Behind the Scenes of My Tier Point Run - Part 2 The Return
Рет қаралды 8,233
Күн бұрынAfter 5 years I finally needed to execute a tier point run to re-establish gold status with British Airways. I'd already gotten half way to the tier point total I needed with a trip to Jakarta which I previously covered on the channel, and to complete the process I elected to undertake a "traditional" tier point run from Europe to the West Coast of the US.
In this video I'll show how the return flights went, and it didn't go well. So from bitter experience, I'll share some advice on what to do when things go wrong... In part one, I talked about the outbound flights, how I coped with them and I shared some tips for planning a trip like this....
And I also show how to get out of Heathrow's Terminal 5 if you're stuck there....
⭐ #tierpointruns #Doingatierpointrun #MattsPlanet ⭐
▶ Support me on Patreon! ◀
▶ / matts_planet ◀
🛒 Check out my new Amazon Store 🛒
▶ www.amazon.co.uk/shop/mattspla... ◀
▶ Get 83% off a subscription with SurfShark ◀
▶ surfshark.deals/MattsPlanet ◀
▶ Applying for an American Express card? Email me for a referral ◀
▶ planet @ ttamsenoj . com ◀
▶ Follow me on Instagram ◀
▶ / mattschannels ◀
▶ Visit my website - www.ttamsenoj.com ◀
✉️ Business Enquiries: planet @ ttamsenoj . com ✉️
▶ Please don't forget to subscribe to my channel! And click the notification bell 🔔! ◀
⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1.15 - What I Did in LA
4:04 - LA to Charlotte
5:12 - Charlotte to...
8:04 - Oh Dear...
14:06 - All is not lost
15:07 - Heathrow
18:27 - Getting out of Heathrow
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. This video may not be copied or reproduced without written permission.
@ML66B 3 ай бұрын
Genius tip for exiting T5 Matt!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Well worth filing away!!
@edhayes2256 3 ай бұрын
As soon as you started to mention it, I’d worked out what it was. Probably as I’d just been using the walkway back from 5B lounge to 5A. But almost certainly wouldn’t have thought of it, had I been needing to exit due to disruption.
@mjrc123 3 ай бұрын
I must be 32 going on 82 because that cruise sounded like hell 🤣🤣 Great video as always Matt!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
It's a great cruise for alcohol enthusiasts and amateur sociologists!!!
@wessexTim 3 ай бұрын
I'm nearer 82 than 32.....but totally agree with you.....the things Matt has to suffer on our behalf.🤣
@ColinHarvey78 3 ай бұрын
That’s a brilliant hack to use the underground train to get out of T5 airside! I’ll remember that one 😊
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
File it away!
@SotiriosAligiannis 3 ай бұрын
Judging by the total value of lessons learned in this return trip, I'd say this one is perhaps one of your top 5 videos. Huge amount of information around irregularities, which do happen more often than we'd think, or we'd admit to. I do have a couple of points though with regards to your last positioning flight which ended up not being taken. As this would attract the highest probability to be affected, maybe a slightly different strategy would help. For example, a BA ticket with same day change rights would give you the time you needed, which is I believe the best option with BA. If it were for a different carrier, then a super cheap ticket on a low cost could serve as a placeholder, then you'd figure out the actual return flight i.e. with avios. One more thing on the hotles in Dublin; they are indeed outrageously expensive, I've been working in the city for 9 months in the past travelling back and forth and it was beyond reason how expensive they are. A modest amount of hotel points could come at hand in such situations, to give you a room when you need it without burning a hole in your wallet.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - great points actually! I got a super cheap BA flight and had assumed it would allow same day changes but will look at it differently next time I'm booking.... I think a replacement low cost carrier flight would have been the option in an emergency but the day was so messed up their pricing had shot up too... And good luck to Dublin for being so popular and so expensive!
@edhayes2256 3 ай бұрын
Usually same day changes can be added for £10ish. Or at least can on LHR-Edi.
@edhayes2256 3 ай бұрын
Also, agree with the OP. So much fantastic info contained in this video. Would almost benefit from being pulled out into a separate video. A question, which I don’t think was addressed in the video. In terms of the jfk hotel booking did you proceed with that? And what happens when you eventually get boarded on standby - would the passenger be on the hook for the bill? Or did you identify a candidate hotel in case you didn’t get a flight? Interesting to think about the strategy in this situation.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I'm annoyed I didn't make it clearer in the video - I'd identified where I'd go but wasn't going to book it until I needed it.... The hotels were unlikely to sell out between 10 and 11pm while I was waiting to see if the waitlist cleared
@edhayes2256 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet figured that would be the case. Another great video, thanks 👍
@lvthud 3 ай бұрын
"One day, BA will operate a flight where nothing goes wrong".... Has to be the funniest line i've heard on KZfaq in at least a week...... Oh you were serious, hmmmm, nope.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
One day.....
