Asiana A380 First Class Enclosed Suites Review (JFK to ICN) [2019]

Crossing the Pacific ocean is a long journey no matter how much you love to fly. Like most people, I prefer longer flights when it’s comfy and this Asiana first class flight delivered in the comfort department and also came with the added benefit of a wonderfully delicious dining experience in a suite with a door.

In this review, from New York (JFK) to Seoul (ICN) on their A380, I will go over one of the most underrated first class products as it provides some of the best food you might try on a plane with a private seat.

Booking Asiana first class

Asiana Routes

Asiana has only two first class routes from Incheon Seoul – ICN to North America.

Sadly, Asiana is re-naming their first class to business suites September 1, 2019. What we know is, Asiana business suites will be business class service and catering with the first class seat.

  • New York (JFK)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)

Asiana does service other cities that have two class configurations with economy and business class.

  • Chicago (ORD)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • Seattle (SEA)
  • Honolulu (HNL)

Asiana Points, miles and fees

I ended up booking my Asiana first class seat using Avianca LifeMiles when there was an award redemption sale.

Normally it costs 90,000 LifeMiles for a one-way award flight, but because of the sale, I was able to redeem the seat for 72,000 LifeMiles and $30.60 in fees one-way in first class on Asiana.

LifeMiles transfers from Amex Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou Points (and now Capital One). Plus, LifeMiles runs many promotions for buying miles on the cheap, which I ended up doing because I didn’t want to transfer points and instead pay for this flight because of the promotion.

JFK Lounge

I ended up going to Delta Sky Club – Terminal 4 – after my arrival from Detroit (DTW) to finish up some work.

Asiana uses Swiss business class lounge. Swiss’ lounge is very tiny and offering nothing special. It’s still better than the gate with a quiet section, but the lounge closes about 30 minutes before boarding. This means you are kicked out of the lounge. 

Because it’s so busy in the lounge, I opted out to take pictures of the lounge itself. Sorry.

Boarding

I have no pictures of the boarding process or the complete mess it was at the gate. So, I will do my best to describe the limited amount of space that is given at the gate for all the passengers for the A380.

The seating area at the gate is just not enough. Most people had to sit at other gates or stand. There isn’t enough room for economy and business class lines. JFK or Asiana needs to have a better gate to accommodate this A380!

Also, during boarding economy and first board through the same most forward door. Meaning, all the economy passengers will walk through the first class cabin. Luckily the flight attendants offered to close your suite’s door while economy passengers walk to their seat.

Asiana first class seat

The first class cabin is a 3 row 1-2-1 configuration on the lower deck of the A380. These seats are considered as an enclosed suite. The seat itself will remind you of a lounge chair with the feature of going into a fully lie-flat position for bed-mode.

The seat features storage compartments all along the left side with the tray table. There is floor storage under the ottoman.

When it comes to first class seats, these are standard as they are comparable to Garuda Indonesia first class but better than Lufthansa first class as Asiana picked a more private design with a door. However, colors used for the cabin and seat are very boring, but that doesn’t mean I was bored flying this superb seat. 

The seat itself was clean with minimum wear and tear. All surfaces of the seat felt clean and I didn’t think about taking out my wet wipes to clean the surfaces or walls of the suite.

Asiana first class seat 3A
Asiana first class seat 3A (wide angle lens)
Asiana first class seat 3A (wide angle lens)
Asiana first class seat 3A (wide angle lens)
Asiana first class seat 3A
Asiana first class seat 3A
Asiana first class seat 3A
Asiana first class seat 3A
Asiana first class seat 3A

The suite is not fully-enclosed, but high enough where someone has to purposely lean over to actually see into the suite. I am 5’10” (178 cm) and when I visited the lavatory I couldn’t see into the suites. The blind like slats in the suite doors cannot be seen through from the aisle side, but from the seat, you can only see the floor as they are angled down.

Asiana first class seat 3A (wide angle lens)

As you can see the middle seats have a divider that goes down for taxiing, take-off, and landing, but it can go up during the flight if you wish.

Asiana first class seat 3A

What makes these seats wonderful is the fact they support two-person dining. This allows someone to sit at the other end of the tray table and dine with someone else they desire. Sadly, I couldn’t test it out as I was flying alone but would love to as Asiana has a wonderful dining experience.

I find these seats very private with the door open or closed as you cannot see person or seat across the aisle. The great thing about this seat is the fact that it doesn’t limit you from talking to your seatmate if you’re seated in the middle and it still allows you to see out of all the windows if you’re seated at a window seat.

Waiting at the seat were Bose headphones, a Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, two pillows (one in plastic, and a blanket). Once I got settled into my seat, a crew member came over asking what I wanted to drink that is non-alcohol as they want to not pay taxes on alcohol in the US. The crew also made some small talk and went over the flight time, and even closing the doors of suites as we waited to be pushed back from the gate.

Asiana first class amenity kit
Asiana first class amenity kit
Asiana first class amenity kit

I asked for water as they didn’t have my first choice, which is watermelon juice. I got the water with some warm mixed nuts and immigration forms.

Water and warm mixed nuts as my pre-departure beverage

The crew came around again with two sizes of men’s PJs. I chose M size, which is medium. I found the PJs nice and still use them to this day, but there are no pockets.

