Changes In Avianca And Star Alliance Ticket Redemption

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Tara

At least they are giving 3 months advance notice! I have another post on best uses of Lifemiles for eco-tourists. I still think they are best used on their own metal for intra-Peru or intra-Central America. The figures below are for round-trip tickets, one ways are half the amount.

From October 15^th, 2014, redemption fares for flights with Avianca will change, which include reductions and increases, as shown in the following table:

Origin		Destination		Miles¹ from October 15^th, 2014
Miami		Central America		28.000
Florida		Central America The Caribbean		25.000
		Mexico		30.000
		South America		40.000
		Europe		80.000
		Colombia³ Ecuador	Venezuela Peru	30.000
Orlando		Bogota and Medellin		33.000

Washington		Bogota		37.000
New York		Medellin		37.000
Dallas Newark New York Washington	Chicago Houston Toronto	Colombia		35.000
		Central America⁴ The Caribbean		30.000
		Ecuador		35.000
		Europe		80.000
Dallas Newark New York Washington	Chicago Houston Toronto	Mexico		30.000
Dallas Newark New York	Washington Chicago Houston	Peru Venezuela		35.000
Dallas Newark New York	Washington Chicago Houston
Toronto
Dallas Newark New York	Washington Chicago Houston	Buenos Aires Montevideo Santiago de Chile		45.000
Dallas Newark New York	Washington Chicago Houston	Asuncion Brasilia Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo	Porto Alegre La Paz Santa Cruz
Toronto		South America

Los Angeles		Bogota		38.000
Los Angeles		Lima		37.000
Los Angeles and San Francisco		Central America and The Caribbean		35.000
		Colombia Ecuador	Peru Venezuela	35.000
		Mexico		40.000
		Europe		80.000
		South America		45.000

Mexico		Central America The Caribbean Colombia²		25.000
		Peru		27.000
		Ecuador		28.000
		Venezuela		30.000
		Asuncion Buenos Aires Montevideo Santiago de Chile	Brasilia Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo Porto Alegre La Paz Santa Cruz	45.000
		Miami Orlando Fort Lauderdale		30.000
		Dallas Newark Washington	Houston New York Chicago
		Toronto
		Los Angeles San Francisco		40.000
		Europe		80.000

¹ The amount of miles represent round trip tickets
² Except Mexico to Bogota, Medellin or Cali, from 28.000 miles
³ Except Orlando – Bogota / Medellin, from 33.000 miles
⁴ Except Houston-El Salvador, from 35.000 miles; Dallas/Washington/New York / Toronto, – El Salvador, from 36.000 miles

Flights with Star Alliance member airlines

As for changes in air ticket redemption with Star Alliance member airlines, these include increases up to 13.000 miles in Economy Class and up to 26.000 miles in Business Class. Both cases apply for roundtrip flights from North America.

For roundtrip flights from Mexico, there will be reductions up to 15.000 miles and increases up to 14.000 miles in Economy Class, also reductions up to 20.000 miles and increases up to 28.000 miles in Business class.

To be sure that our members have the opportunity to understand all changes before these take place, all modifications will be effective from October 15^th, 2014.

Terms and Conditions

The table shown above is illustrative only; its intention is to summarize the amount of miles that will be required per region for the X class in economy cabin. The amount of miles required for a ticket redemption is calculated based on a specific origin and destination and could not match with the amount of miles shown on the table above, it could be higher.
The amount of miles required could vary depending on the date, route and redemption product.
To know the exact amount of required miles for each origin and destination, it will be necessary to consult the amount through the redemption system athttps://www.lifemiles.com/eng/use/red/dynredpar.aspx after October 15th, 2014.
The amounts listed by the redemption system shall prevail over those shown on the table above.
LifeMiles is a trademark of LifeMiles Corp.
LifeMiles Terms and Conditions apply and can be found at www.lifemiles.com.

