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My ITA Volare Executive card finally arrived
ITA Airways is the Italian national carrier that was reborn a couple of years ago after its former entity Alitalia dissolved. They ran a status match campaign which, in theory, would give you Skyteam status right away.
My British Airways Gold status matched to their top tier Executive (Skyteam Elite Plus). In March 2022 ITA sent me an email reminding me of updating my address, because a surprise was waiting for me. Well one year and four months later the wait is finally over…
To give them some credit, very few airlines or hotel groups nowadays still mail physical membership cards. It’s thoughtful of them to include a gift box as well, instead of just attaching the card to a letter. Although frankly it is not nearly as nice as what Starlux sent me.
Earlier this year ITA Volare decided to extend all membership status to January 2024. Then in May Lufthansa agreed to buy 41% stake at ITA Airways – it seems very likely that ITA Airways will leave Skyteam to join Star Alliance soon, and let’s hope that means another status extension…
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!
How I finally got my Iberia refund
Iberia’s website is, to put it mildly, a mess. I’ve encountered countless errors when logging into my account, searching for flights or making a booking.
When I needed to cancel an Avios flight a few years ago however, it was a smooth experience. As far as I can remember, it was just a matter of clicking a button on their website and the refund was on the way, not any harder than with any other airlines.
It seems to have gone for the worse though. I had to cancel another Avios flight, booked through Iberia, about two months ago. It wasn’t possible online, and I was told to call an Iberia Plus number.
It took the agent a while to process my request, and he somehow needed to calculate the refund amount on the call. Afterwards I could see my booking cancelled on Iberia’s website, but neither the Avios or the fees were ever returned to my account.
If it were a cash ticket I’d have had applied for a chargeback from Amex before long, but with Avios involved it’s much more complicated. I’m not sure what’s going on with Iberia, but my case is definitely not isolated. In fact some people are reported to have waited for more than one year now!
You could keep calling Iberia Plus’s customer service number but don’t expect a positive outcome. Fortunately someone shared an email address [email protected], which seems to be Iberia’s Legal / Service Recovery department.
With the original e-ticket sent, I received an Avios re-redeposit email, and a response from them within five days:
We apologise for the inconvenience caused in relation to flight IB0000 of 1/01/2022.
With regard to your request, we have processed a refund of 32.48 USD, which you will receive in a few days’ time through the same channel you used to make payment.
They didn’t bother to change the email template, but I was happy about the quick turnaround. The refund hit my credit card account two days later.
If you are requesting a refund from Iberia, try the aforementioned email address and fingers crossed!
My review of Gulf Air’s Falcon Gold, Boeing 787-9
I came to Bahrain in British Airways’ first class, but I’m more looking forward to my trip back with Gulf Air as it’s the first time I fly with them. It only cost me 45,000 Aeroplan points, which needless to say is a very good deal.
I wrote about my ground experience already so let’s jump straight to boarding. Although the Falcon Gold lounge is a lacklustre, they have made some effort to enhance the boarding experience. There is a dedicated waiting area for business class passengers with comfortable sofa, and priority boarding is guaranteed.
First glance at the Falcon Gold (business class) cabin:
As you can see, Falcon Gold has opted for the relatively uncommon Apex Suite layout, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it. Other airlines that have Apex Suite include Oman Air, Japan Airlines and Korean Air.
The Apex Suite has six seats in a row (2-2-2), which is 50% more than many 1-2-1 designs. However, it makes good use of the space and you may find it more comfortable than say, a reverse herringbone seat.
The two middles seats are aligned with each other:
The two window seats on the other hand are slightly staggered to allow for some separation.
For a solo passenger the “true” window seats are no doubt most ideal, as you are hidden away whilst still keeping aisle access. You can push up the partition to avoid eye contact with your neighbour.
The amenity bag’s surface feels very rough, so not made of expensive materials.
The shell creates more privacy for the seat. It has a reading light at the top.
You can keep all the three windows to yourself, luxury!
But, I really hate the folding tray table. First of all it prevents me from leaving anything on the “armrest”, as I would otherwise need to move them around every time I take out or put back the tray.
What’s more, it is very accident-prone – at least the me. My finger was caught on the BA flight, and again here!! Thankfully it’s not the same finger…
Interestingly the chair has a massage function. It’s not good though as I could barely feel any action when it’s turned on.
There’s enough space under the ottoman for a backpack.
The lie-flat bed:
Although not super wide, the bed is very long which is great news if you are tall. You don’t need to stick your feet in a cubby hole.
The IFE is quite dry:
Champagne, date and Arabic coffee are served after take-off. Wine and nuts are served before the meal.
Menu:
Nothing too exciting here. I ordered the mezze followed by the fillet steak, and they are just standard.
The cheesecake is better.
There’s a bit of ritual when it comes to the dessert and afternoon tea, as they actually push a trolley down the aisle and let you pick what you want!
