Alaska Airlines released their plan for Virgin America on their blog, and while a lot of changes are promising, Virgin’s amazing First Class hard product will be missed.
There was confirmation that you can use your Alaska Airlines companion certificate on Virgin America routes, which is a surprisingly smooth integration of systems (not going to lie… I was not expecting it to go that well between their IT departments!). I have this card and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it!
Massive LAX changes with Delta moving from T5 and T6 to T2 and T3, displacing pretty much everyone else. I usually avoid LAX simply because I spend more time on the tarmac than in the SkyClub, but this could make things interesting.
The Centurion Lounge in SEA-TAC was undergoing expansion earlier this year, and it has finally completed! I’ve been known to fly through there from time to time and I am very excited to go back.
One of the biggest changes to Delta was announced by René – you can now be upgraded even after boarding. It’s only a pilot program right now, but I truly hope it will be adopted system-wide.
As I got off my flight to JFK this week, I was surprised by Delta with something that I have never had the chance to experience… the Porsche! I was taken off the jetbridge and dropped off at the SkyClub at my next terminal – talk about service! 😀
Thank you, Delta, for the experience of a lifetime!
I have no idea how I missed thisnews, but Delta is going to be connecting Austin and Raleigh with a year-round, daily flight starting March 9th of this year. It’ll be on a CRJ-900, which will be a tight fit for the 1,162 miles between the two airports, but it’s hard to beat that convenience.
The CRJ-900 has a range of 1,553 nautical miles (just over 1780 statute miles), so it isn’t surprising that it would be used to test the interest of the route.
From the Austin-Bergstrom website:
Delta’s new year round, daily nonstop flights between Austin, Texas and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina are scheduled as follows: Flights depart – Austin daily at 11:15 a.m. and arrive in Raleigh-Durham at 3:10 p.m. Flights depart Raleigh-Durham daily at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Austin at 10:40 a.m. The flight will be operated by GoJet on a CRJ-900 aircraft with 76 seats.
With the dissolution of Delta’s relationship with Alaska Airlines, Delta recently announced the introduction of seven new domestic routes to and from Seattle for the coming year. There are also plans to increase the frequency of a few other existing routes to expand their footprint on the West Coast.
I am really looking forward to the new route from Raleigh, as well as the additional flights to Boston and San Diego. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to hit up the Centurion Lounge (and new SkyClub) more often!
Cochin International Airport (COK) is the fourth busiest international airport in India and the seventh busiest in India, overall. Despite this volume of traffic, on August 18th 2015, it became a fully solar powered airport. In fact, it is the first of its kind in the world.
Currently there are two terminals (T1: International, and T2: Domestic), with a third terminal under construction to take over international traffic, leaving the current international terminal to handle domestic traffic. The existing domestic terminal would then be for private planes only.
To give you an idea of the destination served by COK, I did a quick search on Google Flights to identify non-stop destinations. In addition to various location within India, there are flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, various cities on the Arabian Peninsula, and Malé.
Non-Stop Flights
Both domestic and international terminals have lounges available to PriorityPass members. While both lounges are named “Earth Lounge”, they offer different amenities. You can see the details of each lounge on the PriorityPass website, above.
International Terminal Lounge
Known as the Earth Lounge and available to everyone with a Priority Pass membership, or traveling Business Class, the lounge in the international terminal at COK is found on the third floor (level ‘2’) of the airport. It offers expansive views of the apron, which makes for some excellent plane watching! There is a buffet that is stocked with a decent spread of Indian goodies, as well as a bar.
Entering the loungeLots of seating!IndiGoJet Airways B738Saudi Arabian A330Air India ExpressAirAsia
Doha – Hamad International Airport
Though I might not agree with all the social policies of Qatar, the Doha airport was by far the safest I have felt throughout my entire vacation. The Hamad International Airport is positioned for expansion and has received many awards over the years. In fact, it is currently rated as having the best staff service in the Middle East and being the best airport in the Middle East. Any interaction with the staff will immediately make it clear why they have consistently won in these categories. They are spectacular in these regards.
