AA: IAH-HKG $666 3.8cpm 11/22/15, C7 on 77W

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Nov 30, 2015, 10:23 am

#31

wijomas

In memoriam

Join Date: May 2008

Location: AKL

Programs: QF WP & AA EXP

Posts: 5,233

Quote:

Originally Posted by jix

That's crazy. How much EQM and RDM did you end up with? That's a week of flying non-stop.

A lot. It was part of the OW Mega Do challenge... 4x RDMs (plus bonus... from memory it was something like 430k RDMs total), and retained EXP. Also won Concierge Key and legally changed my name to Ryan Bingham

(and had to Kiwi-ize it with some random Maori words that gave me the middle initials 'A A'

)

Nov 30, 2015, 11:07 am

#32

janetdoe

Join Date: Jul 2009

Location: DFW

Programs: AS, BA, AA

Posts: 3,670

Quote:

Originally Posted by coastalguy

Bottom line: If you're planning on making any city in China part of a MR beware of tight connections, bring an over abundance of patience and willingness to be told by five different people that you need five different "things" before you can be "processed" into the country. Oh and be prepared to wait in lines lasting an hour or longer, each.

We got 10-year visas after we booked some of the AA DCA-PEK J sale fares this spring. It cost a couple of hundred dollars (IIRC) but my experience to get through immigration in PEK was about equivalent to the HKG process for all of our trips.

Considering the number of sales and super-sales to mainlaind China, I think it would be a good investment for any serious US-based mile runner to get this visa while it is available. If it allows you to pick up one super-sale fare over the next 10 years (when for example, you don't have time to tinker with a routing that goes through a 3rd country before the fare is pulled) it will recoup the investment.

If you have an actual desire to spend more than 72 hours at any one time in China, or get outside of the TWOV borders, it is a no-brainer to apply for the visa. Just book a refundable award ticket and hotel reservation and use that 'trip' as the basis for requesting the visa. It will take a few weeks without your passport, so choose your time wisely.