BDU: Hyatt Regency DFW

BDU: Birthday Down Under - Trip Planning
BDU: Flying to Sydney
BDU: Park Hyatt Sydney
BDU: Sydney Activities
BDU: Sydney Opera House
BDU: Flying to Uluru and Back
BDU: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
BDU: Park Hyatt Melbourne
BDU: Melbourne Activities
BDU: Flying to Fiji
BDU: Hilton Fiji
BDU: Snorkeling Trip
BDU: Flying to Los Angeles
BDU: Hyatt Regency DFW

After spending time in the Admirals Club at LAX, I bid farewell to my friend C as she headed back to Chicago.  I spent another half-hour or so there before leaving for my gate.

I'm not accustomed to boarding flights where there are large numbers of passengers with status so when they called for boarding for first class and those who had various levels of status with AA it was a little shocking to see how long the line was.  The good thing was that these were all experienced travlers so the boarding process was efficient and it was an uneventful flight to Dallas.

I had debated between booking a room at the Grand Hyatt DFW, which is attached to the terminal, vs. the Hyatt Regency which is located on the DFW Airport property.  The Grand Hyatt is a category 3 hotel (12K points per night) while the Hyatt Regency is a category 2 hotel (8K points).  While the convenience of the Grand Hyatt was a bonus, in the end I decided to save the 4000 points and booked the Hyatt Regency.

It was after 11 PM by the time I reached baggage claim - though of course my bags would be transferred to the plane to Memphis so I only had to deal with my carry-on.  The shuttle bus was over half-full and after another stop or two I found myself in line to check in.

I was a little disappointed at how long the line was, probably 7-8 people deep.  The three people at the front desk were all assisting weary travelers but after getting only semi-decent sleep on the flight from Fiji I was dead tired and didn't really want to wait any longer.

That's when I noticed the kiosk.  As I was only 3-4 people from the end of the queue, I decided it would be worth it to see if it was working.  I swiped my credit card and it spit out a room key and a receipt for me.  Presto! I was on my way to my room.

BDU: Flying to Los Angeles

BDU: Birthday Down Under - Trip Planning
BDU: Flying to Sydney
BDU: Park Hyatt Sydney
BDU: Sydney Activities
BDU: Sydney Opera House
BDU: Flying to Uluru and Back
BDU: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
BDU: Park Hyatt Melbourne
BDU: Melbourne Activities
BDU: Flying to Fiji
BDU: Hilton Fiji
BDU: Snorkeling Trip
BDU: Flying to Los Angeles
BDU: Hyatt Regency DFW

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:40 PM.  The folks from Rosie Holidays picked us up in plenty of time to make our flight.  In fact, there were very few people in line at the counter when we arrived.  Since C and I were flying in business class we were able to walk right up to the counter.  When the agent realized D was with us, she allowed her to use our line as well. Very nice!

The Nadi airport was undergoing a large renovation while we were there so there wasn't much to see once we got through security.  Even now, nearly a year later, the renovation is not complete but it looks much better than it did while we were there.  Ben, of One Mile at a Time, was there just last month and you can check out his post to see more up-to-date photos.

We made our way to the Fiji Air Tabua Lounge.  Our business class tickets afforded entry for C and me and my Priority Pass Select card (a benefit of having the Citibank Prestige card) allowed D to enter.

Fiji Air Tabua Lounge Entrance