Kalpit works in United Airlines' finance team in Delhi and flies business class to Europe for ₹10,000. In this episode, he walks us through how airline employee standby travel actually works: the booking process, priority lists, cabin upgrades, Star Alliance partner access (including Air India domestics for ₹2,000), and the stress of not knowing if you'll board until one hour before departure. He shares real stories: getting bumped from business while his sister-in-law waved from her flatbed seat, spending an entire day at Delhi airport trying to get to Goa, and his go-to guaranteed route (Delhi-Munich on the A380, Wednesday 1:50am). Plus: how his cousin flew Vancouver to San Francisco to Tokyo for under $60, why he transfers all his points to hotels instead of airlines, and what Polaris business class is really like.

In this episode of Turn Left by Magnify, Pranav sits down with Arvind — CA, fund manager, algorithmic trader and hardcore points optimizer.

Arvind just returned from an insane trip:
• 40 nights in Japan
• 38 nights booked on points
• Fairmont Tokyo
• Swissôtel Osaka
• Banyan Tree Kyoto
• Ski plans in Hokkaido
• Autumn + Christmas season

And yes — he took his mom.

We break down:

• Exactly how many points he used
• Accor Platinum strategy in Japan
• Lounge access hacks
• How to handle flight disruptions in Japan
• Why location > luxury sometimes
• The reality of long-stay redemptions
• The Magnus-era stash strategy

If you love points, luxury stays, and optimizing travel — this one’s for you.