Author: Palo

HKG-SFO from Seat 1A 1

Cathay Pacific First Class: HKG-SFO B777-300ER

I had flown Cathay Pacific First Class before on this same route (HKG-SFO) and plane (B777-300ER) 2 years prior so I had my expectations set really high. In 2016, I had used 67,500 American Airlines miles to book a last minute ticket. This time I used 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles...

Rose Parade 2019 0

Happy New Year! 2018 Review

Happy New Year! During 2018 I was able to scale down business travel, but it was another busy year with over 80,000 miles of flying and visiting 13 countries. Below is an overview of my 2018 travel…   Hotel Stays (21, 3 less than 2017): ARIA Resort & Casino – Las...

Landed @ CLD 0

California Pacific Airlines: SJC-CLD ERJ-145LR

On November 1st, California Pacific Airlines made their first commercial flight from Carlsbad, CA (CLD) to San Jose, CA (SJC). They are a new airline servicing northern San Diego County being headquartered out of CLD. Currently with only 4 planes in the fleet, it’s hard for them to make up...

St. Regis Bali 1

Credit Card Application Batch – 2018

During 2018, I decided to apply for 2 more credit cards as I continue to diversify & build up my point/mile balances. I applied and was approved for the following cards: American Express Gold Card ($250/yr, not waived 1st year): 50,000 AMEX points after $2,000 spend in 90 days 20% back on US...

Singapore Airlines The Private Room SIN 0

Singapore Airlines: The Private Room Lounge SIN

After landing in Singapore from my long haul from SFO via HKG, I spent some time in The Private Room Lounge while I waited for my flight to Bali. Access to the lounge is only for Singapore Airlines customers traveling in First or Suites Class. You aren’t able to bring...

SQ First Class B777-300ER 1F 2

Singapore Airlines First Class: SFO-HKG-SIN B777-300ER

I was very fortunate to find Singapore Airlines First Class availability during the time I needed to travel and I couldn’t wait to fly! Using my Chase Ultimate Reward points, I transferred 118,000 points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. The one-way ticket from SFO to Bali via SIN was 118,000 miles...

Snow 0

How to handle IRROPS due to Weather & Mechanical delays

The winter months are coming here in the US! Over the past 12 months, I’ve had a handful of issues due to irregular operations (IRROPS) while flying around the world. They are never fun, but you have to start thinking quickly as to what your options might be and beat...

PreCheck Bridge A Checkpoint 0

Live Airport Security Wait Times

Long security lines can often cause a headache for travelers, but TripIt Pro has a solution. They introduced real-time wait times for select airports earlier this year. I was able to test it on a trip from Denver (DEN) and it was very accurate. I knew what to expect even...

Dining Room 1

United Polaris Lounge SFO

I was on my way to Singapore from San Francisco while flying Singapore First Class so I decided to stop into the new United Polaris Lounge @ SFO. Access to United’s Polaris lounges are restricted to business and first class passengers flying United Polaris or business or first class on Star Alliance partners....

AMEX Centurion HKG 0

Priority Pass Restaurants

Are airport lounges becoming too crowded or is the food quality poor? Try a new Priority Pass restaurant! Priority Pass membership is included with AMEX Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve which most frequent travelers are carrying these days. I was able to try Timberline Steaks & Grill @ DEN a...