@craiggemmell4559 3 ай бұрын
Oh god Matt I'd rather spend 3 days at his majesty's pleasure than go on that cruise, a good sign I'm getting old.😀
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Ha ha - this was an extreme experience but its certainly not for everyone!
@da480 3 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing Matt. Indeed, a but torturous at the end... but I've had one worse last year... I was on FRA-DOH-AUH-CMB-CGK part run/part vacation... when I arrived to FRA I realised I left my wallet at a T5 lounge 😅.... the first time in hundreds I've taken... it's taken me a lot of calm thinking to come back to LHR, to find and retrieve my wallet and to get on with my almost original plans. By some miracle and extreme focus, I only lost one day of my travel... 😇
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Wow - that's a great save! Must have taken quite come coordination to shunt everything back....
@da480 3 ай бұрын
I'm the first one to admit -looking back - luck played some role, but also a composure and, similar to your advice, taking control into my hands... in my case control over lost/found at T5, which is a quite bureaucratic 3 level process even if you know 💯 they've got your item. Their SLA is 48-72 hrs, I got my wallet in under 24 hours... and then, where luck helped was a low travel season allowing me to exchange tickets on 2 different airlines paying just a small fee to one (Qatar).
@malcolmmckenzie9027 2 ай бұрын
Twenty years ago I was ‘abandoned’ in Chicago while connecting there from Orlando to London with my young family. Our incoming Orlando fight was delayed 2 hours due to weather and even though I could see our connecting flight at the gate in Chicago we weren’t allowed to board it - they had already filled it with wait listed passengers. We were directed to a bank of telephones to phone AA reservations to make our own onward flights which was for a flight for 24 hours later and given a voucher for a room for 4 - even though there of us. I was so angry with my treatment by AA that I took out a small claims court claim against them - fortunately I was able to ascertain AAs LHR operations address with a contact name with which to serve the claim. AA appointed an expensive set of London lawyers who eventually settled before it went to court. These were the days when EU 261 didn’t apply to American Airlines. Even to this day I never fly on any USA airline if I can possibly avoid it. That said when BA has had problems and transferred me onto an AA flight it’s been OK.
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
Ouch - good job for not taking it lying down! I hope the settlement made it all worthwhile. Any airline is only as good as how they handle the worst situation and the ranking of how airlines handle disasters is probably not how you would expect it!
@malcolmmckenzie9027 2 ай бұрын
There were many other aspects to the saga that really annoyed me. We also had connecting flights from London to Glasgow. AA claimed that they did have earlier flights but said all the BA connecting flights to Glasgow were fully booked and as they couldn’t just book any of us to London! - this turned out to be a lie as there were in fact lots of seats available on BAs London to Glasgow flights. My wife being a local surgery nurse was very upset at not being allowed to get on any earlier flight to London and making her own way to Glasgow as she had patients booked to see her. AA wouldn’t provide us with telephone use or meals or let use use the showers in their lounge - it wouldn’t have cost them much. We just wanted a bit of humanity. This being 20 years ago mobile usage to UK wasn’t that easy or cheap! My claim against AA was that they failed in there implicit duty of care to myself and my family. I inferred I would publicise my saga as a warning to other UK travellers who thought BAs oneworld partner provided them with the same protections as BA. They settled for £1,200 which 20 years ago was quite a lot. A lesson learned for me.
@DebyColes 2 ай бұрын
I'm glad I watched this. I was looking at an itinerary of 4 consecutive flights (with a cat in the cabin) and thinking it would be a miracle if this worked out. With a cat the flights are more limited and I can't leave the airport to spend a hotel night. I'm going to break it up into two flights of two legs each. Will mean spending 2 weeks in the USA to get new cat export/import papers part through the trip, but I'm thinking thats less stressful for all of us!
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
Have cat will travel.... 4 flights back to back is a challenge solo, when things go perfectly. Probably wise to break it up a bit. Have a great trip!
@chatkeow 3 ай бұрын
Good point you make around 9 minutes in. Never let anger be your first emotion over anything because as you say those guys held the keys as regards getting you back home
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Smile, get yourself sorted and kick the cat when you get home!!! Although don't kick the cat...
@rayand007 3 ай бұрын
I would have checked expertflyer while on the ground at Charlotte to check the contingencies (how many seats on the AA and BA later flights) so I could make a better informed decision when I missed the connection.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Good thoughts - although I hate ExpertFlyer on a phone! Sitting in Charlotte I was still optimistic I'd make the booked flight...
