[FARE GONE] La/++ akl-scl-mad-hnd €570
#541
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SIN
Posts: 196
Trip Report
Slightly different to most of you, I booked this ticket to travel the world rather than rack up miles. To recap, this was booked in April on Priceline for USD 1,238:
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
#542
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: YVR/LAX/PVG/TPE
Posts: 738
Slightly different to most of you, I booked this ticket to travel the world rather than rack up miles. To recap, this was booked in April on Priceline for USD 1,238:
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
Interesting crew difference for ICN-LHR and LHR-GIG, maybe because they are based in Asia?
Atacama is very fun, especially given the wide range of activities one can do there, from animal spotting to desert trekking.
IPC really is a special place, when I went there last year it was not that much different, but I would gladly fill out a form that adds to the special-ness of this locale.
I also considered BOB on my itins, but it really is not a place for a solo backpacker, and the price really defeats the purpose of this fare... Hopefully next time with someone else!
Can see you really enjoyed this trip, hope it gets your partner into the business as well haha!
#543
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PRG, DRS, VIE
Programs: Marriott Titanium, BA Gold, A3 Gold
Posts: 933
FInally the day has come :)
In Strata Lounge in AKL waiting for TN 102 departure to PPT. Originally planned day+ layover in AKL, but due to delay of PRG-CDG and not possible making to CDG-CAN segment 3 or whatever days ago, arrived this morning. What really confuses me are the date diferences, I have to always triple check I have booked hotels etc. for the right day. Will report as trip progresses. Plan is AKL-PPT-IPC-SCL-MAD-FRA / then FRA-DXB-DPS-NRT in spring
#544
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
In Strata Lounge in AKL waiting for TN 102 departure to PPT. Originally planned day+ layover in AKL, but due to delay of PRG-CDG and not possible making to CDG-CAN segment 3 or whatever days ago, arrived this morning. What really confuses me are the date diferences, I have to always triple check I have booked hotels etc. for the right day. Will report as trip progresses. Plan is AKL-PPT-IPC-SCL-MAD-FRA / then FRA-DXB-DPS-NRT in spring
I just returned home on Monday after completing ICN-HKG-SYD-SCL-MAD-DXB-ICN-HKG-NRT. SCL-NRT in J. I was in transit at all the intermidiate stops so it was 49 1/2 hours between entering the airport in SCL and exiting the airport in NRT with a total of 10h 45m on the ground.
I have been surprised how quickly the Mileage Plan miles have been posting. QF, LA, EK, CX all within about 5 days of flight. The only hold-out so far is KE. Nice to see 100K increase in RDM in a week with more to go. I zipped passed MVPG and should hit MVPG75K in early November when I finish up a few more positioning return flights, then home on CX F.
James
#545
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,024
Slightly different to most of you, I booked this ticket to travel the world rather than rack up miles. To recap, this was booked in April on Priceline for USD 1,238:
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
ICN-LHR-GIG-SCL // SCL-IPC-PPT-NRT
I flew from HKG to ICN on an awards booking on CX. CX were unable to issue my boarding pass for the ICN-LHR flight My partner flex from KUL to ICN on an awards booking on MH. Separate PNRs, but she was able to get her boarding pass for ICN-LHR and the luggage was checked through.
Flight 1: BA18 ICN-LHR (1 night in London)
Check-in was great, as it wasn't required! Did not have to exit immigration at ICN, I was funneled through to the transfer area. I showed my itinerary, and they said that was fine, I didn't need a boarding pass. I eventually got my BP at the gate. Using my BA Gold card (OWE), I got access into the Asiana first class lounge. Got the only 2-seat row with my partner at the back of the 787-8. Lots of space, good flight. Young crew, attentive. This was the only flight with a greeting from the purser. Got to spend time in London with family, and went to see Hamilton, the musical.
Flight 2: LA5592 LHR-GIG (codeshare of a BA flight, 1 night in Rio)
Got to use the T5 first class wing. Wasn't dressed well, so had a lot of suspicious looks from the check in staff, but checked in ok, bag was checked through to SCL without discussion. BA Galleries First was lovely in the morning, not too busy. Had same seats as last flight, but somehow this 787-8 had more economy rows so we weren't in the 2-seat row. Luckily (or due to BA Gold?) the seat next to us was unoccupied so we had a nice 3-seat row to ourselves. Service and crew were worse than the first flight. No menu offered, for example. When we arrived in Rio, we were able to speak to the luggage coordinator and he was able to yank our bag out of transit. Went clubbing in Rio and ran on Copa Cabana beach in the morning. Nice stopover.
