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Virgin Atlantic – China Eastern partnership starts (sort of)
Virgin Atlantic joined Skyteam earlier this year with immediate effect. However, there was one team member, China Eastern, that was excluded from the launch and it was deferred to “a later date”. Well, that later date turned out to be November 10th.
As you can see from Virgin’s page. From now on you can earn Virgin points and tier points when flying China Eastern. However the most sought-after feature – redeeming Virgin points on MU – is still not active.
Chinese airlines are sometimes notorious for playing dirty games especially when it comes to their loyalty program. Xiamen Airlines, also a Skyteam member, rarely releases ANY reward ticket to partner airlines, and I’m not sure how they get away from it lightly.
If these problems can finally be resolved, Virgin points will open up new redemption opportunities in China and Asia. Even if you don’t want to visit China, remember that reward availability to China tends to be excellent, and you can use China Eastern etc for onward connection to another country.
My review of LATAM B787 business class
Having done loads of research and searches I ended up redeeming Avios on LATAM Santiago – Lima – London in business class for coming back. A backup plan was BA’s direct flight, but spending 14 hours in Premium Economy didn’t sound as appealing to me.
LATAM is slowly rolling out their new business class cabin, which looks amazing:
Unfortunately the refurbishment is gonna take a while, and the Boeing 787 aircraft that I’m going onboard still has the old seats. I was on their A350 in 2018 and it looks quite similar.
The seats are grey, but the red headrest on top make the cabin much less dull than Iberia. The 2-2-2 configuration is no longer a popular choice in business class nowadays, no wonder LATAM is keen on a refresh.
As the window seats have no direct aisle access, I recommend solo travellers to go for a middle seat to avoid any hassle.
Storage space is limited besides the one under the footrest.
Control panel for seat adjustment is located on the armrest.
I forgot to take a photo of the lie-flat bed. It is on the shorter side but largely comfortable. I had a good seven or eight hours of sleep on the plane and then slept through the night after landing in Madrid. No jet lag this time at all!
On the SCL-LIM flight they handed out a small flamboyant amenity bag:
And a larger one along with slippers for the LIM-MAD leg:
For the short-haul fight, the menu is just one-pager:
My steak is so-so:
Both dinner and breakfast are served on the long-haul leg, with a bigger menu:
As I have just had the steak I ordered the grilled fish this time, which is quite decent. I skipped the breakfast.
IFE is decent, but screen is positioned quite low, which isn’t very friendly to my neck.
There’s no wi-fi onboard, which is unusual. Otherwise it’s a reasonable yet not outstanding business class product. Given how difficult it is to find reward availability between Europe and South America though, I don’t have much to complain.
My review of LATAM VIP lounge, Santiago
I’m making my way back to Europe from Santiago on LATAM. I flew LATAM a few years back – they didn’t and still don’t have an own lounge at Peru and I don’t remember anything about the one in Brazil, but now I get to try the Santiago Lounge, which turns out to be exceptionally good.
The lounge opened in April 2022 and is proclaimed to be the largest airport lounge in South America. After emigration and security check, turn left and the lounge is in front of you upstairs.
The receptionist lady puts on a very sweet smile after scanning my boarding pass and welcomes me to their best Signature Lounge. I was a bit surprised to find out there are three VIP lounges here:
- Signature – Business Class / LATAM Black Signature & Black / Delta Diamond & Platinum
- Premium – LATAM Platinum / Delta Gold
- WorldMember – Select Santander customers
As you can see from the entry requirements, Signature is clearly the most prestigious out of the three.
The wooden “huts” are eye-catching when you walk inside the lounge.
The Furnishing is mostly wood and leather in dark colours, which fits the “Signature” branding. Many Visa Signature cards are black or dark grey.
You have many different styles of chairs to choose from:
I find the dining area more comfortable though with proper desks and power sockets.
The bar is quite fancy, and they can make barista coffee!
There is a huge buffet section that includes cold and hot food, snacks and desserts. The selection is more than great.
Today’s hot food menu is:
- Rice with nuts
- Chicken breast with citron sauce
- Tortellini stuffed with ricotta
- Roasted beef
- Potato millefeuille
- Polenta
- Pea and mint soup
They are quite tasty.
There’s a kids club on the side. The press release mentions interactive games but I didn’t see any.
Hidden at the very inside is the sleeping and rest area.
There are quite a few sleeping pods here with real beds! No reservation is required, which is a luxury that you rarely see even in first class lounges.
Finally the bathroom:
The LATAM Signature Lounge at Santiago is not only the largest airport lounge in South America, but probably also the best if I hazard a guess. Except for not offering an a-la-carte dining experience, it is pretty much up to the standard of a first class lounge, so don’t miss out if you have the opportunity!
My review of Etihad B787 First Class
I wasn’t expecting to be sitting in the first class cabin again so soon after the Emirates Suite, but here I am flying from Abu Dhabi to London on Etihad. Unfortunately it was just several months before Etihad resumed its First Apartment service on this route, otherwise it would have been a very different experience.
After visiting the very underwhelming first class lounge, I am ready to board the plane. First and business class passengers are invited to board together, but the flight attendant is vigilant when a first class passenger arrives and guides them to the seat.
