Last Week At The Lounge : October 13, 2018

Hello everyone from Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 1. I’m on my way to Bengaluru to join Ajay and Shipra for the Mileage Mentor MasterClass and Points & Pints mixers there. I’ve barely got any sleep owing to my hectic schedule, and I can’t wait to grab a hot filter coffee as soon as I land there. Catch all of last week’s action in our weekly roundup while you enjoy your cuppa.

Our Top Stories

Just a few days after Etihad Airways handed over their lounge in London to No1 Lounges, Shipra got to check out the lounge’s new avatar. Jet Airways has gone digital with its voucher upgrades process and will now sell you meals on board (some of you!). A lot of new things happening, so we made sure that you don’t have to read the 11-page terms. India joins the metal credit card club with Amex bringing their metal Platinum Charge Card to India. I’m wondering how will explain what the card is made up of every time one goes through a metal detector.

News and Views

Jet Airways’ meal-less fares went live yesterday, and we now have an onboard menu too. Choose from hot meals, sandwiches, and snacks. And if you plan on skipping the meal, how does enjoying an a-la-carte dining experience at Mumbai’s T2 sound? Yes. Mumbai will host the second Amex lounge in India. Hyatt is on a roll now that it has picked up another 85 luxury hotels around the world. Are these acquisitions and new partners enough for them to compete with the Marriotts and IHGs of the world?

Cards and Rewards

The Marriott 29 Ways to Stay sweepstake is finally out! I’ve already earned a couple of hundred points and am keeping my fingers crossed for more. If staying at a Shangri-La is more of your thing, you can make even more points as Shangri-La celebrates the Golden Circle’s eighth anniversary.

Reviews

Shipra spent some time at Skyteam Lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 last week and was quite impressed with what was on offer. There was plenty of space along with a great food spread. Not bad for a Priority Pass network lounge at all!

Review: SkyTeam Lounge London Heathrow Terminal 4

Deals with Appeal

Jet Airways is back with another conversion bonus promotion where you can get 50% more JPMiles than usual. Also, we saw some excellent fares to Los Angeles from India on American Airlines. USD 650 for a round trip is quite a steal!

Festive Steals

October 10, the Indian take on Cyber Monday did not disappoint this year. There are some great deals on MacBooks, AirPods, Bose headphones and other goodies on popular e-commerce portals such as Amazon, Flipkart & TataCliq. Make sure to look for credit card offers before you check out!

Mileage Mentor MasterClass

After Bengaluru, we’re left with one more Mileage Mentor MasterClass for the year. Reserve your spot today and see us in Mumbai!

Mumbai: November 17, 2018

Have a great weekend ahead!