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(Gone) Saudia Business class: Cairo – Seoul £400 return
Saudia, a Skyteam member, has an amazing deal for travelling to South Korea in business class if you don’t mind positioning to Cairo first.
You could search and book on Saudia’s website directly. The first available travel date is April 10th. You can only depart in April, but there’s good availability across the month and you can return later.
Basic (I) and Semi-Flex (D) tickets are available. Semi-Flex ticket is slightly more expensive, but accrues more miles and costs a bit less when you need to change or cancel.
You can credit your flights to any Skyteam partners, and potentially Virgin Atlantic as they are set to join the family today.
It’s possible to add a stopover (>24 hours) but the cost will be higher. If you book with Saudia directly, you can apply for a free e-visa to enter Saudi Arabia as well as a complimentary hotel night.
Last chance to buy Accor Gold & Oneworld Ruby for only £65!
We wrote about fast track opportunities for Accor a while ago, and one major shortcut was to purchase the ibis Business card, as you are granted Gold status for as long as you have a valid membership. Sadly it is coming to an end soon, and you need to jump onboard before it is too late!
As explained by Accor, the ibis Business program will discontinue on March 22nd and be replaced by a new program called ALL PLUS ibis, which will continue to offer some sort of discount for ibis stays. The new membership doesn’t gift Gold status anymore, but offers ten night credits annually instead.
If you join ibis Business now, you are still gifted Gold and it will be valid throughout your subscription period. So the best strategy would be:
- Buy ibis Business now – reports suggest that the Gold status is valid through 2024
- You will earn additional ten night credits on March 22nd
For the UK, a one-year subscription costs £65 whereas it’s £119 for two years, and it’s usually €90 / €159 for most other countries. I’m not sure if the two-year subscription comes with a longer Gold validity.
Accor Gold isn’t hugely useful outside China where they offer daily breakfast for one, but room upgrade and late check-out are still something. Beware that buying ibis Business will create a new Accor account, so if you have an existing account you might need to merge them.
Qatar Airways has an ongoing promotion with Accor, which allows Accor Gold members to fast track to Qatar Airways Silver after only one flight. Silver status (Oneworld Ruby) offers extra baggage allowance and free seat selection when flying Qatar Airways and its partners (BA, AA, Cathay etc.), plus you can access the dedicated Silver Lounge at Doha.
There will also be a new ALL PLUS Voyageur membership (converted from the old Business Plus program) which offers 20 night credits annually.
My review of Cathay Pacific A350’s business class
Cathay Pacific is probably one of the most renowned airline in the world, and being from China I should have had a lot of chances of flying with them. Strange enough but I haven’t though, and my only experience was with Cathay Dragon, a subsidiary through acquisition that mainly focuses on short-haul routes.
Going back home for the first time since 2020, I finally got the opportunity to fly the “real” Cathay by redeeming my Asiamiles. Cathay Pacific is located at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, like most other Oneworld carriers.
The lane is already very long when check-in starts four hours before departure. Fortunately I can use the priority counter which has no queue.
Fast track is available to premium passengers. If you are a frequent Oneworld flyer from T3, you know it is a lounge paradise – there are Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and British Airways to choose from! You can also access the Centurion Lounge if you have the Amex Platinum or Centurion card, but it can be very busy at peak hours.
I am very familiar with the Cathay Pacific Lounge, and it is my favourite out of the four Oneworld lounges. The days of my BA Gold are numbered, after which I won’t be able to come back for a while…
My flight departs from Gate 40, which is farthest in the terminal. I remember being here when I flew Philippine Airlines a few years back (on an error fare).
Cathay’s A350 fleet have both A350-900 and A350-1000 aircrafts. I’m on the latter this time, but I don’t think they differ much in terms of cabin design.
Business class seats are arranged in the herringbone fashion, with a total number of 48. The middle seats:
As you can imagine, window seats are much more private:
There is a small storage cupboard next to the control panel, with a socket inside.