Asiana first class PJs

You might have noticed, but there was no wifi card or talk about free wifi for first class passengers. It’s because Asiana doesn’t have wifi onboard. For a 12 hour flight, you might expect wifi, but on this flight, there isn’t any wifi.

You can control everything about your suite from the lighting to the seat position. It’s easy to move and customize or select one of the presets available.

Asiana first class seat controls
Asiana first class seat controls
Asiana first class seat controls

During boarding, I went ahead and filmed a mini seat tour trying to show everything about the seat.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjDI7tQrNPY[/embedyt]

Asiana first class dining

Dining on Asiana makes your mouth water. No, there isn’t a huge menu like Emirates or Singapore book the cook, but with its somewhat limited menu makes for amazing quality in food compared to the former that I mentioned.

I would say it’s comparable to ANA when it comes to quality, but in some areas, it really shines.

The lunch menu reads as followed:

Note that snack is actually the “breakfast” menu.

The beverage menu reads as followed:

Once I ordered my meal, I chose the Korean set, one of the lovely flight attendants came over with a warm towel and then a few minutes later came to set the table.

Warm towel

If you don’t care for traditional Korean food, you can switch any of the items you desire, so you can mix and match the food. Since I chose to keep the Korean set as it is, I got 3 starters, plus caviar.

The first starter was ginko nut and dried date. The ginko nuts were not for me, but I do like dates and enjoyed half of this starter.

Asiana first class ginko nut and dried date starter
Asiana first class ginko nut and dried date starter

Then came the caviar, which is my favorite part of any first class flight. The caviar presentation is very classic with lots of onions. Notice there is a mother of pearl spoon and the size of caviar. It was a good size. I ended up pairing it with both champagnes which are Barns de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs and Laurent Perrier Brut. I prefer the Rothschild over Laurent as Laurent reminds me of sparkling wine. 

Notice the lovely red rose that they gave me. 🙂

Asiana first class table setting with rose
Asiana first class caviar
Asiana first class caviar

After the caviar course, I got turnip vegetable rolls, which is the second starter item.

It tasted fresh and love the tomato carved out for sauce that goes on the rolls. This was my favorite starter after the caviar.

Asiana first class turnip vegetable roll
Asiana first class turnip vegetable roll

For the last starter, I got Korean pumpkin porridge ‘hobakjuk’. I am not a fan of porridge or pumpkin, but this pumpkin porridge was actually decent.

Asiana first class Korean pumpkin porridge ‘hobakjuk’
Asiana first class Korean pumpkin porridge ‘hobakjuk’

Then it was time for the main course, the most exciting part of the whole meal, and it was brought on a huge tray. Bibimbap and beef short rib bulgalbi. There were so many side dishes that made me so happy that I was returning to Korea.

In short, the bibimbap was very yummy and definitely worth the whole plane ride as it was just massive. The only complaint I have is the level of spiciness. The gochujang wasn’t spicy and I had to ask for more and they brought a ton for me. 

A flight attendant did offer to make the bibimbap for me, but I like to mix it myself so I declined her offer.

It was so massive I had to stand up to take pictures of the whole tray. Actually, it was very hard to take pictures of the bibimbap as it was massive, so I am sorry for poorly framed photos.

Asiana first class bibimbap and beef short rib bulgalbi
Asiana first class bibimbap and beef short rib bulgalbi

For dessert, there was yummy bean jelly with chestnut that I loved. The sweet rice cake was good, but it’s just too chewy. I only had the strawberry and pineapple, both tasted sweet.

Asiana first class bean jelly with chestnut, deep-fried sweet rice cake, and fruit
Asiana first class bean jelly with chestnut, deep-fried sweet rice cake, and fruit

After the meal, I had a nice 8 hours of sleep and woke up slightly hungry. So, I asked if it’s alright to eat breakfast now. The flight attendant said of course and took my order. I did ask for my caviar, but they said there isn’t anymore. I then tried to order off the “lunch” menu, the same menu that I ordered off at the beginning of the flight, but the flight attendant said the food isn’t fresh anymore so it’s not available.

Therefore, I ordered off the western menu from the snack menu, which is technically breakfast on this flight. At first, I got a hot towel and some ginseng tea.

Ginseng tea and hot towel

For the appetizer, I got marinated shrimp prosciutto. I am not a fan of prosciutto, so I skipped that and only ate the shrimp. The shrimp with the greens was yummy and a good way to start the meal.

Asiana first class marinated shrimp and prosciutto
Asiana first class marinated shrimp and prosciutto

Next up was the main course and I ordered a wonderful beef brochette served with teriyaki sauce, vegetables, and steamed rice. It was cooked just right with lots of flavors that made my mouth water while eating it.

It was neat to see the beef on skewers too and the flight attendant offered me gochujang. 

Asiana first class beef brochette
Asiana first class beef brochette

Last, but not least, for dessert, I got a yummy fruit tart and some more ginseng tea.

Asiana first class fruit tart and ginseng tea
Asiana first class fruit tart and ginseng tea

Overall, the whole dining experience tasted great. Even though they have no wifi, I would fly Asiana again for all of the food.

