I’m trying to finish the year off strong when it comes to planning travel. Earlier I shared the details of an upcoming review trip to Oman, and I’ve now mostly finalized another review trip that I have planned in...
I’m trying to finish the year off strong when it comes to planning travel. Earlier I shared the details of an upcoming review trip to Oman, and I’ve now mostly finalized another review trip that I have planned in the coming weeks.
Background on my upcoming review trip
For those who aren’t longtime readers, let me explain that I take review trips with the sole intention of reviewing as many airline and hotel experiences as possible while being away from home for as little time as possible (since we have an infant son). I also take more leisurely vacations with family where I spend more time in destinations, but these trips aren’t those. ?
My goal is typically to review products that readers may enjoy redeeming their points for, and/or products that I just generally find interesting, including flights, airport lounges, and hotels.
A portion of this review trip had been planned a long time ago. Japan Airlines will soon start flying Airbus A350-1000s, featuring all-new cabins. This plane will debut between Tokyo and New York in the coming weeks.
The airline has been teasing this product for many months, even before the schedule for the first flights was announced. So many of us had speculatively booked Japan Airlines first class tickets between Tokyo and New York using points. For me, one of those tickets is working out with the timeline for entry into service.
So I’ve had one direction of the review trip planned for quite some time, but for a long time I was trying to decide how to get to Tokyo. Well, I’ve now planned most of that…
The itinerary that I’ve booked…
With the above out of the way, let me share the details of the itinerary that I’ll be flying. Well, at least most of the itinerary, because there’s one part I haven’t decided on yet. I’ll share the details of this trip in reverse chronological order, since it’s the first portion of the trip that I haven’t yet finalized.
Japan Airlines A350 first class
As stated above, I’m flying Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000 first class from Tokyo to New York, which I’m very excited about. This should be the best new first class product that we’ve seen introduced since Emirates’ “new” first class back in 2017, and I can’t wait to experience it. I’m also looking forward to reviewing several Haneda Airport lounges, including the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge, Japan Airlines Business Class Lounge, and Cathay Pacific Lounge.
Japan Airlines Airbus A350 first class
ZIPAIR lie-flat seat
So, how am I getting to Tokyo? Well, I’ll be flying into Narita Airport, so I’ll have to change airports. Specifically, I’ll be flying ZIPAIR, Japan Airlines’ low cost carrier, which arguably features the world’s most basic business class.
It’s not even a separate class of service, but rather you just pay to assign those weird reverse herringbone seats without TVs. Suffice it to say that I’m intrigued. While the airline operates long haul flights, I’ll be flying the airline from Seoul to Tokyo, as I don’t necessarily feel like I need to enjoy 12 hours of inflight non-service.
I paid cash for this ticket, and paid $300 all-in, including just about every add-on imaginable (an amenity kit, food, drinks, cute looking chocolates, a carry-on baggage allowance, etc.).
I am curious, for those who have flown ZIPAIR before, any clue what the boarding process is like? I always try to board as early as possible to get good pictures, but I can’t actually find any real explanation of the carrier’s process online. Is it a free for all, or…? Also, while we’re at it, any thoughts on the best Haneda Airport hotel when departing Terminal 3? It seems like there are a few options, but I’m not sure if one is significantly better or more interesting than the others.
ZIPAIR Boeing 787
MIAT Mongolian 787 & 737 business class
So, how am I getting to Seoul? Well, via Mongolia, of course, as one does! While I’ve reviewed MIAT Mongolian’s Boeing 767 business class back in the day, the airline has nicely refreshed its fleet with new Boeing 787s. So I’ll be flying from Frankfurt to Ulaanbaatar on the Boeing 787, and from Ulaanbaatar to Seoul on the Boeing 737. The country also has a new airport since I last visited, so I’m curious to check that out.
I booked this ticket for cash, and the fare was a surprisingly reasonable ~$1,100 one-way. Then again, perhaps that pricing isn’t surprising, given that one wonders who is flying between Germany and Mongolia in the dead of winter? As someone from Florida, how will I cope with the 30 seconds I have to spend in the jet bridge in Mongolia?
MIAT Mongolian Boeing 787
An unknown journey across the Atlantic
Now we get to the part of the trip that I haven’t yet figured out. I haven’t decided how I’ll fly from Miami to Frankfurt. I’m trying to think of products I haven’t reviewed in recent years. A few business class options come to mind:
Scandinavian Airlines’ Airbus A321LR via Copenhagen or Oslo (though there’s no award availability as of now) British Airways’ Boeing 777 Club Suites business class via London (this is easy enough to book) Royal Air Maroc’s Boeing 787 business class via Casablanca (I don’t see availability as of now, but maybe that will change) Air France’s new Airbus A350 business class via Paris (this seems to be on routes from New York and Newark) Aeromexico’s Boeing 787-9 business class via Mexico City and another European gateway (I’m not seeing any award availability… am I missing something)? Air Europa’s Boeing 787-9 business class via Madrid (also not seeing any award availability, so curious if I’m missing something, or if SkyTeam is just being SkyTeam) American’s Boeing 777-300ER business class via London (that’s easy enough to book, and is a good backup)What would y’all find most interesting? Any other options I should consider, or tips on award availability I might be missing with Aeromexico, Air Europa, etc.?
I need to figure out how to get to Europe!
Bottom line
I have two very exciting review trips coming up. The first review trip is to Oman, while the second one involves Japan Airlines’ A350 first class, ZIPAIR’s flat bed whatever-class, MIAT Mongolian’s 787 and 737 business class, and one other product that I haven’t yet decided.
It should be a great start to the year for review trips, Thanks for reading, and happy new year to everyone!
Any thoughts or predictions on my itinerary? Stay tuned!