And a much larger storage box below which can fit a pair of shoes.
The amenity bag is nothing to write home about, and the content is minimal. You won’t find earplugs or socks in it.
IFE:
Surprisingly there are two live TV channels – BBC and CCN. It is a world cup night between England and Wales, and US and Iran. Unfortunately the matches are not being broadcasted.
And the menu:
Cathay Delight is one of their signature cocktails. However I was told it’s not available so went with their recommendation instead and got a Lemon Tease.
The cauliflower soup is passable:
Followed by the wonton noodles which was a total disaster. I’m not a big fan of Cantonese cuisine, but you can’t blame me for disliking it – the noodles on top are clearly burnt probably due to overheating, and the soup tastes really weird, worse than what you’d expect from instant noodles.
Remember to pick your breakfast choice before going to sleep. The congee is much better, although somehow my shitake mushrooms became ginger slices.
And the lie-flat bed:
The bed is a tad narrow, but you can lift up a pad on the side to compensate.
Well I don’t know what more to say. It is certainly not a terrible experience, aside from the really bad wonton noodles, but I can’t really say anything positive about the flight either. I had high expectations – it is an Asian carrier after call – which Cathay failed to meet, and I probably need to try their first class some day.
My review of United Polaris business class, Boeing 789
I’m hoping to top off my U.S. trip with a United flight, which is a first for me. My original plan was to depart from Houston due to inventory issues, but at some point San Francisco suddenly opened up, which works perfectly to my plan.
To redeem for a flight from U.S. to Europe, United miles work out so much cheaper than any European airlines. Here is an exemplary comparison for a one-way flight from San Francisco to London in business:
- United miles: 62.4K + £5
- BA Avios: 90K + £225
- Virgin points: 67.5K + £721
It’s simply insane how much BA or VS are trying to charge here, especially for taxes and fees. The only hurdle is how to accrue United miles in the UK – I exchanged my Marriott points, the ratio of which is decent but I had to wait 8 days for the miles to arrive. Some people reportedly waited up to three weeks.
Having spent some quality time in the Polaris lounge, it is time to board my flight. The flight is operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamline, with the reputable United Polaris business class. United’s old business class configuration is eight abreast, which looks like to total disaster.
The Polaris cabin is divided into two parts by the gallery. The front cabin has 32 seats and the rear 16, but they don’t feel any different to each other.
The Polaris seats are all staggered. Odd middle seats are the “lover seats”, which offers the best intimacy and privacy for a couple.
The even middle seats are for single travellers who failed to grab a window seat.
Windows seats in odd rows are forward-facing and semi-enclosed, which is no doubt the best option if you are travelling by yourself.
Window seats in even rows are angled and aisle facing, which isn’t as ideal unless you want more open space.
The Polaris gives me a great first impression. The cushion, pillow, sheets and vanity bag are ready on my seat.
Unlike most other airlines, the inclination of your seat is adjusted by a scroll wheel instead of a button, which in my opinion is a better user experience.
I think it’s the first time I get a hard-shell amenity bag, which is very cute.
This is a conventional design for storage:
The seat converted into a lie-flat bed:
Although it doesn’t feature the door, my window seat feels much closer to a proper mini-suite than Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class Suite. The Do not disturb sign lights up when you’ve pressed the button which is fancy.
The IFE:
This is probably the simplest menu I’ve ever seen on a long-haul business class flight, which is only one page. It doesn’t say what drinks they offer, and you need to enquire the flight attendant.
They serve hot nuts which is a plus. I ordered braised beef short ribs for my main:
Which is incredibly good! The beef is very well cooked so you barely need to chew and the seasoning is great. It is one of the best dishes I’ve had on any flight.
The service is a bit lacking (which I think is normal for a U.S. airline?), but I love the Polaris seat design, and catering is amazing, which makes it one of the best flights I’ve had in the last three years or so. I’m flying from New York to London on American Airlines later this year (thanks to a “flash sale”), and that should tick all three major U.S. airlines for me.