In addition to having a truly world-class airport, the surrounding areas of Doha are being developed quite nicely. Driving from the hotel to the airport, we noticed that a large amount of plants were being planted. Though this serves multiple purposes, the one that has the most noticeable impact is that it reduces the dust in the air. In fact, within the next 10 years it shouldn’t be surprising to see this turn into a tourist destination.
Al Mujra Business Class Lounge
Since we weren’t flying Qatar airways from Doha to London-Heathrow, the lounges that were available to us were the Al Mujra Business Class Lounge or those available from Priority Pass. We opted for the former and we were not disappointed! The lounge itself is very spacious and offers ample seating and outlets to charge your devices. There are also many personal flight kiosks so you can remain up to date on your own departure time.
Lounge SeatingFountain!Personal flight-tracking
London-Heathrow
As we were departing on Virgin Atlantic flight 107, we made our way to Terminal 3. Thanks to the miles available and given the duration of the flight, I had booked Upper Class tickets. This allowed us entry to the Upper Class wing of Terminal 3, complete with private security lines as well as access to the expansive Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
Upper Class Wing Entry
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
The Clubhouse itself is located beyond the shopping in Terminal 3, and is a fair distance from most of the gates served by Virgin Atlantic and Delta. Upon entry we were informed that in addition to a concierge, there was a deli, bar, spa and hair salon, and that we would be waited upon as soon as we were seated. Since this was our first time in a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, we weren’t really sure what to expect, but the treatment blew us away! If you ever have the opportunity to visit a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, you will not be disappointed.
Seating across from the deliThe bar and many leather couchesSeating across from the conciergeA full map of the facilities
As promised, as soon as we were seated, we were greeted by a very friendly waitress who took our orders for a quick breakfast. I opted for an Egg Royale, pictured below, and also poked about the deli. For those curious, the full menu can be found below as well.
We took a rather round-about route because we wanted to land directly in Kochi as opposed to another city (like Delhi, Mumbai, etc.) and go through customs there. To achieve this, we flew Delta to London, British Airways to Doha, and then Jet Airways to Kochi.
Outbound Routing
RDU-ATL
On the flight to Atlanta, we had the opportunity to try Delta’s new premium peanut snack. No more self-branded nuts!
Honey Roasted!
We had a short five hour layover in Atlanta, so we went to the SkyClub in terminal E and stretched out a little. We took this opportunity to get a quick nap before our next leg.
ATL-LHR
Selfie!
On our next leg, we flew in DeltaOne on one of Delta’s 767-300ERs. This meant we got Westin blankets and pillows, as well as Tumi toiletry kits. On longer flights, this makes all the difference in the world.
Lie-Flat Seats!Personal lighting, 110V outlet, and USB charging.Ridiculously comfortable bedding and the Tumi kitLumbar massage? YES PLEASE!Passive noise-cancelling headphonesThe Tumi KitOlder OS but the screen tilts!
For our snack, we were given spiced Georgia pecans. These were offered with our selection of water, orange juice, or champagne.
Champagne and JuiceSpicy!
We were then introduced to our purser and given our dinner menus. I opted for the lamb while Carrie opted for the fish.
Once we were in the air, we were given our three course meals: appetizers, main course, and our choice of dessert.
StartersCreole Blackened FishLamb!Wine for my lambCheese plate for dessertSnack!
We made excellent time thanks to some storms in the US giving us a very strong tailwind. The downside being that parts of the flight were bumpier than normal.
Zoom!
Closer to London, we were given the option of having breakfast. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring the cabin lighting up so we weren’t able to get a very good picture of it, but it was delicious!
London-Heathrow Sheraton Skyline
We planned a nice long layover in both London and Doha to give ourselves some padding for local customs, and time to leave the airport to find a local hotel. Here, we opted for the Sheraton Skyline. They offer discounted cabs to the hotel and since I had SPG Ambassador service, I was able to arrange everything well in advance!
London-Heathrow South Gallery
Upon returning to the hotel, we had plenty of time to relax at the South Gallery, as we were flying Club World to Doha. The WiFi was nice and fast, and the food was quite nice. The cheese and wine were probably my favorite – no surprise, there!
