A flight a day ...

[JessicaTam]

So after a long afternoon/evening in LAS I boarded my flight to MIA. Oh, and if you are wondering, I had no interest to head into Las Vegas for the day. Perhaps if I had no lounge I may have been tempted - but probably not.

The MIA flight was on a 737 Max 8 with the same layout as the previous flight on the neo. So no decent recline. I made the best of it but still not much sleep. When I got to MIA I made a bee-line for the AA Flagship lounge and their showers. I feel human again. Another advantage of the lounge was a large TV that just 'happened' to be showing the Barcelona F1 Grand Prix. The lounge also has a really good spread of food and drinks, including cooked to order eggs in the morning.

I should add that the worst seat in J is still better than the best seat in Y - usually!

 

[JessicaTam]

Goodness me. I have been inputting my most recent flights into my.flightradar.com and I see that I hit 1,000,000 miles as the trip started. A way to go to catch up to Ryan, though.

 

[JessicaTam]

From MIA I headed to LAX for the night. I got in about 1900 and got the free hotel shuttle to the LAX HH. They are pretty frequent so I didn’t have to wait long. This hotel was my first exposure to the $ credit instead of breakfast. The following morning I got a coffee and an egg and cheese muffin. I booked it to my room and then checked out a little later. It was when I got the account in my email that I saw red. My credit is for $18 and the coffee and muffin cost $19.71 so Hilton charged me for the difference of $1.71!

A coffee and muffin cost just shy of AUD30! Are you kidding me?

I have yet to write to HH as I need my blood pressure to drop an order of magnitude first.

 

[Flashback]

From MIA I headed to LAX for the night. I got in about 1900 and got the free hotel shuttle to the LAX HH. They are pretty frequent so I didn’t have to wait long. This hotel was my first exposure to the $ credit instead of breakfast. The following morning I got a coffee and an egg and cheese muffin. I booked it to my room and then checked out a little later. It was when I got the account in my email that I saw red. My credit is for $18 and the coffee and muffin cost $19.71 so Hilton charged me for the difference of $1.71!

A coffee and muffin cost just shy of AUD30! Are you kidding me?

I have yet to write to HH as I need my blood pressure to drop an order of magnitude first.

Yes, it is very just a cost saving measure put in place as the credit rarely actually covers anything of note.

 

[RooFlyer]

The first one had the dreaded SSSS on it for extra checking.

The extra checking was the gate agent saying he looked at my booking and asked me just how many flights I was taking in one month. I said “29”. We had a bit of a chat about that and he waved me on shaking his head in bewilderment.

I guess if they thought it through, they might see that if you were going to do something nefarious on your upcoming flight, you wouldn't need a booking on all the following ones. And if it was planned for the last, you wouldn't have needed the earlier ones. Still, can't be too careful ...

 

[SYD]

Yes, it is very just a cost saving measure put in place as the credit rarely actually covers anything of note.

During a recent stay at a DT in Oregon we had credit left over. Two buffet breakfast were $19.90 offset by 2x $15 credit! Yes, the buffet was cheap by US standards.

 

[JessicaTam]

I spent a relaxed day with a friend of mine who lives in Pasadena. After an early dinner he dropped me at the airport and I checked on for my next few flights. So LAX-MIA-LAS-DCA. I was going to go to the LAX Flagship lounge but as my flight was leaving TBIT I went to the QF F instead. It was moderately busy with the MEL and SYD flights yet to depart. I had a glass of Taittinger and then a bite to eat before heading to the gate.

I boarded with group one as usual (sitting in J) and as boarding was finishing a ground agent approached me. She thanked me for flying with AA and had seen that I hadn’t visited the Flagship lounge. I explained I had gone straight to the F lounge. She then went on to say that she would have pre-boarded me but saw I had boarded fairly early anyway. She shook my hand, said “Thank you” again and left without any interaction with other pax or crew.

