[Global Entry]

My CX flight is delayed more than 2hrs from HKG, to LAX. Its a negative, but gives a possibility of providing another example of how getting status (however you can) can make life on the road more relaxed, enjoyable.

(Proviso: The following details what we can call "Points Players Problems")

I'm connecting to a DL economy flight in LAX to connect to SLC, in economy (with a hopeful and doubtful upgrade to Biz on the short flight, due to Crossover Rewards status with Starwood Preferred as a Platinum - its the lowest tier of upgrade, though, below Delta Silver Medallion and the likelihood of getting it is probably less than 25 percent (depends on which connection I ultimately get).

Because I'm in the 1st Lounge, when they announced the initial delay (which has now worsened) I approached an agent and let them know I was connecting on a DL flight that wouldn't normally be protected because its not a OneWorld flight and was booked as a separate itinerary. However, they told me that CX would rebook my flight for me - great, so i wouldn't have to buy another connection or pay a change fee. That was good news, even if resulted in a longer wait at LAX.

A second delay just popped onto the screen, which assured that I would be missing my booked connection, and I just walked over to talk to another attendant, who agreed (1) that I'd miss the connection, (2) that she wasn't sure which connection I'd be able to make, and (3) that until the aircraft to LAX was actually here, it didn't make sense to rebook. She told me she'd contact the CX folks at LAX and let them know to rebook me on the soonest connection to SLC - which under the circumstances is the best she can do.

Except, it wasn't.

I booked a special rate to fly Premium Economy rountdtrip LAX - HKG for 2K total, which is 1400 USD less than the normal price I see/pay. Good deal. Well, the nice lady in the first class lounge, while trying to solve my problem, also, for my inconvenience (and perhaps because of my Emerald One World status via BAEC Gold), handed me a new boarding card with a business class seat, which is a nice jump from Premium Economy. Full flat seats, etc. and I won't be nearly as cracked out when I reach LAX as I would have been (not that PE is anywhere nearly as rough on me as coach). Anyway, so now its 2K USD for W in one direction, and J on the return (which is typically 3300 USD one way more or less).

I doubt I'd be getting the information and the easy access to the change (though it would have been available, perhaps I wouldn't have even known about it) and definitely not the upgrade, except for the status (for which I travelled around the world in August and early September on a pretty fun junket, regardless). The post detailing the tier run is below.

(09-11-2014 08:55 PM)Global Entry Wrote:  

Beginning this entry sitting at KLIA2 (the local/low budget version of Kuala Lumpur Int'l Airport, a train ride of 5 minutes award from the world class KLIA).

I'm waiting for the last leg of my journey that will take me from Bronze BAEC (British Air/OneWorld) to the brink of BAEC Gold. The impetus of the journey was a trip to the Toronto Film Festival for a legal client, and it allowed me to build in a tier run to go for the status.

A tier run is a trip that is undertaken to get tier points (some airlines call them segments) so that you obtain status on the desired airline. Its done by flying that airline and partners of that airline while crediting those flights to the airline in question (for me BA).

I wanted to give an example of a tier run so that you might have an idea what one is. Typically, at least for a BAEC tier run, you're trying to get better value than 5usd/TP (that is pay less than 5 USD for each tier point, and hopefully much less), but because I had an employer paying, i can stretch that a little bit, due to the fact that the primary purpose was business. But pure tier runners, who do these flights solely for the tier points, look at 3GPB (or 5USD/TP) as the limit. TP runs below 2GBP are solid, and below 1.5 GBP are golden. There are many more involved available on BA partners US and AA then there are. The point is to find the soft spot on any OneWold Airline and exploit it. The soft spots in asia tend to involve MH (Malaysian Airlines), RJ (Royal Jordanian) and UL (Sri Lankan). Not so much softness on BA, Cathay, Qantas and Finnair, who don't offer many discount routes.

So here's the challenge. (1) Get from 675TPs (my pre-trip position) to as close as possible to 1500 TP (Gold Status) and (2) also have 4 eligible flights (a second criteria even for gold status) by flying on BA (or Iberia) metal, and not just crediting miles from one world partners like Cathay Paciific (which I often do).

