Philippine Airlines' new A350-1000, Dan's €1,527 Four Seasons splurge, and a client message that made our day

Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Monday! Coffee's ready, Christmas vibes are here, and we're starting the week strong. Three things in your inbox today — one new aircraft that actually matters, one luxury hotel that surprised Dan, and one client message that made us smile.

Here's what's inside today's post:

Philippine Airlines is bringing the Airbus A350-1000 into the fleet — and this is one of those aircraft orders that isn't just a press release. The A350-1000 is my favorite long-haul aircraft: more range, more capacity, and in this case (most importantly for us), a cabin that can finally compete in the premium Asia arena.

If the reported layout holds, 42 seats is a pretty "serious airline" number — big enough to reliably release award seats. And Philippine Airlines needs this.

For years, the airline has had a bit of a split personality: strong route network and convenient nonstops… paired with a Business Class product that wasn't always the first choice if you had options via Japan/Korea/Singapore/Hong Kong.

With the A350-1000, it's clearly a different strategy:

These aircraft are expected to be used for Philippine Airlines' longest routes, including North America, where the competition from Asian airlines is fierce. Cathay Pacific started sending their new Aria suites, ANA flies "The Room," and JAL flies their amazing A350-1000, Singapore Airlines compete with great seats and even better service, among other luxury airline to many destinations. These new suites will be able to compete with all these premium options.

If you've ever looked at a Manila routing and thought "this works perfectly, but…" — the A350-1000 is PAL's attempt to remove the "but."

One practical note: Philippine Airlines isn't part of a global alliance, which always makes redemptions more "inside baseball." The good news is that partnerships are moving around constantly, and Alaska Mileage Plan recently announced a partnership with Philippine Airlines, with the intention to allow earning and redeeming miles once fully live.

If/when that becomes fully functional, it could become a very interesting lever for PAL premium cabins.

Dan and Oskar just stayed at the Four Seasons Astir Palace outside Athens… and it was a real splurge: €1,527 for one night (their most expensive cash hotel night ever). Your expectations at that price are basically illegal.

The review is great because it's not blindly glowing — it's the exact thing we all do when we pay a premium rate:

The bed: Dan basically said the bed was a 10/10, best sleep of his life. That's one of those rare hotel claims where you can tell it's not "content hype" — he genuinely sounded shocked.

The resort feel: The property has that "you're at a beach resort but still close to a capital city" vibe. It's outdoorsy, calm, and (a huge win) no loud music by the pool/beach, which is becoming weirdly rare.

The service mindset: This was the biggest Four Seasons "tell”. They're willing to make things happen. Matcha not on the menu? They made matcha. Specific requests? "Of course." That can-do mentality is what separates top-tier luxury from "nice hotel with expensive furniture."

Room size vs. price: The room was beautiful, but tight enough that opening luggage felt annoying. At €1,527, small annoyances feel bigger, because you're not paying for "nice" — you're paying for "effortless."

If you're going to do a hotel like this:

Dan ended up scoring it 88/100, making it his current #1 on their "top luxury hotels" list.

If you're planning a trip to Athens (or anywhere, really), we can book hotels like this for you with VIP perks at no extra cost — the same way we handle bookings clients all over the world.

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We got this message from client Ian after his Thailand trip:

"I wanted to thank you both because I had a fantastic time on our Thailand trip… without your Points Master program, I probably wouldn't have adventured so far, and without the team and their booking services, I also would not have had such a good time. Thank you, I'm looking forward to my next trip to Japan."

We're sharing it because it captures the whole point of doing travel the "smart" way:

Flights: knowing how to find and book premium seats without lighting money on fire

Hotels: getting treated like a VIP, and having someone in your corner when details matter (transfers, upgrades, credits, late check-out, all the little things that turn a trip from "good" to "smooth")

We love doing this and helping our clients have top-notch luxury experiences when they travel — that’s the whole point of what we do. Also, Japan next? Great choice. That's where doing this efficiently makes an even bigger difference.

That's it for today. More deals and strategies coming your way on Wednesday.

Catch you in the clouds, 

Tomi