I have been wanting to go to Thailand for quite some time now and it is finally happening. I booked this trip about a month ago for a whooping deal of $800 thanks to the team at @TheFlightDeal – The deal lasted 8 hours before it went away and as soon as I saw that offer, I pulled the trigger on booking. Here is the funny thing, I have alerts on my phone that notifies me when @TheFlightDeal tweets a deal and if you are a true fanatic you would do the same thing I do, so the excuse that you missed a good deal is out sight. As I was driving home, I got the text alert and pulled over to book it. This is one of those deals that required immediate booking because Thailand is a hot destination to visit and it’s been on my bucket list for the destinations I’ve been wanting to visit. After the booking process, I called the American Airlines Executive Platinum desk to request my upgrade from Dallas to Hong Kong on their newest aircraft, 777-300ER. This will be my second time flying this route which is very very long but what better way than start 2015 with 20+ thousand elite qualifying miles right? On this blog, I will be sharing some of the preparation for my trip – Keep in mind, I am a planner and I find it that my best trips happen when I have everything planned in advanced.

My Flight route

I could have done the easy flight and not the ultra long haul journey to Thailand but for me, getting ahead of the game to obtain my miles and regain status is my top priority, and since I have flown the Dallas to Hong Kong flight once already and loved it, I was looking forward to doing that flight again. There was two options, LAX-NRT-BKK or LAX-DFW-HKG-BKK and of course, I selected the second option. If I would have gone with the first option I could have booked the ticket for at least $20-$30 cheaper, but again, I am looking at the milage I am gaining overall and the $800 deal for the flight, round trip was a better choice for me.

The Journey To Thailand

Carriers I will be flying

• LAX-DFW: American Airlines
• DFW-HKG: American Airlines
• HKG-BKK: Cathay Pacific
• BKK-HKG: Cathay Pacific
• HKG-DFW: American Airlines
• DFW-LAX: American Airlines

I don’t know about you, but when I saw that my last leg of the journey is operated by Cathay Pacific, I was stoked and happy to see that because Cathay Pacific is one of my favorite OneWorld farriers to fly. This year, I flew them twice and the experience was flawless. The first time I flew them was from Japan (NRT) to Hong Kong (HKG) on their beautiful 747 and the second time I flew them was from Hong Kong (HKG) to Japan (NRT) on their 777-300ER. Both of my flights with them were incredible and being a OneWorld Emerald the service I received upon boarding was just outstanding, the food was delicious as well. The crew was super attentive, friendly and caring making me feel just at home throughout the flight.

Personally, one of the things I love about Cathay Pacific as far as “entertainment” throughout the flight is their on board camera where you can see the plane cruising to the destination which the 777-300ER has on board. This time I will be flying their A330 aircraft and that will be my first time on one of their A330’s in which I am looking forward to fly.

Cathay Pacific 777-300ER – On Board Camera

Cathay Pacific Airport Lounges in Hong Kong

• The Wing
• The Bridge
• The Pier
• The Cabin
• The Arrival

Another great thing I love about Cathay Pacific – Their lounges are simply beautiful with endless of great amenities. Being an Executive Platinum and OneWorld Emerald, I have access into all of their lounges regardless what cabin I am flying. One of my favorite lounges from Cathay Pacific is The Wing First Class – and their beautiful Private Cabana Room. I am sure many of you have experience it and can agree with me on this topic. I am also aware theres a new lounge “The Bridge Business Class lounge” which OneWorld Emerald and Sapphires can go in to visit,I will also be exploring and reviewing that lounge during my lay over in Hong Kong. The service I receive each time I visit their lounges is hands down one of the best. From the servers, the agents and the rest of the staff working the lounge, they are always aware of whats happening and making themselves available in anything the passengers need.

Cathay Pacific – Cabana Room (The Wing)

The Wing First Class – Cabana Room

Seat Request Changes & Upgrades

After the booking process, I made sure all of my seat requests were made. I have the tendency to getting all of my needs and wants taken care of right upon booking the ticket because it saves me time before the day of departure. Remember that if you’re also looking to use System Wide Upgrades, it is not cleared immediately – you’re put on the wait list, so you want to make sure that you’re one of the very first on that list and due to my Status with American, I am in good shape for my upgrades starting from LAX. Here is the tricky thing, Cathay Pacific won’t upgrade Executive Platinums, so at the moment – I am flying economy, I recently talked to a staff member from Cathay Pacific and they put me on the list for an upgrade, wether it is for Premium Economy or Business Class, which I will only know if I get it is on the day of departure. The staff at Cathay Pacific granted my status and helped in many ways to get my request and accommodation just like I wanted it, so their service was top notch along with American Airlines Executive Platinum desk.

Lastly, Booking the Hotel

Booking hotels for me is always a tedious process because I am super picky on where to stay and always trying to find a good deal. On my upcoming trip to Austria and Budapest I struggled for almost a month to find a hotel mainly because 95% of them were outrageously expensive. On the other hand, Bangkok offers a variety of incredible luxurious properties for a great deal. I decided to book the Aetas Lumpini which is a 5 Star property and it has everything I need and want. Location is fantastic and the price was even better, $420+ with Breakfast included for 6 days on a deluxe king room. It cannot get any better than that. Being that its my first time in Bangkok, I want to make this trip one of the best out of all the trips I’ve taken. Pictured below, is the Aetas Lumpini pool section with the City Skyline view on the distance. Am I ready to leave? I can’t wait ;).

AETAS Lumpini Hotel – Poolside. (Photo Courtesy of: AETAS Lumpini).

The next step for me is to start looking into the tourist attractions and the things I will be doing during my visit – Once I get that figured out, I will be sure to share with you all.

Have you been to Bangkok? If so, what were your favorite tourist attractions and your favorite places to eat?

Best,
John Carter

Connect with me via Twitter & Instagram.