billinghamn

Intro

So to get the New Year started as we mean to go on, this is my first TP run with live updates for the benefit of FT readers. The live update TP runs seem to be fairly popular so I hope you enjoy my effort. I'm no writer, but I'll give it a go on the basis that it makes for some light hearted reading and might even provide some useful info to others. And on the other hand I may get some useful advice back during the run as well.

I've done one TP run so far in my newly established BAEC life - that was a DUB-JFK-LAS-MIA-GCM run and back just before Christmas. I kept a blog up to date for that run and I really enjoyed the experience. It was quite tiring but am now enjoying the Gold renewal I've achieved already and I am looking forward to building on this over the next month or two to achieve GGL status.

My wife and I have come out to the US for a holiday over Christmas and she is heading to Houston to work, so whilst she is doing that I thought I may as well take advantage of the lower cost TP earning opportunities AA offers. The journey out to the US and back is optimised using an ex-EU sale fare and the LCY-JFK route. So I am earning 920 TPs just for coming on holiday.

The TP run I am undertaking is a double header! It's the LAS-LAX-MIA-CUN run and back, and I am doing it twice. That's 620 TPs for each run or 1240 TPs in total. I have included some contingency time in between runs to be on the safe side, and in between runs I'll be spending time in Vegas at the Hilton Garden Inn at Henderson.

So you can consider this post as the introduction to my TP run with live updates. I'll start next with my first flight from LAS-LAX.

Doc Savage

The flights sound fairly painful.

Are you at least going to spend a day or two in CUN?

billinghamn

So I am currently in the Centurion lounge at LAS having said my tearful goodbye to the wife and now waiting for my first flight to LAX. I've been in the Centurion lounge a couple of times in my TP run before Christmas and initially was a little underwhelmed by the experience, but in describing the lounge to my wife I had to acknowledge that it probably is the best lounge I have ever used. I really like the F lounge in T5, and I look forward to spending time there, but it's fairly bog standard, whereas this place is the Apple of lounges in my view - i.e. it's different, and stands out. I've also not experienced the CCR yet so I don't have anything to compare this place to.

I have to thank Raffles for referring me to Amex Platinum which got me in to the Centurion lounge free of charge.

So how can I describe the Centurion lounge? Well this morning it was very busy indeed - we were lucky to get a couple of pods. See some photos below. Not anything new, but will break up my descriptions.

So the view from my first pod - this shows the main table work area.



Next is a general picture of the lounge.



Next up is the loungers that I ended up selecting and spending a good few hours at.



A view of the bar and buffet counter.



What I had for lunch which was sweet potato wedgey type things with Chicken Cacciatore (which was very nice).



And a quick peak out on the apron - not a lot going on to be honest! Nice blue sky though!



My flight to LAX doesn't leave LAS until 17:00 so have a few hours yet. I've got my boarding cards printed out for my trip to CUN, and will ask the AA team at LAX or MIA to check me in and print my BCs for the way back.

I did have some problems checking in for my three flights to CUN. Normally (in my experience) when the first flight becomes available for check in, you can check in for all flights in your booking to your destination (unless you have a stopover), and you can get all the BCs at the same time. That happened for checking in my wife for her trip to Houston, but I could only get my LAS-LAX segment checked in for me. When the 24 hour period passed for the LAX-MIA flight it allowed me to check in again, and then when the 24 hour period passed for the MIA-CUN flight it offered me the chance to check in, but told me I couldn't and I would have to do that at the airport. Strange...

billinghamn

No - straight turnaround and heading back to LAS on the same plane! Sounds crazy but I just love flying, and there's no point in wasting time in a place without a woman to enjoy it with! [No suggestions please - my wife will be checking up on me via FT!]

PETER01

Subscribed. (and I am still reading happeemonkees one too!)

