Review: American Airlines 767 Business Class (JFK-MXP)
Back in January, as the last major flight in my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip, I flew from New York JFK to Milan in Business Class (thanks to a Systemwide Upgrade) on a refurbished American Airlines 767 aircraft. Despite having flown over a million miles in various American Airlines aircraft this was my first international flight on one of their Boeing 767s.
Review: American Airlines Business Class A321 (LAX-JFK)
The penultimate flight during my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip was a transcontinental flight between Los Angeles and New...
Review: Hilton Los Angeles Airport
The last hotel I got to try out on my rather manic "8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days" trip was...
Review: Admirals Club Dallas (DFW) – A Gates
Something that not many people may remember is that, while the Admirals Club at the D-gates in Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW) is the big...
Review: Hilton Copenhagen Airport
Thanks to some very good Economy Class fares I found myself using Copenhagen as a jumping off point for yet another trip across the Atlantic. Last...
Review: Aviator Lounge Copenhagen Airport
I passed through Copenhagen Airport a few weeks ago and stopped by the CPH Apartment Lounge which caters to First Class and OneWorld Emerald card holders amongst others. This time around, as promised in that last review, I stopped by the Aviator Lounge Copenhagen Airport (next door) to see how it compared.
Review: American Airlines Business Class 787 Dreamliner
Two of my flights in my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip were a mileage run to Dallas that I had nested into...
Review: OneWorld Lounge LAX – Tom Bradley International Terminal
In my introduction to my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip I explained that I'd decided to nest a mileage...
Review: Iberia Economy Class Airbus A320 (LHR-MAD)
I recently spend some of my hard-earned Avios on a frivolous day trip to Madrid just to try out the new Iberia Business Class offering on their Airbus A330-200 aircraft (review coming soon) and, as part of that trip, I flew to Madrid in Iberia Economy Class on one of their Airbus A320 aircraft.
Review: Los Angeles Airport Marriott
I had a very nice couple of nights at the Andaz West Hollywood and, if I'm being honest, I didn't really need to book...
Review: Andaz West Hollywood – “View King” Room
After having successfully matched my Marriott Platinum status to Hyatt Diamond status back in November, I was looking forward to seeing what top-tier status...
Review: American Airlines Business Class 777-300ER (LHR-LAX)
I've flown on the American Airlines 777-300ER a total of 19 times since the aircraft joined the American Airlines fleet in early 2013 and...
Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge Heathrow T3
I arrived into Heathrow from Copenhagen on a British Airways Airbus A320 (in Economy Class) and, as I just reviewed an near identical flight (Review: British Airways Economy Class A320), I'm not going to review the flight and, instead, skip ahead to the lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 3.
Review: CPH Apartment Lounge Copenhagen
aAs part of my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip I was scheduled for an early departure from Copenhagen airport back...
Review: Marriott AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen
Whenever I have an overnight layover, unless I'm arriving into a city in the morning or early afternoon, I will always look to book a hotel that's close to the airport. If I know I'm not going to have time to explore a city I always look for the path of least resistance and, as on this trip I would have a 7:00am flight to catch the next day, I definitely wanted to book something within easy reach of the check-in desks.
Review: British Airways Economy Class A320 (LHR-CPH)
After having a little bit to eat and getting some work done in the British Airways Galleries First lounge it was time for my first flight of the eight that I would be taking in the next five days. This was my "positioning flight" to Copenhagen which would allow me to catch my flight to Los Angeles the following day.
Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge – Heathrow T5
I've reviewed the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5 before, and I've visited it quite a few times, but I've always seemed to visit in the morning - I don't think I've ever been in the lounge after 11am. This trip changed all that.
Atmosphere Resort – Dauin, Philippines
Over Christmas and New Year Joanna’s family had a great trip to various parts of Asia and, along the way, stopped off at Atmosphere Resort in the Philippines for a bit of well deserved R&R – this is their account (with a bit of editing from me) of one of the more popular beach and diving resorts in the Philippines.
Review: Etihad Premium Lounge Abu Dhabi T3
The Etihad chauffeur service picked me up from the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi around two hours before my scheduled flight time and, with a short drive to the airport, I was soon walking into the dedicated check-in area for First and Business Class passengers at Abu Dhabi airport's Terminal 3.
Review: Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal
To say that I procrastinated about which hotel to book in Abu Dhabi would a be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. I must have changed my mind a dozen times, switching between both of the Hyatt's, the Ritz Carlton, the Intercontinental and the Le Meridien.
A few things made up my mind for me in the end:
Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Heathrow T4
I got a text from the Etihad chauffeur company at 6:40am to tell me my car had arrived and was waiting for me outside. They were 5 minutes early. Still, it was 6:40 in the morning and not 5:30 in the morning as they had originally intended so I wasn't about to complain.
Etihad To Abu Dhabi – Introduction
For the past few years, two of the big "sweet spots" in the AAdvantage program have been the cost of Business and First Class award tickets, on Etihad, for travel between Europe and the Middle East. At a cost of 30,000 miles and 40,000 miles respectively (one-way) they've been an absolute bargain - especially when you consider that it costs 30,000 miles to get from Europe to the US in Cargo Economy Class.
