Booked: The United Bamboo Emirates

Hello from London!

I’ve embarked on one last whirlwind trip to wrap up my travels in 2022, which will take me across Europe and South East Asia for a mix of catching up with friends, attending some business meetings, and reviewing some brand-new Aeroplan redemption possibilities that have been recently introduced.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the thought process behind booking my flights for this end-of-year trip, and the particular Aeroplan sweet spot that I’ll be taking advantage of – not once, but twice. 

The Flights

To finish up what has been a very busy travel year, I’ll be trying out a handful of products that I haven’t had the opportunity to fly before.

On the outbound journey, I flew from Newark to London in United Polaris 767 business class. This would be my first time flying long-haul business class with the airline, and I was curious to see if the onboard product matched the high standard the United Polaris lounges have set.

I’m currently spending a few days in the UK on a weekend stopover, touching base with friends and revisiting my old stomping grounds at University College London.

When it comes time to leave, I’ll make my way from London Gatwick to Singapore via Hanoi with Bamboo Airways 787 business class.

The Vietnam-based airline is one of Aeroplan’s newest partners, and their 1-2-1 product indeed looks quite attractive – similar to Air Canada’s 787 business class, but hopefully with more delicious Vietnamese cuisine served onboard. 

My outbound flights priced out at 92,500 Aeroplan points –  which includes the 5,000 points required for a stopover in London.

This “Asia 3” sweet spot represents one of the most attractive price points within the Aeroplan reward chart as a whole, as you can fly up to 11,000 miles in distance between North America and the Pacific zone. 

After spending some time in South East Asia, I’ll make my way back to North America by flying with Aeroplan’s newest partner airline: Emirates.

I’ve enjoyed many flights in Emirates First Class over the years, but this time I won’t be able to have a shower in the sky, as I’ll be flying in business class.

On my flight from Bangkok to Dubai, I’ll make a triumphant return to the Airbus A380 to see how Emirates business class compares to the ostentatious First Class – and of course,…