✈️ Landings and Layovers | Season 2, Episode 5 🎙 Hosted by Matt Fleischman & Marty Paz

🗒 Quick Note

Since we recorded, the Turkish Airlines million-mile promotion has been suspended without notice. Still, the strategies, planning, and points talk are timeless—so we’re keeping the conversation going.

✈️ Fare of the Week: NYC to Eastern Europe for Under $500

LOT Polish Airlines is slinging serious deals: roundtrip flights from New York to multiple Eastern European cities—Krakow, Sofia, Vilnius, and more—for under $500. In some cases, closer to $400. Lufthansa is matching some fares, too.

📍 Fly into smaller, often overlooked cities 📅 Valid for: July, Sept–Dec 2025, and Feb 2026 🎫 Book direct or via a Star Alliance partner for mileage bonuses

🏅 Status Games: JetBlue vs. Turkish Airlines

We dive into JetBlue’s 25-destination challenge (25 cities = 350K points + 25 years of elite status) and compare it to the recently suspended Turkish Airlines Million Mile Contest, which required touching down on six continents in four months.

🔎 Key comparisons:

Turkish Airlines required everything to route through Istanbul
Minimum spend to qualify? $3,000+
Turkish miles expire after 3 years (ouch)
JetBlue’s challenge? Easier, shorter, and lets you fly domestic or Caribbean

⚙️ Building a run? We’re helping listeners with itinerary planning for both challenges and future promos.

🎙 Interview Spotlight: Meyy on Flying First (Without Flying Broke)

Meet Meyy, a cardiovascular professional and mileage master who’s flown over 500,000 miles — 95% of them in first or business class.

He shared how he’s unlocked luxury cabins with smart strategies, including:

Booking American Airlines First for 25K Etihad miles
Turning an Oman Air downgrade into a surprise Air France La Première experience
Stacking reroutes: 3 canceled flights → Singapore Business Class for 60K points
Why Air France Platinum status still pays off—even years later

💡 Meyy’s top tips:

Bring chocolates. It works.
Flexibility beats status.
Know your phone agents—they can be more powerful than your credit card.
British Airways mileage runs? Still worth it… for now.

🔮 The Points Horizon: What’s Changing in 2025

Meyy and Marty break down the future of loyalty programs:

American’s program is flexible—but for how long?
Airline loyalty is becoming gamified, fast
British Airways is shifting away from leisure travelers
Devaluations are coming… earn and burn while you can

🧳 Packing Picks & Pro Moves

🧠 You don’t need millions of points—just a smart strategy
🎁 Kindness can upgrade you faster than status
🧳 Air France La Première is worth every reroute (and the occasional stress-induced forehead vein)
🗺️ Use regional airports to find better award space
💺 “Mileage runs are fun again” — just pick your program wisely

🧭 Want Help Planning a Status Run?

We’re working on:

JetBlue’s 25-city itinerary builds
Star Alliance million-mile ideas (if it returns)
BA Tier Point runs from the U.S. and Europe
Etihad, Flying Blue, and Turkish mileage strategy builds

📬 DM us or email—we’ll help you sketch it out and maybe even feature your run in a future ep.

🔗 Connect With Us

💌 Email: landingsandlayovers@gmail.com
📸 Instagram: @landingslayovers
🐦 Twitter/X: @landingNlayover
🌍 Website: brieflydistracted.com/landingsandlayovers

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