Given I am a fan of TR's I am looking forward to this one especially it being a TP run so it will be very useful for me personally. No one will criticise you (and I'd be cross of they did!) as taking the time to post is the main thing as well as having the photos for a visualisation so thanks for taking the time to do this billingham ^

As for the tears at the Airport I assume they were tears of happiness at going on a solo trip

Off to read the first part now.....

billinghamn

I've purchased a GoGo wifi all day voucher so will use that for the LAX-MIA-CUN-MIA-LAX-LAS flights in the next 24 hours.

I noticed though that GoGo don't seem to offer mobile passes any more, or at least not for advance purchase. Perhaps it might be available on the first flight. Previously I have picked up mobile all day passes for $9.95 (I think).

But at $14.95 for 24 hours use on 5 flights isn't bad. I'm not going to bother with it on the LAS-LAX flight since it's only about an hour long and I will have surfed and posted till I am blue in the face, so a hour off might be appreciated (by everyone).

dunk

Excellent ^ And the first entry in the 2014 trip report directory.

Which reminds me ...

lorcancoyle

Either very hard core or possibly somewhat, well, bonkers? Can understand doing one run with immediate turnaround, but two back to back sounds excruciating. I did KOA-LAX-MIA-SJU recently as a roundabout way of getting from KOA to NYC and chickened out of LAX-MCO-MIA routing when AA gate agent called lounge to ask if I'd rather go direct to MIA

If you remain as cheerful and positive at the end of it as you are today then you have my respect, and in keeping with your destination I will make certain assumptions about the size of your cojones!

aks120

A trip I have done a couple of times - I look forward to reliving my fun through your TR!

Keep the pictures coming! I agree about the Centurion Lounge as LAS - I paid to go in there on my last flight out of LAS and really liked it.

Regards aks120

billinghamn

There was I thinking how reliable AA flights were and I think I have my first significant delay coming up. AA1014 looks like it's being delayed by about 90 mins due to a delay on the inbound flight from LAX-LAS, which in turn is delayed by an SFO-LAX flight running late.

I should be ok - I've got contingency at LAX of 3.5 hours between flights. If it was less than this I would be looking to suggest AA put me on an earlier flight to LAX to avoid any inconvenience.

I think I'll sit this out for the time being - I'll keep an eye on AA1014.

billinghamn

Actually there isn't an earlier AA flight to LAX, so I don't have that option open to me. Currently seeing a delay in departure from 17:05 to 18:25.

chris1979

thanks for doing the TR.

Am doing SFO - LAX - MIA - CUN in April and am thinking of nestling in a CUN - MIA - LAX (and return) before doing the CUN - MIA - LAX - SFO return so will be great, interesting and useful to read your experience.

enjoy!

billinghamn

Current position:

• AA2455 SFO-LAX will arrive at LAX at 16:34 which 2 hours 20 mins late
• AA1014 LAX-LAS is scheduled to leave LAX at 16:50 which is 1 hour 45 mins late, but I don't see this as being achievable - 15 min turnaround?
• AA1014 LAS-LAX is scheduled to leave 18:25 which is 1 hour 20 mins late

I know this is hardly something to worry too much about at this point. I do have a good amount of time at LAX so I should be fine.

Interesting point though about who I would need to speak to, to discuss options. If I was in the AA lounge obviously I would talk to one of the lounge dragons, but I'm not, so I guess the easiest thing to do would be to wander down the terminal to the AA lounge.

If an earlier flight was available (which I appreciate there isn't one in this case) would AA entertain fitting me on that flight at my suggestion to avoid a problem for them later on? I guess others may think of the same opportunity.

billinghamn

Current position:

• AA2455 SFO-LAX arrived at LAX at 16:32 which is 2 hours 17 mins late (2 mins earlier than previously stated)
• AA1014 LAX-LAS is scheduled to leave LAX at 17:24 which is 2 hours 19 mins late - seems more likely this (34 mins later than previously stated)
• AA1014 LAS-LAX is scheduled to leave LAS at 19:24 which is 2 hour 19 mins late (59 mins later than previously stated)

That would get me into LAX at 20:34 with 1 hour 21 mins to spare. It's got worse but I'm still not worrying too much.

Calchas

Absolutely insane.

Have fun