New US Routes On Etihad, Korean Air, And Virgin Atlantic And How To Use Your Miles to Book Them

Over the past week there have been some exciting announcements from Etihad, Korean Air, and Virgin Atlantic on new and improved route changes to the US. Here's a summary of the changes, and a reminder on how to use miles to book them:

Etihad

Etihad recently announced plans for daily flights from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco starting November 18th, which will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER leased from Jet Airways.  Each flight will have capacity for 8 seats in First Class, 30 seats in Business Class, and 308 seats in Economy.

San Francisco is the 5th US destination serviced by Etihad, which already flies daily to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, and twice-daily to New York. Dallas will be joining the list as the 6th destination starting December 3rd. As InsideFlyer outlines, there is a promotion offering double Etihad Guest miles across many of the new worldwide routes.

How to use your miles to book: The best option is to use your American Airlines miles which unfortunately can't be done online and will require calling in to book. One-way tickets from North America to Abu Dhabi cost 45,000 miles in Economy, 67,500 in Business Class, and 90,000 for First Class. While you can't search for award space on the AA website, the best options are either through Expertflyer or directly through the Etihad website.

I have yet to fly Etihad, but have been in the early stages of planning a trip to Africa and along with Emirates which also flies from San Francisco, using either of these carriers yields the most efficient routing with just one connection in the Middle East en route to Africa. Anecdotally, I have been seeing pretty good First Class award space both close-in and several months out, and imagine that it will only improve with the additional routes to San Francisco and Dallas.

Korean Air

Korean Air announced an increase in the frequency of flights to Hawaii from July 24th to September 10th, where the current 17x a week frequency will be increased to 21x a week to handle additional demand. Also worth noting that Korean Air will be increasing flight frequencies to Guam (although with recent LifeMiles changes, I suspect that traffic to Guam among us won't be as high) and Southeast Asia.

How to use your miles to book: Korean Air is a SkyTeam member, so Economy and Business Class tickets can be booked both with Korean Air Skymiles as well as through other SkyTeam partners. However, First Class bookings are only available using Korean Air Skymiles.

Korean Air Skymiles is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, which was the source for the miles used on my recent booking. Using Korean Air Skymiles, the one-way cost from Korea to North American locations is 35,000 in Economy, 62,500 in Business Class, and 80,000 in First Class during off-peak times. It's worth noting that there are peak times which cost 50% more.

We recently flew Korean Air First Class from San Francisco to the Maldives, and were able to take advantage of the free stopover in Seoul to stay for a few days. As I outlined here, the booking process isn't as seamless as with other airlines, but I estimate the sum total of time spent making the reservation (which included calling in since I wanted a stopover), filling out the redemption forms which included creation of a family account for myself/spouse, and lastly paying for the ticket via the phone system at approximately 30 minutes. Certainly time well spent to get access to the amazing premium cabin availability offered by Korean Air.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic announced two new routes from the UK: Belfast to Orlando and Glasgow to Las Vegas which will both be operated by a Boeing 747-400 and codeshared with Delta. Virgin is the only airline out there that offers these routes which will depart weekly on Thursdays, and each flight will hold 14 Upper Class, 66 Premium Economy, and 375 Economy seats.

The Belfast to Orlando route will begin operation on June 25th, 2015 during the months of June and July, and the Glasgow to Las Vegas route will being September 10th, 2015 for operation during the months of September and October. While both the limited number of months the routes will be offered and the 1x weekly frequency aren't earth-shattering, they do coincide with peak/holiday travel season and the added capacity and additional routes are certainly still an enhancement.

How to use miles to book: While I haven't had experience flying Virgin Atlantic, trying out the Upper Class product is high up there on my flying bucket list. Tickets from the UK to the US start at 35,000 in Economy and 80,000 in Upper Class, but come with hefty fuel surcharges that are tacked on. Virgin Atlantic is also partners with Hawaiian Air and a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, which often offers promotions beyond the standard 1:1 ratio.

Anyone planning to take advantage of these new routes?

