The EQM Race Begins Again

2012 is here and all my counters have dropped to Zero!

My first trip of the year is tomorrow.  It will have been 29 days without stepping on a plane for me （last trip December 7, 2011).  It has been bittersweet. While I am glad I am not flying around in December since weather can be an issue (SNOW!) and inexperienced flyers traveling for the holiday, it has allowed me to pick up some extra shifts at work and bank some vacation time.

First trip of this year is a one day turn to SFO.  Fly out in the morning and return in the evening.  I have a 6 hour layover at SFO in the new Terminal 2 where AA and VA is housed.  It will give me a chance to visit the new Admiral's Club since they migrated to the new terminal in April last year (courtesy of my American Express Platinum Card).  I have been to SFO several times since then but only on Continental and United flights.  I will also take the BART to the wharf and grab a San Francisco Hard Rock Cafe city shirt to my collection and then return back to SFO.  That will help me spend the $10 credit I get as an All Access member I received for my birthday this month.

The return upgrade cleared immediately 100 hours before the flight since First class was empty.  I was worried about the outbound as it only cleared the day before. I got the last non-bulk head seat on the return and had to settle for a window seat.  Both flights will be on a 737 and I hope it is one of the new Boeing Sky Interior planes that have slowly been added to the AA fleet. 

Thanks to the two promotions during the American Airlines bankruptcy, I will be getting both 8,790 Elite Qualifying Miles and Redeemable Miles.  The breakdown is this: 1465 Base Miles + 1465 Bonus from the systemwide Double EQM promotion + 1465 from the CA/IL/TX promo. The systemwide Double EQM promotion does not earn me extra Redeemable Mile (award miles), I do get a 100% flight mile bonus  for being an Executive Platinum member.

The upgrades cleared, seats selected.  The only thing left to worry about is what the entertainment and food will be for the trip (and pending upgrades on the next trip).

On a good note, I have about 75K EQMs booked on AA flights through the end of March and about 50K EQMs booked on UA/CO through the end of May.  I hope to requalify on AA by the start of the summer and on UA/CO by the time Labor Day rolls around.  Hoping for more of those $400 round trips to HNL on UA/CO and some vouchers. That's a post for another day.