Value of Platinum? [Merged threads]

Old Oct 1, 2017, 3:38 pm
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by cistavoda
Do not eat DEL catering. Pilots are not allowed to eat it according to sources.
Originally Posted by Purjelentaja
That is over-reacting. I've had it I would say at least a dozen times with no problems. One of the worst nightmares an airline could face is food poisoning epidemic onboard, that's why hygienic level on airline catering is high almost everywhere, and I'm sure AY would not use local catering if there was any doubt of food safety.
Im usually not very picky, and my travels have taken me to several pretty obscure destinations where the hygiene level is a far cry from what were used to back home, but I very seldom get stomach problems. And when I do, its in destinations like MIA or NYC

However, Ive yet to experience a city as filthy as Delhi, sadly. Rats running around the alleys in Connaught Place in broad daylight, in that yellow smog they call air. And that one time I was there, it was only for a few days and I did get food poisoning, which lasted maybe 56 days. It was partly my own fault since I decided to eat Western food etc. If I had stuck with local food, maybe I would have been luckier.

On one hand, if people regularly got sick for eating AYs onboard catering ex-DEL, Im sure it would be all over the news. But on the other hand, who knows people tolerate different things and if many Westeners on those flights will experience problems later on, they may not associate it with the flight but just blame it on generic Delhi belly.

Those of you who have visited the Plaza Premium what kind of food do they serve there? Id assume a well-heated Indian dish from a buffet would be rather safe whereas anything cold, such as a salad bar (not thinking of the FTer salads now!) or a fruit salad would definitely be a no-no.
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Old Oct 1, 2017, 9:48 pm
  #62  
 
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Don't know about the place you refer to, bit in general buffet food, hot or not, is pretty much as bad as salad, unpeelable fruit and dairy. Street food cooked in front of your eyes is porobably a lot safer.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:09 am
  #63  
 
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Originally Posted by ffay005
Im usually not very picky

that one time I was there, it was only for a few days and I did get food poisoning, which lasted maybe 56 days. It was partly my own fault since I decided to eat Western food etc. If I had stuck with local food, maybe I would have been luckier.

Those of you who have visited the Plaza Premium what kind of food do they serve there? Id assume a well-heated Indian dish from a buffet would be rather safe whereas anything cold, such as a salad bar (not thinking of the FTer salads now!) or a fruit salad would definitely be a no-no.
In India it is worth being very picky on what to eat and drink and where. To my experience when sticking to Indian food, and selecting the places to eat or drink very carefully, it helps alot in preventing problems. Not even my Indian friends eat at street food eateries to keep on the safe side. Buffets are at least for me no-go anywhere outside the very core of Western world (and that doesn't even include southern Europe) as hot items are practically never kept hot enough, and cold ones cold, making a dream come true environment for germs just waiting to ruin your days.

In the lounge at DEL they at least used to have kind of small buffet (buffet? India? read above!) with some hot and cold dishes, but I've never touched those, instead been happy with bottled drinks and hot tea, knowing that it is much safer to eat onboard.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:28 am
  #64  
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Originally Posted by CeruleanBlue
Don't know about the place you refer to, bit in general buffet food, hot or not, is pretty much as bad as salad, unpeelable fruit and dairy. Street food cooked in front of your eyes is porobably a lot safer.
+1 on all counts
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:31 am
  #65  
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Originally Posted by ffay005
Moreover, the ICN plane stays on the ground for 1:55 only. I have no idea whether it's possible to make a transfer in that time and I'm not at all familiar with the airport.
Very much doable. Come off the plane, follow the transit signs, go through transfer security (you'll be the only pax, probably) and up the stairs, back to the departure area. I did quite a few transfers at ICN, even though not same plane turnarounds, but to utilize the Chinese 72/144 hrs TWOV opportunities and/or save a bunch to JPN.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:49 am
  #66  
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Originally Posted by WilcoRoger
Very much doable. Come off the plane, follow the transit signs, go through transfer security (you'll be the only pax, probably) and up the stairs, back to the departure area. I did quite a few transfers at ICN, even though not same plane turnarounds, but to utilize the Chinese 72/144 hrs TWOV opportunities and/or save a bunch to JPN.
The trick to ICN airside turn arounds are
a) make sure you have onward boarding pass or other "proof" of travel, like printed e-ticket
b) be very location aware and do not transfer between concourse/main terminal
because: Transfer security demands proof of onward travel, but transfer desks are located after security! And leaving concourse means no airside way back.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 3:34 am
  #67  
 