So my question is, if I had gone to the Flagship lounge would I have been welcomed with a brass band and streamers? And has this happened to anyone else or am I “special”?

 

[serfty]

My credit is for $18 and the coffee and muffin cost $19.71 so Hilton charged me for the difference of $1.71!

Book for 2 and get 2x$18 credits.

Or eat in the Airline lounge and change myway to 1k points.

 

[JessicaTam]

Book for 2 and get 2x$18 credits.

Or eat in the Airline lounge and change myway to 1k points.

I had been booking for one for the 'two stay for the price of one' benefit when I have wanted to guest someone, but I think I will change that in the US to either two guests or the 1000 points as you suggest.

 

[serfty]

So my question is, if I had gone to the Flagship lounge would I have been welcomed with a brass band and streamers? And has this happened to anyone else or am I “special”?

Due to being GGL you were likely top of their VIP list due to the "closer than mere oneworld" relationship AA have with BA.

Going by anecdotes, there was a time shortly before COVID when QF P1 may have been treated similarly, but these days appear to have gone.

 

[drron]

When we were travelling with AA a lot pre covid and I was merely LTP with AA I got that sort of interaction most times I boarded. According to one purser it was because I had a high "eagle" score. It had been mentioned a few times over at FT. Basically the more you complain the lower your eagle score goes. be nice and give positive feedback combined with at least some higher status the higher your eagle score.

So JT being such a lovely person no wonder that she at least sometimes gets that greeting.

 

[Pushka]

When we were travelling with AA a lot pre covid and I was merely LTP with AA I got that sort of interaction most times I boarded. According to one purser it was because I had a high "eagle" score. It had been mentioned a few times over at FT. Basically the more you complain the lower your eagle score goes. be nice and give positive feedback combined with at least some higher status the higher your eagle score.

So JT being such a lovely person no wonder that she at least sometimes gets that greeting.

Unusual these days that they don't grease the squeaky wheel. How refreshing.

 

[Flashback]

Due to being GGL you were likely top of their VIP list due to the "closer than mere oneworld" relationship AA have with BA.
...

IIRC GGL are essentially treated like AA CK.

 

[JessicaTam]

The flight to MIA was another red-eye in the semi-reclining seats. So I snoozed as best I could and headed for the showers when I arrived.

This visit to MIA I went for a bit of a wander. The other lounges that are convenient to the D and E gates are the TK and Amex Centurian lounges. I went to the TK lounge first and used my Priority Pass to get in. I took one look and walked out, glad my PP access isn't a limited number. It was quite small (read: very) and little to no food or drink. And just about every seat was taken.

Next stop was the Amex lounge. The wasn't too busy with good views over the tarmac. The interesting thing about the Amex lounges is that the food is the same where-ever you are in the US. So I had a small serve of the chicken, plane watched, and then headed back to the Flagship lounge.

Later that afternoon I boarded my flight to LAS to find one of the cabin crew was on my LAS-MIA flight a few days earlier. She remarked that I was sitting in the same seat, too. So I guess I made an impression.

In LAS I caught the airport shuttle and got to the DT LAS airport at about 11pm so straight to bed.

 

[JessicaTam]

When would you expect breakfast to finish at a HH property? 10am? 10.30am perhaps? Oh no, dear reader. 9.30am at the DT LAS. And I arrived downstairs at 9.35am. As the staff were still clearing I managed to get a glass of orange juice! And the rest of my breakfast was a packet of chips and a packet of M&Ms taken out of my $15 credit. I was pretty clear with my feedback to the staff member at reception about how they should let pax know at check-in their breakfast times differ from every other HH hotel. Don't worry, I was pleasant enough, but he could definitely tell I was a tad annoyed.

 

[JessicaTam]

Oh, about the flight MIA-LAS. We boarded only to find a couple of technicians in the coughpit. One with a small laptop and the other with a toolkit. As I was in row one I could hear the two and fro. At one point one of them suggested powering down the aircraft and powering it up again. Sure enough a few minutes later the plane went dark and the air-con stopped. Only to be followed by everything starting up again. The techs were then happy and off they went, and off we went. American Airlines - powered by MicroSoft!

