American Airlines Mistakenly Discounts Airfare by 90%. You Won't Believe What They Did Next!

Photo: AirlineReporter.com | Brandon Farris

Story originally published on AirlineReporter.com on August 27, 2015

Some customers found an unexpected and pleasant surprise last week while buying tickets online from American Airlines.

An apparent error on the airline’s website caused all published fares to be a mere fraction of normal prices for any ticket purchased.  It is unknown how long the error had existed, but information about the mistake was posted early in the day last Thursday on Flyertalk, a popular website and online forum for the frequent flyer community.

Flyertalk user flipside posted a screenshot image showing a round-trip business class ticket on American from Sao Paulo to Hong Kong that priced out to be R$1,255 Brazilian Reals (BRL), or approximately $350 US Dollars at today’s prevailing exchange rate.  The normal fare for that business class ticket is approximately US$3,350 (R$12,000); the same ticket in coach is about US$850 (R$3,060).  How could this sort of thing happen and, in cases like this, how would American respond?

Screenshot: Flyertalk | flipside.

Getting the fare wasn’t very straightforward, but instructions were given on how to change your “country of residence,” to Brazil, giving one access to the “mistake” fare.

Photo: AirlineReporter.com | Bernie Leighton

There is speculation that the error was caused when currency values were inadvertently transposed when the data was entered. Said another way, while the value of R$1.00 is approximately US$0.29, the data was entered as R$0.29 to US$1.00, or R$1.00 to US$3.45.  In layman’s terms, the US dollar was accidentally and massively overvalued against the real by a factor of almost 12 times, causing the resulting airfare to be about 1/10 the actual price.

The airline corrected the pricing error by late Thursday afternoon, and it is not known how many tickets were purchased with the error, but it was enough to create a days-long backlog in American’s Brazilian office, which is responsible for issuing the tickets, due to the fact that the fares were technically purchased in Brazil and charged in reals.

While American would not elaborate on the cause or details behind the error, a company representative did provide American’s official statement, saying, “American Airlines will honor mispriced fares that were booked last week in select international markets. We hope customers enjoy their experience with American and book with us again in the future.”

Photo: AirlineReporter.com | Bernie Leighton

This is in stark contrast to United Airlines’ decision when that airline suffered a similar pricing error in February of this year.  United chose to void “several thousand bookings,” bolstered by a U.S. Department of Transportation decision not to pursue any legal proceedings against the airline, after several complaints were submitted from passengers who had their itineraries canceled by United, even though tickets had been validated and issued for travel.  United claimed an element of fraud on behalf of customers, most of whom had to change their home country and currency to manipulate the booking system.

British Airways, a partner of American in the oneworld alliance, also canceled tickets issued just last week after a different pricing error caused trips from Germany traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to price at US$1,350 in first class.  Many users on Flyertalk are crying foul over the cancellations, as well as the way the refunds were processed, sometimes leaving customers hundreds of dollars short, due to fluctuating foreign exchange rates and fees.

There are also sporadic reports that in spite of American’s official stance in honoring their mistake fares, some itineraries are still being canceled, repriced to the original higher fares, or unable to be ticketed.  However, most reports on Flyertalk seemingly confirm that American is indeed processing and issuing the mispriced tickets.

One user reports booking an economy roundtrip from Seattle to Rio de Janeiro for US$175; others are flying as far as Europe and Australia without touching Brazil, and sometimes not even flying on flights operated by American.

Flyertalk user jfkeze found first class seats on American partner Cathay Pacific for $1,300,  traveling from Brazil to Hong Kong via the U.S.  Cathay maintains a Five-Star rating from Skytrax, recognizing the airline as one of the best in the world.

First class cabin on Cathay Pacific.
Photo: Cathay Pacific

As for flipside from Flyertalk, he was able to book nine trips in first and business class from Rio to Hong Kong, Sydney, New York, Singapore, and Miami.  They have all been ticketed, and he has already departed on the first of his trips.

Mistakes happen, and some companies choose to reverse their mistakes and minimize their own losses, while others choose  accept their mistakes to be consumer-friendly.  In this case, even with apparent support from their peers and a government opinion establishing precedence to do otherwise, American chose to go against the grain and own up to their mistake.

Spring 2015 Asian Escapade

Yes, I know I haven't finished my last trip report... but I wanted to give you a heads up that I just came back from another trip. As you can see below, we hit a lot of places in a short amount of time. I call it "run-and-gun" but it's definitely not for everyone.

I enjoy maximizing the return on value to visit cities I normally would just connect through; I previously wrote about utilizing stopover privileges, and how you can flex them to your advantage.

Read more: Maximize the Layovers on Your Itinerary

As the real-life example here, I was able to stretch out a simple trip to Vietnam to include stops in Tokyo and Kyoto during cherry blossom season, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Chicago.

The map of my flights:

Image source: Great Circle Mapper

What you see above is actually a combination of paid and award bookings (and another example of why it's so worth it to pay attention to miles!). The foundation of the whole trip is a purchased double open-jaw roundtrip, which had us flying Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT), then as the return Saigon (SGN) to Los Angeles (LAX). By flying back into LAX instead of SEA, I was able to save a couple hundred dollars in airfare, even after counting the cost of buying a separate one-way flight LAX-SEA.

