Alli Talley

September 8, 2016

South African Airways: Why You Need to Fly SAA for Your Next Vacation

Alli Talley

September 8, 2016

When adventuring to South Africa, who better to take you then South African Airways?!

This was our first time partnering with SAA - and it definitely won’t be our last. From the welcoming staff, to the comfy seats and delicious South African wine, it was an experience we’ll never forget. We’d heard plenty of people rave about “South African Hospitality” - but it wasn’t until we experienced it onboard our SAA flights that we understood just how special it is!

We began with a 14 hour flight to Johannesburg out of NYC, and the crew was kind enough to let us tour the plane - and Bobby’s highlight - sit in the cockpit!! We were so impressed by their willingness to spend time with us, and their pride for their country. We may have been thousands of miles from South Africa, but from the moment we boarded the plane, we felt as though we were already there!

While the flight was long, it was really enjoyable. The food was delicious and there were plenty of entertainment options - but what really blew us away was the wine! We were thrilled to see that some of our favorite South African wines were available on the flight - definitely a huge perk of flying SAA!

Once we landed in Johannesburg, we spent a few hours in a SAA Lounge (more on that to come!), and then boarded a quick flight to Cape Town. Once again, the SAA fleet succeeded our expectations with another warm meal, kind service, and an incredibly seamless flight. It almost went too fast!!

If we could pick one thing that stood out about flying with South African Airways, it is most definitely their outstanding hospitality. We have never met such warm, kind, and inviting crew members - and on long and exhausting travel days, their smiles made all the difference.

When planning a trip to South Africa, we highly encourage you to fly with South African Airways. You’ll fall in love with the country, the people, and the wine - all before you even land! Stay tuned for our next blog on South African Airways, where we highlight their amazing lounges, as well as show off some of the beautiful places they can take you (see below)...

Alli Talley

August 1, 2016

Airlines, California, USA

2 Year Anniversary to Napa With Surf Air

Alli Talley

August 1, 2016

Airlines, California, USA

We are always excited to fly. It may be the adventure of take-off, the views from the sky, or just the fact that you are soaring in a giant metal machine. Regardless, flying is our favorite. Lately, however, we have been having our share of flight delays, bad airport food, and really long security lines. If you’re a frequent traveler, you know how frustrating and utterly exhausting this can be.

Well frequent flyer friends, we’re here to share about an incredible airline that cuts out the bad parts of flying and will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. We’d like to compare it to the first time we flew Business Class… it ruined us. We loved it so much and now we struggle to fly anything but Business Class. That being said, meet Surf Air. Surf Air is the nation’s first all-you-can-fly private air travel club. Surf Air provides their members with a comfortable, efficient, and luxurious travel experience that saves valuable time in every trip. Surf Air currently serves 12 destinations in California, and they will be adding more locations in the near future!

We decided to try out Surf Air for our 2-year anniversary weekend in Napa. (Yes we’ll probably always be the Traveling Newlyweds. It’s a mentality!) We arrived at a private terminal at the Hawthorne Airport, to a complimentary valet service that took care of our car for the weekend and helped us bring our bags into the terminal. Yes. A complimentary valet service at the airport. The “spoil factor” is immediately very strong.

A friendly Surf Air concierge checked us in, which means greeted us with a smile and offered us a drink and snacks. No hassle with tickets or baggage, no security, no waiting! You sit in a comfortable lounge (with complimentary WiFi and refreshments), and when it’s time to go you walk outside and straight onto the plane. We arrived a little over an hour early, since Bobby is the person that likes to be at the airport extra early to be cautious. Well, with Surf Air, we were the only ones in the lounge for probably 45 minutes, because you don’t need to be there until 20 minutes before departure! What a dream!

When it was time to go, our pilots met us and walked us over to the plane. The Surf Air fleet is gorgeous. Their planes definitely stand out at the airport with their sleek paint jobs and beautiful branding. Once aboard, your seat is both an aisle and a window seat! The seat is a comfortable, black leather chair that we may have had a few naps in. Our pilots went through a quick introduction, showed us where the refreshments were located (very important), how to use the emergency bathroom (and by emergency we mean EMERGENCY.), and we were off!

Bobby was concerned he would get motion sickness from such a small plane, but this was not a problem at all. We couldn’t believe how smooth the take-off, flight, and landing was. And he was so fascinated by watching the pilots, he was pretty distracted the whole time!

The flight to Napa took about an hour and a half, and the views from our plane were incredible. We were legitimately bummed when we started our descent into Napa - we didn’t want our ride to end! We walked off the plane to see our rental car waiting for us, right there, on the runway. What!? Are you picking up how immensely spoiling and EASY this mode of transportation is? It took a total of 10 minutes from touch down to having our bags in our car! Oh, the joys of private jet travel!

Another wonderful Surf Air concierge was there to great us when we landed, and help us with our belongings. She even gave us winery recommendations and directions to our hotel. We can’t say enough about the Surf Air service! It really is five stars.