Back to the Islands: Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN

1. Introduction
2. Korean Air First Class SFO-ICN, British Airways lounge at SFO
3. Eating our way through Seoul + Park Hyatt Seoul
4. Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN
5. Back to the Islands: Cocoa Island by COMO
6. Cathay Pacific Business Class MLE-HKG-SFO, CX lounges at HKG
______________________________________________________________

Have I mentioned before that I really like Korean Air? In case you missed it I'll say it again I outlined a few reasons in the introduction, but another thing I like about the program is that you can form family accounts which allow the pooling of miles across multiple people. It's not something that is featured in many other programs, with British Airways being one of the other main ones I believe. So while the booking process is a bit more complex, it was really nice not having to worry about having enough miles for 2 tickets from one account, enough for 1 ticket from each account, etc.

With an 11pm flight we had planned to catch the last airport bus at 8pm, but after checking out around 11am we had spent the entire day walking around nonstop. So while my wife can shop til she drops, I had already dropped and demanded to head back a bit earlier. We took the subway back to the Park Hyatt and got there around 5pm, got our bags, and then were dropped off by house car at the CALT bus terminal just a couple minutes away.

The airport bus system here is similar to Hong Kong's Airport Express in that it's really an extension of the airport, especially if you are flying Korean Air. After being dropped off we were able to check-in for our flight, check our bags, and receive boarding passes. The buses depart every 15 minutes so we only waited for a bit before hopping on with just a handful of other passengers for the 1 hour ride.

After arriving at the airport we were all set to go and headed straight through to security, then over to the Korean Air First Class lounge near our departure gate 26. Definitely felt like a deja vu moment and if anything got a bit nostalgic since this was really the first First Class Lounge I had been to. That visit came a couple years ago on my ex-RGN journey. At the time, I was like a kid in a candy store and just blown away - there's free food!? Massage chairs!? A shower!?

Funny how human nature is and feelings are all based on what you know at that point in time. Well, now I'm a somewhat jaded Flyertalker who isn't as easily impressed Fast forward a couple years and after massages at TG's BKK F Spa and after eating at the Emirates DXB F Terminal and CX's HKG F lounge, this one doesn't seem as great.

The food selection, even though catered by the Hyatt Recency Incheon, was just OK. At least they do have a freezer stocked full of Haagen Daaz, and I was more than happy to sample each flavor. But one thing this lounge does have going for it is space - it's a huge room to begin with, and in both trips there there were never more than 10 people in the entire lounge at any given point. So in a lot of ways it's certainly one of the most relaxing and comfortable lounges we've been to, but just not as extravagant as some of the others out there.

I decided to jump in for a shower (well, more like was told to if I'm being honest) since I was pretty gross after an entire day out in the sun. And what the lounge lacks in massages and food, they make up for in blazing fast internet (which we found consistently wherever we went in Korea), which allowed me to catch up on my beloved Sunday night TV shows Game of Thrones and Mad Men that I was missing back at home.

Korean Air First Class lounge entrance (near gate 26 on the 2nd floor)




Saw these types of model planes everywhere in Korea


One of many seating areas


This place is never full




Nice views of the tarmac


Wait, no humans here to massage me!?


Hot food buffet




Sandwiches and fruit


Shower room


Around T-30 we headed over to the gate which was just next door and boarded our flight. While our flight had an official First Class section, it's really just the first row of business class that is partitioned off from the rest, so the seats are indeed the same between both cabins.

On both of our Korean air flights I was amazed at just how fast they are able to board the plane. Granted it was a light load tonight (including us being the only F passengers, J looked about 25% full) we started boarding at 10:30pm sharp and were wrapped up and started taxiing at 10:45pm. It was so fast that I had to rush and quickly finish changing into my pajamas in the closet-sized bathroom.

This was a similar setup to our BKK-ICN flight a couple years back so going in we had expected this to be a sleeper-service flight with minimal food and amenities. But we were pleasantly surprised that both pajamas and amenity kits were passed out, along with two meal services - a supper right after take off and breakfast in the morning. The flight time was a bit longer than last time's so we probably just went over cutoff for full vs. sleeper service.