Asiana first class service

The service on my flight was wonderful. The flight attendants didn’t waste time calling me by name, but they seemed to like to be onboard working. They offered many things making sure I was happy, but it wasn’t just me as they did it with every other person in the cabin. 

It was sad to leave the flight as they were so nice, but it just makes me want to fly Asiana first class again.

In contrast, I flew Asiana economy a year before this flight and enjoyed it as well because of the flight attendants.

Asiana first class bed

A fully lie-flat bed flying will always be my favorite seat on a plane. With the doors shut, it is great to not see people walk by when you sleep. No, it’s not as private as Emirates new 777 first class, which is my favorite first class seat I have tried to date. However, Asiana offers nice bedding, two pillows, with a thin mattress pad.

I slept about 8 hours on this flight. I found the cabin slightly cold sometimes, but I like it warmer than most people.

To make the bed, just ask one of the flight attendants and they will make it for you. During that time, you can brush your teeth and change into the PJs they gave you for a nice nights sleep.

The only negative about the bed is the thin mattress pad. It was still comfy and I liked it, but if you prefer plush, you might be a little disappointed with the mattress pad they put down. It’s still softer than Singapore first class seats in bed mode, but not as soft as Emirates first class beds, it’s a good in-between product. Otherwise, the bed is good with lots of room and privacy.

Me in Asiana first class bed with the seat belt on
Asiana first class bed (wide angle lens)
Asiana first class bed (wide angle lens)

Final word

I love to travel for food and Asiana first class catered some of the best food I have had on a plane. Even though the flight didn’t have wifi, I enjoyed it more than my Cathay Pacific first class flight that didn’t have wifi as well. 

Overall, I cannot wait to fly Asiana first class again and hope I can share the dining experience with someone else. I just hope when Asiana changes their first class to business suites that they keep everything the same, but we will have to wait and see when they rebrand first class to business suites on September 1, 2019.

ITA Matrix Guide: (Extension Codes & Power Features) [2019]

ITA Matrix can be described as the most customizable search engine for searching for flights. It’s what Google uses as their backbone for Google Flights and what airlines use to make their website search engine work better.

In this article, I will go over common uses of ITA Matrix and what you could do with the software. While at first glance it looks somewhat dated, it’s definitely not about looks and much more about what you can do with some of the key power features, such as extension codes.

What is ITA Matrix?

ITA Matrix is one of the most frequently used programs in the award travel community.

ITA software is developed for airlines search engines. Think of it as the backend of their search engines on their own website. So, ITA Matrix is an extension of the software for the consumer level.

Matrix 3.0 software is capable of a handful of different tasks. One could use the software for finding out fuel surcharges, mileage runs possibilities, and advance mixed cabin solutions for first and business class. The amount of controls one has with the software creates almost infinite possibilities.

Sadly, beyond searching for flights and displaying prices, there is no possible way to book and pay for the flight you find on Matrix. So, one has to manually replicate the itinerary that they find from the Matrix search in other search engines that allow you to purchase tickets from. There are services like BookWithMatrix, but that solution works half the time in my experience.

How to use ITA Matrix extension codes

ITA Matrix has something called extension codes. Extension codes can be used to manipulate itinerary searches or fare results. Think of it as a filter, but with far more detailed customizability.

The use of extension codes is the single feature that makes Matrix one of the most powerful tools for searching for flights. When using multiple extension codes, you must separate them with a semicolon “;”. 

Here are the extensions codes that are known:

ITA Matrix Extension Codes for Itineraries

SyntaxExampleMeaning
-CODESHARE-CODESHAREDisallow codeshares.
MAXSTOPS nMAXSTOP 2Set a limit on the number of stops on this portion of the trip.
MAXDUR hh:mmMAXDUR 6:45Set a limit on the duration of this portion of the trip.
MAXMILES nMAXMILES 2900Set a cap on the number of miles flown on this portion of the trip.
MINMILES nMINMILES 2600Set a floor on the number of miles flown on this portion of the trip.
MINCONNECT hh:mmMINCONNECT 1:00Set a minimum connection time.
MAXCONNECT hh:mmMAXCONNECT 2:00Set a maximum length of connection time.
PADCONNECT hh:mmPADCONNECT 0:30Pad connection times with this much additional time.
ALLIANCE code|code|...ALLIANCE star-alliancePermit only flights on these carriers in this alliance (or alliances). Separate multiple alliances with a vertical bar character. Supported alliances are oneworld, skyteam, and star-alliance.
-AIRLINES code1 code2 ...-AIRLINES AA BAProhibit flights on the specified carriers.
AIRLINES code1 code2 ...AIRLINES BA AFAllow only flights on the specified carriers.
OPAIRLINES code1 code2 ...OPAIRLINES AAAllow only flights operated by these carriers (no matter the marketing carrier).
-OPAIRLINES code1 code2 ...-OPAIRLINES AAProhibit flights operated by these carriers (no matter the marketing carrier).
-CITIES code1 code2 ...-CITIES DFW ORDProhibit connections at these cities.
-REDEYES-REDEYESProhibit overnight flights.
-OVERNIGHTS-OVERNIGHTSProhibit solutions requiring overnight stops.
-PROPS-PROPSProhibit flights on propeller planes.
-NOFIRSTCLASS-NOFIRSTCLASSAll flights must have a first class cabin (though flights may still be booked in another cabin)