Sidenote: You'll probably see me refer to "we" a few times. I'm fortunate enough to be able to travel with my wife and some friends of ours, so when you scale the savings up, it starts amounting to a lot!

To get from Japan to Vietnam, we cashed in some miles and flew in comfort while maxing out how much we could fly.

So I have a full report for you: flights, hotels, ground transportation, and experiences.  Our complete itinerary, so that you can visualize it and either envy or pity us:

• Alaska Airlines, from Seattle to Los Angeles
• American Airlines, from Los Angeles to Tokyo-Narita
• LAX Admirals Club
• Hyatt Regency Tokyo
• Shinkansen, from Tokyo to Kyoto
• Ryokan Ryokufuso
• Hotel Nikko Kansai
• Japan Airlines, from Osaka-Kansai to Taipei-Taoyuan
• KIX Sakura Lounge
• Grand Hyatt Taipei
• Cathay Pacific Airways, from Taipei-Taoyuan to Hong Kong
• TPE Business Class Lounge
• Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui
• Cathay Pacific Airways, from Hong Kong to Saigon
• HKG The Bridge Business Class Lounge
• Lan Lan 2 Hotel
• Vietnam Airlines, from Saigon to Danang
• Hyatt Regency Danang
• Vietnam Airlines, from Danang to Saigon
• Lan Lan 2 Hotel
• Phuong Trang/FUTA Buslines, from Saigon to Can Tho
• West Hotel
• Japan Airlines, Saigon to Tokyo-Haneda
• SGN The Bamboo Lounge
• American Airlines, from Tokyo-Narita to Chicago-O'Hare
• NRT Admirals Club
• Conrad Chicago
• American Airlines, from Chicago-O'Hare to Los Angeles
• Alaska Airlines, from Los Angeles to Seattle

So stay tuned!

Why Alaska Airlines is My New Favorite Carrier

Source: VNAFlyer

You may have noticed that, while this blog is about the airline industry in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, I write quite a bit about Alaska Airlines (AS).

Truth be told, being based in the United States, American Airlines (AA) is my carrier of choice, so much so that I reached 2 Million Miler status and earned lifetime Platinum (PLT) status.

However, AA has very limited routes along the west coast, so relies instead on their deep codesharing and frequent flyer partnership with AS.  Splitting my time between Los Angeles and Seattle and flying AS has given me the chance to truly appreciate the level of service AS provides.

What started as an incidental exposure on a few codeshare flights led me to request a status match with AS, which was gladly granted.  By virtue of my AA PLT status, AS matched me to their mid-tier equivalent MVP Gold (MVPG) status, which normally requires 40,000 miles flown on AS only, or 50,000 miles flown on AS and its partners.

I have to say that I've been very happy flying AS.  Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy flying AA and the benefits as an elite there. However, AS has definitely won me over with its customer-friendly policies for everyone, and generous benefits for elites. The AA+AS partnership is a fantastic one-two knockout punch.

Alaska's partner airlines chart.

Being a regional carrier that uses only variants of the Boeing 737 (B737) in its mainline operations, Alaska's shortcoming is the lack of long-haul international flights; however, it makes up for that by forging partnerships with several international airlines across alliances, a novel but effective approach for the independent carrier.

In fact, one can earn both redeemable miles (for award flights) and elite-qualifying miles (for elite status) towards AS's Mileage Plan (MP) program on no less than 5 Oneworld airlines (AA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN, and Qantas) and 5 Skyteam airlines (AeroMexico, Air France, Delta, KLM, and Korean Air), along with Middle East powerhouse Emirates and South Pacific carrier Fiji Airways.

As an mid-tier elite, I've been 100% successful on being upgraded into first class (6 of 6), and have also taken advantage of their Same Day Flight Change, where elites can switch to a different flight on the day of departure for no charge, so long as there is a seat available. Even for non-elites, the cost is only $25, which is very reasonable and doesn't require a passenger to sweat it out at the gate, since once the change is confirmed and the passenger is reticketed onto the new flight.

Other things like power at almost every seat, streaming entertainment, a liberal Price Guarantee, and their 20-minute Baggage Service Guarantee puts Alaska towards the front of the pack for domestic US flying.

I really am a fan of AS, especially in light of recent heavy competition from Delta (DL) moving into AS's home hub, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), as their own new hub and gateway to Asia (and yes, you did just read that AS and DL are supposed to be partners). Alaska has been lauded by experts for its ability to hold its own against one of the world's largest airlines in what's been popularly referred to as "The Battle in Seattle."

Since I'm now flying AS so much, I've decided to start a companion blog, ASFlyer, so that I can put in my AS-specific posts there.  In fact, I went into more detail in my first post on ASFlyer, "Why I Love Alaska Airlines, and Why You Should Too."

Follow ASFlyer for most information and updates on Alaska Airlines... the little airline that could.

Maximize the Layovers on Your Itinerary

It's always worth checking out if you can stay in your connection city on a stopover for a few days, especially if it's a city you enjoy or have never been to before. Even if a stopover isn't allowed, sometime's a longer connection time ("layover") is permitted.