I guess I'll mention here that the flight is actually scheduled as ICN-CMB-MLE, and throughout the booking process I had inquired about the CMB layover, primarily to ensure that I wouldn't need a visa (US citizens don't). One agent told me that you just stay one the plane, and one told me that you get off and wait for about an hour before re-boarding. I was also confused at check-in since there is just one boarding pass that says ICN-MLE, so was hopeful that you indeed just get to stay on the plane. I asked the flight attendant while on board and she confirmed that you do have to deplane - uggh, that means I'll have to change out of my pajamas! Well, maybe I don't, if I'm willing to endure some dirty looks Not sure why I thought there was a chance we didn't have to get off, curious if there are any flights that allow it.

While both supper and breakfast were offered, I had stuffed myself at the lounge since I thought there would be just one meal offered in the morning and really wasn't hungry. So both my wife and I asked if we could instead have our supper right before landing in lieu of breakfast. The flight attendant was more than happy to do that for us, not sure if it helped that we were the only passengers other than a single seat reserved for the spare pilot.

Really great service again on the flight, and right after takeoff the flight attendant came by to offer turndown service. While we were in the "F" section, the seat really is a J seat in a 2x2x2 config on this A330-300. So there was no aisle access for me as I was seated at the window and would have to jump over my wife. It's a good thing that we knew each other, as a stranger wouldn't have been as receptive to my clumsiness and occasional falls while trying to jump in/out.

With the help of a Benadryl i got a solid 7 hours of sleep, and for once the cabin wasn't kept too warm. Before I could wipe the gunk out of my eyes, the flight attendant was standing next to me with a hot towel and getting my table set up for supper. Food was once again superb - great mix of western appetizers, along with my entree which was a full Korean ginseng soup (and I mean full as in an entire chicken).

Walking over to gate 26


Our ride to MLE, A330-300


"First" class seat - same seats as Business class but partitioned off separately




Still has plenty of leg room


2x2x2 config


Seat controls


IFE control


Reading lamp


Amenity kit, pajamas, Bose noise cancelling headphones




Pre-departure nuts


Supper menu


Breakfast menu


Goat cheese stuffed tomato with pesto - delicious


Crab crepe


Bread selection


Potato and leek cream soup - a bit watery


Salad


Won't turn down the opportunity for Korean Ginseng Soup


Wife's seafood soup - she gave two thumbs up


After landing we de-planed and a representative was waiting at the end of the jet bridge to hand out transit cards. We were instructed to walk over to the Ariya lounge just a few gates away and wait there until boarding was ready. The Ariya lounge was more than comfortable for the 1 hour layover - they had plenty of seating, and a decent selection of food and drinks. Also, pretty decent wifi speed so was a good chance to catch up on email.

About an hour later they said that the flight was ready for boarding, and we headed back to gate 12 where there was a security check. Ready for boarding in this instance meant that everyone else was already on board, so all of the First/Business passengers were able to jump on and were in the air just a few minutes later.

We were greeted on board by the same crew, and shown to our same seats. All the nice stuff (Bose headphones, blankets, pillows) were replaced with crappier versions, but other than those minor things everything else was unchanged. It was tough to survive for 1 hour CMB-MLE leg without the Bose headphones, as the new headphones let in much more ambient sound. Happy to report though, that I survived

I was still full from my "breakfast" which was really the supper service but did end up nibbling on some yogurt and fruit. If we had eaten breakfast on the previous flight, I wonder if we basically would have been offered the same exact food again on the continuation. The continuation was even emptier than the first leg, and I estimate that business class was only about a 10% load - I can see why these MLE routes aren't profitable to the airlines but hope that KE, CX, and SQ continue to offer them.

We landed just shortly after 7am in MLE and were able to catch some great sunrise shots from the plane. Overall, another fantastic experience with Korean Air.

