Malaysia Airlines awards now Available

I called both American Airlines and British airways at about noon central time today to inquire Huang their respective miles I book award ticket in February.

The AA agent said that it was imminent so I needed to check back later. The BA agent said that it could take months. I was flabbergasted by his response. Seriously? MONTHS? I thanked him and said that I will call back later.

When an airline joins an alliance, they have 12 to 18 month of prep work to do before they join. One would think that I would be taken care of the time they join (especially since the was join date of December was delayed a bit due to the holidays).

I checked back on BA.com at 6PM central time and found award seats available on Malaysia Airlines. Out of CDG and LHR to KUL on the A380, there were only coach seats available.

I tried for flights from HKG to IST via KUL and found business class availability on Cathay Pacific on the first segment and Malaysia Airlines on the second. There would be an 8 hour layover in between the flights which would give me enough time to meet up with a friend/college roommate in Kuala Lumpur plus enjoy the MH lounge at KUL as well.

Here's the kicker: BA wanted price out the award ticket as 120000 Avios and $230 in taxes/fuel surcharges. AA prices out the same intinerary as 55000 miles plus $15 taxes. I chose the later but the only problem was that I could only place a hold on the reservation. I have to wait until tomorrow to ticket it since I will be February 1 in the US.

BA.com is useful to show award inventory but the mileage program is heavily skewed on long haul since the award chart is distance based.

I am glad that I have another option using my AA miles wen flying in/out of Asia. Now if only AA can allow more flexibility in routing using their miles...

Journey to Top Elite Status on American and United Airlines UPDATE Jan 2013

These flight were booked in advance the year before.  I booked 5 DFW-IAH-BOS-IAH-DFW on United airlines for the month with a good fare published in July 2012. In December 2012, I booked 3 DFW-ORD-SEA runs for the both at a decent fare.  The first AA 2 runs consists of 3 segments each on AA metal and thus eligible for free elite upgrade. The last one is a DFW-ORD-SEA-LAX-DFW route with the SEA-LAX as AA codeshare (operated by Alaska Airlines) and will be my first flight on Alaska Airlines.

I'm 17% there for requalifying for AA Executive Platinum and UK Premier 1K. The year is just only 8.5% over.

	United Airlines	American Airlines
January	Premier Qualifying Miles – 20,970   Premier Qualifying Segments – 20 Redeemable Miles – 41,940	Elite Qualifying Miles – 13,066 Elite Qualifying Segments – 10 Redeemable Miles – 26,132
Totals to Date	Premier Qualifying Miles – 20,970   Premier Qualifying Segments – 20 Redeemable Miles – 41,940	Elite Qualifying Miles – 13,066 Elite Qualifying Segments – 10 Redeemable Miles – 26,132
Remainder Needed	Premier Qualifying Miles – 79,030 Premier Qualifying Segments –  80	Elite Qualifying Miles – 86,934 Elite Qualifying Segments – 90

 

Here's the monthly summary of the paths I took:

Nothing too exciting

OneWorld Welcomes Malaysia Airlines!

Malaysia Airlines joins oneworld

 

 

•  World's premier airline alliance adds another leading award-winning Asian carrier (In addition to Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines)
•  oneworld network expanded in one of world's fastest growing regional economies
•   Malaysia Airlines aircraft unveiled in oneworld livery as part of marketing drive
•   oneworld Visit Malaysia pass offered to encourage tourism throughout Malaysia
•   Double miles promotion for frequent flyers to celebrate
•   New benefits added for top tier oneworld frequent flyers (Extra baggage piece or weight allowance depending on airline... makes OneWorld similar to Star Gold and Skyteam Elite in terms of additional baggage allowance)
•   Malaysian Transport Minister witnesses its welcome on board at Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Airlines becomes part of oneworld^® at midnight Kuala Lumpur time tonight, adding one of Asia's leading airlines to the global airline alliance that aims to be the first choice for frequent international travellers the world over.

From its first flight tomorrow morning - MH386 which leaves Kuala Lumpur at 1.40 am for Shanghai Pudong - the national airline of Malaysia will be offering oneworld's full range of services and benefits.  Another key focus flight for the airline tomorrow will be the first departure by the first of its aircraft featuring the full oneworld livery - an Airbus A330-300 operating flight MH 129 to Melbourne from Kuala Lumpur at 10.15 am.

For Malaysia Airlines, joining oneworld completes the latest phase of its repositioning plan. Becoming part of the world's premier global airline alliance will strengthen its competitiveness, enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners including some of the best and biggest airlines in the world.

Customers benefit from expanded global network and increased competition

Malaysia Airlines, which serves more than 60 destinations in almost 30 countries, will substantially expand the alliance's network in one of the world's fastest growing economic powerhouses, South East Asia.

Its addition to oneworld makes Malaysia - which has one of the world's 30 biggest national economies and with a population of almost 30 million - a home market for the alliance.  Its capital Kuala Lumpur, the world's 10^th most visited city by international visitors according to the latest annual Mastercard survey, is now a oneworld hub.

Malaysia Airlines connects new 16 destinations and one country - Brunei - to the oneworld map.  More significantly, it will strengthen the alliance's connectivity between many key business cities in Asia and other parts of the world.

Its addition expands oneworld's global coverage to 842 destinations in 156 countries, served by some 9,000 departures a day operated by a combined fleet of some 2,500 aircraft, carrying nearly 340 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$ 110 billion.  Add oneworld's other members elect - Qatar Airways and Sri Lankan Airlines - and the alliance network will reach 860 destinations in 159 countries.
Currently three of oneworld's active member airlines serve three points in Malaysia, with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian flying to Kuala Lumpur, Cathay Pacific operating to Penang and its Dragonair regional affiliate to Kota Kinabalu.

New benefits for top tier frequent flyers 

As part of its strategy of positioning itself as the first choice airline alliance for frequent international travelers, oneworld is marking the addition of Malaysia Airlines by adding tomorrow two key new benefits for top tier frequent flyer cardholders in any oneworld member airline frequent flyer programme.
From midnight tonight, frequent flyer cardholders with oneworld Emerald status will be entitled to:

• An extra checked baggage allowance, above the standard limit for the cabin class in which they are traveling - either one additional item where the piece concept applies, or an extra 20 kg (44 lbs) where the weight concept applies - when they fly on any oneworld member airline.
• Use fast track lanes through security when flying from select key airports worldwide on select oneworld member airlines.

Brazil makes tourist strolls smartphone-friendly with QR Codes

Link to the original article: www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/25/brazil-bar-codes-sidewalks/1865821/

Rio de Janeiro is mixing technology with tradition to provide tourists information about the city by embedding bar codes into the black and white mosaic sidewalks that are a symbol of the city.

The first two-dimensional bar codes, or QR codes, as they're known, were installed Friday at Arpoador, a massive boulder that rises at the end of Ipanema beach. The image was built into the sidewalk with the same black and white stones that decorate sidewalks around town with mosaics of waves, fish and abstract images.

The launch attracted onlookers, who downloaded an application to their smartphones or tablets and photographed the icon. The app read the code and they were then taken to a web site that gave them information in Portuguese, Spanish or English, and a map of the area.

They learned, for example, that Arpoador gets big waves, making it a hot spot for surfing and giving the 500-meter beach nearby the name of "Praia do Diabo," or Devil's Beach. They could also find out that the rock is called Arpoador because fishermen once harpooned whales off the shore.

The city plans to install 30 of these QR codes at beaches, vistas, and historic sites, so Rio's approximately 2 million foreign visitors can learn about the city as they walk around.

"If you add the number of Brazilian tourists, this tool has a great potential to be useful," said Marcos Correa Bento, head of the city's conservation and public works.

Raul Oliveira Neto, a 24-year-old visitor from the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, was one of the first to use the icon and thought the service fit well with the way people live now.

"We use so much technology to pass information, this makes sense," he said, noting he'd seen QR codes on tourist sites in Portugal, where they were first used for this purpose. "It's the way we do things nowadays."

Locals — used to giving visitors directions — also approved the novelty.

"Look, there's a little map; it even shows you where we are," said Diego Fortunato, 25, as he pulled up information.

"Rio doesn't always have information for those who don't know the city," he said. "It's something the city needs, that it's been lacking."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

No upgrade love from United for Boston

I woke up this morning and played around with some dates and flights for LAX to PVG in a few months. The fare was pretty low from LAX (with a united matching). I could even route the trip through ORD for more miles (and better flight times in and out of PVG).

I got to the terminal at 4:50AM as the flight was boarding. It was quick as I used the Delta security check point with Precheck, I was through in 30 seconds. I was the last passenger to board the CRJ 700 flight to Houston. Unfortunately, it was the only flight I was upgraded the whole day.

I bought breakfast at the terminal and took it on board with me for the flight to Boston. It was on a subsidiary Continental Boeing 737-500 with only 8 seats in First and no power plugs nor overhead TV nor in seat DirecTV either. The Houston based crew were actually really nice and friendly on this flight. I am not used to nice crews from the Continental side.

I had my laptop so in caught up on several TV shows and read some newspapers. We even got into Boston about 20 minutes early. I stayed about 30 minutes to charge my devices and catch up on the news. I stopped by Panda Express to grab lunch to go and have a meal on the plane.

No upgrade for my flight back to Houston either. I sat in the same seat 8D (economy plus). The woman in front of me even asked if she could recline her seat during the flight. That's a first for me. I spent the time watching more shows until my laptop died and read some magazines as well. We got into Houston about 15 minutes early. I stopped by Wendy's to grab a salad for dinner and then took the train to Terminal B for the express flights.

I went to the Terminal B United club and tried to do stand by on the 5:40PM flight to DFW. Even though I was #1 on the waitlist, the flight was oversold at first but they ended up not needing any volunteers. Plus, I did not eat on the flight. I retreated back to the United Club and chatted with the friendly gents there for a bit.

For the rest of the hour there, I managed to book a LAX-PVG trip employing through DFW and ORD both ways. I just need to book my DFW-LAX flight now (probably using miles). I'm not sure where I will go when I land in Shang Hai, but I'm thinking Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, or somewhere new.

Calling in to request my AA system wide upgrades as soon as I get ticketed.

Side note: AA upgrade cleared for DFW-ORD-SEA later this week. Waiting on SEA-DFW segment now. Come on AA, keep my upgrade record this year at 100%!

First trip on AA done!

This was my first revenue flight this year on American Airlines since my positioning flight to LAX or the Star MegaDo in November. My upgrades cleared 4 days before departure (unlike United Airlines).


I got up at 3AM got to the airport by 4:40AM. I got precheck again so by the time I made it to gate C12, I had about 30 minutes before boarding. Boarding for my flight to Chicago was at 5:15AM and the Admiral's Club opened at 5:30AM. I waited around until we boarded and based on the seat map in the morning, first class was only half full. The rest were all Non-Revenues since it was an early flight with about 2/3 full of passengers on the ancient MD80 plane (with wifi). Pre-departure beverages of OJ or water were offered.

We had a continental breakfast that was a fruit plate with a side of yogurt and a choice of muffin or biscuit. I had a coffee with baileys to start off the day correct. We arrived at the gate early at Chicago so I had an extra 15 minute I lounge around.

I made my way to the H/K Admiral's Club and got a drink chit (for bottled water) due to my BA Silver status. I stayed for about 20 minutes and chatted for a whole with one of the agents who knew I was on a mileage run.

Fr my flight to Seattle, I was on an old Boeing 737 and there was even two empty seats (including the window seat next to me).  We had a choice of skillet scramble (eggs, bacon, cheese, black beans, and potatoes) with salsa or milk and cereal.  Both served with a fruit plate and a choice of muffin or biscuit. 

We landed into a foggy Seattle Tacoma Airport at Gate A7 and I proceeded to D1 where the Alaska Airlines Board Room lounge was located.

I presented my Priority Pass card (no ID check was required) and granted access the lounge. There were 2 floors available: the main floor for business use with 2 conference rooms, work booths, phone rooms/office space and the men's restroom while the upstairs house a more open area for socializing, the female restroom and bar area.

There is a self serve pancake machine but it was almost lunch time so it was not in use. There was a salad bar and cheese/crackers/pretzels as well. Downstairs had a sofa machine and an espresso/cappuccino machine serving Starbucks coffee while the upstairs area had a soda machine and coffee dispensers found at fast food places.

At noon, soup was brought out with upstairs featuring tomato bisque and ravioli and downstairs offering minestrone. Overall, it was a nice lounge with open bar (3 drink limit) and free wifi. I did find it to be crowded when I got there but I found a spot upstairs in a corner. By the time I left at 1PM, there was not many people left.

This lounge has $45 day passes available. Delta skyclub members can access it if flying on Delta or Alaska airlines flights. Admiral's Club members  can access it if flying on AA that day.

I made my way to Gate A8 when general boarding began. This flight on the MD 80 (with wifi) was very full.  We had hot nuts and drinks to start off. Meal choices were fish taco with rice and a side salad or buffalo chicken salad with ranch. Bread options were cheese, wheat or pretzel varieties. We also had a choice of macadamia nut or double chocolate cookies as well.

 

I used the wifi during the flight to pass the time along with fully charging up my laptop and phone with my DC adapter (cigarette lighter power port). We landed a bit early to Gate A29. I took the shuttle to The Parking Spot 2 and was in my car pretty fast.

I got about 4200 Elite Qualifying miles today. Off to a good start so far the year!  Liking the changes so far to the meals at AA so far.

See How We’re Evolving, Inside and Out

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		AAdvantage® Executive Platinum

	You are one of our most loyal customers, and we're excited to share with you another significant step forward on our path to build a new American. After more than four decades, we're revealing a new look, which represents our evolution toward the modern, world class global airline worthy of the name American. We've been hard at work to create a fresh, comfortable travel experience — bringing you hundreds of new planes, cutting-edge technology, and more ways to stay comfortable and connected throughout your travels. Today's announcement takes our transformation one step further. Our changes on the outside reflect how we're evolving on the inside. Our new logo and the refreshed exterior of our planes represent more than a change of symbol, but a symbol of change in our path to modernize and innovate. See how we're making history at aa.com/newamerican and enter for a chance to win 1,000,000 AAdvantage miles. Thank you for your loyalty, and for putting your trust in American Airlines. Tom Horton Chairman & CEO American Airlines

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1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR CLAIM PRIZE. 2. OPEN TO/ENTRY DETAILS: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) who are at least 18 years of age (19 in Alabama and Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi) at time of entry. 3. Sweepstakes/Prize Draw begins at 8:59:59 a.m. Central time ("CT") January 17, 2013 and all entries must be received by 11:59:59 a.m. CT time on February 5, 2013 in the US. Sweepstakes/Prize Draw begins at 2:59:59 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time ("GMT") on January 17,2013 and all entries must be received by 5:59:59 p.m. GMT on February 5, 2013 in the UK. 4. PRIZE DETAILS: Six Prizes consisting of American Airlines AAdvantage® miles and pre-paid gift cards. 5. ODDS: Odds of winning depend on number of Eligible Entries. 6. ELIGIBILITY: Employees and agents of Sponsor, Administrator and affiliates, agencies, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, and members of such employees' and agents' immediate families and individuals living in the same household with such employees or agents, are not eligible to win. 7. Void where prohibited. 8. Participation is subject to complete Official Rules by which all entrants are bound. Available at https://secure.fly.aa.com/newjourney. 9. Entrants release all parties from all claims/liability arising from this Sweepstakes or acceptance/use of any Prize. 10. Sponsor: American Airlines, Inc. 4333 Amon Carter Blvd., Ft. Worth, Texas 76155. Administrator: The Marketing Arm Inc., 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1800, Dallas, TX 75202. This email was sent because you subscribe to AAirmailSM or AAdvantage® eSummarySM. This email has been sent on behalf of AmericanAirlines. We are happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. For all inquiries about American Airlines or the AAdvantage® program, visit www.aa.com/contactaa, send an email to webmaster@aa.com or contact us in writing at American Airlines, 4255 Amon Carter Blvd., MD 2400, Fort Worth, Texas 76155-2603. American Airlines reserves the right to change the AAdvantage® program and its terms and conditions at any time without notice, and to end the AAdvantage program with six months notice. Any such changes may affect your ability to use the awards or mileage credits that you have accumulated. Unless specified, AAdvantage miles earned through this promotion/offer do not count towards elite-status qualification or Million MilerSM status. American Airlines is not responsible for products or services offered by other participating companies. For complete details about the AAdvantage program, visit www.aa.com/AAdvantage . American Eagle service is operated by American Eagle Airlines, Inc., Executive Airlines, Inc., Skywest Airlines, Inc., or ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. The AmericanConnection service is operated by Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AAdvantage, AAdvantage Executive Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Gold, Million Miler, AAirmail, AAdvantage eSummary and AA.com are marks of American Airlines, Inc. oneworld is a registered trademark of oneworld Alliance, LLC. © 2013 American Airlines, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Gate upgrade BOS-IAH finally!

Just boarded on my Airbus 319 plane from Boston back to Houston on my quick United turn. On the outbound, my DFW-IAH upgrade cleared in advance (1K on an 5:20am... No competition really). I grabbed a bagel to eat from the United Club to eat on the plane.

My IAH to BOS is a different story. I got seat 8D (economy plus) with an empty seat next to me so it felt more like an Euro Business seat to me. The guy sitting in 8F slept the whole time so it was an uneventful flight. I had some food in the United Club and bought 2 tacos before boarding the plane. It was about 85% full in coach.

I did have Craig (purser from my First Class flight on Jan 3 IAH-BOS) again on the flight but this time in Coach. There were 2 beverage services and a water/orange juice service in between. I did have a chat with him and Nancy while waiting for the lavatory to become vacant. They flew in from SNA (Orange County-John Wayne Airport) last night and were done after the flight.

From Boston to Houston to Dallas... The end of an 16 hours travel day

I ended up #8 on the upgrade list with First class checked in full. Due to the inbound aircraft (that I was on) being 15 minutes late, we had a late departure from Boston of 35 minutes.

The reason we arrived late into Boston was that there was sever weather activity in southeast US so we had to fly north and then east to avoid it causing a late arrival into Boston and we had to wait for them to recalculate to get more fuel as well due to the overflying.

Seeing as my upgrade on the BOS-IAH very unlikely, I went to the United Club to use the Internet/wifi and relax before flying again. I also stopped by Panda Express to grab some food to eat on board.

The new posted departure time was initially 1:13pm but that became 1:36pm because we had to get more fuel since the flight time would be increased to about 5 hours. The weather in Boston was clear.

The service was good even in coach as there were 2 main beverage services, 2 water services, and a coffee service. I even managed to redeem a drink chit from 2010 as well. The subsidiary mainline Continental flights accepted old Continental Currency coupons as well last fall.

The flight was bumpy and the seatbelt sign came on several times for short time periods. The last 40 minutes were very rough. We had to slow down as we got closer to Houston as there was a lot of delays for arriving planes.

Up in the air again

It's great to fly again. I had to take the brother to the airport for his trip to Peru. We ended up on the same flight from DFW-IAH. I got upgraded to First the flight the day before on the CRJ 700.

After a quick stop at the United club, my favorite agent was able to get my brother better seats for his United flights. The 6AM flight was delayed so a lot of passengers were able to get stand by on my flight and we were maxed out at 60 passengers.

Due to expected rough air, we had the beverage service during boarding. The flight was quick and we arrived into Houston on time.

We made our way to the Terminal E United club near the gate where my brother would be departing from for his flight. After guested him in and a brief tour of the facilities, I bid him farewell.

I hustled to Gate C21 and was one of the lat passengers on the plane. I found an overhead space available above the bulkhead coach seat. I got upgraded on the flight the day before and was in seat 3E on the airbus 320. I somehow ended up in 1F on the airbus 319 after an aircraft swap.

First day of flying done!

No upgrade for me on my BOS-IAH as there is only 8 seats on the Airbus 319 in First. No big deal, I got an aisle exit row economy plus 20C for the flight. I managed to catch up on old newspapers I had left over from my trip in November.

My 8PM flight from IAH to DFW was delayed 1 hour due to inbound aircraft. The 7pm was pushed to 8pm. I used a kiosk machine confirm a seat on 6pm flight. Shows on time for now. Lost my first class seat though on the later flight.

Up in the air again!

While 2013 is only 3 days in, I just got off my first flight of the year. UA 2529 from DFW to IAH operates by SkyWest on a Canadair Regional Jet 200 series.

I woke up at 3am and it was freezing outside. A few changes this year, per check now available at E15 (Delta gates), remodel of DFW United Club almost finished, and United drops the amount of Premier Qualifying miles for most partner airlines (those not involved with Joint Business Venture).

It's off to Boston for me after a stop at IAH Terminal C South United club. Best part is that the upgrade cleared 4 days before departure. Bad part is that my return does it look promising. I'm still number 1 on the list (for now).

The route is usually on a Continental 737 with more first class seats (16 or so). Right now, it is a United Airbus 319 with 8 seats. I have an exit row Economy plus seat right now. If not upgraded, it will be lunch from Wendy's or Panda Express for me.

I did book my first fun trip yesterday. I booked the trip on AA/BA next month. DFW-MIA-JFK-ZRH // IST-LHR-DFW. Upgrades waitlisted both ways for the transatlantic portion. Here's to the upgrade clearing sooner than later.

I will have to make my own way between ZRH and IST... Using miles. More on that later.

Safe travels!