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POP: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class LAX-DUB “Cloud Nine”
Let’s be honest. Sometimes you don’t want to read a whole review. So we’ve created a new series called POP: Pictures Only Post. Posts in this series will feature the product, minimal description, and focus on 5-10 Pics. A more detailed review will come in the following week or two, but here’s a quick look at the Ethiopian Airlines Business Class LAX-DUB ” Cloud Nine.”
If you missed it…I mentioned using the Bid to Upgrade feature that Ethiopian Airlines employs to secure an upgrade to Cloud Nine ( BOY THAT SOUNDS SNAZZY!) which is their business class product. Here’s a first look
HELLOOOOOO. This cabin is not an introvert. It’s making eye contact and shaking hands.
BTW…for those wondering about the upgrade. Not really any issues at all. A rep called an associate to look it over and within a minute the boarding pass was issued. BYAH
Luckily no one sat in the other seat. The cabin was OPEN for…yes, business. I had to.
A cabin for couples. If you’re alone…maybe choose the center section where all seats have aisle access.
B/E Diamond flexing some muscle
This is the same seat AA uses on it’s A321T which flies on the transcon, 3 cabin routes from JFK to the West Coast. You can read Miles’ thoughts on it here
Dressed and Undressed…the bed is putting in some reps.
This is a setup for couples…the seats are right next to each other and the window seats don’t have aisle access.
The quick answer…upgrade worth it?
As I mentioned in my first post…I wasn’t flying this product, but did all the mechanics of it for a VERY frequent premium cabin traveler. Her response…worth every penny for the upgrade. This flight was booked 3 days prior to departure and all-in was less than $1400 in biz. A full review will be avail in the next couple weeks.
The food…only hot appetizers and meaty ones. It is a redeye so food isn’t the priority, but worth mentioning.
Remember…No shades on the Dreamliner
How to book on Points…
- United: 70k
- Aero: 55k
- Singapore: 65k
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based.
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash , Ink Business Unlimited you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
- 3x on dining
- including eligible delivery services for takeout
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards – Chase Travel Portal
- $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased via Ultimate Rewards/Chase Travel
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel Portal and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including primary rental car insurance, purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 13 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in the Chase Travel center for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Primary rental car coverage is my favorite
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
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