Some of the best wine aboard

Flying long haul flights can be very tiring, and a good wine can certainly go a long way in making the experience better. Sadly, many airlines do not serve quality wines on board (some don't serve wine/alcoholic drinks at all).

Recently, I had the experience of flying KLM, and trying the wine they have to offer. I flew economy class, and no drinks were offered by the flight crew. However, a friend of mine had asked me that KLM does serve wine when asked for.

The wine in economy class is a South African wine that goes by the name - "The Elements" (by Julian Schaal), and is one of the best wines I have had :) I went for the Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine), but KLM had a Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc to offer as well. Having tasted the wine, I speak highly of it always, and the wine is one of the major reasons I look forward to flying with KLM :) (It makes me want to buy tickets that are significantly more expensive). This wine is also available at the Schiphol wine bar, and I make it a point to get it when traveling.

I am not aware of drinks served by other carriers, but  few friends tell me that Turkish Airlines offers whiskey for their passengers flying coach. I cannot confirm this, but if they do; this might be a reason for me to spend my money on them...
Maybe someone can confirm this in the comments?

A London Christmas (Part 2)

This is part 2 of a multi-part series describing my trip from Amsterdam to London and back!

Part 1: Travel to London, AMS - LHR (KLM)
Part 2: My stay in London, and trip back (An Amsterdam new year!)

Having arrived in London, I was super excited and had many things planned to make this trip a memorable one. Naturally, I wanted to get done with immigration and baggage claim as soon as I could. To my luck, Heathrow was almost deserted on the night I arrived, and the immigration staff seemed too bored to bother incoming passengers. I was hustled away from immigration in a matter of seconds, and my baggage was on the belt when I reached there.

Exploring gardens, farms and drive through London:

I am so glad that through out my trip, the weather was at it´s best. It was slightly cold, but always sunny, which made it very easy for me to walk around and explore the city.

I spent quite some time exploring Londonś gardens and the massive farms that are present to the North of the city. A friend of mine drove me around which made exploring the area easy.

We visited many places including the extremely scenic St Albans. I happened to visit here on Christmas eve, and the entire town was deserted. There was not even a single person in sight, and the entire area had a peaceful and calm aura to it.

Look at how deserted it is!!

I visited the churches and the beautiful buildings that surround this place, and took quite some time admiring the art in front of me. I did round up my visit to St Albans by visiting the famous Verulamium park.

This beautiful park has a lake that runs right through, and the entire atmosphere is a very relaxing one. A walk around the garden, listening to the ducks ended with me trying to get a coffee at the parkś restaurant only to realize that it is closed (its Christmas!).

The lake at Verulamium Park - Beautiful!

It was fun being chased around by these guys

Later that night, we drove to Wembley area where we had a wonderful meal (which was surprisingly very cheap). The grilled meat we ordered was cooked to perfection and was so well priced that I made it a point to return once more during my trip.

The magnificent Wembley Arch

Into the city:

Having seen the gardens and parks that adorn London, it made sense for me to explore the city (and perhaps try some awesome food there).

I really like Londonś public transportation system, with the immense network of tube and buses making it ridiculously easy to travel from one place to other. I bought a one-day ticket that cost me €11 (I think this is pretty expensive!!)

I carried this card back home as a souvenir from my trip to London :)

The day pass I bought - now a souvenir for me

Being in central London, I took to a path that many tourists tread upon. Walking over the Thames, I realized how attractive the city is. From this place I could have a clear view of the London eye, the Big Ben and the cityś financial district all at the same time!

The Big Ben and the Thames

A view of Londonś financial district

It was a very windy day, and walking by the Thames made me feel super-cold. However I am happy that it did not rain.

Even in London, I realized that the most popular restaurant for visitors is McDonalds :) This is very counter intuitive to me as I prefer trying local cuisine than to indulge in food I can buy back at home.

From the London parliament, I walked over to Trafalgar square and encountered this memorial that I found very interesting.