In business class they have the Business Studio which I very much liked.
Back to business, oh I mean first 😛 There are two rows and eight seats in total. Oddly half of them are backward facing which you don’t normally anticipate in premium cabins.
The first class cabin is very empty today. From the conversations I picked up one of the passengers was upgraded, probably due to his elite status in Etihad Guest.
Etihad’s first class seat is rather industry standard. It is a long rectangular-shaped private suite. When I say suite, it’s obviously not on a par with Emirates, but still quite spacious otherwise.
The sofa chair and IFE screen are fixed to either end of the suite. If you are travelling with someone, they could sit down on the foot rest for a paired dinner.
There’s a mini-bar under the arm rest, which contains some soft drinks.
There are a remote control and small screen on the other side. It might sound counter intuitive but the seat a bit too wide for me to be comfortable, as my arms cannot rest on both sides at the same time.
Like in business class the amenity bag is produced by Acqua di Parma. Don’t forget to take your pyjamas!
This is when the suite is switched to sleeping mode.
I find it private and cosy enough. One big problem though is the lack of storage space. Not sure if you have noticed but there’s NO overhead locker in first class. The only place where you can leave you stuff is under the foot rest.
Fortunately the seat next to me is empty so I just put my bags there. I’m not sure where people store their personal items when the cabin is full.
The IFE system is the same across all cabins, as I have also travelled in Etihad’s business and economy class recently.
Time to eat something! A collection of amuse-bouches before the meal:
The menus:
The selection of food is similar to what Emirates offers. It goes without saying that I need to order the caviars first:
It’s nice but I’d love to have more than just 20 grams.
Followed by the Arabic mezze and lamb shank mandi. The latter is braised lamb with rice, which tastes really good and reminds me of a delicacy in China’s Uighurs region.
But the most amazing dish has be to the chocolate fondant, and I’m not even a chocolate person! On the whole I think Etihad’s first class wins against Emirates on catering.
It’s very poor of them to offer first class passengers only 200MB free wifi though. Remember to create a Boingo account beforehand for your free wifi.
Finally, the bathroom:
Etihad’s first class on Boeing 787 is good but nothing spectacular, and the next time I’ll probably lean towards its Business Studio as the experiences aren’t so different and the latter costs a lot less. Etihad’s First Apartment will be of course, a totally different story and I hope to try it out soon.
Pre-select your (exclusive) Virgin Atlantic meal
Virgin Atlantic has an interesting feature which not many people are aware of – passengers in the Premium or Upper Class cabin can pre-select their meal before their flight.
There are two reasons why this is useful:
- Your meal choice is guaranteed, important especially if your seat is further back in the cabin
- Some meal options are only available if pre-ordered
Note that it is different to the special meal options you see on the flight booking page. Meal pre-select must be done via this dedicated portal.
Here are the available options for an upcoming LHR-PVG flight:
- Baked North Atlantic Cod
- Toragashi Marinated Halloumi Poke Bowl (v)
- Chicken Achari Curry
- Lamb Saag Curry (halal)
- Stir-fried Chicken
- Spring Vegetable Soup (v)
- Braised Lamb Rump (exclusive)
- Lobster & Crab Tortellini (exclusive)
You only need to select the main course, and it’s limited to one per person (doh). As you can see there are two exclusive meals, and they do sound more tempting than the rest!
The meal order window opens 7 days before the flight and closes 24 hours prior. I procrastinated when I was flying to LA last year and missed out – lesson learned!
My review of Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
After the very impressive experience with Emirates First Suite a few months ago, I’m trying out the first class product of another Middle Eastern carrier – Etihad. Etihad occupies the entire Terminal 3 of the Abu Dhabi airport, and there are dedicated entrances for first class and business class passengers.
The check-in area is surprisingly, hmm, basic. Like many other emerging economies UAE is usually pretty good at infrastructure, and it’s fair to say the airport doesn’t leave a very good first impression.
The images above cover the entire first class check-in area. There are two rows of check-in desks but only one of them is open.
First class and business class passengers share the same fast track facilities for emigration and security check, after which you’ll see the first class lounge immediately. It is a small terminal.
There is nothing but a reception desk on the ground floor. You need to take the stairs up to enter the actual lounge.
The restaurant kind of brings me back in time to the 1990s.
The bar looks quite old-fashioned as well. Alcoholic drinks are still served during Ramadan, but there’s no menu – the bartender tells you what options are available.
The rest of the lounge sends out the same vibe. It feels more like a third-party contract lounge you often see at smaller European airports, and there’s definitely nothing lush about it…
I was trying to find a desk to sit down and write some stuff, but I failed. Trust me I checked every corner of the lounge and it’s not difficult.
The lounge prides itself in the name “Lounge & Spa”, except that the spa was closed during the pandemic and still hasn’t re-opened yet. Here are the kids club and gym:
I asked the staff whether there’s any quiet room to take a rest, and was told it’s chargeable. She brought me to a large dark room however which is free and looks like a mini cinema.
