FuelCircle, US Airways® Dividend Miles® and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

US Airways Paint Updates

US Airways is quickly updating the paint on their aircraft to the new American scheme.  It'll happen quickly so enjoy their good looking planes while you can. There are still AirTran and old United schemes flying around, but US Airways updates much faster.

Soon to be Repainted

American Airlines' Reservation System Fails, Grounds Airline

American Airlines grounded their fleet today because of a computer system failure.  This happens to United every two or three years, so I won't make any jokes.  Re-booking and cancellation fees are waived, so it is a positive for a very small number of passengers. 

AA MD-80

The Lufthansa 747 Looks Outstanding

The Lufthansa 747 looks majestic, it has to be the best looking airplane / livery combination in service.  Also the new American is much better in person, it actually looks good. The United Continental colors are also growing on me.

Lufthansa, American, and United at Denver

US Airways & American Airlines Merger Thoughts

I originally though US Airways was talking about buying American Airlines to thwart AA's restructuring process then pull out last minute and create a very weak AA. I was very excited to see this fun way to cripple a competitor in action.  US suggested better terms than AA to unions and creditors throughout the process.  Then at the last minute US signed the dotted line and overpaid for an expensive operation.  Not quite as I expected.  But what does this mean to frequent flyers?

These Jets Will Need New Paint Soon

US Airways will be folded into American Airlines and the new airline will be a oneworld (still better than Skyteam) member.  This is bad news for me because I am a loyal Star Alliance flyer and soon (but not sure when) will not be able to fly US for cheap EQMs.  The merger will take a while to happen, so I'll sill get EQMs for my US flight in April.

Star Alliance Quote

Once the merger is completed, CLT and PHX will probably lose out to DFW and MIA (even though MIA is stupidly expensive and out of the way) for hub traffic, PHL should be fine.  Dividend Miles will be transferred 1:1 to AAdvantage Miles and the AAdvantage award chart will be devalued slightly.  The US award chart, with it's cheap around the world awards, will vanish.  I also won't fly the new airline if a United option exists, so none of this will bother me and I'm not interested in the on board experience.

American Jet at CLT

American Miles Are On Sale Too

American is following US Airways' lead and selling miles at a discount.  The American deal gives up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles.  This isn't a very good deal because 90,000 miles costs $1,809 and that isn't enough for a business class award to Europe.

American Airlines 737 Taking Off From LGA

British Airways or American Airlines Messed Up Avios

I'm not sure who's fault this is, but something is broken.  American Airlines is listing first class on a CRJ-700, a two cabin airplane, as first.  British Airways' Avios is charging it as first class on a three cabin airplane.  This award should be priced at the business class rate and be 1/3 cheaper (18,000 miles rather than 27,000).  One or the other is messing up and destroying the value of the Avios program.  Since I need to blame someone for my unnecessary frustration, I'll say it is BA's fault for not pricing awards correctly.

British Airways Pricing American Awards Too High

Lets Play On The Slide

Is American offering rides on the slide?  Count me in!

American Airlines 757 With Emergency Slide Deployed

What is a Point or Mile Worth?

What is a point / mile worth?  It’s a simple question with a complex answer.  A mile or point in every program will have a different value too.  Also, miles might not have any value until a certain number are collected.  Ultimately the value is different for each person, but here are my answers and how I got to them.

Jets Lined Up at FRA

Miles and points are a currency that can be exchanged for goods and services.  These goods can also be purchased for cash, making it a simple equation: Total Value / Total Points = $x.xx per point.  If a flight to Europe is $1,000 or 50,000 miles, then each mile is worth 2c.  The denominator will always be known, but the numerator gets fuzzy when you are buying awards that you would never buy with cash.  A first class trip to Europe costs $13,000 or 135,000 miles; yielding almost 10c per mile in value!  But I would never pay $13,000 to fly to Europe, so what is it really worth?  Priceless is the best answer, but it doesn’t help with the math.  I just total the perceived value of the experience and that’s the value.  The means a first class award is more like 3-6c in value; still a good deal.

Do the math for yourself and use your answers to decide if to spend miles or cash.  For example, I would use miles to book a $450 domestic round trip, but use cash for a $300 ticket.  It’s a gray area for borderline redemptions.  I’ll lower my threshold if my balance still has a large number of miles.  Also, if your credit card doesn’t earn at least 2c in value for every dollar spent, just use the fee free Fidelity Amex. It has 2% cash back on every purchase and cash is accepted by any airline.

Sun Rise at ORD

SPG – 3c

Starwood Hotel (SPG) points are my favorite.  With the Cash & Points redemption option, SPG points are consistently worth about 4c each, while full points awards run 2-3c.  The SPG Amex (business card has the better sign up bonus) earns one point per dollar and two points for spending at SPG hotels.  Points can also be transferred to about 30 airline programs with a 25% bonus for every 20,000 points transferred.  This makes the SPG card better for earning American or Delta miles than the airlines’ own credit cards.  SPG is my favorite program and currency because of its high value and flexibility. 

W South Beach Miami Hotel View

Drawbacks: There aren’t SPG hotels everywhere and the top level hotels cost too many points to have any value.  The cobranded credit card is an Amex and not everyone takes those (like my local liquor store).  Mile awards with United and Southwest are poor value. 

Minimum balance of 4,000 needed to achieve top value.

United – 1.75c

United miles are the best in the air.  They are part of the Star Alliance (25 airlines and growing) and have a few other strategic alliances for miles redemption (Aer Lingus has great availability to Europe).  Their reservations people are very good and the website can be used to find and book complicated award trips.

Minimum balance of 12,500 needed to achieve decent value.