ITA Matrix Extension Codes for Faring

SyntaxExampleMeaning
+CABIN code1 code2 ...+CABIN 1Require booking in the specified cabin classes. For first class, use 1; for second, use 2; for premium economy, use premium-coach; for economy, use 3.
-CABIN code1 code2 ...-CABIN 3Prohibit booking in the specified cabin classes. See +CABIN for what codes to use for each cabin class.
F BC=codeF bc=yUse fares with the specified prime booking code. Note: the actual booking class used may be different due to being overridden by the carrier's booking code exception table.
F BC=code|BC=code|...F bc=y|bc=bSpecify that fares use one of several prime booking codes (e.g. book in either Y or B class). See the note on the above item.
F carrier.city1+city2.farebasisSpecify which fares to use. Multiple alternate fare specifications can be separated by a vertical bar. See below for specific examples.
F CC.AAA+BBB.FFFFFFF aa.lon+chi.yupSpecify carrier, market (city pair), and fare basis code of the fares to use (e.g. only AA LON-CHI YUP fares).
F ..FFFFFFF ..yup|..fSpecify the fare code (but not carrier or market) of the fare to use (e.g. either YUP or F fares on any airline and between any city pairs).
F .AAA+BBB.F .lon+chi.Specify the market (city pair) for the fares (e.g. use only LON-CHI through fares).
F CC..FFFFFFF aa..yup|aa..fSpecify the carrier and fare basis code, but not the market (e.g. use either YUP or F fares on AA for any city pair).
F ..F-F ..y-|..b-Specify the fare basis using "wildcards" (e.g. only use fare bases that start with either Y or B).

Common uses for ITA Matrix

As mentioned above, there are many different ways of using the ITA Matrix search engine software. Some uses range from simple to complex, but there is a use for everyone. Below I will go over the most common uses for the Matrix software.

Fuel surcharges and taxes

For everyone using points and miles, we will always run into award redemptions that have hefty fuel surcharges and taxes imposed onto the ticket. Instead of going through the clunky airline’s website to find out the fees or call the airline if it’s not bookable online, you can just use Matrix to do a quick look up.

To check fuel surcharges and taxes using Matrix, you will first put in your itinerary that you were planning to redeem points and miles for. Don’t worry about the departure dates. The dates will not matter since fees and taxes will be the same every day.

TIP: use the currency box to type in the currency you want to show, instead of using the default departure city currency.

Once you find the flight that has the same routing that you wish to redeem points and miles for, you will click on the price bringing you to a page with the price breakdown and fare conditions. Anything below the base fare and above the subtotal will be your fees and taxes.

In the example above the fees and taxes for an award ticket with certain programs will total $111.20. All you have to do to find out the total for fees and taxes is to add up charges below the base fare and above the subtotal.

Here is another example of another route and what one might see for fees and taxes.

This use of the Matrix is used by Daniel and myself the most. It can save tons of time doing a quick search on Matrix for the fees and taxes versus calling the airline if the flight is not bookable online.

Price per mile

One feature that makes the Matrix amazing pricing out tickets is the ability to show the “price per mile” for a single trip. This is great if you want a number that represents the value of the distance you are flying.

To show the price per mile, you select the option to show the price per mile under the flight’s selection of the search.

Once selected you will then see the price per mile under the total price.

Calendar view

Now if we change to the calendar view, we can see a month and set the nights I would allow during the time we want to travel. For the night’s range, the difference between max and min in a range cannot be greater than seven days.

What makes the Matrix calendar view so unique is speed and view it gives compared to other calendar views. The calendar works for both round-trip and one-way searches. It searches a month later than the date set. For round-trip calendar searches, you can set the number of nights you want to spend at the destination along with the ability to set a range of nights. Do note, the difference between max and min in a night range cannot be greater than seven days.

Compared to Google Flights calendar view, Matrix has the nights range, while Google Flights doesn’t make a huge difference for round-trip ticket searches.

Time bar view

One of the most unique ways to view flight results in ITA Matrix is by selecting “time bars” at the top right of the flights results page. This view gives you a nice new perspective of when the flight is leaving, the connections, and the airline.

As you see in the picture above, the airlines are displayed above with their color-coded IATA code.An IATA code is a unique airline identity name and an example would be DL for Delta Airlines, WN for Southwest Airlines, and AF for Air France.

Viewing the time bars you can move your mouse over the flight and it will display more detailed information like the aircraft, duration of the flight, exact time, and cabin.

Individual flight view

For round-trip searches, you have the ability to select your outbound and return flights. This helps if you cannot find the combination of flights you want for your return itinerary. Other websites have this type of feature, but it’s certainly a nice feature to have.

When you are on the flights result page, you can select “individual flights” to bring up the view.

Selecting your outbound flight first will show possible return itineraries using a round-trip fare.

Filtering for airline alliance or airline

Only want a certain alliance or airline in the search results?

There are two ways to set these parameters. One would be at the top where it says airlines during calendar view or while viewing the flight results on the flights result page. Or there is a simpler way where you can input the alliance name as a code only showing the alliance airlines or specific airlines that you set right on the search page.