Rio & Rio 2 Movies Help Conservation Efforts

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Tara

Call it anthropomorphism, but any movies that brings Spix’s Macaws to the attention of the general public and highlights the reasons they are now extinct in the wild is a good thing! The first movie showed the evils of poachers and the black market wildlife trade. The second movies highlights the ravages of deforestation by illegal loggers. What I really loved about this interview is that Russ Mittermeier, the president of Conservation International has actual footage of the last wild Spix’s Macaw!. I blogged about them a couple years ago and where they used to be found in Brazil. I hope that someday, they will fly freely and safely there again!

First Impressions – Ua Huka

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Tara

We arrived right on time, I was very impressed with Air Tahiti’s punctuality. Since Ua Huka is a smaller island, we had to change planes in Nuku Hiva. The airport is small but it was nice to stretch my legs after the long flight from Papeete.

Always ready to watch birds, I spotted a Nuku Hiva pigeon near the airport.

The plane to Ua Huka was much smaller. It turned out that the son of my guesthouse owner was on the plane so I was looking forward to a smooth transfer to our bungalow.

The rugged topography of Ua Huka soon came into view.

We touched down at the tiny airport and “surprise” no one was there to pick us up! The son had taken off with his friends. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and assured me that Maurice, the guesthouse owner would be along shortly.

When everyone else had taken off, an airport employee took pity on us and gave us a lift to Hokatu. The scenery along the way was amazing! If these islands were as close to Papeete as Bora Bora, they would be over-run with tourists so I was starting to appreciate the long (albeit expensive) journey to get there!

We were dropped at Maurice & Delphine’s home where Maurice came out, apologized for not being at the airport and took us to our bungalow. Review coming!

The Tragedy Of MH17 – Shot Down In Ukraine

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Tara

I woke to the Aussie morning news channels full of the shocking story of the Malaysian Airlines flight that was shot down in the Ukraine in what would have been after midnight in our time zone. I was shocked by the news that 295 innocent people have been killed and horrified be the images that were now being broadcast of the wreckage. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families and also with Malaysian Airlines whom I think was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The shooting down of this passenger plane should be treated as a war crime and the criminals brought to justice.

Although everyone is saddened by this tragedy, there are always elements that make it hit closer to home. There are the Australian passports just like the ones my husband and I carry. People just like us who just wanted an overseas adventure. Since Malaysian Airlines joined OneWorld, it’s been a popular award for Aussies traveling to Europe and Asia.

Lonely Planet Bali guidebook found in wreckage of MH 17

But what really got me was the Lonely Planet guidebook found in the wreckage. Lonely Planets have been my travel Bibles since the early 80’s and on numerous occasions, I boarded flights with such a book in my carry on to read on the plane and brush up on my destination.

Last night, people who were just like me said goodbye to their loved ones and boarded a flight that was supposed to be their adventure of a lifetime. To see new cultures, party on the beach, make new friends and have new experiences. But their dreams will never be fulfilled. They will never come home to their loved ones with tons of photos and silly souvenirs.

I don’t mean people should panic and cancel their trips but rather focus on what’s important. It’s not about the movies on the IFE, the way your steak is cooked and how often the flight attendants smile at you. At the end of the day, what’s important is that you get to your destination safely and return home to those you love.

RIP victims of the war criminal attack on MH 17.

Air Tahiti Flight: Papeete – Ua Huka, Marquesas

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Tara

You gotta love an airport where you can get lei’d first thing in the morning if you want!

The airport is buzzing from 5am onwards as people are checking in for departures at 6am onwards. The line is pretty long, no elite check-in so get there as early as you can! Fares are not cheap as I already posted!

Flights boarded right on time. People with children were called first, then all others walked to the plane and chose any open seat. We went for the “poor people’s business class” in the front. Not a great idea as seat arms don’t come up and we were last off the plane.

Air Tahiti’s domestic service is probably one of the more pleasant one-class flights you can take. On longer services to the Marquesas they aren’t able to sell every seat on the plane due to runway length and weight restrictions. The odds are pretty good you will have an empty seat next to you! Staff were very friendly but only coffee, tea or water were provided for free. We had brought the breakfast from the Tahiti Airport Motel as we weren’t prepared to eat at 5:30am! Snacks are available for purchase on board.

iziKhwenene Project Wins Biodiversity Stewardship Award

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Tara

Hogsback is a place I intend to visit on my upcoming trip to Africa. It’s great that they are getting more recognition for the endangered Cape Parrots!

