Ben is a college student and avid points collector living in Florida. He travels around 200,000 miles per year, mostly with United and the Star Alliance. He has visited over 30 countries and counting, and has a particular interest in the Asian-Pacific region. Beyond blogging on Boardingarea.com, being a student and traveling, Ben spends considerable time on FlyerTalk.com under the handle “lucky9876coins”, serving on the TalkBoard, FlyerTalk’s member elected board.
The purpose of his blog is to share his travel experiences – those both in the air and on the ground – and stay updated on the latest in the travel industry, from promos to program changes to mergers. Ben can be reached at onemileatatime@hotmail.com for any questions, comments, or stories you’d like him to blog about. You can also check out Ben’s photostream on Flickr and follow him on Twitter.
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Your boarding area blog is looking great. Keep up the good work!
- Neal
love your point of view and energy to keep blogging away. My vote for “Best New Biz Travel Blogger!!!!”
Great blog. Been reading your FT posts for over a year now, and just found the blog today. Take care.
Hi, tnx for ur replies to my Qs. I would like some help on Seatcounter if u have time. Flight is from BOS to IAD (we dont plan to use upgrades for this segment) , IAD to FCO on June 7 and return is from MUC to BOS on July10. Thanks a lot.
P.S. I apologize for having to do this here. Somehow I cannot log on to FlyerTalk.
Nice job on your new site! I found you through FT. Keep up the good writing.
I was glad to (belatedly) find your blog! As an avid Flyer Talker (but less often poster), I have always found your comments on the UA board to be about the best there is out there.
Ben:
You attributed the quote to ALPA when the quote was lifted from a company (United) letter…..re-check the link and don’t blame ALPA (your last line below):
Just when I was starting to trust ALPA a little bit…
As I posted about just yesterday, United sent out an email to some of their frequent flyers encouraging them to approach pilots in airports. Being the natural skeptic I am I questioned how the unions would feel about this, and not surprisingly they responded. How they responded, though, is beyond disgusting in my opinion. Here’s their press release. Please read it. Read the whole thing. Every filthy last word of it.
Let’s look at some of this together:
“Now when you see our flight crew in the concourse or at the gate area, ask them about our airline, the plane, the flight in general, or even questions regarding their own travel experiences and adventures as pilots.”
If our customers engage you, here’s a good ice-breaker: Remind them that if they can see a pilot, then that pilot is not being paid.
Please tell me you’re kidding. The union’s trying to be funny here, right? No human would ever say this to someone paying their salary, would they?
Please correct it,
Dan Gradwohl
Mooresville, IN
Thanks for the message Dan. All I was doing was quoting the press release which was quoting United. As you can see it was in quotes while the rest wasn’t. I’ll go ahead and clarify it further though.
Was recommended to your blog via Google’s RSS reader. I’m looking through your blog now, looks interesting!!
I also see that you’re interested in travel promos, I’ve currently got one going, let me know if you’re you’d like to participate. Not the reason I dropped by though.
Ben,
I for one would love to see a detailed post about why you like ICH/Priority club and why you have chosen then to be your primary hotel chain. I am looking to expand my hotel points and am looking at PC and Marriott rewards.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the comment! That’s an interesting topic which I’ll post about in the next couple of days at the latest.
Thanks for reading.
Hey Ben,
The “Next page” link at the bottom is not working. It’s giving a “file not found error.” I am really enjoying the blog!
-Quinn
Thanks for the heads up Quinn, it’s working fine for me, but my computer is strange at times.
Does this link work for you?
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/page/2/
Hi Ben
Great Blog you have opened.
I would love to write some experience from my travels with Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. (www.swiss.com) Could you open a new category?
Would be great.
Greetings from Europe
pete
how does a student afford to travel 200k miles a year? sign me up!
Big fan of your website – the question begs, what are you going to do when you graduate college and have to get a real job?
Keep up the great work.
Thanks Stevie. Well, hopefully I’ll either get a job in the travel industry, get a job that requires a lot of travel, or get a job that leaves a lot of time for travel.
I have been enjoying your blog, I travel a pretty good amount myself and enjoy your persoective.
I will say this college must have changed alot over the last 20 years, when I was in college and Law school I had to roll pennies for gas I was so broke couldn’t have imagined shelling out the dough for 200K miles of flights . Of course it was all about the beer and girls in those days .