Here are the codes regarding alliances:

  • Syntax: alliance code
  • Example: alliance star-alliance (oneworld or skyteam could work in the place of star-alliance)

To input the code, you will need to click on “advanced controls” and type the codes into the “extension codes” box.

For specific airlines, it’s the same process, just different codes. If you’re inputting multiple airlines, don’t forget to separate airlines with a space.

Specific booking classes

Booking class, also known as fare class, are normally no big deal for the person who wants the cheapest ticket. However, for people who want to use a systemwide upgrade or earn a certain amount of miles will find booking classes important.

In ITA Matrix, one can specify booking classes by typing in the extension code of the airline you want to fly.

You will then have “f” follow indicating it’s for the fare and “bc” for booking class followed by “=” with the booking code you need. Remember if you are using multiple extension codes you must divide them with a semicolon “;” to keep it readable to for Matrix.

  • Syntax: F BC=code|BC=code|…
  • Example: f bc=w
Notice I am separating two extension codes with a semicolon.

Multiple airports

If you wanted to do multiple airports, it’s also possible to use the nearby feature displaying airports within a certain radius or typing in the airport codes manually like in the examples below. This is a great feature if you are flexible with your destination.

When adding more than one airport, you must separate the airport codes with a comma. 

Clicking on nearby will display airports nearby up to 2000 miles away.

You could get pretty creative with adding different destinations. However, note that multiple destinations might turn up flights returning from a different airport than your outbound flight destination.

Finding cheap fares, specifically in business and first class

Using ITA Matrix for finding cheap fares is probably my favorite use for the software. Matrix works very differently from travel agencies, like Expedia, Orbits, Trips, etc.

See, Matrix instead works by finding the cheapest fare available, even though it’s not shown on sites like Expedia. You could think of it similarly to Google Flights, Momondo, Sky Scanner, and Kayak in the way that it finds the cheapest possible flight, but instead Matrix will usually always show the cheapest based on the airline’s current price and not what is shown on a third-party travel agency site.

Sometimes one has to call the airline or contact a travel agent to get the pricing shown on Matrix since the online prices might not be available or might have to find a unique third-party travel agency site that has the special discount fare, like checking Momondo.

Secondly, Matrix is customizable when it comes to searching for flights and the codes one can use. While other search engines have similar features, the Matrix is fast with its extension codes.

Mix cabin fares can result in cheap flights. Most of the time you can find a cheap round-trip ticket, but the one-way way ticket will result in a higher price tag. So, you could do a round-trip flight with one-way in business or first class and the other way in economy sometimes half the price.

Besides searching for unique business and first class fares by playing with the results, you can use extension codes that allows you to manipulate results or seek out certain sweet spots in fares. 

The extension code that makes the specific class required you will type in the codes below:

  • Syntax: +cabin code
  • Example: +cabin 1

If you prohibit a specific cabin, you can use this code below:

  • Syntax: -cabin code
  • Example: -cabin 1

Meaning of numbers:

  • First class: 1
  • Second/business class: 2
  • Premium economy: Premium-coach
  • Economy: 3

With these codes, you can specify the class you fly, the fare code, and mix and matching codes are possible. One way is to do mix cabins for cheap one way tickets in business or first class.

Example of using codes for mixed itineraries.

The great thing about the Matrix is how you can add more exnesion codes to force results and find possible itineriares that traditional searches cannot show. I really recommend playing with the extension codes as much as you can.

Finding fare rules easily

Finding the rules for a fare is super easy with ITA Matrix. Once you find the flight you want to book, you will select “rules” displayed next to the fares on the “itinerary” page.

Knowing the fare rules lets you know what the limitations are for the fare, how flexible it is, and fine print for the fare you want to book. The fare rules typically don’t show up on third party travel agency websites. So, being able to quickly check fare rules on another website besides the confusing airline’s own website saves a ton of time.

How to book an ITA Matrix flight

ITA Matrix is a search engine powerhouse, but if you want to book a flight that you see on ITA Matrix, then you might have to set aside some more time.

The easiest way to book the flights you find is to use a website called BookWithMatrix. It works sometimes, but it can find popular airlines itineraries in big markets. However, it struggles to find flights with niche airlines or destinations outside of North America and Europe.

If BookWithMatrix doesn’t work on finding the best flight, I recommend trying to replicate the same flight search in Google Flights, Momondo, Skyscanner, Kayak, Trip, and with the airline directly. 

TIP: Before booking your flight, don’t forget to use a cashback portal that can give you back extra cash back or points. I recommend checking Cash Back Monitor.

Final word

While there are more features I could have covered with ITA Matrix, the features above are my favorite and I find the most useful. I could have covered more basic features, but I believe that would be redundant.

I hope this guide helped you see the potential of ITA Matrix and if you have any questions about one of the features or if you think I should add another feature, just drop a comment below.

LifeMiles Star Alliance Award Sale [Expired]

LifeMiles is having an award sale with certain city pairs between the US and Asia. First, business and economy cabins are discounted for Star Alliance partners, and some are discounted as much as 48% off. The award sale is going on from November 20 to December 12, 2018.