I will be flying into Port Elizabeth and renting a car. King Williams Town also has a decent population of Cape Parrots.

Click on the photo from original article for full story!

Motel Review: Tahiti Airport Motel

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Tara

Tahiti Airport Motel isn’t an eco-lodge by any sense of the word, however unless you have enough IHG, SPG or Club Carlson points, you will will probably find yourself staying here in between flights to the amazing Polynesian islands where you find the rare birds.

This is how close it is to the airport – literally right across the street and up a short hill. I have to admit giggling over the Trip Advisor reviews where people say they paid over $20 for a taxi to come here! In this photo, we have just come out of the terminal and there it is, you can’t miss it!

Follow this little side street (note the mural) up the hill to the reception.

Since I always want to earn more miles if possible, I used Rocketmiles to book this hotel. There was a promo running last month and I got 3000 bonus miles which posted very promptly so I am am very impressed with the service! If you join using my links (the 3000 mile bonus one may not be working when you read this), then you and I both get 1000 miles bonus!

Prompt point posting from Rocketmiles!

The rooms were in nice bright colours, clean and had free wifi so I quickly caught up my emails. I was so paranoid about missing our expensive flight to Ua Huka, I set 4 alarms – my phone, my husband’s phone, the clock in the room and the wake up call from reception! All went well, actually my iPhone woke me but I can confirm that the reception was within 5 minutes of the time I requested the wake up call.

Breakfast officially starts at 6am but they will let you have it early if you have to check in very early to your flight. Our flight to Ua Huka left at 0630 am! It’s a simple continental breakfast but fills the spot!

Air Tahiti Nui – Even Economy Was Pleasant

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Tara

The one thing I really like about some of the Pacific Island airlines is the way they incorporate their culture into their national airline. Air Tahiti Nui won’t be the choice of those seeking aspirational awards because J class is only a recliner, not lie flat. See my post on how to book award seats on Air Tahiti Nui.

But the economy is a good deal for those redeeming economy as the cabin has a 2-4-2 layout so couples can grab seats and be sure of not having to share a 3 seater with a stranger. We got lucky with a plane that had lots of empty seats so my husband shifted into the aisle across while I kept the 2 seater so we could spread out and pretend we were in J.

I loved the blue and green colour scheme and the way the FA’s wore typical Tahitian clothing, it makes you feel like your holiday has started already!

The most important tip I can give you about seat selection is AVOID THE MIDDLE ROWS INBOUND TO TAHITI!

Upon arrival at PPT, they disembarked from both the front and rear staircases, leaving the middle row passengers as the last ones off the aircraft.

A Hawaiian Airline plane had arrived just before us and the immigration lines were horrific! They seem to take forever processing each person and there were only 3 officers on duty. They do try to make it bearable by having a nice Tahitian band and dancer to welcome and entertain the new arrivals.

David Attenborough’s Life Of Birds

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Tara

This is the series that launched 1000’s of people into the hobby of birding (or bird-watching if you prefer). Now available as Instant Streaming from Amazon.

This is my affiliate link so I do appreciate you using it for this or any other purchase.

Air India Officially Joins Star Alliance

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Tara

Air India has finally joined Star Alliance!

This is great news for eco-travelers as India has some amazing places to see birds in the wild! I’ve been to Coorg, Kerala, Wayanad (accessible from Bangalore) and Bharatpur near Jaipur, Agra & Delhi. You will also have more flight options to Sri Lanka using Star Alliance partners where more beautiful endemic birds await! See my guide on getting to India and Central Asia for more information on how many miles you need.

The domestic route possibilities are very interesting, especially when you consider how large India is and how difficult it is for a foreigner to book train tickets without an Indian mobile phone! These routes haven’t been loaded into United’s booking engine yet so I can’t wait to see what they price out at!

If you live in India and want to learn about possible credit card deals specific to Indians, Live From A Lounge can help you. The blogger lives in Mumbai and is familiar with the Indian frequent flier mile scene.

Miles To The Wild

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Monthly Archives: July 2014