@mojouk2k 3 ай бұрын
Great video as always (plus a T5 bailing tip!) - That cruise looks like hell on earth for me though 😂
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - that cruise is not for everyone....
@Chris-fp3ol 3 ай бұрын
Very interesting info here Matt. That cruise looked dreadful though! Good tip regarding exiting the terminal via the shuttle...
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Some would hate that cruise - I loved it!!!
@divyamoditongya 3 ай бұрын
You should really fly Delta! Their service and product are on another level compared to other airlines. If you do fly them, make sure to fly on the A330-900neo.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I've done a few domestic legs on Delta but never a transatlantic... Should cover them and United so I can compare
@richardstreet7518 3 ай бұрын
I was stranded in Dublin as we had been to the rugby and the Terminal could not cope reasonably so we were mins. Late to the gate. Dublin hotels full cost to change tickets to next day around £300 so an agent suggested the Old Rail and sail.. overnight.. for around 50euro .. all the way home... shattered but home and better than dossing at Dublin Airport! Useful tip about C gate shuttle... thanks.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
That would have been tiring! Gets you home though I suppose which is all you needed
@mikewarde2802 3 ай бұрын
Great video Matt, I think the 90 min connection from CLT to JFK was a bit optimistic. And yes the T5 exit hack is a good tip, I have used it myself. But I think Heathrow may close that loophole if it becomes too widely known about! I hope don't suffer such disruption going forward.
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
Thanks Mike. It should have been long enough! Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want!
@Nova-gk1wl 3 ай бұрын
Great video! A few thoughts, if I may. If you have to fly to somewhere like DUB at the end of the trip, I'd suggest booking a B2B "Plus" cash fare. This allows you to make free changes on the day of travel (FCOD) to any other BA flight with seats left to/from the same London airport - unfortunately you can't book to LCY/LGW and change to LHR, or vice versa. For Economy, a Plus fare is usually only about £10-15 more than the HBO fare; for Business it's included by default - although not much point in paying extra for that unless you need the Tier Points. Of course the risk with booking a B2B at the end of a TP run that if you miss your connection to DUB and have to be rebooked on a later LON-DUB flight, you'll have to also rebook your DUB-LON flight. You could then be on a sticky wicket if mass disruption means there's no seats left on later DUB-LON flights. In this situation, it's worth remembering that DUB has flights to almost every regional UK airport, so even if London flights are disrupted there's every chance you could still get a reasonable fare on flight to BHX/MAN/EDI/GLA etc., where a hotel there would of course be much cheaper than one in Dublin. The other 'get out of jail free' card could be to buy a SailRail ticket back to Britain. These fares are very cheap and include the cost of both the ferry to Holyhead and then the train within Britain. For example, Dublin to Folkestone starts at £51.10 for an Advance on Stena Line or Irish Ferries, up to £63.80 for a standby ticket on the Swift catamaran. The latter should be available at that price even on the day (e.g. through the ferry companies' websites), although obviously you're not guaranteed to be able to get on any particular ferry.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
All great advice! That SailRail is a cool option actually that I may look at next time I'm planning one of these as it would be an interesting experience and I'm always looking for video ideas!
@jimmyjames6492 3 ай бұрын
Thanks for the info + video!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks Jimmy
@malcolmmckenzie9027 2 ай бұрын
I should add that there were 5 of us and we were not allowed access to our hold luggage. We were just left wearing the lightweight shorts and T-shirts we departed from Florida in .
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
Sounds awful...
@jeffflad 3 ай бұрын
You smashed it mate… great tip on the cruise, enjoyed the video and looking forward to the cruise video.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - bit behind on the cruise content but I will catch up!
@jb8328 3 ай бұрын
Excellent advice about how to speak to ground staff when problems like missing your connection arise. You can rest assured they want you on that flight as much as you do, they certainly don’t want people left behind especially when they know probably 50% of passengers will become abusive and even assault them in extreme cases! As someone who has had 20 years of dealing with these situations in the industry, it really does go a long way to getting the situation resolved as they will be more inclined to go above and beyond to get you home. They might instead just otherwise leave you at the mercy of someone in HQ or a call centre who don’t always have the capability to find alternative routes or get approvals to go outside of standard policies.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
It costs nothing to be nice!
@lynseycobden203 3 ай бұрын
Great! This will be my treat to watch when I’ve finished all my cleaning ❤
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I hope I don't disappoint!
