Bringing Family Together with Miles

About one year ago, my parents took me to South Korea to visit my father's side of the extended family (flights in business class and hotel paid for using United miles and Starwood points, of course). There I met some of my grandmother's sisters.

According to the internet, her sisters are my "third cousins, twice removed" or "great-aunts." I'm only 22 months old, so I'll go with "great-aunts."

My favorite great aunt (3rd person from the left in the photo) was so nice to us and took great care of me for the few days I was able to spend with her family. So I informed my grandmother that I'd like her sister to come visit me in the United States so that I could return her hospitality.

Luckily for us, a round trip flight from Asia to North America costs 65,000 United miles and about $47 dollars for taxes. Assuming you earned all the miles for free (which we did), my family only needed to come out of pocket for $47 for a flight that would normally retail at $1,900.

My great aunt doesn't speak great English, so having her flight connect somewhere would be a complication we weren't prepared for. So we had to search only for direct flights from Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN) to New York City.

Step 1 - Wikipedia.com

The two international airports in our area are John F Kennedy (JFK) and Newark Liberty International (EWR). After a quick search on each airport's Wikipedia page, we saw that the only direct fights from Seoul were on Asiana Airlines flying into JFK.

As you may know, Asiana is in the Star Alliance with United Airlines, so you can use your United miles to book Asiana flights.

Step 2 - United.com
Next, we went to United.com and started an Award Flight Search. If you're not sure how to do that, click on the following links:

• How to search for Star Alliance availability: Extra Pack of Peanuts' "Free Flight Primer." Of course, realize that the Continental.com website he's referring to is now the United Airlines website.
• How to search for just for non-stop flights on United.com: MileValue's "Tricking United.com's Award Calendar."

We were hoping to fly my great aunt in September to celebrate my grandmother's birthday, but unfortunately, there were no direct flights on miles for September or October, except for business and first class seats. But those premium seats cost 120,000 and 140,000 miles round trip, respectively, so that was a bit out of our miles price range.

We did find a non-stop flight in economy for early November though with a return flight 3 weeks later. Perfect!

But my grandmother's United account only had 29,738 miles, and she needed 65,000 for an economy ticket. Booking award seats is very time sensitive, because that award seat could be gone within a few hours if she didn't book it right away.

Step 3 - Chase.com/Ultimate Rewards
Fortunately, thanks to my father, my grandmother also had a bunch of Chase Ultimate Rewards points from signing up for a bunch of Chase credit cards over the past two years (Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold and Ink Plus).

So we logged into her Chase UR account and transferred 36,000 UR points to her United MileagePlus account (since you have to transfer in increments of 1,000 points at a time). If you're not sure how to do that, click on this other Extra Pack of Peanut's website link ("How to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points").

Step 4 - Back to United.com
Now after logging back into her United MileagePlus account, she saw the new total of 65,738 United miles. Love those instant transfers! But keep in mind, not all Chase UR travel partners have instant transfers. See Million Mile Secrets' "Experiment" post about transferring Chase UR miles to all their partners to see how long it would complete.

Armed with 65k United miles in her account, she booked the direct flights she wanted for my great-aunt and input all the important info (full legal English name, date of birth, passport number, passport expiration date) and submitted. We paid for the $47 in taxes using our United-branded credit card (to earn 3x United miles) and in a few moments, we had a United Airlines confirmation code and ticket number for the Asiana Airlines flight.

Step 5 - Call Asiana Airlines
As I wrote just before, my grandmother now had a United confirmation number and United ticket number. However, we needed to make sure that Asiana had the ticket booked in their Asiana systems.

There have been several accounts (including my own in 2012) where you'd book a partner flight on United but the airline partner wouldn't know about it and travelers would actually show up to the airport without a ticket! In this case, because the flight is operated by Asiana ("flying on Asiana metal"), it's Asiana that needs to actually ticket the reservation, not United.

United's confirmation code is just their internal way to find your reservation. But Asiana has their own confirmation code for their internal systems.

To find the partner confirmation code on United's website, just click on your Reservation and then find the "View additional confirmation numbers" link at the top to find the partner airline code.

Then call up the operating airline (Asiana in this case) and give the representative the partner confirmation code so they can confirm that "the reservation is ticketed."