Use layovers to visit places like Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Tokyo.

Being based in the US, I primarily fly American Airlines (AA), especially to get to an Asia gateway airport on my way to Vietnam.

I've found that on most AA international fares, or fares that include an international segment, so long as you are scheduled to be in your connecting city for less than 24 hours, it's not considered a stopover and therefore doesn't increase the price of your ticket by breaking your ticket up into two separate tickets (if stopovers aren't allowed). This "trick" works on many other airlines as well.

Typically on a purely domestic itinerary, AA generally requires you to take a connecting flight within 4 hours of your arrival at the connection city.

What I've found to be great this use of this layover rule is that it's scalable.. that is to say, the layover rule applies to all your connection points made en route, including any connections in the US. You can spend up to 23 hours, 59 minutes after your schedule arrival in each city, and it may cost exactly the same base fare (there are some variances in taxes and fees).

To illustrate: Let's say you are starting in Dallas (DFW) and in Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on your way to Saigon. A typical sample itinerary may look something like this:

Click to enlarge. Image source: ITASoftware

A standard roundtrip, same-day connections at each connection city, nothing out of the ordinary, prices out at US$873.

Now, what if you wanted to visit, say, Los Angeles for whatever reason (you've never been, you want to grab dinner with friends, you miss your family, etc.).  This is what happens when I price the itinerary with an overnight layover at LAX Airport:

Click to enlarge. Image source: ITASoftware

Notice that I'm scheduled to spend about 21 hours overnight in Los Angeles starting in the late afternoon, giving me enough time, e.g., to pickup my rental car, head to the beach for a couple of hours, grab dinner, grab plenty of sleep, go for a run along another beach, and grab breakfast, all before heading back to LAX to hop on my flight to NRT.

All this for the fare price of $890, or a mere $17 increase from the original boring itinerary, which is just the difference in taxes and airport fees.

If you're lucky, AA may even check your luggage (two free for all, by default) all the way to SGN, so you don't have to deal with it on your long layovers.

This is what happens if I decide to spend a few extra hours in Tokyo before heading to Saigon:

Click to enlarge. Image source: ITASoftware

Instead of a 1.5 hour connection in Tokyo, I now have 9 hours to visit, and it only added US$12 to the previous total. Granted, there's a change in airport, but 9 hours is a lot of time to be able to explore the city before heading to Haneda Airport (HND), which is situated much closer to the central city areas.

Finally, if you wanted to go all crazy on both the outbound and return legs, this is what you can do:

Click to enlarge. Image source: ITASoftware

As you can see here, on the way home back to DFW, I added a 23h05m layover in San Diego and a 23h19 layover in Chicago, all for a mere $51 increase from the original boring itinerary! Scalable...

Obviously, this type of trip isn't for everyone. I personally like taking the opportunity to get a taste of the cities I visit, even if just for a little bit. I figure, if I'm going to fly hours to get to some city, why not leave the airport for a little bit?

There are a few caveats to be aware of:

• Your fare type (shown as "Q" in the examples above) must be available on all your flight segments.
• Individual fare rules dictate layover maximum, number of connections, etc.
• Remember to keep it at 23 hours, 59 minutes or under. If you hit 24 hours, your connection becomes a stopover, which may trigger a stopover fee or break the fare into two separate (and usually more expensive) fares.
• You'll actually have to price and ticket this itinerary, either by manipulating AA.com or another travel site, using the "multi-city search" feature, or by having an AA agent (phone or airport) ticket what you want. Having an AA agent involved incurs a fee ($35 right now per passenger, but it's going up to $45 soon).
• This layover trick exist on other airlines as well, though your experience may vary.

If you know the rules, you can fully maximize your trip potential without adding much cost. It's a great way to experience new cities, or revisit favorite ones.

Let me know if you have any success with your long layovers!

5,000 Bonus AA Miles After First Stay Through Rocketmiles

Last week, I wrote about Rocketmiles' hotel booking site, and how they were enticing frequent flyers with a standard 1,000-mile bonus, with 3,000 bonus miles to some airlines, for booking and completing their first stay through the site, no minimum stay length required.

Alaska Airlines flyers were treated to a 5,000 miles signup bonus.

Today, Rocketmiles comes out with a 5,000 mile offer for American Airlines flyers. Just book before April 15, 11:59pm CT.

To ensure that you receive the bonus:

• Sign up for a Rocketmiles account by clicking on this link, which leads you to the AA bonus signup page (even though a pop-up window will indicate a 1,000-mile bonus; ignore that).
• The tricky part: Go back to that same link to the AA-specific page to search and make your first reservation. 
• I've been told by Rocketmiles that if the booking is completed on a different page, the bonus will not be applied. 
• Also, the bonus is null and void if someone cancels their first booking to make another one.

Follow the steps above and you should be able to get a one-night hotel stay for ~$100+ and 5,000 miles... not a bad return!

Disclosure: The links above will give me a small referral credit, for which I would be truly appreciative.

