Pre-departure services and the Global First Lounge

United Global First Los Angeles to Sydney

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I've included a brief report on Air New Zealand business class because the plane I flew operates some key routes you might want to fly like Honolulu to Auckland and Shanghai to Auckland. Because getting to New Zealand in business class with United miles is tough, you might find yourself on one of those flights.

After taking off on New Year's Eve, I landed well rested in Sydney on January 2nd.

Read Part 1 First.

In Part 2: Ruta de Siete Lagos, beer tour, and more

Day 3—Sunday

Sunday began with a hike to the top of Cerro Campanario, a spot with absolutely stunning views of the surrounding lakes and mountains. You can take Bus 20 from the center of town and have them drop you off at Kilometer 17 on Avenue Exequiel Bustillo. From the road, it is a 40 minute hike up a relatively steep incline.

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina is a mountain town in the Lake District of Patagoina, located about 50km from the Chilean border. It sits right on the edge of the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, drawing visitors from all over to admire the spectacular lake and mountain views.

 Scott and I recently decided to use Avios to fly LAN from Buenos Aires to Bariloche for five days. The southern hemisphere has just entered fall. In Patagonia, that means cold weather quickly.

After a few eventful days in Bangkok, I was ready to head on over to Hong Kong. I initially booked my flights to Hong Kong on the specific purpose of flying Lufthansa's new 747-8i in First Class. As luck would have it, Lufthansa began flying to Hong Kong with the 747-8i two days before I was scheduled to fly that route.

Bangkok to Hong Kong has been operated by a Thai A380 because of Hong Kong's strong business-traveler demand.

I got to the airport at about 6:30AM for my 8:05 AM departure.

It's been a long week for me as I have just spent a few days in Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The entire week was a blast and it was probably the best trip of my life. To make it even better, at the end of the week I was scheduled to fly Malaysia Airlines new A380 in their First Class cabin. Here's how it went.

I left Paris around 9AM to catch my 12PM departure. Originally, I was supposed to be dropped off but the train seemed like a more viable option.

As many of you may know, I am a college student by day and the amusing, yet mystical, Bengali Miles Guru by night. After traveling almost 100,000 miles since January, I knew that my upcoming spring break trip would have to be amazing.

American Airlines 999
Miami (MIA) to Buenos Aires (EZE)
Depart: 10:45 AM
Arrive: 9:40 PM
Duration: 8 hours, 55 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Seat: 1J (First Class)

My trip to Buenos Aires was booked in August for 62,500 miles and $5. It was an incredibly simple award detailed in this Anatomy of an Award.

When I got to LAX, there was a sign at Terminal 4 for Flagship Check-in.

Pack your bags folks. Today, we're going on one of the most coveted First Class products out there. It's so luxurious that it's not even called First Class.

Singapore Airlines Suites were introduced in 2008 exclusively on their flagship A380-800. Ever since then, people have been hoarding their points for a chance to fly this room in the sky. For years, Singapore Suites could only be booked by using KrisFlyer points at an astounding 1 million miles roundtrip!

At the end of 2012, Singapore released their Suites product to saver availability on KrisFlyer.

Elegant, Opulent, Grand, Colorful and Detailed.

These are all traits that describe the Ritz Carlton in Kuala Lumpur.

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton for a night and here's what I found:

Check in

As soon as our car arrived, the door-man helped us out of the car. He took the luggage to a holding area as I checked in. At the check in desk, there were three employees that had all welcomed me with a smile. After asking for an upgrade, I was given the executive room. This room was said to be bigger than a normal room.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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Emirates 413
Auckland (AKL) – Sydney (SYD)
Depart: 6:40 PM on Saturday, January 12
Arrive: 8:05 PM
Duration: 3:25
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 3A (First Class)

There's one reason why Emirates First Class on an A380 is famous: the on board shower.