Welcome

Friends,

I was 18 when I took my first flight on a 747. I still have the flight deck’s charts from that Pacific crossing thanks to our really kind crew.

I remember boarding in Minneapolis for the thirteen hour non-stop journey to Tokyo and being floored by the sheer size of the airplane. Our takeoff roll felt like it consumed the entire runway. Eight days later, I flew back home on another 747.

Pan Am’s iconic CEO Juan Trippe remarked just before the 747’s very first commercial flight that the airplane would be "an instrument for peace, just as the atom bomb is an instrument for war”.

I think he was, in so many words, correct. And that story of peace is still being told.

Let’s get going.

Links

Early morning flights can be awesome.

Can you put a price on loyalty? The head of AirFrance & KLM’s frequent flier program says you cannot (sorry in advance: this is a CNN paywalled article).

Security at Austin Bergstrom is a semi-mess while they work through a terminal expansion project so give yourself extra time (h/t ViewfromtheWing).

Ryanair’s social media team is savage.

American 292 had a fighter jet escort on a diversion in to Rome earlier today (evidently because of a bomb threat).

Story

Today is Sunday and I want to ask a relevant question for many of us seeking to leverage points for more, better, and sometimes irrational travel experiences.

Do I ever buy points? And should you?

My short personal answer is yes, albeit infrequently. When LifeMiles began selling points on the cheap, it re-framed the value of loyalty program currencies for me. Buying points and miles can create an arbitrage opportunity that is worth a quick look, so long as the added complexity does not erode your time-opportunity cost.

Basically: do not buy points speculatively and only go for it if it is non-complex.

A few years ago, I had enough points to fly Lufthansa in economy from Europe back to the States. At booking, there was availability in Lufthansa’s very worth-it first class on my flights as well for an additional 50k miles. My only problem: I did not have the additional 50k points for the “upgrade”, which was technically and in fact just the difference in ticket price.

This is where the story gets good: LifeMiles was selling points with a major bonus that month, which allowed me to buy up to 100k miles for 1.3 cents per mile. I triple checked: everything would post immediately and my account was eligible.

I bought the needed 50k points a nanosecond later and had a first class ticket back to the States for what was, in total, $650 out of pocket using the 30k miles I already had ready to go.

For me, it was totally worth it. That same first class ticket retailed for twelve thousand dollars. I got to sit in the nose of their 747-8 and checked in at the private First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. By all accounts, it was a great flight.

These same types of opportunities exist today, both for flights and hotels. As you might imagine, nearly every program will sell you points and they are not all created equal.

That’s why this requires a bit of homework. But the bottom line is buying points can be totally worth it when you are topping-up balances for travel that is already “on the books”.

Happy flying.

Forward

Do you know someone else who likes to travel adventures? Forward this email onto them.

Do you want to use points and miles to the max? You can do it, and I am here to help.

Remember, this life you are living has meaning. Be well today.

-Tommy