You can find eligible city pairs at the link here. Some great redemptions in the sale are:

  • Fly between New York and Seoul in first class for 72,000 miles (normally 90,000 miles)
  • Fly between New York and Beijing in first class for 72,000 miles (normally 90,000 miles)
  • Fly between New York and Shanghai in business class for 60,000 miles (normally 75,000 miles)
  • Fly between New York and Taipei in business class for 64,000 miles (normally 75,000 miles)
  • Fly between Seoul and Bangkok in business class for 25,000 miles (normally 36,000 miles)
  • Fly between Los Angeles and Singapore for 67,000 miles (normally 78,000 miles)

There are of course many other city pairs in the award sale. US cities on the list are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco. Repositioning might be required, but at least LifeMiles has a few cities from each coast.

You can fly any airline between city pairs and connections are allowed, but no stopovers.

Buy Avianca LifeMiles Cyber Week Promotion with 140% Bonus

Earlier I wrote about the LifeMiles cyber week promotion for buying miles. Avianca LifeMiles is running a Cyber Week promotion for buying LifeMiles with a 140% bonus. The promotion is running from November 20 to November 26, and the 140% bonus is on all purchases.

Usually, LifeMiles has different bonuses for a certain amount of miles bought, but with this promotion, it’s a flat 140% bonus on all miles purchased making it valuable for any amount of miles you buy. Here is the link directly to the promotion.

With the 140% bonus, you are purchasing the miles at 1.37 cents each. I personally think this is a pretty good deal since previous promotions LifeMiles ran always limited you to buying a certain amount to get that valuation with 140% bonus.

LifeMiles limits how many miles can be purchased within a calendar year to 150,000 miles purchased. Luckily, LifeMiles doesn’t count the bonus miles, only the base miles you buy.

What credit card should I use to buy Avianca LifeMiles?

The great thing about buying Avianca LifeMiles is that it codes as airfare. That means you will earn 5x points per dollar spent when using the American Express Platinum Card to buy miles.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, American Express Gold Card, or the Citi Premier Card will earn 3x points per dollar spent.

I would personally use the American Express Platinum Card earning 5x points per dollar resulting in an 8.5% return when valuing Membership Reward points at 1.7 cents each.

Final word

LifeMiles is killing it with their promotions like Citi ThankYou Points transfer bonus and buying miles bonus. This award sale is just icing on the cake. However, be aware that LifeMiles doesn’t have the best award search engine, and it acts up sometimes, but when it works, you will be pleased. If you’re in the market to fly first or business class, then this promotion might work out in your favor. 🙂

Buy Avianca LifeMiles Cyber Week Promotion with 140% Bonus [expired]

Avianca LifeMiles is running a Cyber Week promotion for buying LifeMiles with a 140% bonus. The promotion is running from November 20 to November 26, and the 140% bonus is on all purchases.

Usually, LifeMiles has different bonuses for a certain amount of miles bought, but with this promotion, it’s a flat 140% bonus on all miles purchased making it valuable for any amount of miles you buy. Here is the link directly to the promotion.

With the 140% bonus, you are purchasing the miles at 1.37 cents each. I personally think this is a pretty good deal since previous promotions LifeMiles ran always limited you to buying a certain amount to get that valuation with 140% bonus.

LifeMiles limits how many miles can be purchased within a calendar year to 150,000 miles purchased. Luckily, LifeMiles doesn’t count the bonus miles, only the base miles you buy.

What can I do with Avianca LifeMiles?

Avianca LifeMiles is one of my favorite programs to redeem without fuel surcharges for Star Alliance premium cabin award tickets. LifeMiles sometimes has award space missing for their partner and specific routings might not work. However, LifeMiles can be very valuable if it works for you.

My favorite use of LifeMiles is crossing the Atlantic or Pacific in first or business class on one-way redemptions.

  • Fly Asiana or ANA in first class from the US to North Asia for $1,254 (90,000 miles)
  • Fly in business class from the US to North Asia for $1,056 (75,000 miles)
  • Fly in Asiana or ANA first class from the US to Southeast Asia for $1,386 (99,000 miles)
  • Fly in business class from the US to Southeast Asia for $1,089 (78,000 miles)
  • Fly Lufthansa in first class from the US to Europe for $1,221 (87,000 miles)
  • Fly in business class from the US to Europe for $891 (63,000 miles)
ANA 777-300ER first class

All without those pesky fuel surcharges, which can save you 100s of dollars.

If you’re outside of the US and find yourself in Asia, then one could fly Thai Airways 747 in first class from North Asia to Southeast Asia for $693 (50,000 miles) and have a fantastic ground experience.

LifeMiles certainly has some good redemptions for multiple different regions, which make the program still worthwhile outside the US.

Buying miles during promotions like this one can result in cheap first and business class tickets. For certain itineraries, it’s easy to find significant savings when buying miles and redeeming them instead of outright buying the revenue fare.

For example, Chicago to Tokyo flying ANA first class one-way is $13,443 or round-trip is $20,369.

If you ended up buying LifeMiles during this promotion for a round-trip award ticket to Tokyo from the US it would only be $2,475 (180,000 miles) which is a steal!