It's very important that you confirm that it's "ticketed," and not just that the reservation exists. I've personally shown up to the airport with my lap child reservation on Asiana (from Expedia.com), but didn't have an actual ticket to board the flight. Expedia charged us for two adult tickets, but not the lap child ticket, meaning my seat wasn't ticketed. So, my father had to pay on the spot for my ticket. Thankfully, my lap child ticket only ended up only being $80 for a San Francisco-Seoul flight.

Step 6 - Wait For November

Flying Asiana to LAX

Flight #38 - Asiana Airlines 202
Seoul (ICN) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Friday, Mar 8, 2013 
Depart: 4:30PM / Arrive: 10:10AM (+1 Day)
Duration: 10hr 40min
Aircraft: Boeing 747
Seat: 9A and 9B (Business) 
Earned: 0 miles (5,994 miles flown) 
Cost: 60,000 United miles + $50 / person
Redemption Value: 6.6 cents / mile
Lifetime Miles: 80,407 miles

As I mentioned last week, I had a series of long overnight flights to get back home to NYC. The longest was almost 11 hours flying from Seoul to Los Angeles on Asiana 202. Luckily, my father used his United miles to book us in Business Class.

This is actually the 2nd time I've flown on Asiana 202 from Seoul to Los Angeles.  The last time was back in August when I went to visit my great-grandmothers in Korea.

On the first flight, we were also in business class but we had bassinet seats (7C & 7D) by the front bulkhead. My father didn't love sitting in the bulkhead seats even despite having a "crib" for me to sleep in. So this time around, we let fate decide our seat assignments and we randomly got 9A & 9B.

It was still upstairs (Asiana's 747 planes have a 2nd floor) so we were pretty happy with that since flying upstairs was such a rate novelty for me (as well as my parents).

Boarding was uneventful as we made our way up the short flight of narrow stairs. But when we found out seats, we knew we made the right choice. Unlike the seats in the rows 7 and 8 ahead of us, we had a lot more personal storage space.

Instead of the seats being flush against the windows, there was a small shelf with doors that gave us 3 storage spaces to put our shoes, diaper bag and neck pillows during take off.  I liked sitting up there watching the rest of the planes on the apron, but my overbearing/nervous Jewish mother said it wasn't safe for me to stay there the entire flight despite my Asian father's protests that I should stay there during take-off and learn my own lessons.

In addition, because the emergency exit was behind us, there was a lot of space between Row 9 and Row 10.  Therefore, we had 2 overhead storage bins (other rows only had 1). So for once, we had plenty of space for instead of having all our bags stuffed under the seat in front of us compromising our legroom.

I got seated and entertained myself with my parent's iPad as the rest of the plane was boarding. My father was talking to the flight attendants who kept suggesting we move up to the empty Row 7 (bulkhead bassinet seats) but he politely (but repeatedly) declined.

My mother was getting comfortable for the long flight when she noticed that the 2 women sitting across from the aisle (Seats 9C and 9D) kept looking over at me.

My mother and I immediately knew what to do.  My mother put me on her lap while I started to squirm to get free. I hate being confined and made sure the rest of the cabin knew it too. After about 3-5 minutes of a screaming 16 month old, the women across from us asked the flight attendants if they could move up to the empty Row 7.

Now, my parents and I had all of row 9 to ourselves (4 business class seats). My parents started to scheme and negotiation about who would take the baby shift first while the other would rest comfortably in the other seats.

We took off and about 30 minutes into the flight, they started drink service. While we could have ordered personal drinks, my parents didn't want to inconvenience the staff so they just took the pre-poured orange juice and champagne. Big sacrifice, right?

The meal service came shortly thereafter. I was fine with my milk, but my parents wanted to try what Asiana had to offer. The nice/annoying thing about Asiana is that they always have a Korean menu option but it's ALWAYS bibimbap (on every one of the 6 Asiana flights I've been on). Now, I love that dish as much as anyone else, but a little variety would have been nice.

So my father and mother went with the "Western Menu" options (beef tenderloin and a shrimp/scallop) for their man courses, respectively. The appetizers were prosciutto lettuce wraps and the salad was smoked salmon and onion.

Apparently, it's always tough for them to eat when traveling with me (based on all their complaining), but since the early days, my parents have found a way to manage. They usually put both meals one 1 person's tray and then turns eating while the other one holds me on their lap.