Wifi for the entire flight costs $15 which is at the cheap end amongst airlines, although it’s not fast enough for streaming. There’s a surprise waiting for you in the bathroom 😉 – a smart toilet seat!
The service is just okay, not top-notch, and some flight attendants don’t really communicate at all. Gulf Air has a decent business class product, however my experience is far from how some reviewers call it “the best business class cabin in the sky”, to be honest.
British Airways’ (another) IT Meltdown and my nightmare at Heathrow T5
I count myself lucky as a frequent traveller and flyer. Over more than one decade of zealous flying around the world and I’ve only experienced one severe delay in 2018 when I was due to fly from Frankfurt to Doha with Royal Jordanian – the flight was cancelled and I was rebooked to Qatar Airways’ Qsuite the next day, so it was sort of a win for me in the end. Thanks to BA my lucky streak has come to and end.
To give you some context: I bought a Finnair business class ticket during their “flash sale” earlier this year, and was going to fly CDG-HEL-JFK on Friday. I bought a separate BA ticket on Thursday to connect to Paris from Heathrow.
T5 was not busy at all and it took no time before I arrived at the Galleries North Lounge two hours before my departure. Having scanned my boarding pass, the agent just kept stared at the screen. While I was getting puzzled, he finally got back to me, saying that my flight’s cancelled and I needed to visit the customer desk at gate A10!
I wasn’t expecting it at all, as the flight was still shown as normal in BA’s app. I didn’t want to waste any time though so went straight to gate A10 as instructed, only to be told by another agent to go to A21 instead and there was no further explanation.
Again, at A21 there’s no signage or staff but a big queue. Someone from the queue told me they all had cancellations, and they were told to exit the airport via here and seek help. I joined the queue.
The line was barely moving. After about 20 minutes one BA staff finally realised what’s going on, and shouted that we could just go out by ourselves without the need to queue. I followed the crowd, went downstairs and proceeded to exit.
As you might have expected, exiting the airport meant immigration and thus border control. One can only imagine how bad the queues (this time for real) were – some were victims like me, others were arriving passengers who had no clue why there were suddenly an influx of desperate people!
Then I arrived at the baggage claim area, still had not the faintest idea what was happening. Some people were lining up in front of BA’s baggage desk so I did it as well, but they were just as clueless as me. Suddenly a few people wearing BA’s uniform turned up and I clutched at a straw, hoping to figure out what was going on.
From their language, as well as some fragmented information I’d gathered from different conversations, I finally had some picture: BA’s having yet another major IT meltdown. All short-haul flights (at least 50 / 60) that evening were cancelled. They couldn’t track any check-in baggage either, arriving or departing, and all passengers were advised to leave the airport and wait for further notices.
A lady next to me was very emotional – she flew in from US and was connecting to Geneva. She’s now trapped in London without her luggage. Luckily I didn’t have any check-in baggage, but I must get over to Paris!!
Knowing that BA’s not a safe bet I tried to make other travel arrangement. Unfortunately according to Skyscanner and Eurostar no flight or train could possibly bring me to Paris in time. I phoned Finnair to see if there’s anything they could do, but as it would be a voluntary change fees were extortionate.
Back to the departure hall I decided to have another go, and more than two hours have passed already. A lady at the Club Europe check-in desk listened to my story and called the ticketing team to see if they could help. However it never went through, and according to her as the IT system was down the ticketing team wouldn’t be able to rebook anyway.
Given the situation and the futile efforts that I’d already made, I came to terms with my fate and just went home. The next morning I called BA’s Silver line, only to be told they couldn’t offer anything beyond rebooking or cancelling my flight to Paris, as the Finnair flight wasn’t booked on BA’s website. My only option at this point was to abandon my trip.
British Airways’ incompetence has struck me hard this time, and I’m feeling a bit disgusted. The whole incident was a joke and total chaos, and you’d think that BA would have learnt better after the numerous similar incidents they’ve had in recent years. I was given little and false information from the very beginning, and no one from BA actively offered information or help. Passengers, and in this case also victims, shouldn’t be left alone to deal with such ordeal.
It is at least the third time in the last four years or so that BA has a major IT meltdown. I remember very clearly that I had a near-miss last time as my trip was off by a day or two. BA offered status extension to all affected passengers and I regretted having missed out on the opportunity – well I jinxed myself…
From what I understand, I have the following recourses:
- I can claim £220 statutory compensation from BA thanks to EC261
- I will submit a complaint to BA and see if they offer anything extra
- Amex Platinum’s travel insurance will cover all my non-refundable expenses, as the flight was delayed for more than 12 hours (6 hours if trip is shorter than 5 days)
I will report back if there’s progress.
My review of British Airways’s First Class on Boeing 777
My main purpose of booking BA’s first class was to try out the Concorde Room, and I wasn’t really looking forward to the flight that much. I travelled in their first class once in 2016 and didn’t think very highly of it, but maybe there has some improvement since.
