Airlines

Review: American Airlines Flagship Business / 777-300ER / Hong Kong to Los Angeles

February 28, 2020 by boltonpoints

AIRCRAFT: 77W / 777-300ER
ROUTE: HKG – LAX
SEAT: 8D and 8G (Business)
COST: CASH + SYSTEMWIDE UPGRADE (SWU)

We’d found reasonable fares to get from Hong Kong back to San Francisco, so this seemed like the perfect way to use my last two SWU’s (systemwide upgrades), which Executive Platinums get four of when they qualify/re-qualify. The SWU’s themselves have become increasingly harder to use over the years, and finding confirmable space at booking is almost non-existent. Nevertheless, our upgrades cleared a couple of weeks out, however I didn’t receive a notification from American. The way I found out is Chase – where I booked the flights – notified me to say that my fare class had changed. Minor details considering Hong Kong to LAX is about 13 hours.

*Singapore Airlines A380 views from the bus!*

Check-in

We arrived into Hong Kong on a separate VietJet flight from Phu Quoc around 3:00 in the afternoon. The American flight didn’t leave until nearly 8pm, so although it can be risky booking separate flights on an international itinerary, I felt comfortable with the 5 hour window. The downside is that because our itineraries were separate, we needed to get our bags and clear immigration.

We then headed back to the departures hall, where there was an American check-in desk but no agents. We were told by another couple who had just done this flight several weeks prior, that they wouldn’t open check-in until 3 hours out. Since I was Executive Platinum at the time, I was able to wait in the Flagship check-in line. At about 3.5 hours before departure, an agent arrived and checked our bags.

The Lounge (The Pier)

*I want my house decorated like this lounge*

We made it through immigration and security in about 10 minutes. Once through, we beelined for The Pier – Cathay Pacific’s first class lounge – which I had access to thanks to my Executive Platinum status (oneworld Emerald). We’ve been to Hong Kong’s airport many times, and normally we’d lounge hop, but given that we only had about 2-2.5 hours to play with, we decided to stay put. We were able to take much needed showers, followed by a complimentary foot massage at the spa! Tip: put your name on the spa list the second you arrive, as the queue can be long.

Cathay has been in financial troubles for the last couple of years, and the political unrest in Hong Kong has only exacerbated the problems. The airline has begun to cut some services, including first class from many Asian routes. We also noticed that the champagne options in lounge had changed from Vueve Clicquot to Perrier-Jouet, a small, but noticeable downgrade.

After showering and foot massages, we dined in the sit-down dining room. As we always do, we ordered signature dan dan noodles, followed by our server’s recommendation to get the pork ribs. Both were excellent. We left the lounge with 45 minutes before our flight.

The flight

*33 min before departure is apparently final call*

We arrived at our gate where boarding had already begun. We entered the plane through the middle door, where we were greeted by smiling flight attendants.

American’s cabin is a 1-2-1 configuration, with them middle seats in a reverse-herringbone setup, making them great for those traveling together. Overall, these are my favorite business class seats that American offers, which makes sense since the 77W is their flagship aircraft.

At our seats was Casper bedding, Bang and Olufsen headphones, and an amenity kit and slippers. I had my own pair of Bose headphones with me, but decided to give the new B&O headphones a try and they were excellent, and definitely an improvement over the Bose headphones offered for the last few years, though either would probably be considered industry leading since most airlines skimp here. Now if only American didn’t collect them 45-60 minutes prior to the end of the flight…

Hong Kong is one of the few routes where American offers pajamas, which are also by Casper and come in two sizes: S/M and L/XL. The route also features a mattress pad, which you won’t find on most European routes in business. American First Class (international) on the 77W will always provide PJ’s and mattress pads, regardless of route.

As for the bedding, I really do find the combination of Casper’s bedding with the seat to be almost unrivaled for business class. I consistently get 7+ hours of sleep on American flights, something I can’t even say with other airlines. To be fair, I’ve flown long haul American more than any other airline.

Shortly after stowing our bags, a flight attendant came around offering water, orange juice, or champagne (which was actually prosecco) in plastic cups. She seemed annoyed about something, although she did take the plastic wrappers from the bedding and threw them away. As of last week, American stopped wrapping bedding in plastic (yay for less plastic!), however prior, I always found it frustrating that FA’s almost never proactively clear the garbage from seats, even though every single person in business has it.

The amenity kits were well stocked with a brand I haven’t heard of, but can certainly get behind the name for a 13 hour flight with recycled air: Allies of Skin.

