[PREM FARE GONE] EY: CMB-DFW $1440 ai RT in First!
Nov 4, 2014, 12:30 pm
#2491
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LA/NY/CHI
Programs: AA EXP, AS 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,876
I could try calling at a later date to get that priced out for you guys though
Nov 4, 2014, 12:35 pm
#2492
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LA/NY/CHI
Programs: AA EXP, AS 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,876
+1
Very nice job! In some ways, I think those of us flying much later in the year on this fare have benefited from passage of time and determination. If you call up enough and ask, it does seem like there are windows of opportunity. Nothing is guaranteed, but as my favorite movie line goes "so you're saying there's a chance!?"
Very nice job! In some ways, I think those of us flying much later in the year on this fare have benefited from passage of time and determination. If you call up enough and ask, it does seem like there are windows of opportunity. Nothing is guaranteed, but as my favorite movie line goes "so you're saying there's a chance!?"
Nov 5, 2014, 4:38 pm
#2494
Moderator, All Nippon Airways and Japan
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: NH SFC (*G), JL JGP (OWE), AS MVP, WOH E, IHG SE
Posts: 3,908
I made a DOT complaint and got rather prompt acknowledgments from both my OTA and EY, but I fear that I'll have to resort to a chargeback as well. The level of incompetence on the side of the OTA is astounding.
Nov 6, 2014, 1:51 am
#2495
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: C2c
Programs: GOLD: AZ....maybe :-P
Posts: 629
Nov 9, 2014, 9:03 pm
#2500
Moderator, All Nippon Airways and Japan
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: NH SFC (*G), JL JGP (OWE), AS MVP, WOH E, IHG SE
Posts: 3,908
Nov 11, 2014, 2:01 pm
#2502
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: West Coast, USA
Programs: Skywards Platinum
Posts: 3,747
Nov 11, 2014, 2:46 pm
#2504
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: OOL
Programs: VA Plat, QF LTS, UA MM, Hilton Diamond, Rydges Black, ,Le-Club Gold
Posts: 3,659
Arrived safely in Dallas after a pleasant flight. Some thoughts
And being based in Australia, I used another EY fare - the EY dog-leg - for positioning to/from CMB
edit - Some more thoughts
- was worth calling the EY office in AUH during UAE business hours to get the ticket unlocked ("OK to Fly") and get back the deleted seat-assignments...
- OLCI didn't work but that's normal for Etihad
- Checkin at CMB took 5 minutes. Got BP's for CMB-AUH, also AUH-JFK on UL stock which still worked fine at AUH. No BP for AA JFK-DFW but I changed that anyway, see below
- Dodge the queue into the CMB checkin area by hiring a porter
- UL seats are comfy but not great for sleeping, just the one button to tilt the seat-back
- AUH has 2 premier lounges, T3 lounge is bigger & nicer. (F lounge is closed for renovations)
- With very drinkable wines including a decent Chassagne-Montrachet white burgundy (ask for the "Chardonnay"). Better wines in the lounge than what's offered on the Indian wet-lease
- 2.40am departure not conducive to eating/drinking, all I asked from the chef was hot chocolate after take-off (wonderful) and 2 fried eggs at breakfast (very nicely done). But the menu was spectacular, plus they'll prepare custom Indian dishes for you
- Very comfortable bed/pyjamas/bedding and excellent service. All Jet Airways stuff, not Etihad.
- Arrival at JFK, the immigration hall was empty and for ESTA visitors there are now kiosks where you do the formalities like fingerprinting
- So the good news, got thru immigration in 10 minutes...
- The bad news, a few bags were already out on the carousel but they weren't the 1st class bags. In the end all the F bags came out dead-set-last some 40 minutes later
- There was an 8 hour layover on the original booking, landing 8am in JFK and departing 4.20pm for DFW. But rather than just accept this and re-check the bag after customs, I hauled myself and baggage over to T8 where the AA customer service were very helpful, put me on the 11.50 from LGA. [There's a bus to LGA right downstairs at T8 for $13, takes 30-45m]
And being based in Australia, I used another EY fare - the EY dog-leg - for positioning to/from CMB
edit - Some more thoughts
- Visa - Arriving in CMB you need to pay for a "visa" to get out onto the street. $35 if you want a receipt. $12 and a nudge and wink for a 24 hour transit visa, you can probably haggle them down further
- Wine bargains - in CMB the arrivals duty-free shop has some bargains, as you approach the escalator down to the baggage hall check out the last room on the left. Some Premier Cru prices so low you wonder if the wine is genuine, but the ones we bought were the real thing. Only in arrivals, departures disappointing, no bargains of any sort
- ATMs at CMB - there's ATM's in the arrivals-hall past customs at CMB but they deliver the cash first and your card back afterwards, if you remember to take it. I didn't. And you can't get back into arrivals from the street, not without a tank. But no harm done, just reported the card lost and no-one had tried to use it
- Cabs at CMB - ignore the touts and go around to the right to the taxi office, one of the windows facing the street. They'll give you a fixed price docket.
- Hotel at CMB - stayed overnight at the 5-star Jetwing Sea hotel on Negombo beach. Good prices on zuji com around $150 inc a terrific b'fast. Fairly new hotel, cab driver couldn't find it, Jetwing Sea is past all the other Jetwing hotels along the beach.
- Late Checkout - the shimmeringly beautiful hostess who welcomed me to the Jetwing hotel readily acquiesced to a 2pm checkout at no charge, and looked to have other favours to offer
- Overhead Bins - there's no overhead bins in F on the Jet Airways plane so they put your rollaboard in a locker. But they'll happily bring it out to you during flight
- FF numbers - no problem to change the FF number ahead of each flight, I credited VA for the first flight, EY for the long flight, QF for the AA flight.
Last edited by harryhv; Nov 12, 2014 at 5:05 am
Nov 11, 2014, 6:58 pm
#2505
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: West Coast, USA
Programs: Skywards Platinum
Posts: 3,747