My flight has minor delay because of a last-minute aircraft change. There’s an A380 roll-up banner at the boarding gate which got me excited, but it turned out to be Boeing 777 in the end.
First up, a few pictures:
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the pictures above are actually from two cabins. This 777 has already been refurbished, which means they’ve got the new Club Suite configuration in business class (Picture 3 & 4). The seat and finish are just so similar that I could barely tell one from the other. Well, the Club Suite does have a door…
Back to the first class cabin, it has two rows and four seats in total. The seats are angled which is pretty rare for first class.
Jokes aside, you’ve got a lot of the space in here compared to in business class.
相较于商务舱而言头等舱还是更加宽敞，旁边的小桌子上可以放东西，脚凳下的空间也比较大。
Control panel and the small wardrobe:
I’ve got so many pet peeves about the design. To start with I hate folding screens, as you cannot watch the programs during take-off and landing. I also hate push-release tray as it’s just so much trouble taking them out and in, and my finger got jammed!
On a different note, I like the amenity bag and the pyjama set, although I’ve never heard of the brand – Temperley London – before.
I need to work my blog so didn’t spend much time on the IFE, but the Anti-Valentine genre did make me smile 🙂
In-flight wifi is free to First Class passengers (limited to one device), but it’s a nightmare trying to get connected. After a ton of effort I finally managed to connect my laptop, and the internet speed is not great. In addition, the socket under my seat is broken, so I have to charge my phone at the empty seat next to me.
The seat when flattened:
BA is refurbing the first class cabin as well by adding a door to improve privacy.
The menu:
I understand caviar is too expensive for BA’s catering budget, but still I think they should try harder to come up with a decent menu.
The amuse-bouche and soup:
Not impressed by the burger – I think McSpicy is better!
The ice cream is good.
I decided to try the lamb chop before landing, which turns out to be a delight. It is probably the nicest thing I’ve ever had on a BA flight, and I’m happy to pay for it in a restaurant.
The champagne and wine list:
I’m not a champagne drinker, but I know people stay hours in the Concorde Room for the Grand Siecle and then continue the drinking party onboard to make sure they get their money’s worth 😛
The experience is in line with my memory from the last flight, and although there’s nothing to write home about, I don’t think BA’s first class is a bad product either. If you’ve never flown first class, maybe grab a £2k deal when BA has a sale as a starter and save other airlines for the future.
My review of the Falcon Gold Lounge, Bahrain
I’m flying Gulf Air for the first time and this article will look at the ground experience. Bahrain airport is located on an island in the north east of the country. In fact the island is so much nicer than the city centre that it almost feels like a resort itself.
The airport went through a major refurbishment in 2021 that cost over one billion dollars. The airport isn’t very big though. It’s got four entrances and Gulf Air premium passengers are invited to use Gate 1.
Gulf Air names their premium business class product Falcon Gold, and you can see this brand name everywhere.
You need to go sideways to find the check-in counters. I don’t think it’s a good design, as you couldn’t see which side is less busier.
After checking in you can use the two dedicated emigration desks, and then the fast track lanes for security check. Go up one level and you’ll see the Falcon Gold lounge!
There’s a business centre with desktops and printers for use to the right.
The lounge, although not huge or exclusive, has a modern design and is very new.
It is an open space on the mezzanine floor so overlooks the departure hall.
There’s a snack station at the centre of the lobby.
A mini cinema:
The bar is closed.
There are quite few entertainment activities though: foosball, pool, golf simulator and flight simulator!
Breakfast buffet:
And an egg station:
It is pretty much what you expect at a med-scale hotel in Bahrain, so not impressive. I think they used to offer a-la-carte dining and barista coffee before, but it’s no longer the case.
There’s a kids club too:
Gulf Air doesn’t have the best ground experience, and their Falcon Gold lounge has got nothing to write home about. Unless you want to try out their games, you don’t have to arrive early.
Up to 55% conversion bonus from hotel points to Cathay Pacific miles
Cathay Pacific has launched a conversion bonus promotion for select hotel programs, and you can view the details here.
Until May 15th, you will earn a bonus when converting points from participating hotel programs to Asia Miles, including but not limited to:
- Shangri-la: 30% (1000 : 1300)
- IHG: 25% (10000 : 2500)
- Accor: 15% (4000 : 2300)
- Hilton: 15% (10000 : 1150)
- Hyatt: 15% (5000 : 2300)
If you have never converted any points between April 1, 2022 and April 11, 2023, you will earn an additional 25% bonus when converting Shangri-la and IHG points.
The bottom line is, even after factoring in the bonus the conversion still loses a lot of value in most cases. IHG may be the only outlier here, where you get 3,000 miles for 10,000 points if you meet the qualification criterion.
As you can buy IHG points at 0.5 cent during their sales, you are essentially paying 1.67c per mile under this promotion, which is not great but a lot cheaper than the official rate. If you have a stash of IHG points and need to top up your Asia miles account to redeem a flight, this offer may be useful.