Remember, miles earned via credit cards do not count for status, thought they're great for booking award tickets and upgrading class of travel.

From HKIA, I set up the RooshV meet up in BKK and flew Sri Lankan Economy - 10 TPs. I could have flown biz and got 40 points and it wasn't crazy expensive, but I was traveling with my friend, and he's not in on the game.

Two days in BKK, then had my biz class flights (on my client) BKK-AMM-CDG - 280 TPs (140 each for biz class flights (J class) each more than 2000 miles). Always putting my BA account number in. By the way, these TPs have not posted yet - can't stress this enough, SAVE ALL TICKET STUBS/BOARDING PASSES until your account is properly credited for the mileage/segments/tier points you're due for your flight. Only then, after they post, thrown them away (and you might snap a quick digital photo of them regardless).

A few hours later, back to economy (I can hit this client in good faith up for only a certain amount of travel costs, and I agreed to waive my hourly rates while at the festival (after all, its mostly watching movies and going to events. I wanted to go, and being there is pretty much not heavy lifting, plus I got a trip to see the parents in NYC en route). So I decided to fly on a BA special which was from CDG to NYC roundtrip in economy for around 1250 USD. This roundtrip would get me my four eligible flights.

Economy CDG-LHR (first BA metal flight - 10 TPs as its a super save fare) followed by LHR-JFK (second BA Metal flight-35 points, another discounted economy fare). Then four days in NYC, a WestJet puddle jump to Toronto that isn't part of the tier run, and four days in the land of the Betas. Back on Air Canada, also not part of the tier run (but a good program to book miles too, and a decent airline). Now I'm in JFK again.

I got a message from BA when I checked my return to london offering an upgraded to Premium Economy for less than half of the normal cost. For 250 USD about, I got 90 TPs on the way from JFK back to LHR (instead of 35, an extra 60TPs for just 250USD, plus being more comfortable), and then the same 10 LHR to CDG. I've also just gotten my 3rd and 4th eligible flights and hit silver, so now I'm entitled to lounge access at any OneWorld airline. Makes waiting the five hours until my next flight easier. Unfortunately, I am flying out of the shit terminal 1 in CDG, and there is no One World lounge there. At least they have wifi.

Next leg is a Qatar (one world also) flight CDG-DOH-BAH which I flew economy. The reason I flew through Qatar is that I identified a flight in business from Qatar (DOH) to Sri Lanka (COL) and onward to Malaysia (KUL) getting me very close to home, for only 650USD. I did this using google flights, trying different potential hubs as destinations (hubs in the mid-East for OneWorld flights might include AMM, DOH, you can specify a hub and a class of service and then the map will show you how much on your chose day it is to go to almost any destination. I spotted KUL from DOH and grabbed it immediately, and then went on to figure out how to get to DOH from CGD).

As a result of all this investigation, I gutted out the economy flight to Qatar (the business flights to Qatar from CDG were 1500 USD plus and many also involved long stopovers in places requiring a travel visa (like Moscow) so I found a direct and flew in the cheap seats, still was around 500 USD. I flew to Bahrain because at this point, I was cracked out and wanted to sleep and there is no visa required for Americans in Bahrain. I got (I think) 35 or 45 total TPs for the flights to BAH. Got some sleep, walked around Bahrain in the 100 degree heat for a few hours in the afternoon, hung out with some chinese hookers in a bar Diggers in Bahrain (definitely could have shored, but chose not to) and went back to the airport. Took a first class Qatar flight for 40 minutes back to Doha (60TPs, for around 350USD) solely for the tier points. Full flat seat for 40 minutes wasn't much to talk about but I had two different very nice champagnes on board at least.