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Originally Posted by WilcoRoger
To maximize the Gold period for the recepient - don't gift the card before she has an actual flight. Her tracking period will reset on gifting, so why waste the status on months when there are no flights.
Yes, you are absolutely right. But here it doesn't really make a big difference, since the second Gold gift will expire only a month later (based on my tracking period), so I'll have to gift it pretty quickly.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 3:47 am
  #68  
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Originally Posted by intuition
The trick to ICN airside turn arounds are...
Yes, thanks for the addition, for me they seemed trivial, but first-time ICN:ers might get caught by it.

Going landside is not a biggie though, but frustrating - train from the concourse to the terminal, go through immigration, go to departure, pass immigration and security again and back to the concourse. If the turnaround is ca. 2 hrs, it's still manageable, but a PITA.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 5:12 am
  #69  
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Originally Posted by WilcoRoger
...
Going landside is not a biggie though, but frustrating - train from the concourse to the terminal, go through immigration, go to departure, pass immigration and security again and back to the concourse. If the turnaround is ca. 2 hrs, it's still manageable, but a PITA.
I did just that on my first vist - just followed the flow. As soon as I stepped on the escoaltors down to the APM I reaslised the mistake but there was no turn back.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:16 pm
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by ffay005
The food is actually not that important I can self-cater if it's needed, and I would happily choose that over the extra 4 hours on the plane. I sent an email to the platinum address, let's see if it'll come back with some info.
I got a reply. Both J and Y are catered from DEL.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:27 pm
  #71  
 
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Originally Posted by ffay005
I got a reply. Both J and Y are catered from DEL.
Meaning you'll get tasty Indian dishes onboard! I'm confident food safety also on DEL catered food is good, as no airline can risk serving food causing food poison epidemy onboard. In any case for sure it is by far much safer than the lounge food at DEL.
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 1:55 pm
  #72  
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I agree, don't think the risk is significantly higher. (We took the Delhi belly joke too far)
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 5:16 pm
  #73  
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Wow its awesome how many replies there have been here and how alive the discussion is

I have been almost a week without internet at home and when checking back here I saw all these messages and posts, very cool

I gave up my plan on flying 76 segments with JAL Domestic as first intended. I know that till the end of my tracking period I will have at least 2 more business flights with AY from Asia to Europe which will bring me each 44000 with the Silver bonus which i reach soon. I would have never thought to look for ICN to HEL instead of KIX to HEL in Business. Prices are like 2000 $ higher almost from Japan cause of the JV and this is crazy. From KIX I can get easy and cheap to ICN without any problems

One thing I saw though raises a question for me. I saw that the flights from KIX to ICN with JAL are operated by Korean Air and they are Skyteam. So if I book the flight with JAL but they put me on a Korea Air plane, do I get the OW miles then ?
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 5:18 pm
  #74  
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Originally Posted by SAN_Finn
I've flown this a couple times (tpe-icn-hel) but the overnight at ICN on the way out and having to book separate tickets on the way back kinda sucks. The prices for AY ex ICN are very cheap though. Really wish AY would start TPE....
I don't mind it when saving 2000 $ besides a night in Korea is attractive as well. Incheon is a nice city and lots of stuff to do....just need to make sure to not miss the flight
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Old Oct 2, 2017, 6:17 pm
  #75  
 
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Originally Posted by subechin
Wow its awesome how many replies there have been here and how alive the discussion is

I have been almost a week without internet at home and when checking back here I saw all these messages and posts, very cool
I'm sorry I've sort of hijacked your thread with my DEL MR plans. But I thought it fit in here quite well because we both have the same goal: the Platinum card!

Originally Posted by subechin
One thing I saw though raises a question for me. I saw that the flights from KIX to ICN with JAL are operated by Korean Air and they are Skyteam. So if I book the flight with JAL but they put me on a Korea Air plane, do I get the OW miles then ?
You don't. It needs to be a OW operated flight. So a JL/CX combo would get you the points but a JL/KE won't.

For non-OW operated codeshares, you can only earn miles/points to the program of the ticketing carrier. So flying SU HEL-SVO on AY flight number will get you AY+ points but not, say, BA Avios.
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