@harvs1984 3 ай бұрын
Great idea Matt. You always seek to amaze me 👏🏽👏🏽 another amazing video
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Cheers mate. Did feel a bit unsupported in JFK but it was much better when I got to LHR!
@charliebrown5 3 ай бұрын
Thank You ✈️
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@wessexTim 3 ай бұрын
A good example of why I never attempt a tier run......much too risk adverse and enjoy my comforts to much. Another interesting video, thanks Matt.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks Tim - if this video helps people conclude its not for them, then its served its purpose!
@wessexTim 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet Knowledge is power.😉😉
@cincinatti_matt21 3 ай бұрын
Evening Matt! Great watch. A trip you won’t forget for a good while. But in hindsight your navigation through chaos was quite impressive. As you said, easy to get caught up in the stress and anger of it all with the plane in JFK still there ! - But it helps no one… just an unfortunate combination of events, and in the end managed to get those extra 40 to Dublin anyway. Overall what were your concluding thoughts on how things were handled in JFK and LHR, were the agents helpful?… also wondering how well you thought heathrow airport themselves dealt with all of the delays
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
The experience at JFK was disappointing. As I say in the video, there was nothing proactive and they expected me to do all the work.... LHR was actually really good. I didn't talk about it as its really dull but I hadn't been able to check-in for the flight back from Dublin as the ticket had gotten disconnected somehow. So if I'd been delayed beyond that onward flight and hadn't been able to check-in beforehand that could have been an entire other problem.... But the guys at LHR, who were already having a terrible day, sorted it all for me. Once again, being nice and jokey is a better route to getting them to help than screaming and shouting....
@CallumT5 3 ай бұрын
Great video Matt and good to know the trick for getting out of T5
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Its rare that you'll need it, but when you do....
@legionnairegonk4425 3 ай бұрын
What a palaver air travel is sometimes Matt. I don't know that my tired post flight head could unpick such complex arrangements when things go wrong!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I'd managed to sleep a bit on the flight from JFK so was reasonably with it... The hard part is being confident you're not missing something when you're fatigued....
@nathanlyttle3 3 ай бұрын
Love the video. Like lots of people have mentioned already the T5 escape was genius!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@jb8328 3 ай бұрын
Gates usually close around 15-20 mins before the published scheduled time. It’s worth grabbing the nearest staff you can find and ask them to contact that gate to let them know you’re on the way, or if they have hand held scanners that can scan your boarding pass it provides a tracking in the airline system to show them where you were last seen. Also make sure when you book or check-in that you give the contact number you can be reached on, the gate agents can see these in the system and will usually try to call you to find out where you are before they offload you.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Agree with all of that! Sadly JFK at 10pm is not flooded with staff... And my contacts were certainly in the system but no-one raised a finger to get in touch with me....
@Eastsheener142 3 ай бұрын
Cracking video Matt..!! The composure you showed when everything appeared to be falling apart is a life lesson….also keeping things in perspective eg a night in NY not being the worst thing…
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - I was almost disappointed when I got the seat on that last plane!
@rtb5365 3 ай бұрын
Fantastic video - lots of really good information. I must admit though - the cruise did cause an eyebrow to raise, and I had to chuckle at your mention of the 15 drink lady. Dont know that I could endure such a cruise for too long but it would be hilarious people-watching in a limited stretch! I've never understood why in this day and age with the number of codeshares that happen, the connection between operators isnt smoother when things go awry. If I had to guess, its probably down to some legacy code within the reservation systems that prevents one from seeing the other. Regarding the terminal C run to exit T5 - could you have gotten off at the A gates and walked back via the pedestrian tunnel?
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Cheers - I know AA and BA use different systems (Amadeus and Sabre although I never recall which one is which!!) and I think that was the root cause here. Re the tunnels, there's a level -4 which allows you to move back and forth but I think there's also a level -3 or a segmented -4 which separates arriving passengers from those departing. So I couldn't have walked back to the border that way
@ukdavepianoman 3 ай бұрын
Great video. What an adventure. Of course with bad weather anything can happen and that sinking feeling of knowing connections will be missed is very unpleasant. Really poor service at JFK with no ground agents. Very useful tip re getting out of T5.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want..." Lots of experience on this trip!!!
@paulmk5841 3 ай бұрын
Nice Video Matt. We do Canival cruises out of Long Beach once a yr (halloween) Just a great way to enjoy the vacation. Thank you for sharing your trip. Loving it.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I'd imagine Carnival would go completely nuts for Halloween!!! Its a fun experience!