Menus were also at our seats:

The same flight attendant came by to confirm my order, which was “you ordered the seafood, right? Still want it?”. There was no greeting or addressing me by name, but just a quick interaction so he could move on. I find this so frustrating with many US flight attendants because it literally takes no additional effort. In this case, he was holding the manifest, which has my name on it!

We pushed back a few minutes prior to our scheduled 7:55pm departure and were airborne by 8:03.

*Business class bathrooms are stocked with CO Bigelow products*

Within about 20 minutes, flight attendants began rolling the drink cart through the cabin. I changed into my pajama’s as soon as the seatbelt sign was off.

I ordered a glass of champagne, but it turned out to be terrible. The next time the flight attendant walked by, I asked if I could switch to a Woodford Reserve, which he was happy to do. One thing to note if you’re a bourbon drinker, for whatever reason (*cough* cheap *cough*) American only caters a handful of Woodford’s for the entire plane, which seats close to 300 people. Order early and ask for a second one because they’ll likely be out after the initial beverage service.

About 30 minutes later, the meal service started. First up was a salad with a sweet potato, carrot, couscous, and feta appetizer. The appetizer was fresh, however it didn’t taste like much of anything and I couldn’t really differentiate between the sweet potato and carrot. The Chinese salad dressing was very good and went well with the chosen greens.

Next up was the main, prawns with polenta and a provencal sauce. The prawns were cooked perfectly, however the meal was kind of bland with a forgettable sauce. That said, it was a pretty good meal by AA standards, so I’ll call it a win.

Leigh ordered the cauliflower “crab” cake and it was excellent to the point of this would be something I would order in a restaurant.

For dessert, I had the cheese plate.

After my meal, I continued to watch movies. American’s entertainment options are robust, however they play about 90 seconds of ads before every selection, which gets old really quickly. Between the dishonest in-flight credit card pitches and the ads, American: stop soliciting your customers!

I decided to connect to the wifi to get caught up on some work. Prices for the entire flight are reasonable, however the speeds were spotty and do not allow streaming like AA’s domestic high speed wifi.

After desert service, the lights were turned down. At this point, proactive drink refills mostly stopped, so if you needed water or something, your best bet was to visit the galley, which has a self-service snack bar setup.

After getting about 7 hours of sleep, I woke up to the flight attendants getting the cabin ready for breakfast service. At this point, we were almost the San Francisco area, heading down the coast to LAX.

I’d pre-ordered the American breakfast and the omelette turned out to be one of the best egg dishes I’ve every been served on a flight. The omelette perfectly cooked; still light and fluffy. Prior to service, I quickly made my way to the lavatory to change back into my clothes before the eventual logjam ensued.

About 30 minutes from arrival, the crew began getting the cabin ready for arrival. We touched down a few minutes early, however the captain let us know we’d be parking in a remote stand. If you’ve never had to do this at LAX, keep that lucky rabbit’s foot with you, because it’s a massive pain in the ass. Passengers are forced to deplane by ramp, only to be loaded into a bus and be driven to Tom Bradly International Terminal to clear immigration and gather bags.

*The only positive to deplaning at a remote stand is the view of this monster!*

Once at baggage claim, we wait a good 40 minutes for our bags, watching every single non-priority tag bag come out ahead of ours. Bags are an area where American does not do well and I consistently notice that most works simply must ignore the orange priority tags.

Overall thoughts

For most of the last decade, American has been the leader in international business class hard product in the US (Delta and United have now caught up), and they’re the only US airline still offering international first class. The seats, lounges, wifi, and bedding all make for a “hard to screw up” combination. Our flight from Hong Kong was no different: we got plenty of rest, which is really the whole point of business class. The food and the service are always the x-factors when it comes to US airlines, and you really just don’t know what you’re in for until you’re in it.

Our crew was mostly friendly, but they certainly didn’t go out of their way for anything or even address me by name. I’ve had crews on both the low end and the high-end of the spectrum; this crew was about average, so no complaints from my end (it’s all about expectations!). I would (and probably will) fly American Flagship Business again, especially on the 77W. That said, if I’m given the option of flying say Cathay Pacific, then I’m going to fly Cathay 10/10 times because I can expect excellent service, whereas American is a dice roll.

Make no mistake, there are some incredible American flight attendants out there, I just believe that American should do more to invest in the soft product, which could make them a global leader in business class. Of course you’ll need to disregard what management is doing to their domestic experience.

Have you flown American Flagship Business? If so, what was your experience?

