This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Malta

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Several airlines fly to Malta including:

• Star Alliance – Austrian, Lufthansa, SAS, Turkish
• Oneworld – British Airways, Finnair
• Sky Team – Alitalia
• Selected other – Air Malta, several European low cost airlines (some seasonally), Emirates (from Dubai via Larnaca)

TIP Many airlines have codeshares on Air Malta flights. These are generally not able to be used on around the world tickets or awards, and may affect earning of frequent flyer miles. Check the operating airline.

TIP Avoid the peak summer travel period when demand is high.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

As I work slowly towards my goal of going everywhere, I’ve been reprioritising some of my travel to try to mitigate some of the high costs of getting to hard to reach places.

I came to realise earlier this year that I needed to be a bit more strategic in how I travel. Yes, I still react to sales, and I still do trips on whims (such as going half way around the world to have lunch with a friend).

For some destinations I wish to visit, the affordable options dry up fast and so I should book as far ahead as I can. Conversely for other destinations I can see that potential/probable future airline alliance partners fly there, and for those I should wait until I can use awards or alliance fare products to reduce my costs. For example, for certain hard to get to African countries I should wait until Ethopian joins an alliance, or until Emirates starts flying there. Similarly, there are some places Continental flies to & I am waiting until they switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance.

It is thus becoming more difficult to plan my travels (along with some other new constraints I have). The increased currency volatility many countries are experiencing isn’t helping either.

A few weeks ago I’d worked out a rough travel plan for the first six months of next year (following my itchy feet post). I haven’t even ticketed the core part of that plan and already I’ve spent quite a bit of time tearing those plans apart. My new plan is to have a couple of core trips a year covering at least a few hard to reach places each, and leave the rest of my travel open to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

A significant part of my internal struggle is the desire to go and see lots of places is too strong. I’m like a child waiting for Christmas.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

Celebrating Friday with a short interview with a frequent flyer.

Seth – Wandering Aramean

Seth is a self-described chaotic traveler. He has an active blog, the Wandering Aramean, covering travel thoughts, news, and his many & varied journeys.

First, some questions to see what kind of frequent flyer Seth is.

What is your home airport?
Seth – I’m based out of New York, equidistant from all three airports, and I use all three regularly. That being said, I find myself at Newark slightly more frequently than the others based on the train access and an affinity for Continental.

What is the airline you usually fly?
Seth – Continental is my main airline, although I’ll fly anyone if the deal is right. I also fly a lot on United, generally crediting miles to bmi Diamond Club.

Which of the following best describes your flying pattern?
- infrequent (eg annual) leisure trip
- jetsetting for pleasure
- frequent (eg monthly) business travel
- road warrior
- mileage runner
× I live on planes

Seth – In the next month I’ll be flying lots thanks to the JetBlue All You Can Jet deal. I like to fly and I like being on planes. I’ll do whatever it takes to further that pursuit – given the opportunity to fly, I’ll take it.

How do you mostly earn your frequent flyer miles?
- promos
- credit card spend
- business and leisure travel
- taking extra flights on trips I need to take
× mileage running

Seth – Some trips aren’t pure mileage runs but rather a short weekend vacation. 12-36 hours anywhere generally seems like a good idea.

Please describe how you travel in 4 words
Seth – observant, fast-paced, anywhere, anytime

I’m getting the picture you’ll go anywhere for a day or two at the drop of a hat. Does your unusual travel pattern cause any problems for you with security, immigration or customs?
Seth – I’ve yet to experience a problem. I came close once in Luxembourg of all places where I took 5 minutes to convince them I really was only spending 16 hours there (see Luxembourg report). Other than that it has all been smooth – I’ve been lucky thus far (knock on wood).

You’ve bought a JetBlue All You Can Jet Pass for one month of travel. Why did you buy this?
Seth – Even though I have to work the entire month of the JetBlue deal, I know there are opportunities for me to fly, see more airports and some cities along the way. It won’t be a “value” play for me because I could just as easily not flown those weekends.

[Editor - I have my doubts that you wouldn't have been flying anyway!]