United Airlines Jets at EWR Sunrise

American – 1.5c

American is a oneworld partner and doesn’t charge excessive fuel surcharges on awards.  They allow one way bookings and have a decent award chart.  American availability, coach and first, to most places not over the Atlantic, is second to none.  Good off season discounts and a cheap oneworld partner chart (80,000 miles in first London to Australia).  oneworld coverage is spotty and fuel surcharges pop up on European carriers.

Minimum balance of 12,500 needed to achieve decent value.

Delta – 1c

Delta has a three tier award chart and every time I want to redeem, my flight is in the second or third tier, destroying the value of my miles.  They are a Sky Team partner and Virgin Australia partner, so It’s best to redeem miles with Air France/KLM or Virgin Australia.  I wound up cashing in my miles for Economist subscriptions, 3,200 for a year or 3c in value.  Not bad considering my options.

Minimum balance of 25,000 needed to achieve decent value or 3,200 for a year of The Economist.

Not Every Trip Is Glamours

Alaska Airlines – 1.6c

I credit my Delta and American flights to Alaska.  Alaska isn't part of an alliance, but are partners with most airlines you would want to fly not in the Star Alliance.  The award chart is downright cheap in places too.  The flexible earning and redeeming of miles makes Alaska a great program to have miles in.  One ways are allowed and there is a cash and points option.  Partner awards have to be a single carrier plus Alaska to get you to the gateway city.  Not Star Alliance good, but close.  Other than flights and credit card spend (not a good deal), it’s hard to earn miles with them (SPG transfers mostly).

Minimum balance of 12,500 needed to achieve decent value.

US Airways – 1.7c

Star Alliance member with a reasonable award chart (more reasonable than UA to Asia in business).  Only allow round trips.  Can’t book partner awards online, so be prepared for an hour long call with reservations.  Great deals on off peak awards.  The Mileathon promotion runs annually and is a great way to stock up on miles.  US Airways also runs frequent mileage purchase promotions.   I constantly fear award chart devaluation. 

Minimum balance of 25,000 needed to achieve good value.

Use BA Miles to Fly LAN Around South America

British Airways - .5c or 2c

BA is great for short one segment trips on American or LAN.  BA has a distance based award chart, allows one ways, and has partner booking online.  For long flights (less generous pricing), connections (each segment is charged, not total distance), premium cabins (x2 for business, x3 for first), or trips in Europe (steep fuel charges) don’t bother.  Good deals are found mostly in the America’s. The scary high fuel charges take the value out of any BA, Iberia, of Finnair award.

Minimum balance of 4,500 needed to achieve decent value.

Other Carriers – 0-10c

Southwest will sell any seat at 60 points per dollar so they have a fixed value of 1.67c per point (not bad really).  Other airline programs can be anywhere.  My Frontier miles might only be good for a magazine subscription.  Foreign carriers could have no value or tons of value, depending on if you need to use those airlines.  If you are going somewhere only Emirates flies, then those miles will be worth much more.  It’s too subjective for me to give a definitive value.

Southwest and US Airways Jets at ABQ

Travel Tip – Good Day Trip Ideas

Sometimes you need a few more miles for the next status tier, other times you just want a mini-vacation, day trips are great solutions.  Instead of going on a two day cross country trek for miles, a little hop somewhere can do the job just as well; you can’t claim to experience a city just by their airport. Here are a few cities that make great day trip material.

United Airlines 757 at SFO

San Jose (SJC) – I really like San Jose, the airport is short cab ride to downtown, walkable once you get there.  While in town, I recommend the Technology Museum; it has really interesting stuff like a robot that draws your picture and computer chip making equipment.  There are also a few good places to grab a bite in the area too.  The weather is usually outstanding too.

San Jose Tech Museum

San Antonio (SAT) – San Antonio usually has cheap fares and is a very easy city to tour.  The airport is about 15 minutes by cab from the Alamo (free tours).  From there, take a stroll on the river walk and grab a bite at one of the many restaurants along the river.  The boat rides are cheap and fun too.  It can get hot in the summer, but you don’t feel it that much by the river.

San Francisco (SFO) – San Francisco has a lot to offer, Alcatraz tours (book in advance), great sea food, In-N-Out, sights, the water front, and the trollies.  All of this is a (expensive for public transit) BART ride from the airport.  Very easy to day trip, but the BART is a little long, so allow extra time.  SFO isn't the most predictable airport, inconsistent security wait times and fog regularly causes delays.  There are usually cheap transcon flights, so it's worth a shot.

San Francisco Sights

Boston (BOS) – Take the T (subway) into town for $2.  It’s maybe a 20 minute ride to get to Boston Common.  Boston has a few sights all within a short stroll, like the capital building, old cemeteries, and other historic buildings.  There is also a lovely park along the Charles River for a stroll.  Another quick hop on the T and you are back at the airport.  BOS is also a nice airport to chill in if you have a connection, free (and fast) wifi, good views, and a nice terminal for Continental, US Airways, and Delta.  The United, jetBlue, and American terminals are difficult to spend time in.

Massachusetts State House, Kodak B&W Film + Fisheye

American Operates as Normal, Badly

American Airlines’ holding company filed for bankruptcy protection today.  This event is about 10 years overdue, but will not change American’s day to day operations.  American was poorly run yesterday and is poorly run today.  I experienced that first hand today when my flight had a mechanical delay that forced a missed connection.  Everyone else in D gates had the same experience thanks to the weather today. 

I can’t wait for American to start turning itself around and to start flying on their new planes, not waiting for a MD80 to get fixed.  Bankruptcy will also make American more competitive and should improve the flying experience.