From left field! Alaska Airlines to join oneworld, renewing partnership with American

February 13, 2020 by boltonpoints

Talk about things I didn’t see coming this morning! Alaska Airlines – who has toyed with becoming a oneworld connect partner in the past – is now officially joining oneworld as a full member.

According to Alaska’s press release, they’ll be joining the alliance in summer 2021. With joining oneworld, Alaska and American will be renewing their left for dead partnership. The final cuts to the partnership – which effectively gutted everything except for reciprocal lounge access – were set to kick in March 1. Alaska and American are calling their renewed partnership a “West Coast international alliance”, which means:

the ability to earn and use miles on both Alaska and American
full elite status reciprocity
lounge access to nearly 50 American Admirals Clubs worldwide and seven Alaska Lounges in the U.S.
continued domestic codeshare and expanded international travel from Los Angeles and Seattle for hassle-free booking and travel between Alaska and American Airlines

But wait, there’s more!

In what might be an even more unexpected move, American is launching two new long haul flights from Seattle!

Bangalore, India, which begins October 2020 (tickets on sale next month) using a 787-9
London, England, which begins March 2021 using a 777-200

Both flights will feature 3 class cabins (economy, premium economy, and lie-flat business). Personally, American’s 787-9 is my second favorite aircraft in their fleet (behind the 777-300ER) and features the B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat in business. The Bangalore flight will clock in 8,078 miles – making it American’s second longest flight (DFW-Hong Kong is currently) The Seattle-London is 4,800 miles, and will add further capacity from Seattle, as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic already operate a daily flights (increasing to 2x/daily each during warmer months).

What does oneworld mean for Mileage Plan Members?

For those unfamiliar with airline alliances, the purpose of them is to provide a more seamless experience for customers when traveling internationally. Eventually, Alaska elites will get the perks that American elites have enjoyed for a long time, including priority seating, access to business and first class lounges, and priority baggage handling. Alaska will need to map its current status levels to the different tiers of oneworld, which if they stay as they are (which might be a big if), will probably look something like this:

Mileage Plan MVP = oneworld Ruby
Mileage Plan MVP Gold = oneworld Sapphire
Mileage Plan MVP 75k = oneworld Emerald

The benefits of each tier are outlined below:

Ruby	Sapphire	Emerald
-Access to Business Class priority check-in -Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating* -Priority on waitlists and when on standby*	-Access to Business Class lounges -Access to Business Class priority check-in -Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating* -Priority on waitlists and when on standby* – Priority boarding -Extra baggage allowance -Priority baggage handling	-Access to First and Business Class lounges -Access to First Class priority check-in -Fast track at select security lanes -Priority baggage handling -Extra baggage allowance* -Priority boarding -Priority on waitlists and when on standby -Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating

What’s next

Joining oneworld won’t happen overnight, so Alaska has provided a timetable as to when members can expect changes:

Effective immediately:

Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on all American Airlines flights and continue to earn miles on American flights with an Alaska flight number.
Access any of American’s 50 Admirals Club locations worldwide with an Alaska Lounge membership.
Continue to earn and redeem Mileage Plan miles on our current portfolio of 16 Global Partners.

Starting spring 2020:

Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles on any American Airlines flights, domestically and internationally.

Starting summer 2021:

Earn and redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on all oneworld airlines.
Alaska elites will enjoy privileges, including priority boarding, premium seating, baggage benefits and more when you fly on American Airlines or any oneworld airline.
Access 650 lounges within the oneworld network as an MVP Gold or Gold 75K member.

My take

Alaska

This is great news overall, with some caveats. On the one hand, Alaska – Seattle’s hometown airline – joining forces with American to take on Delta is a bit of a feel good story, since Delta has really bullied their way into the market. On the other, I’m afraid Alaska may end up losing its competitive advantage with its MileagePlan program.

Currently, Alaska has individual agreements with more than a dozen international airlines that allows MileagePlan members to redeem on airlines such as Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and others. What’s always made Alaska’s program even more alluring is that they charge comparatively low redemption rates for premium cabins redemptions. For instance, redeeming American miles for Cathay Pacific first class will cost you 110k AAdvantage miles, while using Alaska miles, the same flight cost 67.5k.

Alaska has unique partners that are either aren’t apart of an alliance, like Emirates, or in the case of Singapore and Korean Airlines, belong to other alliances. My fear is that the individual agreements they’ve set with each airline may dissipate in order to be more aligned with American/oneworld. With that said, if you’re eyeing one of those sweet spot redemptions, I’d book it sooner than later. Again, my hope is that those partnerships remain in tact, but only time will tell.