The full terms and conditions:

To be eligible for this promotion, the hotel reservation must be booked via the Rocketmiles mobile app with promo code "AA5000" OR using this promotional link by 11:59PM CT on April 15, 2015. Limited to first time customers and subject to investigation post-purchase. Limit one per customer. Limit one per stay. Promotional offer cannot be applied to existing bookings or retroactively applied to bookings not made using the link above. This promotional offer cannot be combined with any other offers, including a sign-up from referral bonus. Rocketmiles reserves the right to retract a bonus at any time if it detects technical errors, cancel/rebooking activity (defined by identical search criteria), or any deceptive behavior attempted to circumvent the limits expressed above, including multiple accounts. Please allow 2 weeks for bonus points to post in a qualifying member's account after hotel stay is completed and the qualifying member has met the stated conditions. If Rocketmiles is not contacted directly with a refund request until after miles/points have already been posted, any approved refund amount may be reduced by up to the full retail value of the reward. Rewards that cannot be posted due to incorrect or incomplete information may become ineligible after 12 months and no customer response to our e-mail outreach. See www.rocketmiles.com/terms for full terms, or call Rocketmiles concierges at 1-855-355-7625 with questions of eligibility or for any other assistance. Please contact your loyalty program directly for information about redeeming miles/points, or for questions about earning miles/points for past flights. American Airlines reserves the right to change the AAdvantage® program and its terms and conditions at any time without notice, and to end the AAdvantage® program with six months notice. Any such changes may affect your ability to use the awards or mileage credits that you have accumulated. Unless specified, AAdvantage® miles earned through this promotion/offer do not count toward elite-status qualification or AAdvantage Million MilerSM status. American Airlines is not responsible for products or services offered by other participating companies. For complete details about the AAdvantage® program, visit aa.com/aadvantage. American Airlines, AAdvantage, the Flight Symbol logo and AAdvantage Million Miler are trademarks of American Airlines, Inc.

Were you successful in earning the bonus? Let me know below! 

What is Rocketmiles? Let's Start with 1,000 Bonus Airline Miles...

Rocketmiles is a relatively new player to the travel game that incentivizes customers to book hotel stays through their platform with airline currency, sometimes many more miles or points than if they had booked on even the hotel's own website.

UPDATE: Rocketmiles is offering 3,000 bonus miles for some programs. Click here for details

CLICK HERE to sign up for Rocketmiles and earn 1,000 ADDITIONAL bonus points after your first stay

Many major airline frequent flyer programs are included in their network:

Rocketmiles partners include: Aeromexico (Club Premier), Air Canada (Aeroplan), Air France (Flying Blue), Alaska Airlines (Mileage Plan), Alitalia (Millemiglia), American Airlines (AAdvantage), British Airways, (Avios), Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles), Ethiopian (ShebaMiles), Etihad (Guest), Frontier Airlines (EarlyReturns), Hawaiian Airlines (HawaiianMiles), Icelandair (Saga Club), JetBlue (TrueBlue), Jet Airways (JetPrivilege), KLM (Flying Blue), Malaysia Airlines (Enrich), Norwegian Airlines (Reward), Qatar Airways (Privilege Club), Royal Jordanian (Royal Plus), Saudi Arabian Airlines/Saudia (Alfursan), Southwest Airlines (Rapid Rewards), Turkish Airlines (Miles & Smiles), United Airlines (Mileage Plus), US Airways (Dividend Miles), Virgin America (Elevate)

Reservations booked through Rocketmiles are credited with 500-5,000 miles per night, roughly based on the rate itself (or more accurately, on Rocketmiles' commission). This can be a lucrative deal for those who were needing to book a hotel stay anyway, as they claim to have the same prevailing rates as hotel and other travel websites. Refundable rates are also available, though Rocketmiles will charge your card first and refund later if you cancel within the hotel's policy.

For business travelers who book their own rooms for work and expense it later, Rocketmiles will produce a receipt that does not mention the bonus miles.

Here's a quick sample search for the Intercontinental Tokyo Bay on April 1 for a one-night stay for 2 persons (I like American Airlines' AAdvantage program myself, so I selected it):

Given the small variance in exchange rates, at a cancelable rate of $326 per night, Rocketmiles' pricing in this case is right on the mark with Intercontinental and Orbitz, but with the added bonus of 5,000 AAdvantage miles per night (I can't emphasize that enough). A five-night stay for 25,000 miles would be enough for an round-trip domestic award ticket on American.

Compare this to the Intercontinental's IHG Rewards program awarding only about 3,250 points in their program (10 points per dollar), which equals a prorated amount of 650 AA miles.

And of course Orbitz has its own rewards program, Orbucks, which earns credit towards future Orbitz hotel bookings. I can redeem AA miles at 7 cents a piece, which values 5,000 miles at $350... much more valuable than $12 in hotel credit. Even at a low valuation of 1.5 cents per mile, Rocketmiles gives you a return of $75.

The same search also yields a 5,000 mile/point reward for a couple more programs that I value highly: Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan and Avios, used by both British Airways and Iberia.

Here's another search for the Grand Hyatt New York on May 1 for one night for 2:

This time, it's the same prepaid rate of $299. Rocketmiles will give you 3,000 AA miles. Hyatt will give you only 500 AA miles or 1000 Hyatt Gold Passport points (you have to pick one). Orbitz gives you $10.40 in Orbucks.

