Uh Oh... Devaluation To British Airways Executive Club Miles Coming?

I received an email this morning from British Airways Executive Club detailing some changes coming in November to their rewards program. My first thought was... oh no, it's finally here.

For those who aren't aware, British Airways partnered up with Chase and offered up literally millions (if not billions) of miles at 100,000 per credit card both last year and this year. While this was fine and dandy for all the American customers who took advantage of this deal, most of us had a feeling that with so many miles being handed out like candy, a massive devaluation in their awards chart was bound to happen sooner or later. And it looks like it's happened a lot sooner than expected.

First off, with the British Airways/Iberia merger, it makes sense that there would be some cosmetic changes to their joint frequent flyer program. So as of November, British Airways Executive Club miles becomes "Avios" points. In addition, on the BA website detailing a couple of the more positive changes coming, it states that for shorter flight out of LHR (specifically to zones 1-3), they will now be offering a Reward Flight Saver option, which allows for reduced points redemptions with a fixed flat fee. Avios points needed for travel on BA-operated flights will not change from the current miles requirements for the most part, and some routes (such as JFK-LHR) will actually see a slight decrease. Finally, BA will also now be offering hotel and car rental redemptions similar to what AA rolled out last year.

Now for the bad news... and it may be really bad. The single partner award chart is completely scrapped, along with the BA + one partner award chart. In their place will be one single unified award chart that will serve all three purposes: BA only award flights, BA + one partner award flights, and single partner award flights. One of the best values in the current BA award chart is redeeming for a single partner award flight from North America to Asia for 50k/100k/150k miles, or North America to South America (even Easter Island) for 40k/80k/120k miles. If they change this to what the BA only award chart looks like, North America to Asia will jump to 120k/240k/360k! Now, granted, the new award chart numbers probably won't be as astronomical (since most North Americans won't be flying through London to get to Asia). But even then, this means a massive devaluation for Executive Club miles is imminent.

Worst of all, from this Flyertalk thread regarding the coming "enhancements", it sounds like this new award chart won't even be released until November 16th, when the changes will already take place and it will be too late for us to determine exactly which routes will be hiked and by how much. Perhaps that doesn't even really matter since there is a 99.9% chance that some sort of devaluation will occur across the board for single partner award flights. With this ominous cloud hanging over everyone's head, I can only think of one thing to do between now and November: burn as much of your BA Executive Club miles as you can before the changes take effect!

Two Additional Earning Opportunities With Hotel Stays

I'm a little late on the first one, but here are two more ways to earn miles or points with hotel stays:

1) Air Canada Aeroplan bonus miles at any Hyatt hotel worldwide:

• Between July 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011, every eligible stay at any hotel within the Hyatt group will earn 2,500 Aeroplan miles. A maximum of 25,000 miles can be earned through this promotion (10 stays).

• As I stated in the previous post, you must specify that you want to earn Aeroplan miles at every check-in, and provide your Aeroplan membership number. If you get Hyatt Gold Passport points posted instead, you must call in to customer service to get the problem fixed. If you are not a member of Aeroplan yet, you can enroll here.
  

• You will continue to earn the normal 500 Aeroplan miles per stay.

• Make sure you register prior to your first stay during the promotion period.

2) American Express Membership Rewards bonus points at three different Starwood Preferred Guest hotel brands:

• Between August 10, 2011 and November 15, 2011, every eligible stay at Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, and Element hotels will earn 1,000 bonus MR points when you pay with your American Express card. Eligible American Express cards are those enrolled with the Membership Rewards program (not the hotel or airline co-branded AMEX cards). There does not appear to be a limit to how many bonus MR points you can earn through this promotion.

• This promotion can be stacked with the Southwest Rapid Rewards bonus points offer in the previous post. And you can earn both bonuses in addition to the normal SPG points you earn on stays.

• The bonus MR points will be sent via an email certificate 4-6 weeks after this promotion ends. You can redeem the points online through the Membership Rewards website, and points will post to your account within 24 hours.
  

• You must register for this promotion prior to your first stay during the promotion period.
  

Two Miles-Earning Opportunities With Hotel Stays

Many hotel groups have agreements with a number of different airlines, whereby stays within a particular chain can earn miles instead of their own proprietary points. Typically, you can opt to earn either miles or points, although a few programs such as Hilton HHonors allows the option to earn both on one stay. Throughout the year, hotels will run promotions offering bonus miles with specific airlines. There are two current promotions that may be worth a second look.

1) Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards bonus points at four different Starwood Preferred Guest hotel brands:

• Between August 1, 2011 and December 15, 2011, every eligible stay at all Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, and Element hotels and resorts in North America will earn 1,000 bonus RR points. There is no limit to how many points you can earn.
  

• Remember that the bonus is given for every stay, meaning whether your stay is 1 night or 10 nights, you will earn the same 1,000 points. Thus, mattress hopping between different hotels in the same area for 1 night each will maximize your earnings.
  

• The best part about this offer is that the bonus RR points are in addition to the regular SPG points you earn on stays, which is 2 points per dollar spent, or 3 points per dollar spent if you are a Gold or Platinum Preferred Guest. If you have selected the Airline Direct Deposit earning method (and specified Southwest Airlines) instead of SPG points, you will still receive 600 RR points per eligible stay in addition to the bonus points from this offer.
  

• You must register for this promotion before October 15, 2011.

2) British Airways Executive Club bonus miles at any Hyatt hotel worldwide:

• Between August 1, 2011 and October 31, 2011, every eligible night at any hotel within the Hyatt group will earn 1,000 bonus Executive Club miles. A maximum of 30,000 miles can be earned with this offer.

• The bonus is given for every night, so you can stay at a Hyatt Place Hotel, for example, for 5 consecutive nights and you will earn 5,000 Executive Club miles.
  

• You must choose to earn miles for your stay and provide your British Airways Executive Club account number at check-in. This is one of the downsides of the Hyatt Gold Passport program. There is no way to register online so that you always earn miles; you must specify this each time you check-in at the hotel. In addition, keep an eye on your Hyatt Gold Passport account after your stay because sometimes they will still post points instead of miles, and you must call in to get it fixed.
  

• While not detailed in the terms and conditions, it does appear that you will continue to earn the normal 500 Executive Club miles per stay, in additon to the 1,000 bonus miles per night.
  

• Make sure you register prior to your first stay during the promotion period.

Given a choice between the two promotions (and if there are both Hyatt and Starwood properties nearby), I would go with Starwood, simply because SPG points have a much higher value than miles. In addition, British Airways imposes exorbitant fuel surcharges even on their award flights, making them less desirable in this case.

Tokyo/Vietnam July 2011 - Orchid Hotel Hue

***This post is part 10 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Choosing a hotel in Hue was actually a very simple affair. Despite the few bogus reviews here and there, TripAdvisor remains the go-to site when choosing an independent hotel in an obscure international locale. The key to picking a good hotel on TripAdvisor is straightforward: scan the top 10-20 hotels in a city (preferably the top 5 if the costs are within your range) and be extremely wary of hotels with under 100 reviews. Of course, that doesn't mean hotels that don't meet the above criteria should be ignored, but those that do are almost always good, if not excellent.

I did some quick research on Hue accommodations, and since there were basically no international chains in town, it was just a simple choice between a few local places. I settled on #3 out of 96 hotels in Hue... Orchid Hotel. It was centrally located but on a quiet street, had great reviews, and was ridiculously cheap (at least compared to Western prices). At $35/night, you can't go wrong with the cost!

Pickup from the airport cost a very reasonable $10. When we arrived, the friendly receptionist took our information and guided us to the dining area in the next room. There, we took a seat and were offered delicious welcome drinks, as well as a fruit plate. She then proceeded to give us some important information regarding the hotel and surrounding area, and provided us with numerous options for day tours of the imperial tombs and the citadel. We decided to go ahead and book a day tour since we really only had one full day in Hue, and it would be a great way to see most of the main sites in one swoop.

Street outside the Orchid Hotel

Before we went up to our room, we were informed that they had upgraded us from the Superior Room to a Family Room for the night. Although for the second night, we would have to move back. That wasn't a problem for us at all. The family room was spacious, and included a king bed as well as a small twin bed. All of these rooms faced the front of the hotel and had their own balcony overlooking the street below. The bathroom was not large, but it was very clean and quite modern. My only gripe about the room was that the air conditioning was not strong. And as we found out the next day, it was even less so in the Superior Room.

Perhaps they thought we were on our gay honeymoon?