American

As for the American side of the announcement, there’s nothing not to be happy about (’bout damn time!). American is restoring its partnership with Alaska, and by next summer, will offer reciprocal benefits to both airlines’ elites. The fact that they’re calling this a West Coast Alliance just goes to show how symbiotic this relationship. Currently, American has almost no capacity on the west coast unless you’re originating or ending in LA or Phoenix. Alaska on the other hand has a robust network all throughout the west coast, including smaller destinations.

American has offered some codeshares with Alaska, but booking the codeshare has typically cost a considerable amount more than booking directly with Alaska for the same flight. With the restart of the partnership, the two airlines will immediately begin offering more codeshares from LAX and SEA. Eventually, you’ll be able to book any Alaska flight, enter your AAdvantage number, and earn miles. This is where I’ll get the biggest benefit, as lack of west coast capacity is one of the primary reasons I broke up with AA.

As for the new flights out of Seattle are really the gravy on the announcements today. Increased capacity is always a good thing, and the additional American “metal” on the west coast gives AA elites another option to redeem systemwide upgrades, though I’m sure the Bangalore flight will be a hard one to clear. The Bangalore flight represents American’s first flights to India since 2012, and the only US airline flying to Bangalore. It’s also interesting since the initial rumor was that the flight would be out of Dallas, but at over 9,200 miles, was probably too much for a conservative airline like American to take on (unlike United is very aggressive at ultra long haul flying).

Lastly, this development might make me think about keeping my American Airlines Executive World Elite MasterCard (which comes with Admirals Club access), depending on how quickly other codeshares are rolled out. In November, American announced that it would copy Delta and United, allowing only those traveling same day on American, oneworld, or Alaska flights eligible for entry, regardless of whether you have a membership. You read my write up the American card as well the other cards in my wallet here.

Are you excited for Alaska to join oneworld? Will you be flying either of American’s new flights out of SEA?

Review: United Polaris Business Class / 777-300ER / San Francisco to Taipei

January 21, 2020 by boltonpoints

Aircraft: 77W / 777-300ER
Route: SFO – TPE
Seat: 17D and 17G
Cost: Cash + MileagePlus PlusPoints (upgrade)

Check In

We arrived at SFO nearly 3 hours before boarding. The international hall was mostly empty. Within about 10 minutes, we’d checked in our bag and were through security. About 20 steps past security is the United Polaris Lounge, which the ticket counter agent informed us we’d have access.

The Polaris lounge

The agents at the desk welcomed us and scanned our boarding pass. Unlike American’s Flagship Lounge, access to the lounge is one of the more restrictive out there; passengers must be flying same day business class beyond North America on United or a Star Alliance partner. International connections beyond SFO won’t grant access either. For instance SFO-LAX-SYD wouldn’t allow for access until LAX. Premium transcons to Newark also do not allow access. Although restrictive, the lounge was noticeably less crowded than the Flagship Lounge, even at the busiest time of day.

To start, I ordered a Bloody Mary and Leigh a glass of champagne. Although the menu says it “house made”, it’s really just a mix that they’ve augmented. It tasted good, however I’m usually leery of mixes because of sodium content. I drank about half of it and then ordered a glass of champagne.

We perused the buffet, which was fairly picked over. It was 10:30 and they’d just begun the cutover to lunch, so we decided to wait until that was complete. The “official” time for the switch is 11, which is when we made our way to the dining room, an a la carte restaurant in the back.

We initially had some “drama” with the seating, as we were told half of the dining room was closed. We really wanted to sit by the window, which is not where they wanted us (in between 3 other tables). The dining room is small – probably 30×30 feet – so it wasn’t clear why we couldn’t just sit there considering the table they wanted to sit us at was no more than 5 steps away. We were polite; they recanted and let us sit at our table of choice.

After about 5 minutes, our server came to greet us. We ordered two glasses of champagne along with the polenta cake and shrimp skewer to start. We also ordered our mains: Leigh had the blue crab Cobb salad while I had the burger. I was asked if I wanted a fried egg in it, to which I replied of course. 🙂

We noticed several other passengers trying to enter the dining and were turned away by the hostess, though there was plenty of seating. She would give them buzzers, only to then seat “new” passengers minutes later. Anyway, the whole thing seemed incredibly disorganized, leaving visibly passengers visibly frustrated.