What credit card should I use to buy Avianca LifeMiles?

The great thing about buying Avianca LifeMiles is that it codes as airfare. That means you will earn 5x points per dollar spent when using the American Express Platinum Card to buy miles.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, American Express Gold Card, or the Citi Premier Card will earn 3x points per dollar spent.

I would personally use the American Express Platinum Card earning 5x points per dollar resulting in an 8.5% return when valuing Membership Reward points at 1.7 cents each.

Final word

I have been pleased the times I have redeemed LifeMiles for premium cabin tickets. If you’re in the market to fly first or business class, then this promotion might work out in your favor.

Citi Offering 25% Transfer Bonus to Avianca LifeMiles

Citi ThankYou Points is offering a 25% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles through December 12, 2018. If you’re in the market for premium cabin award tickets, LifeMiles could be an excellent choice since they offer a good award chart with no imposed fuel surcharges.

Citi and American Express are both transfer partners for Avianca at a 1:1 ratio making it relatively easy to collect the miles. Soon Capital One will add Avianca as a transfer partner at a 2:1.5 ratio. With this 25% promotion, it makes it Citi’s transfer ratio go to 1:1.25.

LifeMiles regularly runs promotions to buy miles at around 1.375 cents per mile, which gives you 140% extra miles compared to the standard buying rate of 3.3 cents per mile.

What can you do with Avianca LifeMiles?

Avianca LifeMiles is one of my favorite programs to redeem without fuel surcharges for Star Alliance premium cabin award tickets. LifeMiles sometimes has award space missing for their partner and specific routings might not work. However, LifeMiles can be very valuable if it works for you.

My favorite use of LifeMiles is crossing the Atlantic or Pacific in first or business class on one-way redemptions.

  • Fly Asiana or ANA in first class from the US to North Asia for 90,000 miles.
  • Fly in business class from the US to North Asia for 75,000 miles.
  • Fly in Asiana or ANA first class from the US to Southeast Asia for 99,000 miles.
  • Fly in business class from the US to Southeast Asia for 78,000 miles.
  • Fly Lufthansa in first class from the US to Europe for 87,000 miles.
  • Fly in business class from the US to Europe for 63,000 miles.

All without those pesky fuel surcharges, which can save you 100s of dollars.

If you’re outside of the US and find yourself in Asia, then one could fly Thai Airways 747 in first class from North Asia to Southeast Asia for 50,000 miles and have a fantastic ground experience.

LifeMiles certainly has some good redemptions for multiple different regions, which make the program still worthwhile outside the US.

I have been pleased the times I have redeemed LifeMiles for premium cabin tickets. If you’re in the market to fly first or business class, then this deal might work out in your favor.

Lufthansa Business Lounge Detroit DTW Review (Priority Pass)

Finally! Detroit Metro Wayne airport has a Priority Pass lounge! The Lufthansa Business Lounge in the North Terminal is Detroit’s first Priority Pass lounge, which was especially needed for the North Terminal.

While the much better beautifully designed McNamara terminal had 4 Sky Clubs and excellent shops, the North Terminal only had the Lufthansa Business and Senator Lounge which was only accessible via Star Alliance Gold status.

So, when Priority Pass added the Lufthansa Business Lounge to its network on October 15, 2018, I had to visit it to share my experience.

Interested in finding out the top travel credit cards for this month? Click here to check them out! 

Priority Pass

The Priority Pass network is over 1,100 lounges and restaurants in airports around the world. These lounges can vary dramatically in their size and quality, but generally, you can expect to find a comfortable place to relax with snacks and drinks and free wifi.

Priority Pass membership can be bought, but Priority Pass Select membership comes with many credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or American Express Platinum Card only to name a few. The guest policy is a little different depending on the card that you hold, but generally, you can expect to bring in two guests with you into these lounges.

DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge hours

The Priority Pass hours are:

  • Monday – Saturday: 5:00 – 18:30 
  • Sunday: 11:00 – 18:30.

However, Priority Pass cardholders cannot access the Lufthansa Business Lounge between the hours of 13:00 and 16:00 every day.

The regular hours for Star Alliance Gold, Star Alliance international business/first, and Royal Jordanian business can access the lounge between the hours of 5:00 – 19:30 Monday – Saturday and 11:00 – 19:30 Sunday.

Regular lounge hours are different from Priority Pass hours

DTW Lufthansa Lounge location

Lufthansa Business Lounge is in the North Terminal, which undoubtedly is the ugly empty feeling terminal compared to the McNamara terminal at DTW.  If you’re not flying a SkyTeam airline out of DTW, then your flight will be out of the North Terminal.

Sadly, you cannot navigate between terminals past the security check-point. So, if you’re in McNamara terminal, you won’t have access to the North Terminal or vice versa. However, I never once wanted to go to the North Terminal which I actively avoid since the McNamara terminal is far superior for shops, lounges, food, and design.

The Lufthansa Business Lounge is easy to get to once you’ve passed security. Once you pass through security, you will head towards gates D7, and you will find that the lounge is before D7 and after D8. There are a few moving walkways that make it a more leisurely walk, but there is no ExpressTram like the McNamara terminal.