Having access to so many flights was too hard to pass up. I aim to visit around 25 JetBlue destinations during the month, all without missing any time from work. I love to fly and this is a great opportunity to do it on the cheap, even if it does mean showing up at work directly after flying for roughly 60 hours straight.

We can follow Seth’s All You Can Jet adventures on his blog.

Now for some advice from Seth.

What is inside your carry-on bag right now?
Seth – Passport, netbook, kindle, DSLR camera, eyeshades and a toothbrush. Everything else is optional, but the “go” bag is always ready.

Please give a tip on travel.
Seth – Your flights are going to be delayed or cancelled every now and then. Remember that it isn’t happening because the airline is out to screw you, and that sometimes life doesn’t run smoothly. Use the opportunities presented to see something new or otherwise derive value where you might initially want to freak out and scream.

A great example happened to my wife and I in Paris a few years ago. I misread the train timetable and we managed to find ourselves in a 3-hour gap between trains instead of a 30 minute gap. Initially I was frustrated but we regrouped and soon managed to find a beautiful cemetery right around the corner from the train station. We filled a very pleasant and peaceful hour or so there.

What is your preferred airline for regular travel?
Seth – I generally fly Continental. Based in New York City they offer a great number of non-stop flights – not worrying about misconnections is nice. I also enjoy their domestic product and they have good partners with plenty of redemption options (almost all internationally, half in premium cabins).

United is my second choice, generally on QUP fares for the purpose of collecting insane amounts of bmi miles.

[Editor - QUP is a cheap form of first class fare for USA domestic flights, and favoured by many people on Flyer Talk for their mileage earning potential at relatively low cost.]

What is your preferred airline for a special trip?
Seth – I don’t really have one. I enjoyed Air France l’Espace Affaires (business class) on my last “special” trip but it wasn’t that special. One of my goals is to fly more in proper first and business class. Sadly most US-based airlines are not in that class.

What is your preferred frequent flyer program?
Seth – bmi Diamond Club provides great value in a number of ways – premium cabin awards, cash+miles redemptions, one way awards and allowing stopovers on most routings. Combined with the high earning rates for paid first and business class, they are a great program.

Second choice for me is Continental OnePass. It certainly has limitations (notably lack of certificate-based upgrades for elites) but the program is very consistent and transparent. I like that a lot.

Please give a tip on frequent flyer programs.
Seth – Never underestimate the value that partners of the program may add. In some cases these are more valuable than the host airline. Learning the nuances of the programs to be able to leverage your points for maximum value is well worth the time invested.

Thanks Seth for sharing some great advice. I look forward to reading about your adventures flying JetBlue on the AICJ Wandering Aramean and in the media. Have a great weekend.

For other frequent flyer friday posts please check out the index. If you have any questions you’d like answered, or wish to nominate someone for an interview, please drop me a line using the please use the contact me link. For all sorts of reasons I can’t make any guarantees, but if you’re interested chances are others are too and so we’ll get some good interviews.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Svalbard

Source: Jens Kube

Svalbard are a group of islands to the north of mainland Norway. Visitors to Svalbard arrive by cruise ship during summer (some Iceland to Greenland cruises also visit Svalbard) or by air at Longyearbyen. The only scheduled flights are on SAS from Oslo and Tromso, and Norwegian Air Shuttle from Oslo. There are also a limited number of charter flights from Russia.

TIP Fares are very high so including Longyearbyen on a Star Alliance around the world ticket or award is good value.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Bahrain

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Visitors to Bahrain arrive across the King Fahd causeway, or by air. Flight options include:

• Star Alliance – EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Turkish
• Oneworld – British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Royal Jordanian
• Sky Team – KLM
• Other Selected – Gulf Air, most Middle Eastern airlines, some Indian and north African airlines

TIP Several airlines operate fifth freedom flights between Bahrain and other Middle East hubs (notably excluding Saudi Arabian airports). These can be relatively inexpensive.

TIP If visiting somewhere else in Middle East and flying on Gulf Air it is usually worthwhile on paid tickets to make the other place the destination with a stopover in Bahrain. The cost is the same or very little extra compared with Bahrain as destination. The opposite applies if flying other gulf airlines (ie if flying Emirates Gulf make Dubai the stopover and Bahrain the destination).