As with any rewards program, there are some caveats to note:

• Sometimes Rocketmiles will be more expensive; only you can decide if it's worth the extra cost.
• Stays booked through Rocketmiles MAY NOT earn points or elite stay credit to the hotel's loyalty program, and some hotel brands even take away any elite benefits for staying at their property..
• There is no "best rate guarantee" so if the price drops, you'd have to cancel and rebook your stay, assuming that you can still cancel your reservation..
• They have a limited portfolio of hotels.

Rocketmiles is a great program for:

• People who have no loyalty to any hotel, brand, or program, or don't need stay credit.
• Business travelers whose employers allow self-booking and expensing.
• Anyone with a longer stay at a higher-end hotel.
• Earning rewards when there is usually none.

To that last point, there seems to be quite a number of independent hotels that don't even have their own rewards program, so it's nice to be able to earn something, even if it's just 1,000 miles.

On the flip side of the coin, Rocketmiles may not work out so well for:

• Hotel elites looking to earn stay credit for their status.
• Those who are required to use a corporate travel agency.
• Some elites who want to exercise their status during their stay.

If you sign up using this referral link, you will earn an additional 1,000 miles/points after your first stay, on top of the miles you would normally earn. Of course, you don't have to use the link, but if you did, I would very appreciative.

Tell us about your Rocketmiles experience by commenting below!

2,700+ AAdvantage Miles for Purchasing Bose Headsets

Earn 2,700+ AAdvantage miles when you purchase from Nordstrom via the AAdvantage Shopping portal by February 26.

I'm a fan of Bose, especially for their noise canceling technology, and their latest headset, the QuietComfort 25, has been receiving rave reviews. As a frequent flyer, these headsets are a necessity, to drown out noise not only in planes but also at airports and other public spaces.

I found the over-the-ear design to be very comfortable and the active noise cancellation was superb, so I was in the market for a pair and have been waiting for the "right moment" to pull the trigger. Others prefer the QC20s, which are in-ear buds with active noise cancellation and a much smaller form factor.

Both the QC20 and QC25 retails for $299, and Bose is known for fixing its prices no matter who the retailer is, so rarely will you find a discount directly off that price. The best you can hope for is some sort of secondary or indirect incentive from the retailer of your choice, such as free add-ons.

I happen to fly American Airlines (AA) a lot, especially to access an Asian gateway airport to connect to Vietnam Airlines, and AAdvantage miles are some of the more valuable airline currency out there.

Therefore, I tend to look for ways to maximize AA miles for purchases. The AAdvantage eShopping portal is one place to check, as it has a large network of online retailers, many of whom offer in-store pickup and/or free shipping.

As it happens, Bose itself is listed in the portal, offering 3 miles per dollar spent, which would be about 900 miles earned from purchasing a set of QC25s.

The best bonus I've seen anywhere for purchasing Bose headsets was 1,500 miles for the previous generation QC15 if purchased through a special link.

Fortunately, several other retailers sell the QC25, and I believe I just found the most lucrative offer currently available... Nordstrom has a special offer of 9 miles/$ spent until February 26 (it's normally 4 miles/$), meaning you can earn over 2,700 miles, since the total purchase price including taxes is used to calculate bonus miles.

Nordstrom also offers free shipping, free returns, and has its own rewards program for using select Nordstrom cards (don't worry, no referral links here). As an example, my QC25 purchase along with couple of other items was enough to earn me a $20 Nordstrom credit I can use on a future purchase.

Of course, if you like Nordstrom anyway, this may be the perfect time for you to start earning miles on things you were already going to buy.

Those who want to take points earning up a notch can use a rewards card that offers 5x points for buying gift cards, including for Nordstrom, from office supply stores. Do a Google search and you'll see what I mean.

Make sure you allow the AAdvantage eShopping website to save cookies to your browser, and don't close the window out. Otherwise, the can't properly track your purchase and credit your bonus miles.

Trip Report: Getting Shanghaied from Seattle

Intro: Ticketing and Getting Ready

This is the first chapter of this trip report; however I did start writing this report starting in the middle, when I met up with my VNA flight. 

Other chapters:

• Intro: Ticketing and Getting Ready (current entry)
• Checking in at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA); SEA-LAX on Alaska Airlines
• Quick stop in Los Angeles
• Checking in at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• LAX-PVG on American Airlines
• Another quick stop in Shanghai
• Getting to Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) and checking in with VNA
• PVG-SGN on Vietnam Airlines
• Arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN)

Being based in the US, I do have to fly other airlines to get to Vietnam (or to connect to a Vietnam Airlines [VNA] flight) since VNA can't fly directly to the US. My preferred carrier is American Airlines (AA), and on this trip my lovely wife and I were starting our trip in Seattle (SEA).

Our itinerary:

• Outbound
• Day 1: Fly from SEA-Los Angeles (LAX) on Alaska Airlines (AS); spend the night in Los Angeles (14 hours)
• Day 2: Fly from LAX to Shanghai (PVG) on AA; spend the night in Shanghai (20 hours)
• Day 3: Fly from PVG to Saigon (SGN) on VNA, reaching our final destination.
• Return
• Day 1: Fly from SGN to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on Japan Airlines (JL); 1.5 hours connection in NRT, then flying NRT-LAX on AA; spend the night in Los Angeles (23 hours)
• Day 2: Fly LAX-SEA, completing our trip.