@steveb3 3 ай бұрын
Lots of great information. I'm not a tier point sort of person, but the general knowledge of what to do when things go wrong (and even when they go right!) is priceless. 👍
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@jamespaul9929 3 ай бұрын
Agreed-I spent last weekend on that train doing the whispering angel lounge while I waited for a JER-BHD and return TP B2B run! Wish I’d known that train trick last August! Anyway just to be fair to BA last weekend went like clock work-160 TPs in the gold fund-27 mins at Belfast airport-left Jersey 7am back 8-35pm! Great video as ever Matt!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
BA does actually work far more often than they don't - people don't take the time to compliment them for that though!!!
@charlescampion9898 3 ай бұрын
Well done Matt ! In Janaury, we got from London to Auckland via Stockholm, Doha and Adelaide ; only to miss our final local flight, even though the plane was still there. The reason for our slight delay from Adelaide?: a fly on the plane, which then had to be fumigated ! No point getting cross; just try and enjoy a night in Auckland and put it done to experience. Your fault for pointing out the benefit of starting from somewhere like Stockholm!! 11 flights on 5 airlines there and back-fantastic.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Pesky flies.... Sounds like a good trip though - hey you wanted to go to Auckland!!!
@timtony7153 3 ай бұрын
Hi Matt, great content as per usual.... In the beginning of your video, it seems you board a booze cruise....I am lost for words. I just finished watching your video, and can't remember a thing you said from the point you showed a ship full of forced fun.....as I type this, feeling in my limbs are slowly returning to normal....😂😂😂......you surprise me every week!! Stay well, stay strong Regards Thomas
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
#MarkedSafe... I like to surprise people!
@markwaite5265 3 ай бұрын
Some great tips here Matt - thanks. Maybe that “hourly release” of passengers speeds up when there is a massive interruption. One time I was in the lounge waiting for Manchester connection to board when the whole departure board turned red; the ATC computers had crashed and all departures were delayed. After about an hour it was announced that all remaining domestic flights were cancelled and replacement buses would be sourced. I arranged my own transport but still needed to get landside and retrieve bags. Getting through immigration was easy - everyone was walked through (but through a door not near the Connections Centre) but it then took 90mins for the bags to be released to the dedicated belt - someone had to persuade the computerised system to do so (or so we were told).
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks Mark. I wonder whether the exit process was a little easier for passengers abandoning a domestic route? I know they sometimes used a gate (A10??) when this needs to happen in bulk, although even that's not going to be easier than the train trick. And getting bags back is going to be a nightmare....
@thevirgintraveller 3 ай бұрын
That sounds like quite the trip Matt, kudos to you for soldiering on. It probably wasn't much fun at the time but made for a great video!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - wasn't certain this video would connect but it looks like its working! "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want..."
@thevirgintraveller 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet That is very true!
@gwatsonme 3 ай бұрын
That is brilliant for getting out from airside!!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
You hopefully will never need that hack, but if you do....
@ianworthington2324 3 ай бұрын
Must be a Sunday afternoon: Hello Matt! Another timely video! I have a 5 hour buffer in DUB at the start of November, with two intervening BA flights, to connect to the start of a long run, and I've started to wonder if I should pony up and change it to the previous night. Decisions, decisions...
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
9 times out of 10 five hours is plenty....
@Julian-ck6lf 3 ай бұрын
Good advice Matt I’d never wait for the airline to sort accommodation do it yourself and back it, the T5 extraction back to the border is a useful tip too, great as always 😊
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I'm too old for airport floors....
@Julian-ck6lf 3 ай бұрын
Me too!
@MrMgrPL 3 ай бұрын
So funny to see the same place at Heathrow I have been travelling just few days ago 😊
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I hope it went better for you!
@MrMgrPL 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet Not as perfect as I wish, the border guard confiscated my souvenir, a spicy spice from Mexico, because the container was 120 ml instead of 100 ml. Shipping costs for such "stolen" items to Poland are GBP 60. It's a bit unprofitable, such a spice in Mexico cost me GBP 2 :(. I won't recommend Heathrow, I easily got through the check-in at the airport in Mointerey Mexico and in Dallas USA with the same bottle of spice.
@dsdsdsdsdsds3139 3 ай бұрын
this was a brilliant watch matt! i know you probably dont want to hear this but the videos where 'things go wrong' are the most informative and engaging. loved the 'red mist' and 'bunny shadows' ! and the "getting out of heathrow" was genius. earlier this year my doughnut son locked himself out of the house and we got the call just as we were settling in to the qantas lounge at t3. long story short he ended up getting a locksmith but i have always wondered if a quicker (and cheaper) option would of been to somehow get back landside, call an uber, get the uber to courier my spare key back to 'said doughnut' then i pass back through security to resume the journey. your t5 escort option made me think this wouldnt of been possible considering i only had 1:30 until departure but im assuming as no train at t3 this would of been my only option anyway? cheers pete
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks. Glad the bunny made you smile! I think you'd be stuck in T3 and have to use the escort route and I've no idea where you'd even go there to join the queue... I hope "the doughnut" was suitably contrite!!