TIP If including Bahrain in a Star Alliance or Sky Team around the world ticket (which have a mileage limit) take a surface sector from one of the other Middle East hubs to avoid the need for lengthy backtracking due to lack of Asian connection.

TIP On a One World explorer around the world ticket (which is not mileage-based) you can either connect with Cathay Pacific or back-track via London on British Airways or Amman on Royal Jordanian. Backtracking via Hong Kong is not allowed because Middle East is in IATA TC area 2 and Asia is IATA TC area 3.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

Some cities have more than one airport. These can complicate travel with some big traps for the unwary.

Some examples of cities with more than one airport include:

• Chicago – Midway, O’Hare
• London – City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted
• Melbourne (Australia) – Avalon, Tullamarine
• Moscow – Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo
• New York – JFK, La Guardia, Newark, White Plains
• Rio de Janiero – Galeão, Santos Dumont
• Seoul – Gimpo, Incheon
• Tokyo – Haneda, Narita

Trap 1 – Go to the Wrong Airport

The most basic mistake is to turn up, or arrange pickup, at the wrong airport. It is a very easy mistake to make, and a trap that millions of people fall into every year.

Avoid this trap by always double-checking you have the right airport. This is particularly important for low cost airlines, some of which have a habit of referring to airports by the name of the nearest major city which is not the same as the main airport of that city. For example Hahn being called Frankfurt – they are two different airports.

Trap 2 – Assume Airports are Close

If an airport is referred to as being at a particular city you may assume it is close to it. When multiple airports are referred to as being at a particular city it may seem likely they are fairly close to each other.

In some cities with multiple airports they are relatively close together – eg New York’s JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports are not too far apart. However more commonly airports may be more outlying, and a long way from the city and from each other – eg Tokyo Haneda and Narita are on different sides of the city with Narita a long train or bus ride into central Tokyo.

Some low cost airlines have a habit of using secondary airports a long distance from the city they refer to. For example Hahn is 1 hour 45 minutes away by bus from Frankfurt city, and Avalon is about an hour by bus from Melbourne city.

Avoid this trap by checking airport websites for transfer information.

Trap 3 – Connections Across Separate Airports

Some itineraries may require a transfer between airports. For example Bridgetown (Barbados) to Lagos (Nigeria) via London has the first flight arriving at Gatwick and the second departing from Heathrow.

You need to allow plenty of time to change airports. Eg British Airways requires 3 hours minimum connection time (MCT) if flying on the same ticket with a London connection across multiple airports. Journey time between Tokyo Narita and Haneda is 2 or more hours.

Avoid this trap by carefully checking draft itinerary arrival and departure airports including for transits. In some cases there may be flight options that do not require a terminal transfer. If you have no choice to change airports consider an overnight stop or all day transit to allow more time, especially if flying on separate tickets.

Trap 4 – Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

In most cases you also need to pay to transfer between airports, and this cost could be eye-wateringly high if there are no buses or trains available – for example a cab between Narita and Haneda (2+ hour travel time) is around ¥19,000 (about US$200). A saving in air fare (penny wise) can easily be more than offset by transfer costs (pound foolish).

Avoid this trap by researching transfer costs. If bus or train transfers exist these are likely to be cheapest. Also check taxi fares in case your flight is late &/or arrives outside the operating hours of the other public transport.

Trap 5 – Involuntary Transfer Between Airports

If you are travelling to a city with multiple airports and have same day onward flights you might end up with an involuntary transfer between airports if airlines change their schedules. For example someone with a New York JFK to Dubrovnik booking on British Airways (via London Gatwick) now faces a transfer between London Heathrow and Gatwick with the cancellation of JFK to Gatwick flights.

In this situation the airline may be morally obliged to assist with transfer costs and rebooking if the connection becomes impossible. However, this doesn’t always mean they are legally obliged to cover additional costs borne. I am not a lawyer, but my interpretation of EU 261/2004 (article 8 para 3) is that in the New York to Dubrovnik example above British Airways is required to pay for the cost of transfer between Heathrow and Gatwick, and potentially other costs also (eg if an overnight stay in London is now required due to the change). Travel insurance would normally cover some consequential costs (eg forced en route accommodation in countries where airlines do not have to cover those costs).

