Flying to Europe Today

This week I am headed toward Warsaw, Poland, to review the activities of OSHU (www.OperationSafeHarborUkraine.com). This is a bitter-sweet journey as I am going over to thank the many volunteers that helped us house, feed, and provide medical support for almost 2,000 Ukrainian women and children refugees. This month marks the end of phase 1, which was to house the refugees in a hotel. Phase 2 is our attempt to bridge the refugees by providing them with Polish and English classes along with certification for working to allow them to stand on their own feet. Executive Travel started this massive undertaking just over one year ago. We are so thankful for the tremendous support from over 1,100 contributors and volunteers that donated over $1,000,000 for this herculean effort. Equally important have been the 80 people that traveled from the United States to Warsaw to provide hands-on assistance to the mothers and their children during what is probably the most difficult times in their lives. Words cannot express my thanks for the overwhelming support for this operation. 

Austrian Airlines is my new Favorite Airline to Europe –

I was able to find Business Class seats using my frequent flyer miles on Austrian Airlines to Warsaw. I experienced the most amazing service and almost felt like a movie star as the professional crew provided not only outstanding service but a delightful meal. There is a distinct difference between the service from international airlines to the service provided by U.S.-flagged airlines. The staff of Austrian Airlines was as professional as any fine dining establishment, while the American services seems like fast-food service in the air.

For the Biggest Bang for your Buck use your FF Miles for Business Class Tickets – 

My one-way Business class flight from Chicago to Vienna was 70,000 miles. This one-way ticket has a value of approximately $3,500 which means that each point redeemed was worth 5 cents each. A roundtrip ticket within the U.S. will cost between 25,000-50,000 miles at an estimated value of $500. This has a yield of 1-2 cents for each frequent flyer mile. So for the biggest bang for your buck, try to redeem your miles for your grand trip to Europe and fly in business class style. 

Believe it or not, you may want to add Warsaw to your Travel Bucket List –

Over the last year, I have traveled to Warsaw many times. Each time, I have become more enlightened about what a wonderful country Poland is and the people that live here. They have a great culture, inspiring history, and a moderate temperature that makes Poland a delight to visit during the summer months. Warsaw is among one of the best-designed and cleanest major cities in Europe. The war in Ukraine has turned Poland into the rising star of Europe.