@munrobagger2823 3 ай бұрын
Things going wrong are the norm when travelling now for me, I kinda enjoy it,I just smile and carry on, I've stayed on the Queen Mary and have looked across at that carnival cruise, glad i didn't, maybe more info may change that though, long beach is nice though, great informative video again, cheers
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - good attitude with disruptions! And Carnivals not for everyone but if you like to be part of a mass sociology experiment its great fun!
@marklewarne239 3 ай бұрын
Really enjoyed this one Matt. You would have thought 4 hours would have been ample transfer time but No! I look forward to that cruise video looked chaotic to say the least! Cheers
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Thanks - I was really unlucky... The cruise was fun!
@jonnylons1 3 ай бұрын
Matt that is a fantastic trick with the transport to the C gates and back!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
File it away!
@paololim3513 3 ай бұрын
I was wondering though if going in the opposite direction works.
@jonnylons1 3 ай бұрын
@@paololim3513you wouldn’t be able to get through passport control the wrong way so wouldn’t be able to enter the airside of the airport that way (and if you did it would almost certainly be a criminal act), but if you got off a plane and wanted to get back to the airside of departures I think it would work if all you did was stay on the train for a few minutes longer until the doors open on the other side. I wonder if this could be useful in certain connecting flight situations where normally you would be required to pass passport control? Could be a bit of an aggressive move. @Mattsplanet any thoughts?
@wilfbanfield9623 3 ай бұрын
yes a great tip for exiting T5. I missed a connection to ARN on my way back from PER, and decided to skip a leg (long story) and was subject to the wait to be escorted....
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Next time!
@red.guevarra 3 ай бұрын
Disruption can, in fact, be fun sometimes! My tier point runs are usually 4-5 domestic segments on AA home to home same-day and thank goodness I've never experienced that yet.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
If you can treat disruption as an adventure it does certainly make it easier! If you've got a crucial job interview or a funeral that's put at risk through the disruption that's much harder to cope with!
@red.guevarra 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet ...and the BA zingers on this video have busted the charts! 🤣
@waltertomashefsky2682 Ай бұрын
That’s got to be the last time anyone will compare Charlotte to Doha.
@MattsPlanet Ай бұрын
There's not many other ways in which they compare!
@trimley 3 ай бұрын
Yes FAFF is todays buzz word - well done for escaping T5 😂
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Indeed - keen to see what tomorrow's word is going to be!
@Zulu_Stu882 3 ай бұрын
I once got bored during a long connection at T5 and walked to the C gates via the tunnel, imagine my surprise when I took the train back and ended up at the passport gate, the border agent just sighed and phoned a supervisor, be warned 😂
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
You weren't the first and won't be the last!!!
@jans.4309 3 ай бұрын
Did this also 2019 when I had a Lufthansa First Class Flight to LAX. the food on that cruise was awful and also the crowd. I prefer European cruise Lines like MeinSchiff or Aida. 10 levels over this carnival junk. would not do it again. But as you said: cheaper then two hotel nights.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
The sociologist in me loved it!!! Looked at Aida and MeinSchiff and I'm not too worried about not speaking German but there's always been a primarily English speaking brand ahead of them....
@jamiesawicki7715 3 ай бұрын
What a total faff! This has happened to me Matt TWICE in the last 12 months. It is quite simply laughable how two one world airlines can be so far apart, when you paid for the ticket as a whole journey. And 100% go landside! Fed back to the standard security lane, just win straight back round through to the first wing!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
AA and BA are remarkably disconnected.... I've heard a few people I trust say its airside connections every time but now I've tried it, never again!
@olly7673 3 ай бұрын
Another great insight, so thank you for this Matt. As risk averse as I am, I think my buffer would be a lot more than your unless it was nearer to the summer months when the weather would not play such a significant part. Regarding the hotel overnighter in NYC, can you just confirm did you pay for that and use it or did you get the last flight on the evening you were supposed to leave? If the latter, how did you go about getting your money back for the room as it would be too close to cancel and not pay? As for the cruise, I would consider 3 days of paralytic Americans too much like a geriatric's Spring Break looking at some of the guests, and not for me!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I found the hotel and knew it was there but didn't buy it - should have made it clearer in the videos. There were rooms at 10pm when I looked and I was confident there'd still be rooms at 11 if I didn't make it onto that last flight.