View from the 2nd floor balcony

Complimentary breakfast the next morning was surprisingly good. Not as great as the Hanoi Elegance Diamond in terms of selection and service, but for the rate they were charging, the Orchid Hotel was definitely an amazing value. They had a good variety of fresh fruit, pastries, and some hot dishes, as well as cook to order omelettes, pancakes, and of course, pho. My friend tried the pho and was quite satisfied with the taste.

Hue-style pho

Everyone who worked at the hotel was friendly and very helpful when asked. Though there was a definite sense of space between the guests and the staff. Perhaps they were just a bit more shy and respectful of personal space. It was quite different from the Hanoi Elegance, where they went out of their way to ask how things were, or to proactively resolve any issues without even being asked. But then again, the service there was just on another level.

On the second night, we moved to the Superior Room, which was quite a bit smaller. The king bed pretty much took up most of the room, but for one night and two people, it was more than comfortable enough. The view from the window consisted of a concrete wall of the building next door. And as I mentioned earlier, the weak air conditioning was a minor issue. Overall, I would recommend this hotel simply on the value alone. The rooms were simple and clean, and the staff was courteous and pleasant.

Tokyo/Vietnam July 2011 - Vietnam Airlines 1543 Economy Class (HAN - HUI)

***This post is part 9 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

We again decided to take a private car from the Hanoi Elegance Diamond Hotel to Noi Bai International Airport to avoid having to deal with the taxis. The cost was only $18 for the roughly 40-minute trip.

Although, I must say, having spent about 4 days in Hanoi, I found the taxi scams to be a lot less serious than some of the horror stories I read online. As long as you know the few legitimate taxi companies such as Mai Linh and Hanoi Tourist Taxi, and only stick with them, you won't have any problems. I found Hanoi Tourist Taxi to be a little pricier than Mai Linh, but both were safe and didn't have tampered-with meters.

Noi Bai International felt a lot less claustrophobic than when I arrived, probably because of the daylight and the larger departure hall. And even though we arrived 2 hours before our flight, the check-in lines were already chaotic. In Asia, local travelers seem to try to transport as many boxes and suitcases as they can, usually going way over the weight limit, and then having to pay extra at the counter. Though funny enough, my friend's suitcase just barely passed the limit (it was actually slightly over, but the agent didn't say anything).

Security was quick and painless, and soon we were waiting at the gate. Airside shops and restaurants were very sparse, just a couple of stands selling local fast food fare and drinks/snacks. I did notice a Vietnam Airlines business lounge at the end of the hall, but from what I saw looking in, it didn't look particularly fancy or interesting.

Pretty much only VN planes here

Vietnam Airlines 1543

Airbus A321
Hanoi (HAN) - Hue (HUI)
Saturday July 9, 2011
Departure: 1:20 PM (scheduled)

Arrival: 2:30 PM (scheduled)

Duration: 1h 10m (scheduled)
Seat: 30E (Economy)

Departure was soon announced, without any sort of priority boarding for business class as far as I could tell. Everyone just stood up and a massive line quickly formed. The jet bridge ended downstairs, where everyone boarded a standing room only bus for the short ride to our plane. I did notice a separate, more comfy looking bus for the business passengers. I actually love boarding directly on the tarmac so I can get better up-close pictures of the plane.

This Airbus A321 looked quite new, with very little wear and tear on the seats. Load looked to be approximately 90% in Y, with a few empty seats scattered about. The air conditioning was ridiculously strong... the plane literally looked like a fog machine for most of the flight. Leg room was quite comfortable for the short 1h 10m flight to Hue. I wasn't expecting much in terms of domestic Vietnam Airlines service, but pretty much the only thing that was offered on board was a small bottle of water. There were no snacks or any other types of drinks offered, even for sale. Flight attendants were friendly, but not very engaging as there was pretty much only time for them to pass out water bottles and then prepare for landing.

As quickly as we departed HAN, we were soon descending into HUI. Phu Bai International Airport consisted of one runway and one small terminal. I'm not sure how the "international" designation came about since I don't know of any international flights that currently serves the airport. I think there may have been a HUI-REP direct flight at one point in time, but I'm not sure if it's still operating.

A superfluous 2-minute bus ride took us from our plane to the arrivals hall, and soon we were greeted by our driver from the Orchid Hotel in Hue. Overall, this was a good, no-frills flight that got us from point A to point B safely and comfortably. Since VN has a virtual monopoly on this route, there is probably no need for them to enhance their offering any time soon.