The famous cigar room that is mentioned in all the reviews:
I heard they used to gift all guests one or two cigars but it’s no longer the case. A friend of mine has some expiring Etihad miles and generously offered me to spend on the cigars. Then a member of staff explains about an ongoing IT issue that prevents them from accepting payment in miles…
Well, at least let’s have some free food! This has to be one of the ugliest and worn-out menus that I’ve ever seen in a lounge.
I don’t remember much about the food.
I’m take aback by how shabby Etihad’s first class lounge is. I understand that the terminal might be quite old and limited in terms of space and facilities, but Etihad could for sure work harder to cater to their most important customers. They could have put more effort into service and dining, instead of shutting down the spa centre and charging for everything.
I was complaining that Emirates’ first class lounge was lacking in inspiration, and after seeing how Etihad’s counterpart is I have to take it back. It’s weird to say but, even BA’s Concorde Room does a better job!
Business class deal: Air Serbia Berlin – Tianjin o/w for €650
Air Serbia launched a new route to Tianjin, China earlier this year, and there’s now a pretty good price for travelling there from Berlin in business class.
You can check the flight price on Air Serbia’s website or via Skyscanner. The flight operates only weekly and you’ll be looking at Thursdays. The sale seems to be wide open in August, September and October.
€653 is a very solid deal for a one-way intercontinental flight in premium cabins. I glanced over the fare rules and it appears to be fully refundable and changeable. Unfortunately you can only credit to Etihad Guest, and the fare bucket C earns you 175% miles.
The fare rules also mention one free stop-over permitted. However when I tried to search multi-city it always came up considerably more expensive. I’m not sure if you can book a one-way flight first and then call up to request a stop-over for free.
Tianjin is one of China’s ports that participate in the 144-hour transit-without-visa program. You don’t need a visa for flying into the city as long as you are continuing to a third country within 144 hours.
Guide on redeeming Virgin Voyages and maximising your benefits
(Thanks to @Luca for providing me with the photos!)
The Virgin Group welcomed a new member to its family, Virgin Voyages, which in my opinion is a game-changer to collectors of Virgin points. For as low as 80,000 points you can treat yourself (and one companion) to a 7-day all-inclusive cruise in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, which is probably more fun and valuable than ten hours in the sky.
I have finally decided to jump onboard, and booked myself a Mediterranean (departing from Barcelona) trip this August. I did my fair share of research and hopefully this post will help you understand the booking process and maximise your benefits.
The redemption is still live on Virgin Red but is “ending soon”. Coincidentally, Virgin has a points sale and you can buy just over 80,000 points for £945, which is enough to cover the cost.
[Redeem your voyage]
Once you’ve made the redemption on Virgin Red, an access key (code) should arrive at your mailbox within three days. With the access key you can pick your voyage on Virgin Voyages’ website and book. Virgin Voyages is still quite new to the market so availability tends to be pretty good. I strongly encourage you to redeem an access key as soon as possible and then you can chill and plan.
Due to airfare and other factors I opted for the Barcelona route. The Greek one is considerably more expensive, and is possibly more interesting due to it being a new route. With your access key you can book any of the three Sea Terrace cabins:
Value-wise you are getting ~5p per Virgin point which is incredible!
[Link Accounts]
Once you’ve booked you’ll be given a referral link, and if your family and friends book with it your accounts will be linked. You’ll both receive some “celebration perks” on board, which is anecdotally a bottle of bubbly.
You can also ask their customer service to link existing bookings. Note that it only works on the same cruise. If you are travelling on the August 13th Mediterranean route, feel free to use my referral link.
[Solo Sailor Promotion]
If you are travelling solo there’s a special promotion if you book by June 30th, which entitles you to a whopping $600 bonus credit!
It is an all-inclusive cruise but you can pay extra for things such as cocktails, specialty coffee and specialty menu. According to my friends though you don’t have to as the inclusive meals and drinks are already very good.
According to its terms and conditions free access key bookings are excluded from this offer. However a friend of mine was told by customer service that his redemption booking is eligible for the bonus credit. Well you never know…
[Sailing Club]
Most importantly, don’t forget to join the Sailing Club before your trip. If you qualify as a Sea Rover you are entitled to the following perks:
- Priority boarding
- $100 bonus credit
- $10 daily specialty coffee credit
- Free premium wifi
- Free laundry and pressing service
- $100 bonus credit if you top up $300
Becoming a Sea Rover is easier than you think through their status match initiative. If you already have Virgin Atlantic’s Gold status you can submit your application right away. Otherwise you need to status match to MSC Cruises first.
1. Make sure you have a qualifying membership from an airline or a hotel program. I used my Hilton Diamond card but there are many other options including Hyatt, Accor, Marriott and IHG.
2. Submit your application to MSC. I tried MSC’s UK site first but it wouldn’t let me enter the correct postcode, so eventually I had to use their US site instead.
3. Wait for the approval email to arrive in a couple of days. With the provided membership number you can log on and obtain a snapshot of your Diamond membership card.
4. Submit a status match request on Virgin Voyages’ website with your booking reference and MSC membership.
You’ll soon be notified of the outcome. My request passed very quickly and I could immediately see the perks added to my booking.
I hope you find this post useful, and I’ll report back once I’ve completed my trip!