Avoid this trap by trying not to use airlines that operate from two airports in the same city if possible, and where practical routing via cities with only one major airport (eg through Frankfurt or Amsterdam instead of London or Paris).

Trap 6 – Assume Airline Partners Use the Same Airport

It is easy to assume that airline partners, especially ones in the same alliance, all use the same airport in a city with multiple airports in order to simplify connections. This is not always the case. For example in Washington, United mainly uses Dulles airport while US Airways mainly uses Reagan/National.

Avoid this trap by checking airport websites (airline websites can be misleading if they simply refer to city name). Some alliances are actively moving to reduce across city connections by co-locating, eg some Star Alliance airlines have switched from Sheremetyevo to Domodedovo.

Trap 7 – Definition of Same City Varies

Some air travel “rules” allow for special treatment in cities with multiple airports. For example:

• a fare may be common-rated (the same at both/all airports), or may not be
• a city code such as NYC for New York may be used in some circumstances to avoid a land segment between airports such as arriving at La Guardia and departing from JFK (invaluable for around the world tickets which normally include land or surface sectors in the maximum number allowed)
• checked baggage may be transferred for you between airports deemed to be co-terminals (that is in the same city), whereas otherwise you’d need to carry the bags across to the second airport yourself

Unfortunately, different definitions of what is the same city are used for different purposes. Sticking with New York as an example, for some purposes White Plains is included and for other purposes it is not.

Avoid this trap by asking your airline or travel agent about it how it works for your circumstances.

Summary

I’ve given seven traps for travel involving cities with multiple airports, and ways to deal with each of them. What problems have you experienced?

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Taiwan

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The easiest way to visit Taiwan is by air. Airlines flying to Taiwan (mostly Taipei Taoyuan airport) include:

• Star Alliance – Air China, ANA, Asiana, , Singapore, Thai, United
• Oneworld – Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Japan
• Sky Team – China Southern, Delta, KLM, Korean, Vietnam
• Other selected – China Airlines (not to be confused with Air China), EVA, some Asian low cost carriers

TIP Some flights to mainland China (and domestic Taiwanese flights) use Taipei Songshan airport instead.

TIP There are lots of airlines flying between Tokyo and Taipei, including some fifth freedom flights (airlines not based in Taiwan or Japan) such as Northwest and United.

TIP Longhaul fares to and from USA and Canada are relatively cheap compared with other Asian hubs, especially in business class.

TIP Since earlier this year airlines have been allowed to schedule direct flights between China and Taiwan. Prior to this the only flights were very limited numbers of charter flights restricted to certain dates and passengers. However, at time of writing only 40 flights per day are allowed and demand is much higher than this. Until the restrictions are completely removed fares remain high and many will need to travel via Hong Kong, Macau or other hubs.

UPDATED August 2010 – Updated for TAM and Aegean joining Star Alliance, Shanghai leaving Star Alliance, Vietnam Airlines and TAROM joining Sky Team. No change to advice.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

I have moved the links from the sidebar to a new page. This means the sidebar is less cluttered, but more importantly gives me space to explain why the links are in the link list. I hope you’ll find this useful.

Here is a link to the new link page (there is also a link from the top of every page). Hopefully the extra click to reach it is offset by adding more value to the list.

I’ll keep adding to the link list from time to time so please check back regularly.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

Lots of my friends and family think that what I do is a bit odd or even disturbing. While I understand it is not for everyone I love it. Here’s a summary of what I got up to yesterday as an example of a typical day, so you can be the judge.

3:30am Alarm goes off. !@#$ I just got to bed a few hours ago. I resist the temptation to sleep a little longer and go into autopilot mode to get ready.

4:00am Having showered, dressed & packed I’m out the door. I figure I just have enough time to take the bus to airport instead of a cab, so walk to the bus stop a mile away, weaving past the flocks of drunk teens along the way

5:35am Arrive at airport, bolt for check-in, pick up 4 boarding passes. Quickly through immigration, security and into the lounge. Enough time to spare to check messages and do a quick spot of work.