Image source: Seattle/Tacoma
International Airport / Facebook

Even though our first flight was with AS, it was still an AA-issued ticket and it was the controlling carrier by virtue of the international segment operated by AA.

We were able to take advantage of some long layovers allowed by our fare rules, so we were able to visit family in LA twice, as well as visit Shanghai.

This trip required me to go out to the airport to book and ticket, not because it was complicated, but because there seemed to be a problem with AA's system communicating with JL's systems and showing the correct availability.

The airport agent was quite surprised that anyone decided to come in personally to book a ticket, but I'm glad I did. It took him several attempts but he finally managed to get the system to book my itinerary (again, it wasn't because of the complexity, it was because JL's system denied that there was the available fare). With printed confirmation in hand, I go home to pack up and leave in a few days' time.

Read more: VNAFlyer's Packing Guide for Carryons (and Packing Them)

Travel Documents

Thankfully, my U.S. passport still has several years before expiration (entry into Vietnam requires at least 6 months of validity), and I have a visa waiver issued from Vietnam (valid for 5 years), meaning that I'm not required to apply for a visa when I visit. The stress of having the apply for the visa and wait for it to be issue is eliminated, and I can focus on other things.

Image source: US CBP

I've also previously signed up for Global Entry (GE), an expedited reentry program from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Part of the "Trusted Traveler" family of programs, GE holders agree to a background check to be declared as low-risk and be given access to lines for both passport and customs inspections upon returning to a U.S. airport, so that the holder does not have to stand in the regular lines.

My first time using GE was at LAX, before the most recent renovations to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. I decided to time myself from the opening of the aircraft door to exiting the building: 18 minutes, the majority of which was waiting for my checked bags to come out. I had essentially skipped every line, and never had to wait behind anyone. I had lunch with a friend last week who took 4 hours to exit LAX, and that's as a US citizen.

Image source: TSA

Also included with Global Entry is TSA Pre-Check, which you may have seen at the airport. Pre-Check allows for expedited security screening (again, on the basis that you're a trusted traveler), and gives access to a special line where you do NOT have to take off your shoes or take out your laptop.

The application fee for Global Entry costs $100, and is non-refundable if you are happened to be denied. After applying online, you'll have to schedule an interview at a Global Entry office (located at most major airports).

A similar program called NEXUS costs just $50 and allows the holder to also enter Canada on an expedited basis. However, the required interview must be scheduled at a border office, and appointments are usually booked months in advance because it requires the presence of a Canadian immigration agent as well.

If you can get to the border, and have plenty of lead time, NEXUS is the best deal, costing half of Global Entry yet including all the benefits.

Next chapter: Checking in at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA); SEA-LAX on Alaska Airlines

American Confirms 1st 787 International Routes to Beijing, Buenos Aires

American Airlines (AA), which took delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (B788) last month, officially announced today the first revenue flights for the new advanced widebody aircraft.

AA's B788 will be based at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), AA's headquarters and main hub. On May 7, it will initial fly domestic familiarization and training flights to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) twice daily.

On June 2, the B788 will make its inaugural international flight from DFW to Beijing, China (PEK). After its return from PEK, on June 4 it will then fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE).

These flights will be available for booking starting this Saturday, February 14.

"We look forward to welcoming our international customers onboard the 787 with its modern amenities and comforts beginning this summer," said Andrew Nocella, American's chief marketing officer. "Adding the 787 Dreamliner to our network gives us the opportunity to increase our efficiency on long-haul flights across the globe and potentially open up new markets in our network. It's a big win for customers and just the latest example of how American is going for great."

For travelers from the United States to Vietnam, AA's DFW-PEK flight opens up another option, as AA fare rules generally allow passengers to connect in China onto Vietnam Airlines (VNA) and other carriers. For instance, a passenger can fly DFW-PEK then onward to Saigon (SGN) or Hanoi (HAN) on VNA.

VNA is set to take delivery of its own Dreamliner later this year.

The B788 will have 2 classes of service, with 28 lie-flat seats in business class with all-aisle access, arranged in a unique 1-2-1, foreward/backward-facing configuration. In-flight entertainment is on a 15.3-inch HD touchscreen, and Bose noise canceling headsets will be provided. A walk-up bar for midflight drinks and snacks will also be available.

In economy, there are 198 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, 48 of which will be in the extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra section, reserved for the airline's elite passengers and also available for a fee. Each economy seat will feature a 9-inch HD touchscreen.

All seats will feature universal AC and USB power outlets, as well as onboard Wi-Fi.

AA has ordered 42 Boeing 787s in total, in both the -8 and the stretched -9 versions, with options for 58 more.

Maximizing China's Transit Without Visa (TWOV)

Have you ever wanted to visit China, but didn't want to pay for a visa?

Typically, China requires those who enter the country to have a visa, even if it's just to connect to another international flight at the airport on the same day.