Then the easy part of the return begins, a wait in the brand spanking new Orix business class lounge in DOH for a few hours, and then with two flights on UL (Sri Lankan), both an empty biz class, with very good looking flight attendants (and I'm not partial to South Asian women). 140TP for the flight to Colombo, and then another 40 to Kuala Lumpur. Its unfortunate, but KUL isn't 2000 miles from Colombo, so I didn't get 140 for that leg. But since I waited and found a flight from the mideast to KUL one way in business for 650USD, I didn't care so much. Those flights were frankly fantastic and if I am flyign business, I'll now try to book into Sri Lankan, rather than avoid them. It even made me more curious about a holiday in Sri Lanka after a long talk with the purser.
****
I finally arrived in KL (I am writing this in two parts - I'm now back in SZ after a decants night sleep) and could have either chosen to use BA avios to book KUL-HKG, but business wasn't available (no lounge access for my 2.5 hr wait) and Air Asia had flights for 175 USD. I couldn't justify using 15,000 avios plus 50 USD cash to get a flight I could buy for 175- that would have been a very poor trade on points, which I try not to use unless I get at least 4c/avios. That would have been less than a penny per avios. I didn't realize, but Air Asia flew out of a different airport than the one I landed, so I actually had to clear immigration (Malaysia has super easy immigration though, no paperwork, just your passport) and take a train one stop for 35 Ringit (12 USD). I think ultimately it was the right choice. I'll get much higher value out of my avios on a trip to Phnom Penh or Jakarta then I would have for thsi flight. And its true, Air Asia has the hottest flight attendants i've seen in economy except for Cebu Air on a flight from Boracay to Manila (ouch).

Some flight porn... inspiration for you, or perhaps a chance to experience it vicariously, i greatly hope its the former...


Calling for more champers on the short flight from Manama, Bahrain back to Doha (1st Class).


The view from the general boarding lounge at Doha for my Sri Lankan flight, fortunately I was in a much quieter environment for most of the time, the Orix Lounge at Hamad Int'l Airport.

See what I mean?


Largely empty biz class, Doha to Colombo. Got a first class experience as a result (and the service was good to begin with).


Before takeoff on Sri Lankan.


Opening into a fully flat bed on their Airbus 340 Config.


Doting and pleasant (very) flight attendant.


Built in seat massage. Nice touch.


The meal for the first segment (DOH-COL).


The second flight was largely more of the same, and the lounge in Colombo, while not spacious, had a nice selection of food and fast wi-fi.

The total tally for Tier Points seems to be coming in at 10+140+140+35+10+90+10+35+60+140+40= 710
Adding that to my pre-existing 680 brings me to 1390. One more flight this year premium economy to the West Coast, with a puddle jump from SFO to LAS, and I hit gold. Nice thing besides all the normals from One World for gold status is that even if I don't fly a single flight on OneWorld in 2015 (or otherwise qualify for Silver), I'll still be Silver with lounge access etc in 2016. Its called BA"s soft landing.

Total cash came in at around 160(to BKK)+1520 (One way RJ to CDG)+1220(BA RDT CDG JFK)+ 500 (one way Econ. QR to Manama)+360 (One way First to Doha) + 650 (Biz One way to KL on UL). 4410 for the 680 tier points, not below 5USD per TP but of course, I picked my destination based on a business need first. I also spent another 175 to get from KUL to HK and 89 USD to get a hotel in Manama (part of a reward thing for IHG, so that hotel will end up being free with the current promotion and the points I get back (google, "Into the Night" IHG promotion).

I'll also earn about (guessing) 20,000 avios, maybe a little less for all this flying (maybe 15,000, I haven't done the math). Valuing Avios conservatively at 2c per Avios, thats a rebate of 300 USD. And finally as a I booked it all on my SPG Amex, I'll get 4400 starwood points, which will ultimately equate to another 5500 points on one of 31 potential transfer partners. Again conservatively valuing them at 2c per point ( I often actualize closer to 5 cents per point, but I am being conservative) that's another 100 USD rebate for other travel. Taking that from the 4410, brings me right back to around 4000 USD for the avios, the status and the "enjoyment" of visiting many lounges and an overnight stay and an afternoon with Chinese hookers in a Bahrain bar.

I could have of course gotten there much quicker and a little cheaper by flying biz the normal way direct from HK, but I needed both the tier points and the eligible flights and that route wouldn't have gotten it done for me.

Incidentally a client asked on a call this morning if I could soon come to Vegas to work on closing a transaction. I told him sure.