🥂 I'm giving away SkyTeam status

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 42 seconds

Gooooooooood morning from Guangzhou, China! I’ve been ticking off SkyTeam airlines left and right for the SAS million-mile challenge, and I am having a BLAST.

And since I’m in a SkyTeam mood, I’ve got some fun SkyTeam-themed content for you all today… and I think you’ll like it. So, let’s get to it:

• 🌎 SAS million-mile challenge update

• 🥂 I’m giving away SkyTeam elite status

• 🤗 Meme

🌎 SAS million-mile challenge update

I’m super excited to have gotten back on the road a couple of days ago to finish up the last batch of airlines in the SAS million-mile challenge to win a MILLION POINTS.

If you have no clue what I’m talking about, catch up here.

As you know, we have four Daily Drop team members attempting this challenge, and I’m excited that Ali has now finished ALL fifteen SkyTeam airlines! 🎉

We’re all inching toward the finish line, but I had to wait a couple of weeks to keep checking off airlines…

That’s because one of our other writers, McKay, met me here in Asia, so we can tackle the rest of the challenge as a team! 💪

I’m SUPER excited…

Not just to have a coworker join me in the office (a.k.a. various airport lounges around Asia), but because we’ve been able to lock down some AMAZING business-class seats for this challenge…

A couple of days ago, I flew from Jakarta to Surakarta, Indonesia, for my 13th flight of the year on Garuda Indonesia… because I’m crazy like that… 🤷🏼‍♂️

But a few days beforehand, I got this email. 👇

Bidding on upgraded seats is something I’ve started doing a lot more recently… especially because, as you’ll see, sometimes even bidding the lowest possible amount will get your butt into some tasty seats.

On this flight, I bid the bare minimum of around $55 and was upgraded to business class!

It’s only a one-hour flight, but I still got a full meal service, a super comfy seat, and access to Garuda’s business-class lounge, which even included a spa where I got a foot massage before my flight.

And it only got better from there…

The next day, McKay and I flew from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur on KLM’s fifth-freedom flight, which only cost about $40.

When I was checking in for my KLM flight, I saw that I could simply select a business-class seat (the same way you select any other seat on the plane) and pay a fee of $134.

Since KLM uses their 787 Dreamliner for this flight, we essentially paid a total of $175 each for two hours in a lie-flat bed!

This was also McKay’s first business-class flight… So, not bad for a first-ever lie-flat experience! 😏

Because we were both in business class, we got to skip the security line at the airport, enjoy a super nice lounge, and board the plane early to enjoy some extra time in our fancy seats.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.

Weeks ago, I did the same thing with Kenya Airways, which we also just flew on for yet another fifth-freedom route from Bangkok to Guangzhou, China.

On this flight, I also just put in a bid for the minimum amount… because why not?

To my surprise, I received an email telling me I’d been upgraded!

The flight was only three hours long, but hey - three hours in a lie-flat bed sounds pretty good to me!!

I was pleasantly surprised by Kenya Airways’ business-class cabin, which was basically empty, had comfy lie-flat seats, and some tasty food.

As it turns out, McKay waited until we got to the airport to ask for an upgrade on the same Kenya Airways flight… and, lo and behold, her upgrade was $50 cheaper than mine!!

And to make things even better, we ran into a Daily Drop reader (Jason from Ottawa) in the airport here in Guangzhou who also decided to take on the challenge!

And just about a month ago, I was able to upgrade to Premium Economy on a six-hour China Eastern flight on their new Airbus A350 for just $70.

The weird part is that in China, you can upgrade ON the plane after boarding! 🤯 $70 for six hours in a premium seat is maybe the best upgrade deal I’ve ever found!

Anyway, here’s the bottom line:

When you receive an email from an airline to bid for a business-class upgrade, here’s what I’d recommend:

Look up which plane you’ll be flying on. Do a quick Google search and see what the business-class seats look like.

If the price feels good for a premium seat, don’t be afraid to simply put in the minimum bid - it works out more often than you might think!

🥂 I’m giving away SkyTeam elite status

Okay, this one is fun… but let me give you some background first.

Earlier this year, I told you about a status match offered by ITA Airways, a SkyTeam airline based in Italy.

I did the status match myself and now have top-tier SkyTeam status through early 2026. 👇

Because of this status, I’m able to access business class lounges when flying on ANY SkyTeam airline, get priority airport services, and even get special treatment on flights, which makes me feel like a very special boi.

But there’s one other perk of having top-tier ITA status, and that’s the ability to GIFT SkyTeam status to someone else…

While this giftable status isn’t their highest tier, it is their second highest tier…

That means it comes with SkyTeam Elite Plus status, which gives you all of the perks I just mentioned when flying on SkyTeam airlines - including Delta.

That’s right - even if you are flying Delta in basic economy, you’ll be able to access Delta SkyClubs with this status.

And because I love you all so much… I want to give it to one of you. 🥰

That’s right, folks - one lucky duck will win ITA Volare Club Premium Status through January of 2026.

Want to be the winner?

🚨 Well, the secret to winning is hidden somewhere in this newsletter. 🚨

In fact, you might’ve already scrolled right past it… or maybe you haven’t yet. 🤷🏼‍♂️

If you are the winner, you will hear directly from me.

Have fun. Muahaha. 😈

Okay, enough maniacal laughing… for now…

🤗 Meme

I’m feeling this a whole lot this week……

That’s all for today, y’all! I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter and that you learned a thing or two.

I look forward to gifting one of you some valuable SkyTeam status to use over the next year, and I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow for more travel talk.

Love,

13.7563° N, 100.5018° E