5:50am Board at final call for my first flight of the day. I try to sleep but the ride is rather bumpy today so instead I read some papers and mentally prepare some responses. I enjoy a quick chat with a flight attendant I’ve previously flown with on many flights.

9:00am (-2 hour time change) For some reason one immigration line is empty when there are queues at all the other lines. Yes! Use my “trick” to bypass the long customs queues and thus I’m landside in 5 minutes. A short walk to domestic terminal (I’d chosen this routing today for the ease of transfers). There are 2 lines at security – one has 20 people in wheelchairs. Naturally I take the other line.

9:10am In the lounge. Catch up on some messages, do some blogging and some research while waiting for my friend to arrive.

10:50am Friend arrives. We have brunch in the lounge. I check the upcoming flights are on track (last week I’d been held up for 5 hours due to fog – such a delay today would be disastrous). When his flight departs I then talked with another friend on another continent before it was time for me too to leave.

12:40pm Second flight of the day. A relatively short flight so I grab some work out of my bag and set to it, snatching looks out the window from time to time. The sun is shining brightly onto late season snow on the top of the ranges. The valleys are mostly obscured by cloud.

2:30pm A short transit so I bolted for the lounge. Caught up on messages, chat with another person to resolve a couple of issues. Progress is good. The tiredness is creeping in so I’m relieved when boarding is called.

2:45pm Third flight of the day. No work this time as I just try to sleep. Keeping papers in my bag also means I can disembark quickly as I have a lot to do on the next transit. The power nap on this flight refreshes me but I know it is only temporary relief.

4:00pm We arrive early but then have to wait for the airbridge. I speed walk out and across to the international terminal. My mood is soured at immigration when the officer stamps a valuable blank page in my passport. I hate this with a vengeance, for my passport gets filled so fast that pages suitable for visas are like gold. Unlike USA I cannot add pages. Pass through security. On the walk to the lounge I remonstrate myself for letting it get to me. Tiredness is not an excuse for being grumpy.

4:10pm Another lounge (the fourth of the day). I do some research and blogging, and have a couple of drinks. It has been a highly productive day, but it isn’t over yet.

5:00pm Just enough time for a quick shower and dinner. I like to take dinner in the lounge before evening / night flights. That way I can maximise sleep onboard. Tonight I feel this is essential, for I have another night of little sleep ahead of me.

5:20pm Board the fourth flight of the day, and the second international flight. A very light load with just 22 passengers. Service is great, especially with another friendly, familiar flight attendant.

I started watching a movie while having a nightcap or two but soon realised I was dozing so gave up and got a proper sleep. This was shortlived as the flight time was 30 minutes quicker than normal due to strong tailwinds.

11:00pm (+2 hour time change) We pull into the furthest gate from immigration. Do some shopping at duty free en route. Long queues at customs and x-ray, but no secondary for me this time.

midnight Reach landside and head for sleeper’s corner. The crowd is less than normal tonight. Catch up on the thrilling end of the big game. Chat with a friend for a bit and plan out my next day.

1:30am Find a bench to lie on (you didn’t think my day was going to be glamorous did you?) and grab a couple of hours of much needed sleep.

3:30am Awakened by travellers on the first flights in and out of the day. There is still some time before domestic terminal opens so I move somewhere with better light and get some work done while I wait.

5:00am Walk to domestic terminal. The brisk early morning air feels good. Another travel day begins.

This was a fairly average day. Some days are more hectic, and others more surreal (the times when I fly longhaul first or business class I can’t help but feel I’m in a dream). I do appreciate I’m lucky to have this life and so take the crazy days together with the more sane ones.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Norfolk Island

Source: Steve Daggar

Flights to Norfolk Island are limited to Air New Zealand (from Auckland) and Norfolk Air (to several cities in eastern Australia).

TIP With a very small local population, flight loads are highly dependent on tourist numbers. Thus there are often schedule changes and Norfolk Air has started and cancelled several routes in recent years.

TIP Fares from Australia or New Zealand are low, except possibly during school holidays.

Musings of the Global Traveller
Thoughts, advice and travel news from around the world by a seasoned frequent flyer.