My previous trip reports:
My First Trip to Turkey - How It Came About - Where I'm Going June 2008
Going to California, and We're... July 2008
Istanbul and Amsterdam to End 2008 and Start 2009
Germany: Driving the Romantic Road and Rhine Valley May 2009
The planning for this year’s “bring in the new year” trip started as soon as our trip to Germany ended. We knew that we would be able to leave on Christmas Eve, and I wanted to return by January 7 on the outside chance that my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide would be playing for the BCS Championship (and they are, ROLL TIDE!).
Where to go? We considered South Africa, but I could not find award flights in premium classes on the dates that would maximize our time there. We also considered Japan, but we wanted someplace a little warmer. Finally, on the last day of June we decided to go to South America.
My 250K AAdvantage miles got us TPA-MIA-SCL/EZE-DFW-TPA, in F, and I used another 45K to get a one-way SCL-EZE flight on LAN about a month later. In addition, I was able to use a bunch of Starpoints for the 11 nights of hotel.
In early October, I took a look at the reservAAtion and saw that there was a change. It wasn’t just a change in times, but MIA-SCL had moved from a 777 to 767, meaning that there was no F cabin. I was a little peeved, and even more so when I called and found out that the change had occurred in early August without me being notified. When I got it sorted out, we were rebooked in J on that flight and had 25K miles refunded. A few weeks later, there was another surprise: I had been charged a change fee! Another call got it straightened out, but AA could have handled the whole process better.
During the trip planning, we decided to stick to Viña del Mar/Valparaiso and Santiago for our six days in Chile. The more we read about Chile, the more we wanted to visit the Atacama, Patagonia, Chiloe, etc., but it was not practical in the time we had.
After all of the planning, the departure date finally arrived. We called for a taxi a little before 6:00 p.m., and it arrived and made the five-mile drive the airport with few stops. Our check in was quick, and so was security at Airside F. We made it through a little after 6:30 p.m. Airside F was pretty dead – a delayed flight to DFW and the BA flight to LGW were the only others yet to depart. Apparently, all US flights had already departed.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
American Airlines 443
TPA-MIA
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 8:35 p.m/9:35 p.m.
Actual Departure/Arrival: 8:34 p.m./9:30 p.m.
737-800
Seats 4A and 4B
We walked toward Gate F-79 at 8:05 p.m., and we only saw about 30 people in the gate area. I heard the GA say that there were 81 pax, so I figured everyone else must be scattered around the airside. Boarding did not start until about 8:45 p.m., and Mr. FB and I were standing along in the Priority AAccess lane. We were the only pax booked in F; I guess that’s how the GA figured out who we were. As boarding finished, four other pax joined us in F, perhaps non-revs?
The flight was uneventful. We pushed back a couple of minutes after the door closed and were number one for takeoff. After 37 minutes in the air, we landed at MIA. We had to be towed into the gate, which took some time, but we still arrived 5 minutes early.
Our flight arrived at D-29, and our SCL flight departed from D-25. Instead of hanging out in the gate area for two hours, or spending our time in the Admirals Club, we walked over to Concourse E to visit the Flagship Lounge. This was my first visit to the FL at MIA, and it was worth the 15-minute walk from the gate. Unlike the Admirals Club in D, which has been loud and teeming with travelers the last few times I have visited it, the FL was cozy but offered plenty of places to sit. The food and beverage choices were OK: salads, soup, beef chunks on sticks, spanakopita, cheese and crackers, dessert, a self-serve bar, and a nice choice of wines, including a Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc. I would say that of the four FLs I have visited (ORD, LHR, and JFK being the others), MIA would be second to JFK.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
American Airlines 957
MIA-SCL
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 11:45 p.m/10:10 a.m.
Actual Departure/Arrival: 11:59 p.m./10:19 a.m.
767-300
Seats 2A and 2B
Because our boarding passes said that boarding time for our flight was 10:45 p.m., we left the FL at that time. The boarding area was a zoo when we approached it at 11:00 p.m., and boarding did not begin until 11:20 p.m. We boarded to find menus, amenity kits, duvets, and pillows in our seats. A FA offered everyone in business class a glass of champagne, orange juice, or water, and a little later, a different FA offered newspapers. After everyone was boarded, the cockpit announced at 11:55 p.m. that during the preflight checks, a problem had been detected in the A/C and mechanics were working on it. They must have been nearly finished, because the door closed 4 minutes later, and we pushed back from the gate shortly thereafter. At 12:19 a.m., we took off and were on our way to Chile.
A bit after takeoff, perhaps somewhere over Cuba, the FAs came through the aisles to take drink orders. Because I had already had three glasses of wine at the FL and a glass of champagne after boarding, I had a club soda, and Mr. FB had a ginger ale. I was tempted to try the Aresti Estate Selection Carménère, but I figured I would have many opportunities to try this grape during our six days in Chile. Also, I didn’t want to be impaired when we picked up our car at SCL.
Late Night Supper
To Start: Warm mixed nuts or Marinated cheese antipasto
Appetizer: Smoked salmon and herb marinated shrimp
Soup: Carrot Cilantro – A creamy carrot and cilantro soup garnished with chopped cilantro, red onions, spicy jalapeno chiles and lime juice
Bread Basket: Assorted gourmet breads offered with butter or
Sapore d’Arte olive oil
Main Course
Hoisin Lamb Medallions
Hoisin marinated lamb medallions
Sesame Shrimp
Pan-seared shrimp with sesame seeds accompanied by a ginger soy sauce
Grilled Rosemary Chicken
Rosemary marinated breast of chicken
Your selected entrée will be served with your choice of:
Salad
Fresh seasonal greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, kalamata olives and carrots offered with
Sapore d’Arte olive oil and balsamic vinegar
or
Vegetables
Grilled zucchini, tomato and bell peppers offered with herb rice
Dessert
Ice cream sundae – Vanilla ice cream with a choice of hot fudge, butterscotch or seasonal berry toppings, whipped cream and pecans
A selection of fine cheeses – offered with seasonal grapes
or
Grand Marnier fruit salad with passion fruit ice cream
To Finish: Ghirardelli chocolates
Breakfast
Select From
Fresh seasonal fruit
Croque monsieur sandwich with ham, Swiss chsses and béchamel sauce, topped with roasted tomatoes
Yogurt
Cereal
Breakfast Breads: A selection of breakfast breads
Express Breakfast:
Served 45 minutes prior to landing to allow you to sleep as long as possible. Warm breakfast breads, seasonal fruits and your choice of beverage
Pre-Arrival Beverage
For Your Enjoyment: Chilled sparkling water with a fresh citrus garnish
I chose the shrimp while Mr. FB took the chicken. Both were served on salad. The service was quick and efficient, which was important because I wanted to get some sleep. Mr. FB had a sundae and I had the cheese. After we finished, plates were cleared and we put our seats into the sleeping position. We had both ordered the express breakfast to maximize sleep time, hoping that we would be able to get a few hours at least.
Before I knew it, a FA was offering juice. I looked at my watch and it said it was 8:45 a.m. Santiago time. That meant I had slept somewhere between 4 – 5 hours. Next came our choice of hot beverages and the Express Breakfast tray.
The reason I chose seats on the left side of the plane was because I hoped that I could be able to get some pictures of the Andes. During the last 45 minutes or so before landing, I was able to snap these:
Next: Arriving at SCL and driving to Viña del Mar.