For those of you who follow this blog regularly you may have already noticed a theme. That is, this year, I’ve been to Asia… a lot. Looking back to earlier this year I’ve already been to Hong Kong three times.
My first visit was back in January 2019 when I flew over in Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific’s new Airbus A350-1000. That trip was purely a Milage Run booked as part of Cathay Pacific’s annual Black Friday sale. I then returned to Hong Kong in February on the way back from Vietnam as I began the first leg of my Cathay Pacific New Year’s Eve sale trip. I then returned to Hong Kong at the end of March as a gateway for a trip to Thailand with my Girlfriend. On the way back from that trip we ended up spending two nights in Hong Kong.
Finally, here I am again as I’ve just flown the return leg of my New Year’s Eve sale trip. See, the New Year’s Eve “sale” was for a round-trip ticket from Vietnam back to the United States. I flew to Vietnam back in February to begin the journey and this trip represents the return leg of that trip. When I get to Vietnam my return flight to the United States will begin another round trip. So, for all intent and purposes, this is another Mileage Run.
How’s My Mileage Run Going?
Oh, thanks for asking! So far it’s going well-ish. Let me explain. See, one of the things that makes mileage runs that begin in Vietnam difficult is that you have to get to Vietnam. Obviously, but with that you also usually have to get a visa to enter Vietnam. There are ways to transit Vietnam without one, but for the flight times I booked, I basically have to enter the country.
In the past I’ve always done this by applying for a Visa on Arrival online. This method is a bit unusual as the websites offering the service seem like scams and the letter you get back seems less than official. Finally, this method requires two full passport pages for the visa sticker and stamps. It’s less than ideal for anyone trying to make their passport last 10 years.
Well, this time I ended up applying for an E-Visa thanks to a recommendation from a fellow FlyerTalk member I met on my flight from Hanoi to Hong Kong back in February. Everything with the E-Visa application worked wonderfully, but there was one minor hang up. The hang up was that from April 30 through May 2 Vietnams immigration office was closed for a holiday. So, I didn’t end up getting my E-Visa until yesterday morning just hours before my flight… Anyway, besides that things have been going great!
What Have I Been Up To?
Wow, again, great question! Well, the trip began in New Jersey at about 5:30PM. From there I took a bus through the Lincoln Tunnel to the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. Next, I transferred to the MTA E Train toward Jamaica. Then I transferred again to the AirTrain which took me to Terminal 8. That whole process took well over two hours.
Once I arrived at Terminal 8 I checked into my Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong via Vancouver. After checking in I proceeded to the security checkpoint where I discovered my TSA PreCheck Known Traveler Number was NOT linked to my ticket. This meant I had to go through the regular security line which took about 20 minutes. A far cry from the 2 minutes it takes with TSA Pre at JFK.
Finally, with about an hour left until boarding I made it through security and up to the American Airlines Flagship Lounge. Since I was flying Cathay First Class I was allowed to enjoy American Airlines’ Flagship Dining which was quite nice, but a bit disappointing. After a quick bite to eat I walked to my gate and boarded the flight to Vancouver.
How Were The Flight(s)?
Fantastic question! Well, Cathay Pacific First Class is great. The seat is huge and extremely comfortable. Cathay Pacific’s soft-product (service) is also impeccable so overall the flights were lovely. However, they weren’t as good as I was expecting…
The flight from New York to Vancouver left on time, but it took us an hour to get airborne! So that was an hour with no drink service, no snacks, nothing. Not a huge issue, but it was a noticeable period of time without any attention from the flight crew. Once airborne the crew began the normal process of making sure everyone was comfortable. This included a limited menu dinner service which I found to be surprisingly mediocre.
After about 6 hours we were on the ground in Vancouver to refuel, offload some passengers, and board a few more passengers. The entire process took just under two hours which again lack attention from the crew as they changed over in Vancouver. When the new crew arrived they jumped into action and offered up pre-departure beverages.
The flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong was great. The expanded meal service with signature caviar service was phenomenal. Likewise, the crew on the flight were extremely attentive and the flight was exceptionally enjoyable. I ended up sleeping about 7 hours on the flight here which meant I am well rested and ready to continue onto Vietnam later today.
What’s Next?
So, this is where things get a bit interesting. As it stands right now, as I write this, my next flight is from Hong Kong to Hanoi. To get back to the US I need to get from Hanoi to Da Nang and I still don’t have that booked. Likewise, I have no hotels booked in either Hanoi or Da Nang.
Honestly, I don’t know what I’m gong to / want to do. I can’t decide if I want to go to Da Nang tonight or overnight in Hanoi and go tomorrow. I also have no idea where I want to stay in Da Nang if I were to go tonight.
This might seem like an “issue,” but thankfully there are plenty of options and all of them are surprisingly inexpensive. Flights from Hanoi to Da Nang can be had for as low as $20 on VietJet and about $100 on Vietnam Airlines. Likewise, hotels can be had for about $100 a night in either city.
For now, I’m going to continue thinking it over, catch up on some work, and will look to book something in the next hour or two.
Final Thoughts
It’s surprising how these mileage runs have lowered my tolerance for stress when traveling. I think most people would worry about the Visa situation prior to departing, but I just trusted that it would all work out. Similarly, I don’t think most people would be ok with the fact that they don’t have hotels or flights (which are 100% necessary) booked to continue the journey. Basically, I don’t think may people fly halfway around the world without a place to stay. Either way, it doesn’t bother me one bit and I’m sure, just as it has a dozen times before, it will all work out.
Finally, a Mileage Run post wouldn’t be complete without some stats. In getting to Hanoi I’ll have flown a total of 9,350 miles. I suspect American awards Elite Milage accruals and award miles based on the city pairing so I’m expecting to earn based on 8,590 miles flown (JFK-HKG-HAN). From that, I’ll earn 1.5 EQM per mile flown and 30% EQD per mile flown. From getting to Vietnam I expect to earn 12,894 Elite Qualifying Miles and $2,553 Elite Qualifying Dollars. I’ll also pocket about 23,000 award miles. For the flight home I’ll earn 1.5 EQM, but only 25% EQD as I’m flying in Business. So, I expect to again earn about 13,000 Elite Qualifying Miles and $2,160 Elite Qualifying Dollars. From the trip home I should also earn about 21,000 award miles.
