✈️ Four EPIC new sweet spots

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 14 seconds

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the newsletter that takes being placed in boarding group 3 as a personal attack.

No personal attacks today, though — just positive vibes:

• 🥂 A new luxury lounge opens in Tokyo tomorrow

• ✈️ Four EPIC Star Alliance sweet spots

• 😎 Beat the summer travel heat

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

🥂 A new luxury lounge opens in Tokyo tomorrow

If you’re flying through Tokyo Haneda (HND) anytime soon, you might want to get to the airport a little earlier than usual.

That’s because [[ the-platinum-card-from-american-express.issuer.name ]] is opening a brand-new Centurion Lounge on July 16 — and it looks incredible.

These are some of the culturally-inspired perks you can enjoy:

• 🍣 Fresh sushi, ramen, wagashi sweets, and craft cocktails

• 🧘‍♂️ Private meditation booths with curated soundscapes

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cozy seating zones and family rooms

• 🎨 Edo-Kiriko chandeliers, local artwork, and peaceful “Japan Blue” design

Located in Terminal 3 near Gate 114, the lounge will offer sweeping runway views and nearly 7,500 square feet of Japanese beauty and tranquility before you even think about boarding your flight. Plus, it’ll even be equipped with a separate VIP area for top-tier members.

And yes — eligible cardholders can access it for free with:

• [[ the-platinum-card-from-american-express.name ]]

• [[ the-business-platinum-card-from-american-express.name ]]

• [[ delta-skymiles-reserve-american-express-card.name ]]

• [[ delta-skymiles-reserve-business-american-express-card.name ]]

And if you’ve ever visited another Centurion Lounge around the world, you already know what’s in store: top-notch service with food, drinks, and an atmosphere that rivals many business class lounges.

✈️ Four EPIC Star Alliance sweet spots

If you were ever lucky enough to book a round-the-world ticket with All Nippon Airways (ANA), you know it was one of the most legendary sweet spots in the points and miles world.

Unfortunately, that unicorn no longer exists because ANA removed the round-the-world award option from its program at the end of June. 💔

But while that’s a major loss, the airline also introduced a game-changing upgrade to its award program…

You can now book one-way flights with ANA miles. 🙌

Previously, you had to book round-trip awards — a big headache if you couldn’t find space both ways or needed more flexibility.

And while a few award prices have ticked up (only during the high season), there are still plenty of great sweet spots to be found:

Business-class partner flights to Europe

Let’s start strong. You can fly from Newark (EWR) to Lisbon (LIS) in lie-flat business class on TAP Portugal for just 50,000 ANA miles — a fantastic deal considering most programs charge 70k+ for the same route.

U.S. to Asia on ANA metal

Flying ANA itself still offers excellent value — even with slightly higher fees. For example, you can book San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (HND) in economy for just 20,000 miles.

Yes, you’ll pay a little more in taxes and surcharges, but it’s still a killer deal considering how few miles you need to shell out.

Short-haul luxury in Asia

ANA also shines on shorter regional routes.

One of my favorite options is flying from Tokyo to Hong Kong (HKG) in business class for just 26,000 miles. That’s a nearly five-hour flight on a wide-body plane — perfect for hopping between countries in comfort.

Obscure Star Alliance gems

One of the best parts of ANA miles is how well they play with the rest of Star Alliance. Want to fly from Cape Town (CPT) to Addis Ababa (ADD) on Ethiopian Airlines?

That’ll cost you just 17,500 miles in economy — or 30,000 in business.

That same flight would set you back 25,000 to 45,000 points using programs like Air Canada Aeroplan.

And if you’re sitting on a stash of Membership Rewards points, ANA is one of the best programs to stretch them — thanks to its 1:1 transfer ratio, excellent partner redemptions, and some of the lowest mileage rates you’ll find anywhere.

So, whether you’re heading to Europe, Japan, or somewhere in between, don’t overlook ANA as a program.

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

And the correct answer is… Sweden, with 267,570 islands. 🤯 

Sweden is truly in a league of its own on this one.

Norway comes in second with a little over 239,000 islands, and Finland comes in third with about 179,000.

What’s even crazier is that fewer than 1,000 of Sweden’s islands are inhabited.

If you’re wanting to explore, there’s even a dedicated Stockholm Archipelago Trail that goes through 22 of these islands… pretty cool, huh?

Want to see which other countries made the cut? You can read through the full list here.

Whether you’re sipping matcha in a brand-new luxury lounge or flying across continents on obscure routes for pennies on the mile, today’s takeaway is simple:

• ✅ One-way flights are in

• ❌ Round-the-world awards are out

• 🍣 Tokyo is always a good idea

See you next time ✌️

42.8826° S, 147.3257° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski