On A Plane: Etihad Business Class Review

Etihad Business Class Seat

Etihad Flight 403 Business Class Review

Flight du jour:

EY 403

Bangkok (BKK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH)

December 1st, 2015

Departs: 8:35 AM

Arrives: 11:59 AM

Duration: 6 Hours 24 Minutes

Etihad LiveryThe Etihad flight du jour.

The time had come for another adventure and this one was off to a good start with our Etihad Chaffeur picking us up in an black Mercedes Benz and whisking us off to the airport (Etihad discontinued their Chaffeur service for partner award tickets on August 10th, 2016). We booked the tickets pre-devaluation using 30,000 American Airlines Aadvantage miles each way (the new award price between Asia 2 and the Middle East is 40,000 AA miles) and $91.40 in taxes and fees total for the outbound and return segments.

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Etihad Business Class Seat

My first thought upon entering the cabin was that it looked like someone had stolen the upholstery from my parents couch and sold it to Etihad.  Airlines tend to put a lot of thought into their premium cabins but the striped seats looked like everything about the 1980’s that we don’t want to remember. Maybe they were trying to replicate the fake wood grain on the adjacent side tables, or maybe stripes were super hot when they put in the order for these seats, but whatever the case may have been they weren’t looking so hot now.

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How to Check Your Chase Credit Card Application Status

How To Check Your Chase Credit Card Application Status 

Chase Application Status
Chase Is Looking Forward To Serving Me…

If you’ve been playing the credit card game for any length of time being instantly approved for a new credit card application is likely just a distant memory. Instead, “application pending” messages and reconsideration calls are now par for the course.

So as part of my ongoing effort to make myself useful I will provide you with all the tools that you need to turn that “thank you for your application” into a “You’ve been approved!” with the least amount of crying and pulling your hair out.

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Hack The Planet! All The Airport WiFi Passwords

Hack The Planet! All The Airport WiFi Passwords

All the airport WiFi passwords
All the airport WiFi passwords

Traveling can be tough and it is my personal goal to make your travel a little bit easier. To that end, I am introducing a semi-regular series called “Hack The Planet!” where I share my favorite practical travel hacks that are useful no matter what cabin you are traveling in.

We’ll start things off with a really useful hack for anyone who finds themselves waiting in an airport without free wifi and doesn’t have access to a lounge. As much fun as it would be to strike up a conversation with your nearest no-wifi neighbor, wouldn’t it be even better to connect to the wifi and then share the password with them too?

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The Coral Executive Lounge DMK Bangkok, Thailand

The Coral Executive Lounge Bangkok, Thailand. Don Muang International Airport (DMK).

The Coral Executive Lounge DMK.

What I liked about this lounge:

  • 15 minute free massage
  • Hot and cold food options
  • A few special/unique food and drink options
  • Ample seating
  • Attentive staff
  • Clean and quiet
  • Well designed and decorated

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Amex Credit Card Application Status And Reconsideration Line

How To Check Your American Express Application Status Online

Amex wants to spend additional time getting to know my application.

If you’ve been playing the credit card game for any length of time being instantly approved for a new credit card application is likely just a distant memory. Instead, “application pending” messages and reconsideration calls are now par for the course.

So as part of my ongoing effort to make myself useful I will provide you with all the tools that you need to turn that “thank you for your application” into a “You’ve been approved!” with the least amount of crying and pulling your hair out.

Continue reading Amex Credit Card Application Status And Reconsideration Line

Electronics Banned On Airlines That US Legacy Carriers Don’t Like

If only it was April 1st…

Etihad cabins will now be safe from laptops on flights to the US…

We have a new addition to the seemingly ceaseless string of poorly thought out and implemented travel orders emanating from the current White House that promises to make your travel experiences less enjoyable.

Electronic devices banned on flights to the US by Middle Eastern carriers

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently issued an order banning electronics larger than a cell phone from being brought into the aircraft cabin on direct flights to the US from 10 airports in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries. Apparently, while flying nonstop to the US is a threat, CNN reported that an aviation official said that “they believe a threat to the U.S. would be negated if a passenger transferred through a secondary city with additional and more trustworthy screening procedures.”

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The JAL Promotion That Just Won’t Die

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JAL Discount Mileage Promotion

I first came across a post about a JAL 5,000 mile discount on Angelina Travels back in April of 2015 and made a mental note that the next time I wanted to fly Bangkok Airways this was a pretty solid option. The fact that many of these awards were discounted by 50 – 66% caught my attention and while I had intended to do a post about it then, it got lost in my drafts pile.

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Aeroplan awards on Cathay Pacific?

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The countdown to Justin Trudeau redeeming his Aeroplan miles for CX first has begun (maybe)!

Here’s an interesting development from my favorite airline awards program based in “America’s top hat.” Air Canada has recently expanded their little-known codeshare partnership with Cathay Pacific and their subsidiary Cathay Dragon and has hinted that soon they will begin allowing redemptions of Aeroplan miles for these flights as well.

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The Servepocalypse And How To Budget Your Miles

Serve card
Reminiscing about all the great times we had together

The Servepocalypse:

For those of us who eat, sleep and breathe the points game the news that American Express was killing the Serve card was a bit like hearing that they were going to have to amputate our right arm. In terms of easy avenues for manufacturing spend, the Serve card was indeed just as indispensable as our dominant hand. The ability to liquidate $5,000 per month in gift cards in a fairly easy way has long been the backbone for many people’s mileage earning strategy (myself included), especially when it enhances your usual spending to allow for higher rates of credit card churning.

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In The Air: JAL First Class Chicago to Tokyo, Narita

Flight du jour:

JAL 009

Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (NRT)

September 6, 2015

Departs: 12:35 PM

Arrives: (Next Day) 3:35 PM

Duration: 13 Hours 15 Minutes

Jal First Class Seat
Jal First Class Seat

I love JAL first class. After the mediocrity that is domestic first class on American Airlines, what a lovely feeling it is to get settled into my JAL first class suite.

When boarding it is common for first class passengers to board through one door while the rest of the plane boards through the other. This time everyone boarded through the same door and first class passengers broke left, everyone else broke right. We were lucky enough to get the window seats on the right hand side of the plane; seats 1K and 2K, and were escorted there by one of the very friendly flight attendants who would be making the next 13+ hours a really wonderful experience.

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