@jamespaul9929 3 ай бұрын
We had to leave T5 departures terminal when we got hit by the ATC meltdown-they were exiting people through one of the A gates and the queue was huge-we just happened to ask a random BA employee how we could get out and he gave us the heads up they were about to open a new gate to exit passengers-helped by a random business man who kidded on he was on the board of BA-we were quickly exited in 5 mins flat-though passport control was a nightmare that day!
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I've head that one of the A gates can be used for extractions from T5 when things get really bad.... Even so, the train trick could be quicker!
@stevecraven3502 3 ай бұрын
Matt great video glad bad news doesn't only happen to me. Great tips loved them especially getting out of T5. I also did as you did with the cruise but I did it in Miami. Do BA still have a double tier point 5 night holiday offer on? Cheers Steve. YNWA.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Cheers Steve. The 5-day double up runs until June 25... Plenty of opportunities still!
@stevecraven3502 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet thanks. have you ever done a run to Catania? if so what hotels or area would you recommend? Cheers Steve. C. YNWA
@tonyracks2956 3 ай бұрын
is that your favorite jumper matt........lololololollo as you seem to have it on every video lololololololol
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
No comment.... It is! But I was travelling light so only had one outer layer with me on this trip!
@Crazy_Charo 3 ай бұрын
Good video Matt. I'd be interested to know what BA said about those flight abandonments. Some people intentionally do that, which I believe is called skiplagging, however I know that you didn't set out planning to abandon those last 2 flights.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I did declare my no-shows to BA and given the day they were having they really didn't care!!! There is danger to this and I recommend strongly against this but on this occasion with almost everything going wrong there were no repercussions....
@Crazy_Charo 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet I certainly wouldn't want to lose those last tier points, or risk being banned by the airline, so I wouldn't intentionally abandon a flight, however if I ever find myself in the situation you were then that would be a very different scenario.
@darrenhawkins694 3 ай бұрын
Hi Matt, great video, watching these on Monday nights (Sydney time) is my highlight of the day! Just a quick question I could not find in the comments. When you cancel your final leg, I know airlines hate people just walking off. How do they handle that without not crediting tier points? I have ARN-LHR-SEA-HNL return in June
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
You need to actually board the plane for the TPs to actually credit so if you don't fly, no points. The boarding gate swipe is the point of no return! I told BA I was leaving and there's been no consequences.
@jackculpan 22 күн бұрын
20k avios is a pretty nice deal!
@MattsPlanet 21 күн бұрын
I was happy!
@aday246 3 ай бұрын
Always interesting content, I'm looking at trying to do a tier point run but from Hong Kong , i think i have most of it in place Qatar Business HKG to CDG then BA economy to LHR, i think i need to then do another 2 economy BA flights to qualify for Saphire ?
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
4 BA qualifying flights required - BA operated OR marketed. End this trip in Manchester or Glasgow to get the extra 2 legs?
@jans.4309 3 ай бұрын
and when your last leg is delayed you can move it also on an other date (Lufthansa does this), whenever your want. so you do not need to abandon it. I think BA would handle it the same in such a case.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
The last leg of the main ticket had been pushed back and would have been pushed back further if I'd needed it. The separately booked leg back from Dublin was the issue....
@clsiow1 3 ай бұрын
Great and informative video. 2 questions; 1 What happened to the hotel room you booked. Surely BA are not going to reinburse you for a "just in case" booking. I assume you booked a fully cancelable (and hence most costly) rate and cancelled it. 2 What process to claim you Avios compesnation? A similar issue arose on a flight I was on and I was led to believe compensation would arrive but, of course, it has not.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
It was a same day return from Dublin so I didn't have a hotel - if you mean in New York I'd researched options but hadn't actually booked it - I knew I'd be OK if I needed to. Something I realise I didn't make completely clear in the video. And I chose to abandon the last leg - BA would have got me there eventually and as it was standing it would have been marginally within the 3 hour window for EU261 so it wasn't worth taking it for the compensation. As for the on-board issues I made an online claim and got a 20k offer in about 48 hours....
@AlexisKarfopoulos 3 ай бұрын
I don’t mind Charlotte either, although that’s the first time I have heard it compared to Doha :)
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
That's about the only thing they do have in common!
@steve-marsh 3 ай бұрын
The murky world of air travel is as foggy as a Heathrow arrival. I'd never have the confidence any airline would give me my hotel money back. It's a shame you have to almost play a game just to get any assistance at all.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Indeed - some airlines are better than others it has to be said.... Some Low Cost carriers are better than the full service ones when you need reimbursement
@richardtierney4617 3 ай бұрын
have booked via Boston 13 hour layover v 90 min JFK
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Not far from the airport to downtown in BOS to a shrewd move.... Enjoy!