Our appetizers came: the shrimp skewers were forgettable, while the polenta cakes were excellent when a bite had enough of the goat cheese and fruit mix. They definitely skimped. At the time of our appetizer arrival, I let our sever know that I’d like a beer with my burger. Leigh’s salad came first and I was told my burger was right behind it. Nearly 10 minutes later it arrived. It was worth the wait; the patty had tons of flavor while the egg was perfectly cooked. The fries were also excellent. I put in an order for the desert cookie when my burger arrived. Once we had our food, no one ever came back to check on us and my beer never showed before finishing my burger. We waited 5 minutes until we finally decided to get up; beer and cookie-less.

Overall it was a nice experience to sit down and have a meal, but the execution by the staff left us feeling more stressed and frustrated than we would’ve like before a 14 hour flight. It’s clear the staff is either new, not well trained, or some combination. Hopefully they can get it together since the concept and food are great.

For the last hour, we stood at the bar. I ordered the signature cocktail; the Paper Airplane. If you like manhattans, then this is the drink for you. I really appreciate having a full bar option with signature cocktails. That idea is one of the areas where the American Express Centurion Lounges shine, so kudos to United for their execution. With that said, I’d would’ve like to have seen a little bit more self service options by way of drinks. Being able to grab something myself beyond a cup of coffee or a soda would be nice. I didn’t even see a self-service option to fill up water bottles, which just added to the bartenders’ workload. Having a self-service espresso machine would also be welcome. In fact, tired to order an espresso from the bar and was told they only had decaf. According to the bartender, someone forgot to place the order for the week. 🤷🏼‍♂️

One other thing to mention about the bar is that it appears that they don’t split tips. I heard our bartender ask the other one whether the money on the bar was his or hers. When he told her it was his, she put it in her pocket. Getting beyond my thoughts on tipping culture (hint: not a fan), I firmly believe they should split tips. Case in point, I wanted to leave the person that was helping us for most of the morning a tip. She clocked out, which I didn’t realize until she was gone, so now I’m supposed to tip the other bartender who did little beyond get us water. United (and all US airline clubs for that matter) could do a lot to resolve this issue if they set a strict no tipping policy and subsequently paid their staff better. That would make things more equitable for front and back of the house, as well as remove the awkwardness. Many travelers don’t have cash or are international, so the US’s bizarre tipping norms don’t make sense. Anyway, I digress.

Based on countless other reviews, I’m guessing the dining service experience that we had that day was just an off day. The lounge itself is a stunning space – well decorated in a timeless fashion. Further, the craft cocktails are interesting and delicious, while the food is high-quality. All in all, it’s hard to find much fault with the Polaris Lounge, especially when you consider that it offers sit down dining (in a business class lounge).

The flight

We left the lounge about 10 minutes prior to boarding and made our way to gate G8. The boarding area was crowded but orderly. They’d just started boarding so we walked straight through, presenting our boarding passes and passports.

We boarding through the middle aircraft door. We were in seats 17G (Leigh) and 17D. There are two types of seats in United’s new Polaris product: one has a large armrest and storage area on the aisle side, one has it on the interior side. The advantage of the aisle side storage is that it “protects” you from the commotion in the aisle, providing a great deal more privacy. For middle seats, that also means they’re closer together, only divided by a small partition that raises and lowers with an ill placed button. These are ideal for couples, and luckily we got the last pair of middle seats that were closer together. The close middle seats also allow companions to easily converse, which isn’t as easy to do in reverse herringbone setups like American or Cathay Pacific.

The seat

Pros: Huge improvement from previous business class seats, so the bar wasn’t that high. With that said, the seat is well-designed for the most part, comfortable, with ample storage. The handheld remote was easy to use, and there were plenty of options for lighting. Power, headphone, and USB ports were easy to locate and use. The touchscreen was responsive.

Cons: Leigh and I found the seat harder to get out of than other business class seats, especially once reclined. The video screen wasn’t as crisp as I would’ve expected on a brand new plane/seat. I have mixed feelings on the seat “knob”: it offered an easier way to make micro-adjustments, but wasn’t that responsive.

Side note on the button: it’s on the top of the partition and it’s right in the middle, which meant that every time Leigh or I leaned our arm over it, we hit the button and it went up. If you’ve ever flown United’s DirecTV enabled planes, you’ll know they United is really good with putting buttons in the worst possible place. 😂

Also featured in the new seat: a camera!

Like everything on United these days, everything is Star Wars themed, including the amenity kit. The kit itself was in a leather Star Wars pouch, which was well-stocked and included Sunday Riley products. I was really impressed with the quality of the socks. They actually featured grip on the bottoms, which helped me fish out the provided slippers from under my seat when getting up mid-flight.

