Originally Posted by
amolkold
Maybe it's just the coastal person in me, but I think actual transcon business class (like JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO, MIA-LAX on AA, etc etc) is worth it when you're down to using miles domestically. I've routed plenty of domestic awards via those routes mostly because the airlines give them a premium feel and make the mileage upcharge slightly more worth it. When it comes to regular ol' domestic first ... not worth it.
Only when you get the 3-class service, Internationally configured plane. The one OP felt good about, is none of that. Totally not worth it.
Originally Posted by amolkold;19340387
Or an RTW, like [URL="http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=ORD-HKG-BKK-DEL-AMM-IST-MAD-ORD"
ORD-HKG-BKK-DEL-AMM-IST-MAD-ORD[/URL], with stopovers everywhere.
Oh you mean
this? #shamelessplug
Actually 120K in First from LA to North Asia ... via Europe. A stopover, too, if you want one. An extra 30K for Singapore Business within South Asia to India, well worth it for 17 hours roundtrip on Singapore Airlines. And a few thousand Avios to get from North Asia (HKG) and South Asia (BKK), though I went with Emirates A380, cause well, showers on a plane.
The kicker is that I saved 10K miles by routing the way I did, and got to visit 2 more cities.
If the Grand Slam were happening this year, I'd tell OP to get in on that, but sadly, not this year
That is one heck of a redemption and a very well-written trip report. Love your writing style, especially the humorous parts - no wonder it has over 50K hits! ^