However, there is a program that allows certain passengers who transit through a Chinese airport without a standard visa, or transit without visa (TWOV), for no fee. There are variances at different airports, but in Shanghai, Beijing, and other major hubs, a transit passenger can have up to 72 hours in China without a visa IF they are connecting to another flight out of the country.

To qualify for TWOV, transiting passengers must:

• Arrive at the airport from outside China.
• Depart the airport within 72 hours of the time-stamped arrival;
• Have a confirmed onward flight to a third country;
• You must show a printed itinerary, boarding pass, or receipt showing your flight.
• It does not have to be part of the same reservation; it can be a separate booking.
• You cannot return to the country from which you came.
• You cannot fly to another Chinese airport before leaving for a third country.
• For the purposes of TWOV, Hong Kong and Macau are considered separate from China. 
• Be a citizen of a country on the approved list for TWOV.
• The United States is on the list.

Passengers not meeting the requirements above must acquire a visa to enter China. The visa costs US$140 (as of 2/6/2015) for US citizens, but China made a change that makes the visa valid for 10 years and multiple entries. Prior to that, the visa would have been for one single entry.

The visa indeed costs more for US citizens than for others, frankly because it's reciprocal... the US charges Chinese and other citizens US$160 to apply for a tourist visa.

Many itineraries to Vietnam will route through one of the major Chinese airports. In December, I flew from Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) on American Airlines (AA), which then connected to a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) flight to Saigon (SGN).

Entry and exit stamps from China,
along with the blue TWOV stamp.

I wanted to stay in Shanghai overnight, so requested a TWOV when I reached immigration inspection at PVG. I had prepared a printed itinerary showing my confirmed flight on VNA the next day and handed that over to the immigration officer, who retrieved special stamps to indicate TMOV on my passport.

There is also an immigration form to fill out (typically handed out on your flight before arrival). When you're stamped in, they take the entry half of the form, and give you a stub that you must present when you go through exit immigration.

Thanks to China's fee-free TWOV, my wife and I were able to explore Shanghai for exactly 23 hours overnight.

VNA Aims to fly Saigon to Los Angeles Direct in 2016

Author's Note: A substantial version of this entry was originally posted on the Flyertalk.com forum on January 1, 2015.

VNA outlines its fleet and route expansion plans in its IPO prospectus, including the desire for direct SGN-LAX service in 2016.

In Vietman Airlines' (VNA's) initial public offering (IPO) prospectus, a very interesting tidbit popped out at me, regarding VNA's route expansion plans:

"North America: We carefully expand our presence in this market in order to maintain the efficiency of the entire network. In specific, to develop our trans-Pacific network, route from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles will be inaugurated in 2016 while flights to San Francisco, Washington and Vancouver will be inaugurated when applicable."

Obviously a lot can happen (or not happen) in 1-2 years. I do think the lynchpin to this whole expansion plan is the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) acceptance of Vietnam-flagged aircraft into US airports, and that's predicated by Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAV) meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization's safety standards.

VNA must be very optimistic that the issues can be worked out.

If you'll allow me to indulge in my own speculation:

• The FAA will have to give VNA their blessing sometime in 2015 to make the 2016 timeframe work.
• SGN-LAX would instantly become VNA's crown jewel route (sorry Paris-CDG). 
• VNA would throw the best equipment they have on this route if available, so an Airbus A350 (A359), which has more seats than a Boeing 787-9 (B789)... or may even push VN into acting on their memo of understanding in regards to the Airbus A380,
• I see San Francisco (SFO) going A359; Vancouver and Washington, DC could go B789.
• San Jose (SJC) will try give VNA the kitchen sink to win the route over SFO; it would be more convenient to the expatriate & refugee population centered in San Jose, and SJC would love to have another Asian destination (in addition to Tokyo [NRT] on ANA [NH]).
• I'm surprised Houston (IAH) wasn't mentioned, perhaps it was an oversight? A B789 would work well on that route.
• Since launching SGN-LAX would require a bilateral agreement, I would guess that a US-based carrier would launch service to compete with VNA. The obvious choice would be United (UA), as they already fly to SGN via Hong Kong (HKG). However, I'm putting my money with long odds on American (AA) with a B789.

What do you think?

Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

Sources confirm details on business class seats, as well as two different configurations in economy for leased and purchased aircraft.

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Image source: Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has been very quiet regarding the interior plans of its newest widebody aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B789) and Airbus A350-900 (A359), especially in light of the fact that VNA is due to take delivery of its first of both models within the next few months.

When the order was first announced in 2005, VNA was expected to take delivery of 16 of the smaller 787-8 (B788) in 2009, but the Dreamliner program experienced years of delay. In the interim, VNA opted to change their order to the stretched B789 model, which pushed delivery back even further. Subsequently, additional units were ordered.

The acquisition was a mix of direct purchases and leasing agreements. This is important because the cabins in the leased aircraft will be different from airframes owned by VNA.

VNAFlyer, through unnamed sources familiar with VNA's fleet renewal plans, has learned the seat types and cabin configuration for its soon-to-be-delivered B789s.