Flight 3: LA770 GIG-SCL (1 night in Santiago)
Very poor experience as a non-Spanish speaker. I wasn't able to get a status match to LATAM Black but even with OWE check in was abysmal, chaotic. Wasn't able to change my FF number to the programme I wanted to credit to, so I have some orphan miles in a LATAM account now A320 with a small meal. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn literally across the road at the airport. Pool only opens at 10am !?!? so wasn't able to get a swim in before side trip the next day.
Side Trip 1 (4 nights)
Flew to Calama to visit the Atacama desert for 3 nights. Really good experience, amazing vistas. Tip: book domestic flights on Latam Chile website for better pricing. Back in Santiago for 1 night for an amazing dinner at Borago (Personally I rate dinner at 040 better, but both are excellent) and don't forget to grab a sandwich at Fuente Alamana.
Flight 4: LA841 SCL-IPC (3 nights in Easter Island)
The 787-9 felt huge. Suprised that the flight had almost full occupancy. Make sure to use the premium check in for international flights even though this is a domestic flight. Avoided a long queue that way. Still needed to go back downstairs for customs / immigration as Easter Island has special requirements and a special form (something they have added recently). Filght was delayed by c. 45 mins as a result as many passengers were being delayed by the procedures. 3 nights in Easter Island was great. Rented a car, saw the sights, stayed in an awesome airbnb.
Flight 5: LA833 IPC-PPT (1 night in Tahiti)
Not much to say about IPC airport. Spent the last of our CLP at the airport cafe. It's really a small shed instead of an airport so you can at least go outside and see the plane refuelling. Also no issues about carrying liquids at any of the Chile airports so I always had a full water bottle on each flight.
Side Trip 2 (5 nights)
Booked the PPT-BOB return flight. Searched high and low for a VPN server in French Polynesia but couldn't find a way to book a flight to get the local discount. Anyway, when I was in Tahiti, I did a quick check anyway, it wasn't significantly cheaper, so no big loss. Needless to say, flight was crazy expensive as they have a monopoly on island transfers. Bora Bora was lovely, stayed in a resort, but weather was rainy every day Back for 1 night in Tahiti before final flight. Also should mention there is a supermarket which is about a 5 minute walk from the airport, and it opens at 5:30am. Perfect for getting some snacks before our 7am flight.
Flight 6: TN78 PPT-NRT (1 night in Tokyo)
Final flight of the trip. Check in at PPT was super easy. Make sure to check in online to skip the queue. Flight was only about 65% occupied in Y, so lots of people had 4-seat rows to themselves. Food was good, very French influenced. Announcements were in 4 languages (some Polynesian language, French, English and Japanese). IFE was suprisingly good, although selection was poor. Grab a cup noodle between meal service, they were excellent! Spent a night in Tokyo, had dinner at the Molecular Tapas Bar. Some loud Australian said it was one of the best 3 meals of his life, I'm not sure I would go that far
why did you add your LATAM number originally?
#546
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SIN
Posts: 196
Short answer is a fly J for work and supplement it with TP runs in Asia. I added LATAM before because I applied for the status match around July time after I saw a few people on this thread got it (and you get free upgrade vouchers alongside Black status). However, I have since read that they have stopped status matching. My own status match application hasn't been processed yet but I think it's unlikely now.
#547
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,024
Short answer is a fly J for work and supplement it with TP runs in Asia. I added LATAM before because I applied for the status match around July time after I saw a few people on this thread got it (and you get free upgrade vouchers alongside Black status). However, I have since read that they have stopped status matching. My own status match application hasn't been processed yet but I think it's unlikely now.
i thought LA only matched those who had flown LA previously... ( i didnt do the match since i just keep my AA emerald status but i had many LATAM paid J flights in last 2 years myself).
#548
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,024
Glad you enjoyed your trip! You can do both getting miles and traveling if you plan the itin carefully I spent 2 months crafting an itin and spent 3 months traveling on this tix, ended up with more than 200k AS miles, so nothing is lost, maybe other than my sanity. It is so long that I am still finishing up on my TR after 3 months... (ok I am just lazy)
Interesting crew difference for ICN-LHR and LHR-GIG, maybe because they are based in Asia?
Atacama is very fun, especially given the wide range of activities one can do there, from animal spotting to desert trekking.
IPC really is a special place, when I went there last year it was not that much different, but I would gladly fill out a form that adds to the special-ness of this locale.
I also considered BOB on my itins, but it really is not a place for a solo backpacker, and the price really defeats the purpose of this fare... Hopefully next time with someone else!
Can see you really enjoyed this trip, hope it gets your partner into the business as well haha!
Interesting crew difference for ICN-LHR and LHR-GIG, maybe because they are based in Asia?