Though we were late in leaving for our plane, we made it with plenty of time thanks to heavy fog which delayed our departure by an hour. Once we were in the air, it was smooth sailing, though! This was my first experience with a Club World seat, and though we didn’t have Westin bedding, the seat itself was much more comfortable than on Delta (even without the massage).
The Boeing 777-200 we were on was divided into four cabins: First Class, Club World, World Traveler Plus, and World Traveler. The Club World cabin was arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, which was a little cramped compared to the 1-2-1 layout of Delta’s 767. We also do not have direct aisle-access for all seats as we do with Delta. The nice thing was that since the seats were arranged facing each other, Carrie and I were able to talk to one another without having to turn constantly.
Conversations without twisting…Makes for happy necks!The seat!TV controlsFolding TV and tableSeat controlsBubbly!
Instructions for operating the seat!
As with our DeltaOne experience, we were given our menus by our purser and asked to select both our appetizer and main course. I opted for the steak while Carrie went with the chicken.
Mezze plate!Dessert!Delicious steak…Chicken!
A very cool feature of our Boeing 777-200 was that our in-flight-entertainment OS showed us what we were flying over from different angles!
Viewing OptionsOver-Wing View
Close to landing, we were given a very quick breakfast. Pastries, smoothies, and fresh fruit.
Pastries and fresh fruit!Buttermilk and oat smoothieMozzarella danish
Doha Airport
Upon landing in the Doha airport, we made our way to the arrivals area to collect our bags. I was lucky enough to notice a very distinct curved wingtip and was rewarded with a sight of one of Qatar Airway’s Airbus 350s! For an AvGeek like myself, this was a real treat!
A350!Another shot!
Doha Marriott
Since we had 13 hours in Doha, we opted to head to the nearby Marriott. Thanks to my status, I was able to guarantee a room for the same day! Gotta love it! The light poles we drove by were actually laser etched with the Qatari National Anthem, which I thought was a nice touch. They also change color periodically!
The beds!The TV and tableAmazing showerOpulent bathroom!The balcony!Balcony view at nightThey CHANGE COLOR!
DOH-COK
Our last flight was in economy on Jet Airways, on a Boeing 737-800. Since it was just 3 hours and 40 minutes, we thought we could tough it out. It was fairly cramped, but we were still given a full meal service and fresh tea, which was nice.
Overall it was a very positive experience, and I am decidedly pleased with my expenditure of miles!
To rack up some segments and miles to make sure I hit status, I planned a nice round-about route to explore San Diego! By planning for a nice long layover in Dallas-Fort Worth, I managed to take advantage of the Centurion Lounge there. Thanks to Delta’s recent upgrade rule changes, we flew first class on all four flights!
The icing on the cake? We got to experience the new blankets provided by Westin. Though they aren’t as heavenly as the bedding at Westin properties, it is many levels above the red blankets we know and… …love? Keep climbing, Delta!
Westin in-flight!
Centurion Lounge, DFW
The Centurion Lounge is an airport oasis for American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders. Though it is located in Terminal D, you can access it from any terminal thanks to the Skylink that joins all Terminals.
From AmEx’s Centurion Lounge Page
In addition to gourmet food, there is a complimentary 15-minute spa massage available, which is heavenly between long flights! There are also shower suites and a lot of seating. Though Delta operates out of Terminal E, the SkyLink lets you get to Terminal D quickly.
SkyLink MapThe Centurion!No trip is complete without second breakfasts…A nice cup of tea after a massage!6 hour layover? Put your legs up!
I opted to use one of my Hyatt Suite certificates from my Diamond status to upgrade from a standard room to a king-size suite. This hotel features water slides, waterfront dining, a full spa, and spectacular views. Also offered are kayak and jet ski rentals as well as sport fishing and whale tour excursions – ideal for those who need to be on the water!
Map of the buildingsEntering the living room…Extremely comfortable couch!Closet and dresserRoomy bathroomBedroom!Wonderful waterfront view!
