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Gotta Get To China? For You, Very Cheap....With Points.

By Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson

Ryan Bingham: Our business expense allots forty dollars each for dinner. I plan on grabbing as many miles as I can. Natalie Keener: Okay, you got to fill me in on the miles thing. What is that about? You're talking about, like, frequent flyer miles? Ryan Bingham: You really want to know? Natalie Keener: I'm dying to know. Ryan Bingham: I don't spend a nickel, if I can help it, unless it somehow profits my mileage account. Natalie Keener: So, what are you saving up for? Hawaii? South of France? Ryan Bingham: It's not like that. The miles are the goal. Natalie Keener: That's it? You're saving just to save? Ryan Bingham: Let's just say that I have a number in mind and I haven't hit it yet. Natalie Keener: That's a little abstract. What's the target? Ryan Bingham: I'd rather not... Natalie Keener: Is it a secret target? Ryan Bingham: It's ten million miles. Natalie Keener: Okay. Isn't ten million just a number? Ryan Bingham: Pi's just a number. Natalie Keener: Well, we all need a hobby. No, I- I- I don't mean to belittle your collection. I get it. It sounds cool. Ryan Bingham: I'd be the seventh person to do it. More people have walked on the moon. Natalie Keener: Do they throw you a parade? Ryan Bingham: You get lifetime executive status. You get to meet the chief pilot, Maynard Finch. Natalie Keener: Wow. Ryan Bingham: And they put your name on the side of a plane. Natalie Keener: Men get such hardons from putting their names on things. You guys don't grow up. It's like you need to pee on everything. From the movie, "Up In The Air" Elliott Ng at CNReviews has a great post, entitled, "Finding Discount Airfare to Shanghai from US." The post talks about how airfare to China is up this year and then goes on to set out various ways to find low fares. My favorite paragraph, however was the following:

Because I'm a United Airlines mileage whore loyalty program member, I'm willing to pay a little more to fly a Star Alliance flight that gives me the miles and even more importantly, the Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) that give me a chance at being treated like a human being elite status on United.

For no other reason beyond the fact that I began my career in Chicago (home of United Airlines), I too have an unwavering Star Alliance addiction. Elliott's post does a great job laying out various options for finding cheap fares to China that goes way, way, beyond the basics, ranging from a number of relatively obscure, but excellent, online sites, to a travel agent in San Francisco's Chinatown. I have one addition to make Sharp Travel in Seattle is the best place I know from which to buy tickets on Korean Airlines and Asiana Airlines. Word is that Sharp is always at or near the top in US tickets sold on these two airlines. Nick was originally introduced to me by a high level executive from a Korean chaebol, who told me "all of the Koreans" in Seattle get their tickets there. All I know is that every third time or so there seems to be some ultra-high level muckity-muck from Asiana or Korean Airlines hanging out at Sharp in an obvious effort to win its favor and that the prices and the perks from buying there invariably beat anything on the internet. I have flown Asiana from Seattle to Seoul to Qingdao or Shanghai or Beijing or Dalian, business class and with a free hotel night and transportation in Seoul for as little as $1600 and coach for as little as $700. I have bought next day tickets from Sharp for hundreds of dollars less than anything on the net. Oh, and they include miles. FULL DISCLOSURE: Nick is a friend of mine and a part owner of my lunchtime hangout, Redfin restaurant, but I assure you that he had no idea I was writing this and I have no expectation of receiving any remuneration for having done so, beyond maybe a sushi combo.... I am a big Asiana Airlines fan because it is in the Star Alliance, because it has relatively new planes and an excellent safety record, and because it has such an incredible network of Asian (and Chinese) cities to which it flies. I also like stopping off in Seoul, which has one of the two or three best airports in the world, which includes a quite decent and well-priced in-airport hotel and very nice Hyatt a five minute free shuttle away and a very new Sheraton a little bit further out in Incheon. I like flying to Seoul, arriving in the evening, spending the night there, then flying on to China the next morning, fully refreshed. Then on the way back, I typically spend a couple days in Seoul proper, so for me, Seoul is the perfect layover and since only Hainan airlines flies direct from Seattle, I'm looking at a layover pretty much no matter what. Bon Voyage.

Full post as published by China Law Blog on April 25, 2010 (boomark / email).