You probably get this a lot..but seriously as a college student where do u get your funding for the 200,000 miles you travel each year. I’ve seen your posts on FT…thus how i found your blog.
You obviously take advantage of MR’s and bonuses…but im still dumbfounded by how you can do it!!
I am also a fellow college student and an avid traveler. I do a lot of traveling…so much i even worked at an airline one summer..fun times of free unlimited standby..
any tips that can help a fellow student out that would be awesome.
thanks
Thanks for checking out my blog, Aaron, I appreciate it. You might find this post interesting, which I think should answer your basic question:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/2008/07/29/how-i-find-the-timeresources-to-travel/
Long story short, with the amount I pay to travel, I can’t afford not to! I’m literally paying less to fly those 200,000 miles than I’d pay to fly the few miles I really have to fly every year. ‘Tis true!
If that post doesn’t answer any questions, feel free to let me know.
–Ben
Hi Lucky,
First thing first, I just love your blog!
It’s filled with interesting insights, great photos, and excellent tips especially on the Priority Club/IC Ambassador…
Anyway can you send me the info on how one become a Royal Ambassador? And by that I mean the hard way…and not using some form of referral from a active RA…
thanks in advance…
Hey katya,
Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it! As for how to earn Royal Ambassador — it’s “invitation only,” so technically they don’t publish the requirements. That being said, common wisdom says that it takes 50 nights at Priority Club properties, including stay at three separate IC hotels. Also (and most importantly), they only start “counting” after you join Ambassador.
Hope that helps.
Hello,
Love your blog. Fantastic information on it.
By the way, do you know what is the hilton hhonors latest eadvantage promotion? I am hoping that there are bringing back double points.
Thanks subzero! The current promo is weird, since it seems to be 1,000 points per stay. Looking at my account right now, it seems like I’ve only received 1,000 points on my most recent stay, though, which seems odd. 1,000 points works well for me, since most of my (revenue) stays are below or around $100/night.
Hi Lucky!
Greetings from the new IC Singapore club lounge.
So stupid of me, didn’t think you would reply my comment here, so I never checked back after leaving my comment last time.
Anyway, would, say, 25 nights at IC properties alone (including meeting the 3 different IC requirements) in a year can propel me to become RA?
Because those cities that I plan to visit in the next 12 months all have IC properties and I just don’t see the point of dowgrading myself to the mediocrity of HI or CP when I can be treated like a princess in IC properties.
I guess I’ve become too spoiled ever since I became Ambassador.
Looking forward to seeing more of those fantastic hotel stay reports.
katya
I am 7200 miles from becoming 1k on United. What is your advice for getting those miles? The promotion pages show las vegas-paris before year end, but then can’t find the flight when i try to get it. Anyway to get the miles somehow without flying? Do they extend the qualifying period at any time?
Hello Sally,
You have two real options for getting to 1K. The first option is having a Chase Platinum Mileage Plus Visa, and redeeming 80,000 “choices” for 8,000 EQM’s. If it were earlier in the year and you didn’t have Platinum Mileage Plus Visa I would suggest getting one, since you earn 5,000 EQM’s+ for signing up for it and using it. In general I would say that’s not a very good use of “choices,” which are basically the same thing as miles.
Unfortunately the only other option is to fly, so do a quick mileage run! If you tell me where you’re located I’d be happy to try and help find a suitable mileage run that’s easy and not too expensive. Considering the benefits of 1K, you’re too close to let it slip!
Just saw the article on Airways and lead me to your site.
Great job!
Lucky, I can’t find a contact email for you anywhere…can you post?
My contact email is “onemileatatime@hotmail.com.”
Dear Lucky:
Congratulations on your entertaining AND informative blog. I found it last month and have been addicted ever since. I have a question for you please. My mother has 250,000 points with American Express, and my husband and I have approximately 500,000 miles with United, most of them have been accrued through credit card use and his previous job. We have found it nearly impossible to use our United miles (our sole personal travel takes place between SFO and ATH during the peak summer months), and I’d like to close out my mother’s American Express card. Based on information you previously provided, I am thinking of opening an ANA mileage account and transferring her miles over there. What do you think of this idea? Of all your entries, my personal favorite has been your Lufthansa First Class travel with your brother. Happy trails!
Best,
Despina
Thanks for reading my blog, Despina!