A memorial to those who fought the World War

Visiting the charming Trafalgar square was a great experience. It amazes me that London being such a big city has places of such historic importance at a stoneś throw away from the city center. The national art gallery and the beautifully sculpted architecture coupled with the rows of little shops ensure a great time for visitors.

Trafalgar square gallery

Really interesting sculpture

Horse Guards, Whitehall

The blue rooster :)

Some more beautiful architecture

From Trafalgar square I walked over to Londonś China town at Lichester square. There was a local festival that was going on and I spent a lot of time enjoying the rides and food there. I am sure that Leichester square is one place where people from all ages can have a fun time. There is an assortment of street performances, restaurants that serve mouth watering delicacies, a theater that screens the latest of movies and a wide array of casinos to choose from and indulge in. Not to mention there are so many English pubs that line the street.

The local festival at Leichester square

A Burger King!

The way to Piccadilly Circus

A visit to Leichester square is almost always coupled with seeing Piccadilly circus. Seeing the bright and glaring displays showing so many advertisements immediately reminded me of Sherlockś theme song :)

Sherlock!

Back to Amsterdam:

My trip to London has been an awesome experience. Not only did I visit the city, I also got the opportunity to visit some of London´s many gardens. To say that I am impressed would be an under statement. I am positive, that London´s charming views and rich heritage would bring me back some other day for another trip.

 I flew back to Amsterdam with KLM and was pleasantly surprised by a city I have longed to visit for such a long time. It is truly said: ¨A man who is tired of London is a man who is tired of life.¨

Back in Amsterdam, I got to relax and sample the new year celebrations which were so much fun as well :)

Amsterdam fire works on new year eve

A London Christmas (Part 1)

This is part 1 of a multi-part series describing my trip from Amsterdam to London and back!

Part 1: Travel to London, AMS - LHR (KLM)
Part 2: My stay in London, and trip back (An Amsterdam new year!)

I had a trip to London planned for Christmas since a long time. Since this was my first time in the United Kingdom, I was naturally very excited.

I was to travel from Amsterdam Schiphol to London Heathrow and KLM was the carrier I had chosen for this journey.

Getting to Schiphol (and a visit to the Pythonbrug):

Traveling within Amsterdam is super-easy, thanks to the amazing public transport system. I used the Metro to travel to Amsterdam Centraal Station, from where I boarded a NS train to Schiphol.

As I was running slightly before schedule, I decided to visit the Python Bridge (which is very close to Amsterdam Centraal). This iconic bridge is always a place I have enjoyed visiting – partly because of how beautiful it is and more because of the tranquility of the entire location. It is a very peaceful spot, and the view from atop the bridge is spectacular.

Metro 26 goes from Centraal station to Pythonbrug (I love the public transport here!)

The splendid and extremely beautiful Pythonbrug (Python Bridge)

From atop the Pythonbrug (Look how quiet it is!)

I do make it a point to visit the Pythonbrug whenever I am in its vicinity.

At Schiphol and aboard my flight:

After spending (more than I could afford) time at the Pythonbrug, I arrived just in time to check-in and board my flight. Even though I was late, I was surprised by how helpful the KLM staff was, and the speedy immigration process at Schiphol added to this experience. The immigration (and security) staff were friendly and it was a delight talking to them.

KLM Boeing 737 I traveled on... What a beauty!

A British Airways flight docked at Schiphol

Aboard the flight, I really did not expect a full meal, as the flight duration was so short. However, I was under the impression that I would be served a light refreshment (a small meal or a sandwich perhaps), considering I paid €170 for the flight tickets. To my disappointment, the passengers were served a packet of chips (and that's all!)

The measly packet of chips KLM served on a €170 flight

At London Heathrow:

The travel time was indeed very short, and we landed about 45 minutes after take off. Since it was Christmas time, Heathrow Terminal 4 was relatively empty. Immigration was super-quick and our baggage was already on the belts by the time we reached there.