Since my father inhales his food like a ravenous wolf (rather than maturely eating it like a civilized human being), he usually eats first and then let's my mother enjoy her meal at a leisurely pace afterwards. But I decided to be good today and sat on my mother's lap calmly so she could enjoy her meal.

My mother tried to get me to try some of the food. Personally, I just ate the bread. This fancy food doesn't do much for me.

Soon afterwards, I started to get tired and decided to nap while my parents watched their in flight movies. My father watched Bourne Legacy and Perks of Being a Wallflower before he eventually dozed off.

My mother tried watching Lincoln, but said the English was too advanced for her to really follow. I found it boring as well, and despite his Academy Award, Daniel Day Lewis put me to sleep. My mother switched the TV to cartoons which she found much more entertaining.

They turned off the lights and tried to put all the passengers to sleep (like nap time for adults) and we did our best to sleep for a solid 6-7 hours before they would turn on the lights 2 hours before arrival (8AM LA time, or 1AM Asia time) for breakfast service. I guess they're trying to get you acclimated to the new time zone, but going to bed at 6-7PM and waking up at 1AM is tough for a baby like me to do when my parents usually put me down at 10PM and let me sleep til 8AM.

Breakfast was uneventful and we arrived on time. My parents looked exhausted but we still had a ways to go:  US Immigration, Baggage Claim, Shuttle to Hertz Rental Cars, 2 hour drive and then finally, I'd get to meet my new friend Peyton.

Aug 2012 - 1st Year Party

There's a Korean tradition of celebrating a baby's 1st birthday (Dol) in grand fashion.  This custom originated from the era where babies (no matter how adorable) would not always survive their first year of life due to disease or malnutrition.

Of course, I'm growing up in the United States (the most sterline countries in the world), and my two parents (who eat like hogs) would never let me go too long without a meal.  So I was pretty confident I'd make it to my 1st birthday.

But since I was in Korea and with most of my extended Korean family, we all decided to have the Dol party while I was there - even if I was only turning 10 months old.

My great aunt set up the entire party and all I had to do was show up and look adorable.  Mission accomplished.

Aug 2012 - Westin Chosun

Hotel Stay Details 
Hotel: The Westin Chosun
Dates: August 28-September 2, 2012
Rate Paid:  9,600 SPG points / night
Regular Rate:  $350 / night (incl. taxes)
Total $ Savings: $1,750
Point Redemption Value: 3.6 cents/pt

As you can probably tell, there's a consistency with my father's hotel selection strategy.

The SPG Award Night rate is typically 12,000 SPG points / night for a Category 5 hotel like the Westin Chosun.  However, SPG has a great offer where the 5th night is free when booking 5 consecutive nights.  So pay for 4 nights (48,000 SPG Points) and save your points for the 5th night.  

Check in
We arrived early (11AM) to see if we might be able to get into our room earlier than the usual 3PM. They were able to accommodate us a bit and were were in at 12:15PM. Also, most of the people my father interacted with in the lobby spoke excellent English, so communication was never an issue. The one downside was that the hotel is VERY popular and was very full when we were there. Getting someone's attention was never an issue, but they are always actively helping people. As someone mentioned before, the hotel seems to treat everyone well, but doesn't give any special treatment to SPG Elites. I think that's because the Chosun hotel was an independent hotel that subsequently joined the Starwood family so they don't always follow the SPG protocol as well as other Starwood hotels.

Room
We didn't get upgraded for being an SPG Gold, but the king bed room we had (708) was adequate. It was a bit on the small side but overlooked the little shrine in front of the hotel.

We had to follow up and request a crib again (some hotels put one in your room before you check in when they know you have a baby with you), but not a big deal. The room includes a Nespresso machine and a stocked mini-fridge.   Overall the bedroom was very clean and gave us enough space for the crib, which is all you could ask for in a hotel.

The bathroom has a shower/tub combination and an electric super toilet (like the ones in Japan with a bidet and heated seats).

Unlike other Westin hotels, they did not offer the "Green Choice" option to skip housekeeping in exchange for 500 SPG points/day. So we just took housekeeping service every day. I was told that you don't really tip in Korea, though that's starting to change at many western-client oriented hotels and restaurants.

