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| Extraordinary travel experiences |
| by Brian Kelly |
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Hi everyone,
My favorite way to decompress is to dream about incredible travel experiences and then plot how to book them using miles and points. Points and miles are an amazing gateway to traveling the world, and I firmly believe that travel can help expand horizons, encourage connections and broaden viewpoints.
I’ll often search for award inventory on hard-to-find routes simply as a stress reliever. If you need a little stress relief this week and want some inspiration on bucket list first-class trips you could book, read this post, but here’s my rundown of the dreamiest first-class cabins, starting with the Etihad Residence, which I had the pleasure of flying recently for the third time.
Etihad Airways’ The Residence
Etihad’s flagship product is actually much more than a seat: It’s a three-room suite for up to two passengers with a living room, a bedroom and a private lavatory with a shower. I recently flew in The Residence with Dean back to New York from Abu Dhabi on a stopover from our South African safari, and it was an incredible experience.
The going cash rate for The Residence is an upgrade price of $4,520 per person on top of a first-class ticket, but you can now book Etihad first-class saver awards for 160,000 miles; I also paid $663 in taxes and fees. For example, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points and Capital One miles to the Etihad Guest loyalty program, then once you book into first class, you can upgrade to The Residence if it’s available (495,000 Etihad miles was the rate when I called, but cash was the better value). Or, if you have tons of Amex points and want an incredible experience, it’s 700,000 Amex points total transferred to Etihad to fly The Residence. Back when I first flew it, it was $33,000 one-way!
There isn’t a vast difference between the service in The Residence and in first class, but being able to have your own space — especially with a toddler on the move — is a luxury. I could hang out with Dean in our room and not worry about him disturbing other passengers.
Even if you don’t splurge for The Residence, the first-class “apartments” on Etihad’s A380 are amazing.
Singapore Airlines’ first class
In a few weeks, I’ll be flying to Germany, and I was able to book Singapore Airlines’ first class from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) for 143,500 KrisFlyer miles and $5.60 in taxes. While it’s not the A380 anymore (it’s the Boeing 777-300), it’s still a fabulous way to fly to Europe and costs fewer miles than what Delta Air Lines normally charges for business-class award seats.
This is also a fifth-freedom route, meaning that it doesn’t fly through the airline’s home country.
You can only book its first-class and business-class award tickets on long-haul routes using Singapore’s KrisFlyer miles. So even though Singapore Airlines has Star Alliance codeshare partners like United Airlines and Air Canada, you won’t be able to use MileagePlus miles or Aeroplan points to book these premium-cabin awards.
Luckily, several credit card currencies transfer to KrisFlyer: Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Amex Membership Rewards points, Citi ThankYou Rewards points and Capital One miles. You can read more on how to book in TPG’s guide.
Japan Airlines’ first class
The highlight of my spring trip to Tokyo was flying in the new Japan Airlines A350-1000 first class, which is out of this world! The suite itself was massive, which was great, especially flying with Dean. He had tons of space to play, and the flight attendants brought him toys.
The service on Japan Airlines is impeccable, and the carrier has really upped the game for its new A350-1000. The only thing lacking was ground service — there’s no VIP handling at the airport in Tokyo when you land. You can see my full flight recap on my Instagram highlights. While it’s not the top first-class experience, it is truly one of the best ways to fly between the U.S. and Japan.
There are plenty more aspirational seats in the sky, like Emirates’ Game Changer first class and All Nippon Airways’ The Room, so be sure to check out our full story for more on the best luxury seats in the sky and how you can fly them using your points and miles.
By the way — it’s almost the holiday season, and if you need a great gift idea, my friend Martha Stewart’s 100th book comes out Tuesday; you can order it now.
Have a great weekend,
BK
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| Photo Credit: BRANDON LAUNERTS. |
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