Ariya Lounge at CMB






Sun rising as we take off from CMB




About to land at MLE on a gloomy day
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Back to the Islands: Korean Air First Class SFO-ICN, British Airways lounge at SFO

1. Introduction
2. Korean Air First Class SFO-ICN, British Airways lounge at SFO
3. Eating our way through Seoul + Park Hyatt Seoul
4. Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN
5. Back to the Islands: Cocoa Island by COMO
6. Cathay Pacific Business Class MLE-HKG-SFO, CX lounges at HKG
______________________________________________________________

Our flight was scheduled for departure at 1:30pm so we left for the airport around 11am and arrived to the check-in counter by 11:30am. I had already checked-in online so they just verified the credit card used for booking as well as my return itinerary since I had only booked a one-way on Korean Air to the Maldives.

The A side of the international security was very empty and within minutes we were at the British Airways lounge which is shared with Korean Air. The lounge feels very new with open space and lots of natural light. There are two seating areas, one for Business class and a separate one for First class passengers. Each has a pretty decent selection of food (soup, sandwiches, cookies) and drinks.

This was definitely one of the nicer domestic lounges I've been to, and one of the best parts is being able to board directly from the lounge. The only other time we've been able to do this was from the Emirates First Class Terminal in DXB and it makes the whole boarding experience so much less hectic - hopefully this is something that more and more airlines will adopt.

British Airways lounge at SFO - Business Class area






First Class seating area




View from the lounge - our ride to ICN


Boarding straight from the lounge


We boarded and were shown to our seats, 2D/G. There are 8 F seats in the cabin and the load was very light today. In fact, we were the only customers, with the 2 seats in front of us reserved for crew rest, so we basically had the cabin to ourselves.

This was actually our 2nd time in Korean Air F, the 1st coming on our return home BKK-ICN-SFO as part of the the ex-RGN round 1 fares. Back then I was still a budding trip reporter and it was only the 2nd F flight I'd ever taken.

Now with a few more flights under my belt, I'm glad that I had another chance to experience Korean Air and I absolutely loved it. The food and service were among the best we've ever had, just the right amount of warmth and proactivity without feeling like they are always keeping an eye on you. At a couple points during the flight it almost felt like they read my mind. In one instance I was ready for a snack, and before I could push the call button the flight attendant showed up with freshly baked cookies. No way I could say no to that!

In my opinion there are only a couple of things that are holding them back from being among the cream of the crop. First is the hard product which reminds me a lot of the TG A380 F suite - certainly good but not world class. There's more than enough space and the bed is quite comfortable, but there isn't a lot of privacy. Also the IFE really didn't have much of a selection of movies, and there is only 1 bathroom which became a bit hectic just between the 2 of us and the crew. Can't imagine what it would be like with a full crowd.

Korean Air Kosmo Suite








IFE controller


Reading lamp


Seat controls


Shortly after take-off the flight attendants came by to pass out pajamas and amenity kits. Both were the same brands that we had received on our flights a couple years ago.





The first meal was lunch and it was spectacular. It started with a small amuse bouche, followed by caviar service (including a proper caviar spoon for the purists), a delicious soup, hand-prepared salad from the cart, and delicious tenderloin of beef that was a true medium rare as requested. This was then followed by cheese, fruit, and lastly red velvet cake with ice cream.

At the end of the meal I honestly couldn't move and food coma set in immediately. I requested turn down service and got comfortable but just couldn't sleep as the cabin was way too hot. Why don't seats these day have air vents!? I ended up tossing and turning for a couple hours before giving up on trying to sleep.

Lunch menu


Snack/Dinner menu


Table setting


Amouse bouche


Breads


Caviar service


Potato cream soup


Salad - love that it has anchovies


Beef tenderloin - perfect medium rare


Cheese selection


Red velvet cake


So instead of sleeping I did the next best thing, and got right back to eating. The snack menu has just a couple options with ramen and cookies, and I sampled them both. The flight attendants were great at checking in at regular intervals and always making sure we had refills of bottled water throughout the flight.

Turndown service, really comfortable bedding


Ramen snack, spicy!


Before landing we had one more which was much smaller but again really delicious, highlighted by the sea bass.

I'm a sucker for a good focaccia


Chilean sea bass with purple cauliflower


As you can tell, I'm a huge fan of Korean Air, and overall we had a fantastic flight. Between the quality of the flight and the wide open availability of premium award space, this has become the primary destination for my Chase UR points.