Once passed security you are greeted with flight information displays and gate D18
Moving walkways make it easier and faster to walk to the lounge
DTW North Terminal map

The Lufthansa Business Lounge experience

About 5:45 in the morning I made my way passed gate D8, and I arrived at the entrance of the Lufthansa Business and Senator Lounge at DTW dressed in the signature yellow and gray colors of Lufthansa, making the lounge stand out and easy to spot.

When entering the lounge, the first thing I noticed was the small entrance where the lonely lounge attendant sat at the standard office desk without a smile asking if I was using Priority Pass. I smiled and said yes I am using Priority Pass along with a good morning. I pulled out my phone, she scanned it, and then I signed. She didn’t ask for my boarding pass but probably didn’t ask because it was so early and no flights have arrived for the day.

She seems tired, and I wasn’t bothered by it, but it sucks to be greeted by someone that shows how much they don’t want to be there. Yes, it’s very early in the morning, but the TSA agents I interacted with 5 minutes ago were smiling and so cheerful. Throughout my brief visit to the lounge, she never cracked a smile.

I walked a few feet and made my way into the Business Lounge past a magazine and newspapers display on the left. I should mention that the Business Lounge was the only side open since the Senator Lounge I believe only opens up later on in the day. Do note, the Senator Lounge is on the right side and is accessible to Star Alliance Gold members.

Maganize and newspaper display in the DTW Lufthansa Lounge lobby

The lounge isn’t big and just one room consisting of dining style seating, high top seating, lounge chairs seating, and work carrels.

DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge dining room
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge chair seating
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge work carrels
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge work carrels in the foreground and the dining room in the background

The lounge is tiny and very exposed anywhere you sit. Lounge chairs are set up where you face and sit next to someone without any dividers besides a small side table. The work carrels aren’t that useful being on the smaller side and right next to the bathrooms. In general, there wasn’t one place in the lounge that felt secluded or private, even with eight people in the lounge it didn’t feel secluded.

The lack of workspace is noticeable. For proper workspaces, you can either work in the dining room or at the work carrels. The sad thing is the lack of outlets is another issue. There are a few scattered and one at each work carrel, but the outlets aren’t consistent throughout the rest of the lounge. While this is better than working in the terminal, I still think some variety when it comes to workspaces and seating is needed.

At least the lounge chairs are kind of comfy.

DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge chair seating

They have a nice scale model of Lufthansa 747-400 that they fly to Detroit painted in their old livery and a small wall of clocks displaying different time zones in the back of the lounge by the bathrooms and the work carrels. I love when model planes are in lounges, especially ones that are huge. 🙂

DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge scale model of their 747-400
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge scale model of their 747-400

Right next to the scale model of the 747-400, you will see the bathrooms. The men’s bathroom was clean during my visit but didn’t have any special amenities besides facial tissues. Neither the Business or Senator side of the lounge have showers.

There aren’t any great views besides the yellow bus (Spirit) planes at gate D8. The only windows that allowed a view outside were right next to the buffet. Otherwise, for views of the apron and runway are somewhat limited for some plane spotting.

One great thing about the lounge is the silence. During my visit the lounge was very quiet and having a calm environment is fantastic.

Food and drink options

Since I was at the lounge very early, the food options were somewhat limited. I didn’t find this an issue since it was a light continental style option of food like cereal, yogurt, bagel, and fruit.

They have a mini fridge filled with soft drinks, the self-service bar, coffee machine, sparkling and non-sparkling water available. They don’t stock tiny little water bottles, so the water comes from liter bottles of it right next to the alcohol.

The glassware is actually glass, with a cool Lufthansa logo on it, and plateware were actually reusable plates. Each table had real flowers, and the nice thing about the tables was the fact they were clean during my visit. Touches like proper tableware and flowers are nice to see in domestic lounges.

However, don’t expect to go crazy eating lots of food.

DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge buffet
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge buffet
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge buffet and self-service bar
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge buffet and self-service coffee machine
DTW Lufthansa Business Lounge table view with real flowers, which is a nice touch

I ended up having a plain bagel, which is the only type of bagel they had. I ended up toasting it. When another guy and I was toasting my bagel, a line started to form to toast bagels. I guess the bagel is the only appealing thing?

The coffee machine was a little confusing. All the labels say decaf, but the decaf cylinder that is labeled decaf that holds the coffee beans wasn’t filled while the espresso beans cylinder was filled. So, I am guessing the label is wrong, or they filled the espresso cylinder with decaf. I am not sure, but in the end, it made a crummy cappuccino.

During my 20ish minutes in the lounge, the lonely lounge attendant walked around picking up any dishes and garbage left. She also refreshed some of the food at the buffet and replaced one of the empty liters of water.

Final word

Detroit finally has a Priority Pass Lounge! It’s undoubtedly great for North Terminal passengers that don’t hold Star Alliance Gold Status or not flying international first/business class. While it is an excellent addition for DTW North Terminal passengers, I still think the lounge is just okay.

I wouldn’t arrive early at the airport to access the Lufthansa Business Lounge. I love visiting lounges that offer places that are semi-private or secluded like the United Polaris lounge or even Sky Clubs for that matter, but the Lufthansa Business Lounge feels like an office break room.

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