At each seat was our bedding kit: a pillow, a throw blanket, and a duvet. Another thing to note is that there are “extra” amenities that are available but aren’t at your seat: a gel pillow and a mattress pad. Definitely make sure you get both of these items. I’d heard how great United’s Saks Fifth Avenue bedding is, and I can now say that the reports are all accurate. United has the best bedding in the sky, including first class.

The experience

Shortly after taking our seats, a flight attendant came by and offered us water, orange juice, or champagne. Leigh and I both got some champagne, and appreciated is that it was served in a sturdy reusable plastic glass. I know US airlines don’t like serving glass on the ground, so this was a nice compromise.

About five minutes later, we were asked for our first and second choice on food. Being 1K, we would get our food choices once Global Services members got theirs (there happened to be 12 on board). I appreciate the fact that I’m likely to get the meal I choose, however I’d really like to see United roll-out meal pre-selection. With 60 seats in business, it’s likely that several paying passengers didn’t get their meal of choice, which could be avoided with pre-selection (beyond dietary options).

Leigh and I both ordered the shrimp and scallop dish.

We pushed back right on time at 1:35pm, and within about 10 minutes, we were airborne.

The flight attendants came around with hot towels. I made my way to the lavatory to change into my pajamas, which United provides on flights greater than 12 hours. They come in two sizes: small/medium and large/extra large. At 6 feet tall, I chose the L/XL and their were pretty large in me. Obviously in terms of pajama sizing, too big is better than too small. They also don’t have pockets, which I find to be annoying since it reduces their reusability at home.

After picking up the towels, flight attendants places table clothes on tray tables. A few minutes later the beverage cart came around and delivered our drinks, along with our appetizers.

The duck starter was excellent and one of the meal highlights. The meat itself was sliced thinly and cooked perfectly medium rare. The faro salad and pickled carrots added a nice balance.

Next up was the main course, which was served from the cart. I asked for a white wine with the meal, although I wasn’t sure which one. When United first rolled out Polaris, one of the things were known for were the Bloody Mary carts and wine flights. In an effort to cut costs, United quickly stopped doing both, and has slowly chipped away at the Polaris soft product. Apologies in advance for the blue-tinted photos; as you’ll see, the mood lighting very, very blue on the plane. 😂

With that said, Carrie, the flight attendant offered to let me try all three whites. She went to the galley and returned with three small wine glasses, pouring a taste in each, while arranging them in front of me. A few minutes later she came to see which one I preferred, pouring me a glass of my choice.

Our mains were then served. The dish was piping hot and once it cooled off, I tasted the shrimp. There were three of shrimp and three scallops, all were large. The seafood was perfectly cooked and while the sauce didn’t look appetizing, it wasn’t bad (though a little on the bland side). Luckily, this isn’t my first flight and I reached for one of my handy packets of sriracha sauce, which turned it from average flavor to really good.

Next up was the dessert cart; Leigh and I both had the ice cream sundae. The options for toppings include some standards: hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, mini M&M’s, strawberries, and nuts.

I didn’t use the internet, but did find it to be a little on the expensive side. $30 for the entire flight is a little steep. United also offers the ability to pay with miles, but I can’t stress this enough: it’s a terrible value and should never be done! 🙂

United self-serve galley: lots of carbs and leftovers from dinner

After dessert, I decided to sleep, since it was still the middle of the night in Taipei. I slept off and on for a solid 8 hours, which really made a difference upon our arrival. The Saks bedding really is excellent, and I appreciated the fact that each seat an individual air nozzle. Note that since I haven’t flown all iterations of United’s Polaris seat, I can’t confirm whether every seat across all of their wide bodies have individual nozzles.

Upon waking, it was time for breakfast. I preordered the seafood congee, which was served with fresh fruit and…a biscuit? Although I really enjoyed the biscuit, I found it to be a strange pairing. Also served with it was Chiobani Greek Yogurt, though I really wish airlines would serve plain yogurt since the flavored variety has so much sugar. The congee was unseasoned as is normal, however no soy sauce or other accompaniments were served with it, leaving me with a pretty bland breakfast. Leigh just had some oatmeal, which meant we both had unmemorable breakfasts.

With about 60 minutes left in the flight, I went to the lavatory to change clothes. After a smooth landing, we made our way to immigration, which took a surprisingly long time. There is no fast pass available at TPE – even for business class – meaning we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes at 8pm.