 As I had arrived late at Schiphol, I did not have enough time to buy a meal at the airport. Needless to say, the measly packet of chips served by KLM did not suffice for dinner. After grabbing a quick bite at Heathrow, I started munching on the Stroopwaffels I had bought from Amsterdam for a friend (thank goodness, I still had more packets for him :D).

Stay tuned for the next post on my stay in London, and a report on the places I visited...

More coming up...

Best SkyTeam option for European residents

Being in Amsterdam, Skyteam is of particular interest to me. Amsterdam Schiphol serves as the base for KLM Airlines and the international hub for Delta Airlines, both of which are part of the Skyteam alliance.

Moving to Amsterdam, one might consider changing his FFP to KLMś Flying Blue; which may be a good option.

In this post, I try to compare Deltaś SkyMiles program with KLMś Flying Blue, and try to pick a winner for Dutch (or even EU) residents.

Evaluate your forthcoming travel:

Before considering frequent flyer programs, it is a good idea to estimate the travel one would undertake over the coming year. Based in AMS, I would have at least 2 AMS-BOM return trips. Delta serves a direct flight on this path, but will cease operations to BOM in April. This means that each AMS-BOM return journey would involve at least 4 segments (AMS - <some_airport> - BOM and back). Each return trip would also be providing me with about 9000 miles.

Set your goals:

Before choosing an alliance and sticking with it, it is imperative to have a clear goal in mind. What do I aim at achieving by the end of the year? Do I want Elite status, or do I just want miles for free travel? Are upgrades important? Do I need/want lounge access (at what airport)?

These goals can help in calculations and make it easier to quantify the returns on joining an airlineś frequent flyer program.

Make some gross calculations (consider all earning opportunities):

Case 1 : Flying Blue:

The Flying Blue program ensures great availability in AMS. Also, getting Elite status with them, can help in accessing KLMs crown lounges at Amsterdam Schiphol.

Flying Blue has a lower number of segments needed for Elite statuses (15 for Silver, 30 for gold) when compared to Delta. Since I will be making at least 8 (4*2) segments by traveling on AMS-BOM-AMS, this is a great option for me. Moreover getting a Flying Blue co-branded card from American Express can provide me with additional qualifying flights (See: http://earnandburnmiles.blogspot.nl/2015/01/a-comparison-of-travel-credit-cards-in.html), making reaching Elite tiers using qualifying flights easier.

It is also possible to gain status using qualifying miles. 2 AMS-BOM-AMS segments will provide me with about 18.000 level miles. For me, getting to 25.000 miles for silver becomes difficult even with the level miles provided by the Flying Blue AMEX.

One fact to note is that KLM does not credit 100% mileage for all fares. So traveling in cheaper cabins will be far less rewarding when compared to SkyMiles. If one aims at accumulating miles for redemption on free/cheap tickets, KLM is certainly a bad choice.

Case 2: Delta SkyMiles:

I love SkyMiles as Delta makes earning miles ridiculously easy. Almost all fare classes accumulate 100% miles, which can cause a swell in your mile balance. Also Deltaś miles do not expire at all. Using an American Express charge card (or EuroDollar card), one can earn Membership Rewards that can be transferred to SkyMiles (See: http://earnandburnmiles.blogspot.nl/2015/01/a-comparison-of-travel-credit-cards-in.html).

This makes me believe that DL SkyMiles is of great value for anyone not interested in statuses, but in using miles for free travel. Do note that using SkyMiles on DL flights can be very expensive (and that DL charges a fuel surcharge for non-US originating flights). However it is a great idea to burn SkyMiles on travel with other Skyteam partners (including KLM) as it is much cheaper.

Verdict:

For me, Delta seems to be a great choice for travelers who aim at getting status using qualifying miles (as the requirements are almost the same as those of Flying Blue). Also, it is very easy to accumulate DL miles, as they provide 100% accrual for almost all fare classes. Since I travel in Economy most of the time, DL is what I would put my money on.

For anyone who travels on more expensive tickets, or wants to gain status using qualifying flights, KLMś flying blue is a great option. The American Express Flying Blue cards can help by providing additional qualifying flights (and qualifying miles).