Use CheckMyTrip to retrieve your flight PNR
PNR, sometimes also called confirmation number or record locator, is a unique identifier generated when you make a flight booking. You need the PNR (and usually your last name) to manage you booking online, for example to select your seat, choose your meal or purchase additional services.
PNR is generated by the airline’s designated Global Distribution System (GDS), which could be Sabre, Amadeus or Travelport to name a few. Thus different airlines may have different formats for the PNR: sometimes they are five characters, other times six. Sometimes they are alphanumeric, other times alphabetical only.
It poses a problem when you book an itinerary involving Airline A on Airline B’s website. The scenario happens more often than you think. We all book partner reward tickers using our miles, and it’s very common for a multi-segment ticket to include more than one carrier.
If both airlines share the same PNR, or Airline A is able to recognise and resolve Airline B’s PNR, it’s not an issue. However it’s very often not the case, as I was troubled three times recently:
- Alaska Air doesn’t recognise BA’s PNR (Avios redemption)
- American Airlines doesn’t recognise Finnair’s PNR (codeshare)
- Gulf Air doesn’t recognise Air Canada’s PNR (Aeroplan redemption)
It’s usually not a big deal, as you can simply call the respective airline, provide your e-ticket number and proceed from there. However, if you don’t want to make that phone call, CheckMyTrip comes to your rescue.
CheckMyTrip saves your flight itinerary and can also show you some useful information. The most important feature that we’ll discuss today is PNR linking. When you add a new trip using the reservation number, CheckMyTrip can show you the alternative PNR with the operating carrier, which you can use to manage the booking online.
It doesn’t always work, but out of the three attempts I had two worked out. It didn’t seem to work with American Airlines, although my seven-leg itinerary might be a bit too complex!
You might have used similar products, such as Tripcase, to track your travel history. The aforementioned feature is unique with CheckMyTrip, but otherwise it’s not as good a product as Tripcase in my opinion.
Virgin Australia’s status match: benefits with United, Etihad, Singapore and more!
Virgin Australia launched a status match program last year, which might entitle you to special benefits with them and partner airlines for up to 15 months!
- Elite members from select airlines can apply for a status match
- If granted, you commence a three-month Gold trial
- Fly one qualifying sector and earn 80 tier credits to extend your Gold status for one year
In general, S* Gold, Skyteam Elite Plus and Oneworld Sapphire / Emerald qualify, excluding Virgin Australia’s partners. Some minimum requirements include:
- British Airways Silver
- Lufthansa Senator
- Air France Gold
- Finnair Gold
- Delta Gold
- American Airlines Platinum
- Emirates Gold
The list is very extensive so you have high chances of being eligible. There is no direct link to apply – you need to click Member Support and submit a feedback form to apply.
Even if you don’t fly Virgin Australia, the Gold card is still useful with a bunch of other airlines.
| Priority Check-in | Priority Boarding | Additional Baggage Allowance | Fast Track | Lounge Access | |
| Hainan / Tianjin / Capital / Hong Kong Airlines | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Singapore Airlines | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| United Airlines | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air Canada | ✓ | ||||
| Virgin Atlantic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Etihad | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Qatar Airways | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| South African Airways | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Details of the lounge access policy is here, but in general you need to be on a flight operated by the partner carrier and can bring one guest.
If you are based in the UK, there’s a good chance that you’ll fly Virgin Atlantic some day, as well as some of the other partners. I value Priority Check-in and Lounge Access the most in terms of the aforementioned elite benefits.
80 tier credits are very easy to accrue, but you can’t possibly accomplish the one qualifying sector unless you travel to / within Australia. According to the program rules, your status will be re-evaluated at the end of the three months, which normally means you’d drop to a non-status member.
However, from the reports we’ve seen so far it seems that everyone has been downgraded to Silver instead post the Gold trial. It comes with two lounge passes for VA’s domestic lounges, and more importantly most of the partner benefits (barring lounge access) still apply for another year!
