I’ve been on cloud 9 all week thinking about the StarMegaDo4. Even though it’s only July, and the event is all the way in Novemeber, I can’t help but to be so freakin’ excited. For those of you who don’t know what a “MegaDo” is, just imagine a frequent flyer’s ultimate fantasy come true. It’s an adventure where 150ish aviation/points & miles fanatics come together on a chartered plane and “airport hop” to major cities to participate in all kinds of behind-the-scenes experiences and parties from the sponsors (hosts). This year it’s United/Star Alliance carriers and Hyatt. It’s my first MegaDo and I’m ecstatic to say the least!
Last Friday ,when it was announced that the international portion was open for booking, I quickly took the plunge, and $1056.01 later, I had myself a coach seat going from LAX-FRA-ZRH-SFO (Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Germany to Zurich, Switzerland, and then finishing in San Francisco). The good thing about securing my spot on the international portion was that it granted me access to a pre-booking slot on the domestic charter. I’ll be flying coach all the way through, and with over $2000 spent in airfare so far, I better get my butt in gear and get working extra hard to pay it off. As you can see this is not the “budget travel” I’m used to. In the end it will probably end up costing me around $2500-$3000, so that puts this excursion in the “a once-in-a-lifetime kind of ordeal” category.
Though the international portion of the SMD4 (November 11-13) is wait-listed for both business class and coach at the moment, booking for Star MegaDO 4 domestic charter (November 13-16) will open up to the general public on Monday, July 9th at 10 am EST at megado.com. Be quick and nimble – my guess is that this event will sell out in a matter of minutes.
Seat categories and pricing are as follows:Â
- BusinessFirst — each $1,999
- Tommy Class — each $1,599  (Extra Legroom/No One Sitting Next to You)
- Economy Plus — each $1,249 (Extra Legroom)
- Economy Class — each $999
The charter flight actual distance (San Francisco – Houston – Chicago) totals 2,650 miles, but if you provide your United MileagePlus account when booking, you’ll be able to earn more than the actual flight miles depending on the class of your ticket:
- Economy — 5,000 PQM/RDM
- Tommy Class and Economy Plus — 7,500 PQM/RDM
- Business First — 15,000 PQM/RDM
Let’s connect:Â 
I’m going, and have all my seats booked. Looking forward to the 748
I’m booked for the domestic portion. I bet alot of the participants will also be at the Chicago Seminars.
I’m so excited!! November can’t come soon enough. Just bummed I had to skip the international portion due to childcare issues, but now I’ve got another 1K to use for mileage runs. :)
I’m doing exactly as you’re doing….all in coach. Already booked for international, and domestic charter. My second SMD, and the first to include international travel. You’ll have a blast.
My first Megado, going on both international and domestic. Look forward to meeting you.
Nice! Very excited to meet you all – it’ll be an incredible time!