Baby Supply Run: Trip Planning

Ever since the arrival of the MileCub, my plan has been to make short “review trips” in order to minimise the time I spend away from home. That proved to be easier said than done — babies are adept at mind-controlling their caregivers so they don’t get abandoned— but I’ve recently completed my first review trip for 2024 and there’s some exciting stuff to share!

It all started with some expiring Emirates Skywards miles, leftovers from a pre-COVID transfer. Most of them went towards my Emirates First Class review in March last year, and with the balance there was just enough left for a Bangkok to Hong Kong fifth freedom flight.

But that was a weird little segment in the middle of nowhere, and the question was how to turn it into a more meaningful trip. And then Japan Airlines award space between Hong Kong and the USA opened, and all of a sudden I had the perfect excuse: a baby supply run.

“Have you seen how much baby stuff here costs?!” I said to The MileLioness. “Why, I’d be crazy not to go!”

Flights

In order to efficiently and decisively procure organic baby food, cognitive-development toys, chic clothes and other infant sundries, I needed to embark on one of my more convoluted routings in recent memory.

✈️ Baby Supply Run: Flights
✈ SIN-BKK
TG402 Cabin: Business Aircraft: B787-8
Cost: 24,000 KrisFlyer miles + S$156
✈ BKK-HKG
EK384 Cabin: Business Aircraft: A380-800
Cost: 39,000 Skywards miles + THB750
✈ HKG-NRT	✈ NRT-SFO
JL736 Cabin: Business Aircraft: B787-8	JL58 Cabin: Business Aircraft: B787-9
Cost: 89,000 Asia Miles + HKD 1,695
✈ SFO-SIN
SQ31 Cabin: Business Aircraft: A350-900
Cost: 107,000 KrisFlyer miles + US$6

To reposition to Bangkok for my Emirates flight, I booked THAI Airways, which has very reliable Business Class award space between Singapore and Bangkok. They operate several different aircraft on this route, including the Airbus A350-900, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8. I have yet to review the Boeing 787-8, and even though it features rather garden-variety Collins Aerospace Diamond seats, I figured it was still worth a try.

A one-way Business Class award cost 24,000 KrisFlyer miles + S$156, which would be the same number of KrisFlyer miles had I flown SQ, but with a slightly higher cash payment on account of TG’s fuel surcharges.

Bangkok to Hong Kong was on Emirates Business Class with their Airbus A380-800, a product that needs little introduction. I’m probably the only miles blogger by now who hasn’t reviewed this seat yet, and even if it’s quite dated by now, it’s still going to be a common sight across Emirates for years to come. 

A one-way Business Class award cost 39,000 Skywards miles + THB 750. I’m just relieved that flights out of Bangkok are free from Emirates’ often crazy fuel surcharges. 

Then it was Hong Kong to San Francisco via Tokyo Narita on Japan Airlines, and an opportunity to try two products I’ve never reviewed before.

From Hong Kong to Tokyo Narita, I flew a JAL Boeing 787-8 with their extremely dated Shell Flat Neo seats (no one knows how to name seats like Japanese airlines!). These angled flat relics are thankfully confined to short and medium-haul routes, where their shortcomings aren’t as readily apparent.

From Tokyo Narita to San Francisco, I had an JAL Boeing 787-9 with a more modern JAL Sky Suite, which is basically an Apex Suite with JAL’s own colour scheme and finishings. For all the hype about JAL’s new Airbus A350-1000 seats, it’s going to be a long, long time before those products become commonplace, and you’re much more likely to encounter the Sky Suite on your upcoming flight.

I booked this itinerary via Asia Miles for what I think is a reasonable 89,000 Asia Miles + HKD 1,695 in taxes and fuel surcharges. 

San Francisco back to Singapore was a non-stop flight on Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A350-900; not the ULR version but rather the “extended range” subvariant which pushes the envelope to 8,100 nm (versus 7,750 nm for the original). This cost me 107,000 KrisFlyer miles + US$5.60. You gotta love the minimal cash payment when flying out of the USA!

I’ve already reviewed this seat numerous times, so I’ll be skipping it. 

Hotels

I stayed at some fairly anonymous Hilton Garden Inns while in the USA, so the only potentially interesting thing to review is the Regal Airport Hotel in Hong Kong. 

I had an overnight layover between my Emirates and JAL flights, and while the younger me would have spent the whole time lounge-hopping airside, the current me just isn’t equipped for that. So it’s off to a hotel room for a proper rest, and the Regal Airport Hotel offers the greatest convenience as it’s directly connected to the terminal, albeit landside.

I paid S$190 for a stay of just over 12 hours. There were much cheaper options downtown, but since I wanted to return to the airport first thing in the morning to photograph the lounges when they opened, I figured I didn’t really have much of a choice.

Lounges

Emirates has one of the largest lounge networks in the world, and on this trip I had the opportunity to visit the Emirates Lounge in Bangkok, supposedly one of the better lounges at BKK.

My prolonged layover in Hong Kong presented a lounge safari opportunity, and I managed to tick off the Chase Sapphire Lounge, Centurion Lounge, Qantas Lounge and Intervals Bar. 

The last one is particularly intriguing- it’s a new concept by Plaza Premium that opened recently, located in the Sky Bridge. This 200 metre long, 28 metre high (an A380 fits comfortably underneath!) structure affords excellent views of the tarmac, so why not stick a high-end bar inside so passengers can savor the sights with a drink?

The obvious choice for JAL passengers departing from Tokyo Narita would be the JAL Sakura Lounge, but having visited that already, I wanted to check out the “sort of new” Cathay Pacific Lounge. 

Try to moderate your expectations though; unlike the beautiful Studioilse designed lounge in Tokyo Haneda, the Narita outpost was a former American Airlines Admirals Club, and won’t be winning any awards for design. 

Singapore Airlines Business Class passengers have access to the United Polaris Lounge when flying out of San Francisco, and having reviewed it recently I won’t be reviewing it again. Short answer: yes, it’s very good. 

Review: United Polaris Lounge San Francisco

Conclusion

My first trip report for 2024 is a valiant, heroic odyssey to lands afar for no purpose other than foraging supplies for my needy baby. And should I accidentally take a wrong turn on the way to the baby store and end up in Napa and trip over a rock and suddenly there’s a few boxes of nice wines in the car, well, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

The things I do for fatherhood.