Business Class

Translated caption: VIP guests of
Vietnam Airlines will experience
Class C (business class) service on
Airbus A350 aircraft. Image source:
baogiaothong.vn

The first purported detail of the new seats came from a Vietnamese website showing a screen capture from a local TV show of VNA demonstrating a new business class seat to be used on their A359s (H/T: Flyertalk user soorox). While the screencap is low quality, it does look like a version of the Cirrus seat from Zodiac Aerospace, 

VNAFlyer can confirm that the Zodiac Cirrus is indeed the premium seat selected for VNA's Dreamliners, and very likely for its A359s as well. This represents a huge leap forward in passenger comfort from the seats currently in its widebody fleet. (Note: VNA does not offer a first-class cabin on any of its fleet.)

Current B777 business class seat.
Image source: Vietnam Airlines

Cirrus Seats
Image source: Zodiac Aerospace

I have been fortunate enough to sit in a few versions of this seat on various airlines, and they were fantastic. The most important design element is having seats that lie completely flat and parallel to the floor, a big win for passengers being able to more easily rest or sleep. 

Reverse herringbone layout.
Image source: American Airlines

Also, the "reverse-herringbone" layout of the cabin gives all passengers unimpeded, direct aisle access without disturbing anyone else. For the airlines, there is very little impact on seating capacity, since each row saves space by tucking a passenger's feet under the arm console of the row in front, giving the passenger room to stretch their legs while spacing the rows closer together.

Add in ample storage, easy to use controls, plenty of privacy, charging outlets, and a huge entertainment screen (AA uses a 15.4" touchscreen), and you have yourself one heck of a seat offering from VNA. The in-flight entertainment system will be sourced from Panasonic.

Image source: Cathay Pacific

Overall, the Zodiac Cirrus widely receives high praise from frequent flyers and business travelers alike. While the specific details of VNA's version are not yet available, you can see how other airlines utilize the Cirrus to outfit and refresh their premium cabins, notably: Air France, American, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, and EVA.

VNA will have 28 business seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. This likely represents 7 rows occupying the space between the 1st and 2nd doors (Air Canada manages to cram 30 Cirrus seats into the same area).

Deluxe Economy

Image Source: Aircraft Interiors
Expo/TIMCO

With the B789s and A359s destined for long-haul service, VNA will retain its premium economy product (called Deluxe Economy), using the TIMCO (now HAECO) 3050 Featherweight Premium Economy seats, offering up to 10-15 degrees in recline, minimum 38" pitch, up to 75-degree leg rest, a 4-way headrest, and a max 10.4" screen (VNA-specific configuration not available). These seats have articulating cushions, so when a passenger "leans back" the seat doesn't intrude into the space of the passenger behind.

However, Deluxe Economy will only exist on their owned aircraft. Leased B789s will not have a Deluxe Economy section, and will be all regular economy instead (see below).

More slightly bad news... the first few B789s off the line will be leased.

On VNA's purchased B789s, the deluxe economy section will have 35 seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. You can also find these seats on Thomson Airways' Dreamliners as well as in the premium cabins of many narrowbody fleets. 

Image source: JetBlue

Economy

The economy cabin will feature the B/E Aerospace Pinnacle, the lightest aircraft seats in the market. Notably, Delta Air Lines recently tapped B/E Aerospace to install the Pinnacle on 225 of its narrowbody fleet. JetBlue is also using this model to refurbish 70 of its aircraft, and installing it on 30 new deliveries. While slimline seats have generally been panned as being uncomfortable, B/E's version seems to garner less ire from passengers.

VNA will install 211 of these seats in the economy section of their purchased B789. No word yet on pitch, entertainment options, or other dimensions, but don't be surprised if VNA uses a 3-3-3 layout.

On leased aircraft, removing 35 Deluxe economy seats allows for the addition of 72 more regular seats, boosting the number to 283.

Possible Seat Map?

Taking the information above and comparing to what other airlines have done, I've extrapolated this mockup of what VNA's B789 seat map may look like with Deluxe Economy:

Note: This is only a mockup, and it's for B789s purchased by VNA, which will be delivered later.

And in a 2-class configuration without Deluxe Econmy:

Note: This is only a mockup, and it's for B789s leased by VNA, which will be delivered first.

Final Thoughts

While I feel that there isn't much variance between different types of premium economy and economy seats (and most passengers probably don't notice anyway), VNA's selection of Zodiac's Cirrus seat for business class definitely elevates its premium game in the region. It stands to reason that the same seats will be used for both the B789 and A359. 

The carrier will need to continue on this trajectory to be able to compete with the likes of THAI Airways and Singapore Airlines, as well as stay ahead of other competing carriers. I certainly hope that VNA management realizes that an outstanding hard product alone won't help much... they'll have to revamp their on-board soft product to the same degree, as well as vastly improve their customer service both onboard and on the ground.

What do you think? Does this make you want to give VNA a try (or come back)?

By the way, the first planned long-haul revenue service on the B789 is to London Heathrow (LHR), split between Saigon (SGN) and Hanoi (HAN). While there are reports that this would commence in July of this year, I'm guessing that it won't happen until at least August, since delivery is right around end of May.

UPDATE: Vietnam Airlines: In-Flight Wi-Fi to be Available on New 787, A350 Aircraft