What really sealed the deal for us was on the day we were catching our flight home, since we now knew that we didn’t have to be at the airport until 20 minutes before our departure. This gave us another FULL DAY to explore Napa. We’re SO used to arriving at the airport 2 hours before a flight, this was a luxury we simply could not get over. A Surf Air highlight was when we were sitting at Gott’s Roadside at 2:30 eating an amazing burger and enjoying some wine with our flight taking off at 3:15 PM. If Bobby was honest, he would probably say he was sweating on the inside. But we made it with ease! Our TOTAL travel time to get home to Orange County from Napa took us less than 3 hours!

Surf Air is an incredible travel experience. Maybe it should be called “Spoil Air”? We are excited to fly with them again soon, and eager to hear when they expand to international travel… :)

Alli Talley

September 1, 2015

Airlines, Europe

Flying in Luxury Aboard Lufthansa Business Class

Alli Talley

September 1, 2015

Airlines, Europe

This summer we had the incredible opportunity to partner with Lufthansa USA on a trip from Los Angeles, California to Copenhagen, Denmark. As frequent flyers (and airplane enthusiasts!), we were so excited to experience all things Lufthansa - from their chic airport lounges to their luxurious business and premium economy seats!

Let's start off by saying that this experience ruined us. We're used to waiting in long lines, dealing with big crowds, and all the frustrations that come with air travel. This trip, however, was FLAWLESS. (Is that even possible?!) Our check in process was quick and easy. The Lufthansa staff was friendly and over accommodating. And the flight itself was an absolute dream! But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's start at the beginning...

Our journey began at LAX where we had access to the Star Alliance Lounge. This lounge is perched high above the scrambling travelers in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Within a matter of minutes we were sipping champagne, snacking on cheese and crackers, and relaxing in their cozy seats. Heaven exists - in the airport!! All too soon it was time to board, and as hard as it was to leave the lounge, we were anxious to see the plane!

There is nothing more exciting than boarding an airplane when you are embarking on a new adventure. ESPECIALLY when you are loading onto a gigantic A-380 and are headed towards business class! We arrived at our seats and could not contain our excitement. As we "oo-ed and ahh-ed" over the amenity kits and tinkered with all the seat functions, our flight attendant greeted us with a welcome drink. Is this a dream?! We both agreed that it was going to be hard to sleep on this flight because we wanted to soak it ALL in.

Pretending to sleep in this glorious fully flat seat!

During the flight, Lufthansa treats their guests to complementary Bose Noise-Canceling headphones, as well as an entertainment center with tons of options. Having never flown with noise-canceling headphones, we had no idea what we had been missing. It makes such a difference! We might have to pick up a couple pairs of these headphones when we go home.

Dining in Lufthansa's Business Class was an experience all to itself. Instead of coming in small, plastic packaged trays, the food was delivered on pristine fine china, making us feel as though we were dining in a five star restaurant. No detail went unnoticed, as even the glasses, flatware, and salt & pepper shakers were exquisite! As for the food, it definitely did not seem like we were on an airplane. Everything was high quality and presented beautifully.

While all of the indulgent amenities on the flight were amazing, the REAL highlight for both of us was our seats. With a simple touch of a button, we could automatically convert our seats into a fully flat BED. That's right, a bed. Those of you that often fly long hauls can understand what a true commodity this is! We had fun experimenting with the intuitive seat controls, as we were able to stretch our legs as much as we needed in our spacious, cozy seats.

The in-flight entertainment selection seemed endless. Every new release we'd been wanting to see was there, including several of our favorite TV shows, documentaries, and classic films. We found ourselves plotting out our flight entertainment schedule, making sure we had enough time to watch everything on our list! Forget sleeping - there's too much to see! This truly was a flight that we didn't want to end.

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge, Frankfurt

After the flight of our dreams, we had a layover in Frankfurt before heading to Copenhagen, Denmark. There we had time to enjoy Lufthansa’s Business Class Lounge... Because obviously we are now obsessed with lounges. This lounge was really big, and featured a variety of seating areas including lounge chairs, bar stools, relaxation rooms, and a business center. There was a large selection of reading material, plenty of places to charge your devices, and various areas with TVs and comfy couches. It also had a buffet area that with both hot and cold food, and all the drinks your heart could desire. They even had a big fridge filled with ice cream! Once again, we found heaven in the airport! We both stocked up on some snacks and headed to the relaxation room, there we took naps until it was time to board our next plane (since we refused to waste any time sleeping on our business class flight). One detail we appreciated was that there were monitors displaying how long it would take for us to walk to our gate. So we could squeeze in EVERY last minute.

Over the next couple weeks we took a few short flights around Europe, and eventually ended up back in Frankfurt for our flight home. While our flight back to LA was not quite the luxury of business class, we were still very impressed by Lufthansa’s Premium Economy seats. The seats were wider, they have much more leg room along with a foot rest, and your seat once again comes with an amazing amenity kit. The little amenities like a toothbrush, eye mask, and ear plugs can be a lifesaver on a long-haul flight. Especially when there are crying children on board! The food was delicious, we got some rest, and before we were ready to say goodbye we touched down in Los Angeles.

Overall, we had an amazing experience with Lufthansa, both in the airport and in the skies. Their lounges provided delicious food and drinks, a place to relax and unwind, and both Business and Premium Economy Classes exceeded our expectations. Thank you, Lufthansa, for cultivating an unprecedented travel experience!