 

[JessicaTam]

The LAS-DCA flight was pleasant enough. I watched another movie and had a bit of a snooze. I got in about 9.30pm and caught the train to the HH. There was a simple way to get to the hotel and a long way. I of course took the long way which involved a walk around the block before I found the front door. Oh well, I will know for next time. I had a good night's sleep and a pleasant continental breakfast which cost exactly my $18 credit. Or so I thought. AT checkout the bill was $19.80 with the $1.80 charged to my room. I decided to hold my ground and challenge it. In the end I got the $1.80 reversed. It may be the that the cost of breakfast was before tax, but by now I was so annoyed with the US HH's room credit that I was not going o take things lying down.

I left my bag with the bell-hop and went to the International Spy Museum, which was just over the plaza. It was actually quite interesting and I spent a good few hours there. They do spend a bit of effort getting people to participate in a spy case as a secret agent, which I think detracted from it a bit. But on the whole a good experience. They did have a few things for sale in the gift shop that I thought might be illegal in AU, such as a lockpick kit, so I chose the better part of valour. Back to pick up my bag and off to IAD for my flight to DOH and then KUL.

International Spy Museum

Visit the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and step into the shoes of a spy. Experience DC's most immersive museum. Book your timed tickets online.

www.spymuseum.org

 

[I love to travel]

The LAS-DCA flight was pleasant enough. I watched another movie and had a bit of a snooze. I got in about 9.30pm and caught the train to the HH. There was a simple way to get to the hotel and a long way. I of course took the long way which involved a walk around the block before I found the front door. Oh well, I will know for next time. I had a good night's sleep and a pleasant continental breakfast which cost exactly my $18 credit. Or so I thought. AT checkout the bill was $19.80 with the $1.80 charged to my room. I decided to hold my ground and challenge it. In the end I got the $1.80 reversed. It may be the that the cost of breakfast was before tax, but by now I was so annoyed with the US HH's room credit that I was not going o take things lying down.

I left my bag with the bell-hop and went to the International Spy Museum, which was just over the plaza. It was actually quite interesting and I spent a good few hours there. They do spend a bit of effort getting people to participate in a spy case as a secret agent, which I think detracted from it a bit. But on the whole a good experience. They did have a few things for sale in the gift shop that I thought might be illegal in AU, such as a lockpick kit, so I chose the better part of valour. Back to pick up my bag and off to IAD for my flight to DOH and then KUL.

International Spy Museum

Visit the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and step into the shoes of a spy. Experience DC's most immersive museum. Book your timed tickets online.

www.spymuseum.org

Do you know if the credit applies to any f&b outlet at HH eg if there is a Starbucks on site?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Do you know if the credit applies to any f&b outlet at HH eg if there is a Starbucks on site?

As long as you can charge the bill to your room then yes the credit is applied.

 

[JessicaTam]

I caught the train to IAD most of the way. They are doing track works so it was a bus for the last bit. Less than $3 for the trip. I got to checkin about three hours before the flight and it was pretty quick. They actually open 4 1/2 before so I could have been earlier.

Up to the BA lounge for an impossible burger. They have these in LHR so I knew what I was getting. And I had a rather pleasant g&t as well. From there I headed to the TK lounge which is the lounge QR use. Smaller and busier than the BA lounge but still ok. The food was good too.

I was trying to fit all 4 lounges in the terminal in (access by status/carrier/PP) but missed the LH one. I did get to the AF one just before they closed. It was a bit of a zoo but I found a seat and had a quick look at the food which was uninspiring. I had a glance at the bar only to see Taittinger! In a pretty ordinary PP lounge? Yes please.

Soon after I was boarding and settling into 3K - another QSuite.