Overall thoughts

Every part of our experience is United’s flagship product, from the Polaris Lounge, to the 777-300ER (77W) plane itself, to the Polaris seats, to the service aspect, and it showed. Now having flown United’s old – dorm style – business-class seats, I can’t overstate how much of an improvement these new seats are. Although the seats aren’t industry leading, I do think they will hold up well over the next decade, however United does risk falling behind when the new business class model being a suite (Qatar, Delta, ANA). Like all US airlines, the x-factor is the crew, and luckily we got a pretty good one. The service was prompt and efficient, but it was by no means over the top like you might get on other airlines. With that said, when coupled with the Polaris Lounge, the overall experience moves into a much higher category than any of the aspects on their own.

Being based out of SFO and United 1K, I will absolutely fly United long haul again. I’m looking forward to when the rest of their wide body fleet is retrofitted with the new seats – especially the 787–8’s and -9’s – which operate some of their longest routes (LAX/SFO-SIN).

Have you flown United Polaris or visited one of the Polaris Lounges? If so, what was your impression?

And the worst airline in America is…

January 17, 2020 by boltonpoints

The Wall Street Journal came out with their annual US airline rankings. Rather than subjective scores, the rankings look at hard data, such as canceled flights, tarmac delays, or involuntary bumping. The results are out and the results should come as no surprise if you were a passenger last year.

American Airlines is the US’s worst airline

American Airlines is the largest airline in the world, and with that comes challenges and opportunities. For the last several years, American has only been paying lip service to providing good customer service (what happened to actually Going for Great?), not to mention getting the X’s and O’s of running an airline right. Exacerbated by the MAX cancellations and a labor dispute with mechanics, American’s already dismal operational record went to low record levels (along with its stock price) in 2019.

In the rankings, American finished dead last in four of the seven categories (the other three they were in the bottom third). What sticks out to me the most is that American’s obsession with D0 – meaning departing (pushing back from the gate) on time – once again did not translate to on-time arrivals (6th out of 9). In fact, it continues to have the opposite effect in customer service terms, as gate agents – who are already overworked – don’t always have time to process upgrades, help with seat changes, etc. Further, customers with tight connections are missing their flights rather than hold them a few extra minutes (like United’s connection saver, which has saved over 50,000 connections).

What’s more is that the bulk of American’s hubs are in temperate cities, such as Charlotte, Miami, Dallas, and Los Angeles, meaning weather shouldn’t be playing a primary factor in operational issues.

The categories American finished last in: cancelled flights, 2 hour tarmac delays, mishandled baggage, and involuntary bumping. Ouch. These are all things that an airline can mostly control, yet American gets it wrong on all of them.

American continues to placate it’s customer base

These rankings further illustrate that their management is out of touch with customers and employees. American has tried to be everything to everyone, even competing with Spirit, while still trying to earn the revenue premium that Delta does. All the while, American continues to cram more seats into its planes and tear-out seat back screens, while at the same time offer sit down dining that pours Krug to its international first class customers.

Because of this dual strategy of placation, American excels at neither. One thing that’s struck me as I’ve moved my flying to United is that I do see a broader mission and purpose being communicated to its employees. For years, American has been devoid of such a mission statement that inspires its people. This lack of vision is evident in not only the raw numbers that the WSJ used for its rankings, but in basic customer service, particularly in premium cabins that they sell as “Flagship”. I’ve flown over one million, butt-in-seat miles with American and my experiences are really all over the place, especially when sitting up front (I don’t expect much in economy).

There are many great employees at American, however their meteoric fall from the best of the Big 3 airlines to the bottom overall is one that business schools will study long after Doug Parker’s tenure ends.

My takeaway

The rankings come as little surprise to me, especially after a brutal 2019 for American. Delta – airline that they’re trying to emulate – is tops in the operational rankings and continues to earn a revenue premium that American simply can’t command, even with better hubs and newer aircraft. I was impressed with Doug Parker’s ability to see American through the merger with US Airways, however it’s been seven years since the two joined. I know that I’m not alone in feeling like it’s time for a change in leadership and direction at American.

United’s New Upgrade system, PlusPoints, is live

December 4, 2019 by boltonpoints

Back in September, United announced changes to how members can request upgrades. Previously, elite members could use certificates to upgrade to the next cabin of service on short or long haul flights. Platinum members got 2 Regional Premier Upgrades (RPU), while 1K and Global Services got an additional 6 Global Premier Upgrades (GPU).

As of this morning, United launch PlusPoints, which does away with the certificate system and instead, installs a points based debit system.