If you plan to fly Virgin Australia or their partner airline soon, it’s worthwhile signing up for the Gold trial beforehand.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic relaunches Shanghai with great reward availability
After being absent from China’s market for three years and having permanently discontinued Hong Kong, Virgin Atlantic is resuming its daily service between London Heathrow and Shanghai Pudong on the first of May.
Reward availability was released this morning, and you can book literally any single day, although seats over China’s festive periods are selling fast.
Here is a reminder what a one-way ticket in Upper Class costs, and the respective fees from Shanghai / London:
- Economy: 12,500 points + 833 RMB / £208
- Premium Economy: 22,500 points+ 1,565 RMB / £360
- Upper Class: 57,500 points + 1,719 RMB / £411
You need to add another 10,000 points if flying at peak. Shanghai is operated by the older B787 aircrafts, although I think they are less bad compared to the A350 suite.
British Airways on the other hand, is also relaunching Shanghai on April 23rd and Beijing on June 3rd. However Avios seats have been available for quite a while now so it’s not as exciting.
BA’s new RFS pricing wants 200,000 Avios + £550 for a return trip to Shanghai, which is ridiculous. Unless you are looking to book first class with a companion voucher, Virgin Atlantic is the more favourable option by a large margin.
My review of the United Polaris Lounge, San Francisco
At the end of the U.S. west coast trip, I’m heading back to London from San Francisco. In sheer contrast to the abundance of lounges at LAX, SFO is almost barren. United is the only Star Alliance airline that has any lounge here, and the same awkwardness applies to Skyteam and Oneworld too.
I arrived at the airport three hours ahead to make sure I have enough time to review the United Polaris Lounge. As it is the only decent Star Alliance lounge at SFO, the entry rules are quite strict: only business and first class passengers on a long-haul Star Alliance flight are allowed.
If you are a Star Gold member but flying economy, sadly you can only visit the United Club, which is like an average dull lounge that you expect in this country. Interestingly, anecdotes from my readers suggest that you may be invited to the Polaris Lounge if you are under 21, as you cannot enter the United Club due to alcohol restrictions.
The lounge is huge, occupying two floors and measuring about 2,600 square metres. The ground floor is a very nice area itself, but usually pretty quiet as the main food offerings are on the upper floor.
The armchairs are probably one of, if not he best I’ve ever seen in any airline lounge. it is very wide, with a small side table and sockets included.
The views are nice.
Shower rooms, and the Quiet Suites for resting are also on the ground floor. However, make sure you reserve enough time to explore the upper floor!
Turn left for the business zone, which offers private booths for phone calls and video calls.
And there are more desks and sofas inside.
If you turn right, you will pass the very beautiful bar first. There’s no self-service so you have to order your drinks instead, just like a regular bar 🙂
And then you’ll enter the dining area.
The buffet options are:
- Lobster corn bisque
- Ginger lemongrass ramen bowl
- Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
- Dakjjim Korean chicken braised chicken
- Miso glazed cod
- Brown basmati rice
I’m impressed that they offer lobster soup! You may also notice that the majority of the cuisine are Asian, which I quite enjoy. There are even tofu and shitake mushrooms in the salad area.
I’m not particularly hungry, so just had a taste of a couple of dishes but they are nice. Don’t miss out on the Dining Room though, which gives you a full dining experience!
I came around at about 5 o’clock and was told of a waiting time of 30 minutes. Fortunately an empty table became available in just five minutes.
Here’s the menu:
I ordered a small plate (octopus) and a glass of cocktail.
To be honest, the octopus is not to my liking. But the food looks posh enough to be served in a fancy restaurant.
Finally, a picture of the bathroom:
When I was leaving for my flight, the upper floor started to become really crowded. As most flights to Europe depart in the evening, it’s hardly a surprise.
The United Polaris Lounge at SFO is the best Star Alliance lounge that I’ve ever been to, and it is definitely worth visiting when you have the chance.