Cell Phone
A great surprise was that the hotel gives you a Korean cell phone to use during your stay. They charge you only based on the calls you make, but each call was MUCH cheaper than using your US phone while roaming internationally. It came in VERY handy when coordinating with local restaurants and other people. 

Pool

Simply beautiful. It's on the 3rd floor and has a full locker room area for guests to change. Swimming and gym access are free for guests but sauna is ~$30/day.

Location
As everyone mentions, this hotel is PERFECTLY situated near a lot of places, including Lotte Department Store (luxury goods and dining), Myeungdong (traditional retail shopping), Namdaemun (lower end marketplace) and Gyeongbokgung Palace. The closest subway station is City Hall (but it's a 10 minute walk once you get downstairs into the underground shopping area). City Hall connects with 2 major lines that connect you to a lot of popular areas. I much prefer this area than the areas where the Park Hyatt and other high end hotels are located.

Seoul Metro tips: you can purchase a single ride ticket after selecting the final destination stop (which will include a 500 KRW card deposit). The price is based on the distance you travel. You swipe when you enter and swipe when you exit on the other side. Then you can find a Card Refund machine and it will give you back a 500 KRW coin for recycling the card. Another note: there are VERY few escalators and elevators so getting a stroller around is very challenging. I encourage parents to use baby carriers instead.

Restaurants
We didn't eat at any of the hotel restaurants because the Lotte food court was nearby and so amazing, but they looked quite posh (and expensive).

Overall
We really picked the Westin Chosun for its location.  The rooms were fine, the service tried hard, but in the end, it was too busy of a place and we felt like the ugly girl at the 7th grade dance.  But they did finally deliver the crib, though I think my dear mother was confused about who it was intended for.

Aug 2012 - Korean Great Grandmothers

My mother is still very close to her grandmother.  They speak almost daily on Skype and continue to have a close bond even being 6,000 miles apart.

My father, on the other hand, has a very distant relationship with his 2 surviving grandmothers.  Having only seen them a few times during his 33+ years of life, he never really bonded, though he had tremendous respect for both of them.  And like a good grandson, he wanted to show them respect and get their blessing for his first born child.

So when we arrived in Seoul and survived the weak little rainstorm formerly known as Typhoon Bolaven,  we made our way to see my two great-grandmothers to meet me for the first time.

On my father's paternal side, I was just another great-grandchild.  My father's older cousins already had several kids by the time I was born.  Nevertheless, my great-grandmother treated me like a princess from the moment she laid eyes on me.  As a strong spiritual believer, I was given a heartfelt blessing in prayer, just like my father before me.

And on my father's maternal side, I was not only the first great-grandchild, but the only.  All my father's cousins on that side were still single and a long ways from having children.

Unfortunately, Time wasn't as kind to this grandmother and her awareness and short term memory were a bit compromised.  Nevertheless, I was determined to make a strong lasting impression so when everyone was sitting around watching me, I stood up and took my first steps towards my great-grandmother.  As you can imagine, the entire room erupted with delight.  Not bad for a 10 month old.

Aug 2012 - The Other Birthright

Flight #10 - Asiana 105 
Tokyo (NRT) – Seoul (ICN) 
Monday, Aug 27 
Depart: 6:50PM / Arrive: 9:30PM 
Duration: 2hr 40min 
Aircraft: Boeing 747
Seat: 1K and 1J (Business)
Mileage:  765 miles
Lifetime Miles:  24,226

So after almost 10 months of life, I was on my way to my 2nd motherland - South Korea.

We were originally scheduled to fly on United 891 from Tokyo at 6:20PM.  However, when we arrived at Narita Airport, we were told that the flight had been cancelled.  But before my father got furious, the check-in woman immediately told him we were already re-booked on the Asiana 105 deparing at 6:50PM.   Immediately, my father's fury turned to joy for 2 reasons:

1.  Asiana (like most Asian carriers) has much better service and food than American carriers.
2.  Having an award flight cancelled means that we would earn mileage credit on the new flight.

And of course, my parents made sure their baby daughter received a bassinet for the 2.5 hour flight.

The bigger challenge was getting through ICN Airport customs/immigration in time to catch the last Limo Bus into the city before Typhoon Bolaven struck Seoul.