@mnewm21 18 күн бұрын
The drama at the gate was fascinating but was it unique to that airport? I had a similar issue in Melbourne where my Qantas flight to Singapore was cancelled 2hrs after we boarded but they were able to check all the other one world airlines departing in the next 24hr period and ended up with me flying on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and then back to Singapore and arriving only 5hrs later than intended. I don't know whether the fact you missed your flight makes a difference but I thought all One world airlines shared the same booking system?
@MattsPlanet 18 күн бұрын
BA and AA use different booking systems - one is Amadeus and the other Sabre (I can never remember which one is which). So they can't see each other's availability. I think most other OneWorld members use the same system as BA. Another factor is probably that Australia has better customer service than New York!!!
@Joe-lb8qn 3 ай бұрын
Absorbing all this as in July i have 3 back to backs from USA ending up final flight Chicago to LHR so will take your ideas into account should previous flights be late. I have 2 hours each between the 3 flights (but hand luggage only so no worries on that score, I presume you were also?)
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
If the 3 flights are on the same ticket they'll be protected - if they're standalone bookings that's more exciting - lets put it that way! And 100% HBO - insanity to check a bag!
@markuskuhl1376 3 ай бұрын
Epic drunkeness... hmm, I would have liked to see that documented.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Tricky to shove cameras in people's faces when they're at their tipsiest!!!
@markuskuhl1376 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet True, 15 drinks at 5 p.m. - that´s something
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
@@markuskuhl1376 I can only assume she was up early...
@markuskuhl1376 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet and not fast at all...
@PCurtis-wp1re 2 ай бұрын
Hi, not sure if you have considered or completed a ‘what’s in my travel bag’ showing your items that get you by on these Tier point run excursions, can I request such a video? Clothes, electronics, footwear etc for a certain amount of time. Thanks
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
I've always thought that would be a bit dull, but a few people have asked for it so it's on the list!
@RandomLifeProductions 3 ай бұрын
Dublin has become really expensive the premier in used to cost 40 quid a night oh how things have changed..
@heinrichb 3 ай бұрын
Travelodge at the Dublin Airport goes around 95 quid a night, same day. The Premier Inn costs about the same, but still nowhere near 200 EUR a night Matt mentioned.
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Nearly £6 for a pint of Guinness!!! Outrageous...
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
@@heinrichb Not perhaps on a day when fog had disrupted hundreds of flights... But normally, yes!!!
@phil1506 3 ай бұрын
I have to know if you asked the AA people if there was a seat you could have had?
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I'm not sure they could see once the flight was closed on their system... It probably would have just annoyed me if they'd said the cabin was wide open!
@paololim3513 3 ай бұрын
So did EU261 apply at any point in this voyage?
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
The flight I was rebooked on was scheduled into DUB a whisker under 3 hours late so with the delay that ensued there probably was the possibility of a claim...
@ss-xy2im 3 ай бұрын
Wonder how long we'll still be able to exit t5 that way now the cat is out the bag
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
I think it would be very difficult (and expensive) for them to stop that route....
@ss-xy2im 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet no amount of money is too much to make travellers experience more miserable 😜
@orionbaden-powell1496 2 ай бұрын
Yeah that's put me off completely.
@MattsPlanet 2 ай бұрын
Then my job is done!!! Could think of little worse than signing up for one of these then hating every minute of it!
@danielmorris1527 3 ай бұрын
I can't tell what the gate agent says to you at 7min 50seconds, apart from Mr Jones at the end......what did he say to you?
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
"I assume you're Mr Jones...."
@danielmorris1527 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet thank you! Love your videos by the way, didn't realise you had a cruise channel too so have subscribed there also👍
@andrewstorm8240 3 ай бұрын
Please release me
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
Set me free,....
@HoneyBadgarDontGive 3 ай бұрын
BA are ridiculous
@MattsPlanet 3 ай бұрын
My problem was more with AA on this trip - BA in JFK weren't brilliant but they were much better in London
@HoneyBadgarDontGive 3 ай бұрын
@@MattsPlanet in fairness, I was talking about the gifting of 20k points for such an easy thing to have done on board!! I received an e-voucher for £239 re: something similar, I’m not complaining but very crazy! More vids like this please Matt, good stuff!
AMN Tour
Рет қаралды 4,3 М.
Matt's Planet
Рет қаралды 9 М.
Matt's Planet
Рет қаралды 6 М.
Matt's Planet
Рет қаралды 8 М.