My new home screen, with my updated PlusPoints balance at the bottom right

United’s upgrade changes are one of those rare moves that are actually beneficial to the customer. Key points are:

Points won’t be deducted until you actually clear, which in theory means you can request multiple upgrades.
- The amount of points deducted are only what you clear. This means if you’re flying Atlanta – San Francisco – Hong Kong, and only the Atlanta – SFO portion clears, only 20 points will be deducted, rather than the 40 it would take for the SFO-HKG portion.
Platinum members can now request for Polaris upgrades
For additional points, you can skip the waitlist on select flights
Discount economy fares are finally upgradeable, meaning you no longer have to shell out more money and still not get the upgrade.

As of this morning, elites with current certificates have been converted to the new Points. Moving forward, here is what the earning looks like for Platinum and 1K members:

Status level	Current	New
Platinum	2 Regional Premier Upgrades	40 PlusPoints
1K	2 Regional Premier Upgrades and 6 Global Premier Upgrades^*	280 PlusPoints (plus the 40 you earned with Platinum status)
1K earning additional upgrades	1 Global Premier Upgrade for every 25,000 PQM or 30 PQS	Additional 40 PlusPoints for every 25,000 PQM or 30 PQS

One of the biggest winners with these changes is that Platinums now have the ability to request upgrades to Polaris Business, something they previously couldn’t. I’m most intrigued by the “Skip the Waitlist” option and how the select flights asterisk affects usability.

What about my current RPU/GPU requests?

Existing requests using GPU’s or RPU’s remain in place. Currently, Leigh and I are awaiting an upgrade from economy (V) to Polaris Business on the 777-300ER. I don’t see an ability online to “skip the waitlist”, so I’ll give the 1K Desk a ring later today to see if that’s possible.

Of course I would be thrilled if our upgrade to Polaris already cleared. With that said, the advantage of it having not cleared means that if we’re only able to get to Premium Plus, then I won’t have to burn all 40 points (per person), where previously it would’ve taken the GPU either way.

How Much will upgrades cost?

Flights are broken down into either long haul or short haul.

Short haul is defined as flights without United Polaris business and include flights within the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii and premium transcontinental service; flights between the U.S. and Canada; Bogota, Colombia; Central America; Caribbean; Mexico and Quito, Ecuador; flights between Guam and Honolulu, including island hopper service; and intra-Asia flights.

Upgrade from:	Upgrade to:	PlusPoints
United Economy^®	United First^® or United Business^®	20
United Economy	United Premium Plus	20
United Premium Plus	United Business	10

Long haul is defined as flights with United Polaris business, including flights between the U.S. and Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, South America, and Tahiti.

Upgrade from:	Upgrade to:	PlusPoints
Discounted Economy^*	United Polaris business	80
United Economy	United Polaris business	40
United Premium Plus	United Polaris business	30
United Economy	United Premium Plus	20

How to book using PlusPoints

In practice, not much has changed with how to view, request, or confirm upgrades. You’ll still need to use the Advanced Search feature when booking, which takes you to this page. At the bottom, you’ll want to select Points Plus as the Upgrade Type.

Once you get to the search results, you’ll noticed the UI is much cleaner than it was before. Confirmable upgrades are clearly denoted.

What I don’t see is the ability to Skip the Waitlist, so at this point, it’s usefulness appears to be TBD. I would expect to learn more as the new program moves into next year. It would also be nice to be able to see the first available date with confirmable space, rather than having to manually search multiple days.

Overall thoughts

Again, it’s nice to see a positive development in the travel world, especially as more and more companies devalue their programs. Upgrades have always been the most valuable rewards for United’s elites, and improving usability is a win for everyone. The only downside I see is for 1Ks and Global Services, because now that Platinums have the ability to go from coach to Polaris, they can take upgrades if there’s availability at the time of booking.

The biggest benefit I see is the flexibility that comes with a point system vs certificates. Depending on your travel patterns, a 1K can potentially upgrade:

16 one-way short haul flights
16 economy to Premium Plus flights
12 Premium Plus to Polaris flights

As a 1K that’s about to re-qualify, I’m personally excited about these changes, though I do wish there was an easier way to search for clearable upgrade space. I’m hoping the Skip the Waitlist ability becomes easier to use, as I would absolutely use more points on my flight in a couple of weeks.

What are your thoughts on United’s upgrade changes?

Review: American Airlines Flagship Business / 777-300ER / Hong Kong to Los Angeles

AIRCRAFT: 77W / 777-300ER
ROUTE: HKG – LAX
SEAT: 8D and 8G (Business)
COST: CASH + SYSTEMWIDE UPGRADE (SWU)

Check-in

The Lounge (The Pier)

The flight

Overall thoughts