Atacama is very fun, especially given the wide range of activities one can do there, from animal spotting to desert trekking.
IPC really is a special place, when I went there last year it was not that much different, but I would gladly fill out a form that adds to the special-ness of this locale.
I also considered BOB on my itins, but it really is not a place for a solo backpacker, and the price really defeats the purpose of this fare... Hopefully next time with someone else!
Can see you really enjoyed this trip, hope it gets your partner into the business as well haha!
Unless my math is wrong, u would need to fly over 50k miles on one ticket - all in business class to be near 200k. I am not sure if the mpm of the city pair is over 20k miles assuming u pay excess mileage?
Even if u count the 50k miles for making 75k, it is still over 150k miles which seems like a big number to me.
#549
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: YVR/LAX/PVG/TPE
Posts: 738
can u share your routing on how to get over 200k miles? Most carriers in discounted business earns 350% except maybe ba 375%.
Unless my math is wrong, u would need to fly over 50k miles on one ticket - all in business class to be near 200k. I am not sure if the mpm of the city pair is over 20k miles assuming u pay excess mileage?
Even if u count the 50k miles for making 75k, it is still over 150k miles which seems like a big number to me.
Unless my math is wrong, u would need to fly over 50k miles on one ticket - all in business class to be near 200k. I am not sure if the mpm of the city pair is over 20k miles assuming u pay excess mileage?
Even if u count the 50k miles for making 75k, it is still over 150k miles which seems like a big number to me.
#550
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,024
ic. 4 tickets in Y is too much for me in Y.. I would do it if there were not better deals. but deals was plenty...
MPM typically refers to a city pair, this deal has 2 fare component, so i mean 20k is each directly.
25% MPM is 17xxx miles (for ICN SCL. I guess TYO-SCL should be similar)
MPM ICN-SCL
GI M 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M
MPM PA 13868 14561 15254 15948 16641 17335
MPM typically refers to a city pair, this deal has 2 fare component, so i mean 20k is each directly.
25% MPM is 17xxx miles (for ICN SCL. I guess TYO-SCL should be similar)
MPM ICN-SCL
GI M 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M
MPM PA 13868 14561 15254 15948 16641 17335
#551
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,024
I may have interpreted the table incorrectly. LA may give more for the city pair.
SEL LA SCL /07NOV18
************************************************** ***********
CTY GI TPM CUM MPM EMS DED LAST NEXT 25M
SEL 3
1. SCL 1 SA 13535¤ 13535 16242 0M 0 0 2707 20302
SEL LA SCL /07NOV18
************************************************** ***********
CTY GI TPM CUM MPM EMS DED LAST NEXT 25M
SEL 3
1. SCL 1 SA 13535¤ 13535 16242 0M 0 0 2707 20302
#552
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
Q
oh I apologize if I did not really tell the whole story clearly. It was 4 tix back to back to back, all in Y, costing about 4k USD. BIS miles was about 140000 miles, and I am 75k. If it is just an all J trip for 1 tix and 200k miles then you will see me around MAD once a day! MPM is definitely beyond 33k miles BIS if you pay excess mileage on this fare, but 50k is impossible as the most I can stretch is something like 38k miles. I will write up a post detailing everything soon, stay tuned!
From departing SCL until arriving at NRT it was 49.5 hours with a total transit time of 10h 45m between the 5 J flights. My flight MAD-DXB was on ground hold for 2 hours due to the Spanish Military having a section of the airspace closed for operations. The 3 Espresso Martinis and warm nuts helped melt that away. lol While my connection was tight in DXB I still had time to shower and change clothes as I did before each leg. EK is a hands down winner overall for J travel on the A380. CX served a full dinner on a 1:00 am departure to NRT. I had just come from the noodle bar at the CX Pier J Lounge but I couldn't leave the Miso Halibut behind.
I slept well and was well fed. The day after NRT I flew NRT-MEL-SYD//SYD-NAN-LAX//LAX-SEA-YLW adding another 14,501 EQM & 32,629 RDM. The first week of November I will finish up my return trips. YLW-SEA-SFO-LAX-NAN-SYD-BNE//BNE-HKG and fly the last leg of my CX F HKG-LAX award after a 2 month stopover. (CX J A350 MEL-HKG early September) adding another 13,974 EQM & 31,443 miles. From LAX I will continue on to PHX and then MEX the next day.
Currently at 83K AS + Partners to re qualify for MVPG75K. Mileage Plan Miles are really piling up this year. With the 50K Bonus from Alaska I will be over 1/2 million. Next itinerary will be February/March. It starts in SYD. CX 1F & 1J will get us there, JL F x2 same flight will bring us home.
James