As far as your question goes, I’m happy you wrote me first. ANA is great if you’re flying from the east coast to western Europe, but since it’s distance based it’s not that great for traveling beyond that. An award from SFO to ATH would cost you something like 140,000-160,000 miles, depending on your routing with ANA.
You want to transfer miles to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. It costs 120,000 miles per person, and if you mix in several Star Alliance carriers, you won’t pay any fuel surcharges, which means each ticket should be about $100 in taxes and nothing else (unlike ANA, where you’d pay around $400).
They don’t block partner award inventory, so you should find plenty of availability.
Happy travels and enjoy Greece!
Good Morning Lucky, Thanks very much for your response. I signed up for both Air Canada and ANA’s mileage programs and spent a few days entering different routes (SFO-JFK and SFO-ATH) and different dates. The thing I found is that ANA has greater availability. While the Air Canada tickets are much cheaper in terms of miles domestically, ANA wins on the international side. A business class ticket to Greece is 90,000 miles on ANA versus 100,000 on Air Canada and 105,000 on United. I am dipping my feet in the ANA pool by transferring a few miles from AmEx and will continue to research. I did note that ANA doesn’t allow ANY changes once a ticket is booked, but I am going to call them for clarification and also look further into Air Canada. Thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Best,
Despina
Despina,
There are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, ANA will charge you pretty high taxes on the award which will probably come out to around $350 per person, while they’ll be around $100 per person with Aeroplan. Second of all, Aeroplan’s availability is actually identical to what ANA has. Their website isn’t nearly as good, though, and doesn’t show all the availability, but you’ll see it’s there when you call.
In your shoes I would go for a first class award, given the small premium. With Aeroplan that would cost you 120,000 miles, and with ANA it would cost you 140,000 miles.
Just my two cents….
Hi Lucky,
First of all, thanks for taking the time to think about my predicament, let alone posting about it. After I wrote to you, I spoke to ANA and did a little further investigating, and saw that you were right. I cancelled the AmEx transfer and am heading over to Aeroplan. Thanks again!
Best,
Despina
Sounds like a wise decision, Despina. If you need any further assistance, let me know.
Regards,
Ben
Hi Ben,
I needed to book last minute travel to Istanbul, took your advice and transferred 120,000 points to Aeroplan and got a first class ticket. I’ve never been in First Class internationally and am very excited. If you wouldn’t mind would you please offer me a couple of pieces of advise.
1. Thus far I am booked on Lufthansa and Turkish. I’m not crazy about my arrival time in SF on the return and have a chance to move to an earlier flight. One of them will be United through Frankfurt (currently I am on Lufthansa through Munich on the way home). Is there a discernible difference between Lufthansa and United in F?
2. There are two First Class lounges in Terminal 1 in Frankfurt. Is one better than the other?
I hope you enjoyed your SF visit even though we had crummy weather this weekend.
Best,
Despina
Hi Despina,
I had a great stay in SF, thanks! I found the weather to be beautiful, given that it has been 90 degrees in Tampa forever now. Unfortunately I forgot a jacket, which made the stay a bit rough due to the wind.
As far as your first question goes, yes, there’s a HUGE difference between Lufthansa and United in first. On Lufthansa you’ll be driven to the plane from the fantastic First Class Lounge (FCL) in Munich, and the service aboard should be excellent. The food and drinks will be miles better than you’d get on United. The seat itself will likely be better on United, but everything else is much better on Lufthansa. Since this is your first time in international first, I would definitely go with Lufthansa.
As far as your second question goes, are you connecting on Lufthansa or another airline? If you’re connecting on Lufthansa and have a long connection, you can actually use the First Class Terminal, which I’m betting you’ve heard of. They keep changing their access policy, and they actually changed it back to allowing connecting passengers access.
The other two lounges are quite similar, so I wouldn’t say there’s any discernable difference in quality.
Enjoy your trip!
– Ben
Hi Ben:
Thanks so much for the advice. I have short layovers both ways. Just 1 hour and 45 minutes over and 1 and a half hours on the way back. Not much time to do anything it seems.
Best,
Despina
Hey,
I thought there was a link to email you but I can’t find it.
Anyway here is a tip. Beds, sort of, in coach….
http://www.gadling.com/2010/01/25/coach-cabin-revolution-air-new-zealand-adds-beds-in-economy/