I was lucky enough to have to fly to the great white north for work (prior to the snow this time) and I thought I would take a roundabout way of getting there to squeeze in a few end of the year miles and more importantly earn some AA 500-Mile upgrades along the way.
ORD-PHX (1,440 Miles)
My first stop on the way to Edmonton was in Phoenix. I went through my typical ritual of trying to talk the AAngles into bumping me up to first, but as always was not lucky enough and would have to wait to clear at the gate. As I made my way to the gate my upgrade still had not cleared and first class had already boarded, it wasn’t looking good. I took my seat in the Exit Row of the A321 which has a ton of legroom, but seconds before the doors closed a flight attendant grabbed me and I was taken to the front of the plane! Given the flight departed at 7AM on Sunday morning, I was thrilled to be given the upgrade. Once we were in the air the flight attendants brought in the breakfast. I must say it was one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever had on a plane. We were served fruit crepes with a cream filling, delicious.
PHX-YEG (1,370 Miles)
Upon landing I only had a few minutes to run to the gate for my flight to Edmonton. As I was nearing the gate my second upgrade of the day cleared! I couldn’t believe how lucky I had gotten on this early Sunday morning. Sadly, when I arrived at the gate, my updated boarding pass was no where to be seen a the upgrade board did not show a cleared upgrade. Apparently the person in front of me on the list was in the boarding area and had missed his name when it was called. Either way, I was still on the way to Edmonton and couldn’t have been happier.
YEG-YYZ (1,670 Miles)
Another EARLY morning flight, but I was lucky enough to stay in the Edmonton Airport Marriott. This was one of the coolest hotels I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in! It is physically connected to the airport. I grabbed my boarding pass the night before, so I didn’t have to deal with any lines the following morning. This was the first time I’ve ever attempted this “travel hack” and I was extremely pleased with the results. The flight was very smooth and I enjoyed WestJets Premium Economy Seat. The free water bottle was great and the snack box helped me get through the flight.
YYZ-ORD (436 Miles)
A very short flight on American’s smallest jet. I was very dumb when booking and fell for the 3C seat. Jammed next to a large man and the bulkhead I was very happy this was going to be my shortest flight of the day. I personally love flying on the small regional jets because they feel like you’re in a sports car rather than a large bus. We experienced a LOT of turbulence on the flight into ORD, but landed safely!
ORD-LGA (731 Miles)
My third flight of the day was to New York for the weekend! I had to make a pit stop in Chicago to pick up a friend, but it made the trip to New York a bit long and tiring. Also they apparently were able to use my TSA Pre even though I wasn’t with them…. not sure if that is technically “legal.” We met at the ORD Admirals club and I couldn’t believe how crowded the place was. The flight was an early afternoon flight and majority of the people there were waiting on the various long-haul flights that leave later in the afternoon. It made finding two seats together nearly impossible, but we somehow managed.
LGA-ORD (731 Miles)
The final flight of a crazy week was a breeze. I was extremely disappointed we were unable to make it to the Amex Centurion lounge as it is in the Delta Terminal at LaGuardia, but we did make a pit stop in the LGA Admirals Club. It’s a pretty dated club, but I have to say, I have had the best experience with the AAngles! They were able to move us into two better seats even though the American App showed the seats as taken (sorry if I moved you!). I will say the service at the LGA Admirals Club is second only to DFW from my experience.
I was happy to get home and very happy to have put my Citi Prestige Admirals Club access to the test! Sadly we were unable to make it to the Amex Centurion lounge, but I plan on visiting the DFW location in a few weeks!
Is there anything you’d like to know more about? Please let me know in the comments section below. Safe Travels!