Review: Hampton By Hilton Liverpool (UK)
I've never stayed at a Hampton property before and, to be completely honest, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Last week I found myself needing a hotel in Liverpool and, as I wasn't going to be in the hotel or the city for very long, I wasn't about to splash out on an upscale property. All I needed was a comfortable room at a reasonable price and in a central location so, from the reviews on TripAdvisor, the Hampton by Hilton seemed to check the right boxes.
Review: Swissport Lounge – Larnaca (Cyprus)
The Swissport lounge at Cyprus' Larnaca airport sits on the first floor above the duty free area of the airport. As one of only two lounges at Larnaca airport the Swissport lounge acts as the executive lounge for a lot of airlines...some of which I have never even heard of!
Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge – Heathrow T5
This has got to be the hardest lounge to review....and not because of the staff, the facilities or anything like that. It's so hard to...
Review: American Airlines Flagship Lounge JFK
The American Airlines Flagship lounges are the airline's effort at international First Class lounges. They're a rare thing in the American Airlines lounge portfolio as there are only four of them in total - three in the US (New York JFK, Los Angeles and Chicago O'Hare) and just the one lounge overseas (London Heathrow, which I reviewed here).
Review: Andaz 5th Avenue – New York
One of the biggest selling points of the Andaz 5th Avenue is it's location. Unless you need to be towards the bottom of Manhattan (Wall Street/Financial area) most of the major places people will want to visit are within easy walking distance.
Review: American Airlines Admirals Club Miami (Gate 30)
On our way from Aruba to New York, Joanna and I had a short layover at Miami Airport - so I thought I'd take a look and see how the Admirals Club near Gate D30 was faring. I know this club quite well as it's where I've been stopping off on all my trip to/from the Caribbean for the last 10 years...and not that much has changed in that time.
Review: Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club
This time last year we were visiting the US Virgin Islands and staying at Marriott's Frenchman's Cove in St Thomas. This year we wen't back to a place Joanna and I know pretty well - Marriott's Aruba Surf Club on Palm Beach...Aruba (unsurprisingly!). What follows next is an in-depth review of the resort.
Review: American Airlines 737 Economy Class (MIA-AUA)
Boarding started very promptly 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Luckily, due to the overcrowding in the Amex Centurion lounge, we had headed to the gate earlier than we normally would have and we got to the gate just in time for Priority Boarding.
Kudos to the American Airlines Gate agents who were not shy in turning back people with "Group 3" printed in a big, bold, font on the boarding passes while First Class and Executive Platinums boarded.
Review: Amex Centurion Lounge (Miami)
The Amex Centurion lounge in Miami opened in June of this year and was a welcome addition to an airport where the lounges are really not up to much. The lounge is situated in concourse D of Miami Airport, near gate D12, which this makes it very convenient for American Airlines travelers whose gates surround the area the lounge sits in.
Review: American Airlines Economy Class 777-200 (LHR-MIA)
If you've read the introduction to this trip report you'll know that we booked our flights to Aruba with cash and in the Economy Class cabin in the hopes that my Systemwide Upgrades would see us flying in Business Class. Having booked the flights in January (a full 9 months before departure) I felt reasonably confident that the upgrades would come through. They didn't.
Aruba & NYC Trip Report – Introduction
October is a good time for us to get away. The UK summer (what there is of it) is long gone and the beautiful golden globe in the sky that Californians take for granted is becoming a distant memory. The nights are drawing in and it's getting harder to persuade yourself that you don't need to put the central heating on. It's time for a break.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 2
In Part 1 of this review I took a look a the pre-boarding/boarding experience with Finnair and the cabins & seats on the Airbus A350XWB. In this part of the review I'll take look at the rest of the offering onboard from the entertainment and WiFi to the food and service offered.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 1
This was the big event and the whole point of my lightning trip to Helsinki. The Finnair A350XWB wasn't anywhere to be seen when I landed at Helsinki Airport and there was good reason for that....it was en route from Munich on another of its "crew familiarisation" trips.
Review: Finnair Premium Lounge Helsinki
The Finnair Airbus A350 XWB Trip
Introduction
Review: American Airlines Flagship Lounge Heathrow T3
Review:...
Review: Finnair Economy Class A320 (LHR-HEL)
I’m starting to find myself flying on Finnair a lot more nowadays. They’re a member of the OneWorld Alliance which means that I can credit my flights on Finnair to my American Airlines AAdvantage account. That, in turn, means that I earn AAdvantage miles as well as miles towards American Airlines status which I value quite highly.
Review: American Airlines Flagship Lounge – Heathrow T3
American Airlines has two lounges at Heathrow's Terminal 3 - An Admiral's Club (Business Class Lounge) and a Flagship Lounge (First Class Lounge). Both are accessed trough the same set of glass doors and both are unspectacular. The Flagship Lounge is open to all OneWorld Emerald card holders (American Airlines Executive Platinum, British Airways Gold etc...) and anyone with a First Class ticket for travel on the day of entry.
Finnair Airbus A350 XWB Trip – Introduction
Around the middle of September I decided to do something that I've never done before and attempt to be one of the first (few thousand!) to fly on a new plane. Contrary to what Joanna would probably tell you, I'm not an "Av Geek" (plane geek) at all - I like what aircraft do and I think they're amazing pieces of engineering but I don't actively follow the industry with a passion like I know some do...and I certainly don't normally spend cash and/or points on a trip just because I want to see a new plane in action.
Review: British Airways Club World A380 (LAX-LHR) – Part 2
In part 1 of this review I looked at the cabin and the seat on offer in British Airways' A380 Club World cabin as well as the connectivity and entertainment provided. In today's final part I'll take a look at the "soft product" side of things (which means anything that isn't bolted to the fuselage) and a few other bits-and-pieces to do with the flight we took.
Review: British Airways Club World A380 (LAX-LHR) – Part 1
When it comes to flying I'm a big believer in sticking to a product I like. Most of my flights are long-haul and personal comfort comes way above any need to discover what other airlines are like. That's why almost all of my trans-Atlantic flights are on American Airlines.
Review: Qantas First Class Lounge LAX
Earlier this year I flew out of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX and, despite having lived in Los Angeles for over 5...
Review: British Airways Club Europe vs Euro Traveller – Boeing 767 (LHR-LCA-LHR)
On a recent trip to Cyprus I had the chance to compare the British Airways Club Europe (business class) offering and their Euro Traveller (economy class) offering...
Review: Aspire Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5
The opening of the Aspire Lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on 4 August was an important milestone for a lot of travelers because it became the first independent lounge to open in the British Airways dominated terminal.
Review: InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam
Towards the middle of last month Joanna and I took a quick 3-night trip to Amsterdam courtesy of an IHG Rewards promotion. Aside from really wanting...
Review: London Marriott West India Quay
Back in June Marriott launched a promotion whereby anyone booking a premium room at one of their London hotels (for a Saturday or Sunday...
Review: Finnair Business Class A321 (HEL-LHR)
After a good couple of days in Helsinki and a pleasant hour in the Finnair business class lounge at Helsinki airport it was time...
Review: Finnair Business Class Lounge Helsinki Airport
Previous posts in this series:
Review: British Airways Club Europe A320 (LHR-HEL)
Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki
Helsinki in 48 Hours
After a couple of days in Helsinki...
[VIDEO] Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club 1-Bed 2-Bath Oceanfront Villa
Earlier this year we spent a great week at Marriott Vacation Club's "flagship property" - Marriott's Maui Ocean Club. And, while we spent our...
Review: Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki
When I’m looking for a hotel there are a few criteria that rank high on my list of “would-be-nice-to-have” but there’s only one “must-have”...
Review: British Airways Club Europe A320 (LHR-HEL)
If you enjoy flying in premium cabins the UK’s tax system is not your friend. Taxes on a business class flight to the US...
Review: American Airlines Business Class 777-300ER (LHR-DFW)
Let's face a few facts from the get-go: US Airlines have had a track record of offering mediocre premium cabin experiences when compared to Asian,...
[VIDEO] Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club 2-Bedroom Oceanfront Villa
Earlier this year we spent a great week at Marriott Vacation Club's "flagship property" -Marriott's Maui Ocean Club.
We spent our week in the Lahaina...
Review: British Airways Galleries First Heathrow T3
I'm a creature of habit so, despite having the choice of any of the One World First Class lounges I always seem to find...
Review: Amex Centurion Lounge (Dallas)
The American Express Centurion Lounges in Dallas, Las Vegas, New York (La Guardia), Miami and San Francisco are an oasis in an otherwise pretty drab...
Review: Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club (Part 2)
In part one of this review I focused on the newly refurbished units at Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club. Here, in part 2, the focus...
Review: Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club (Part 1)
Out of Marriott's Kauai properties Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club is my favourite. The Kauai Beach Club and Kauai Lagoons both offer different things and each...
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club – Review Part 2
In part one of this review we focused on the 2-bedroom ocean front villa we had in the Lahaina Villas building of Marriott's Maui...
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club – Review Part 1
We've not long been back from a wonderful two week vacation in Hawaii where we were lucky enough to stay at Marriott's Maui Ocean...
Video: Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve (Pool Area)
Continuing on from last month's announcement that we will, slowly, be adding videos of all the resorts we visit, today we're releasing the third of our...
Video: Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve (One Bed Villa)
Our aim at here has always been to help our users make informed decisions when it comes to their vacation plans. Whether we're highlighting resorts...
Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve (Orlando) Review
Earlier this month we had reason to take a lightning trip down to Orlando, so we couldn't resist the temptation of, finally, trying out a resort...
St Thomas Trip Report – Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove Review
Frenchman'Early in 2013 we used the 2-bed portion of our Marriott Grand Chateau (Las Vegas) timeshare to put in an exchange request, through Interval International,...
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