One Live TR With Pics – Two Different Perspectives on AMS–HNL
Nov 26, 2014, 3:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold & GGL & CCR, HH Diam, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Spire, Tastecard
Posts: 7,549
One Live TR With Pics – Two Different Perspectives on AMS–HNL
Tomorrow evening, VFRonTop and I will start our TP run to HNL. The full routing with aircraft types is:
LHR – AMS: BA A320 (RFS positioning)
AMS – LHR: BA A320
LHR – MIA: BA B744 UD
MIA – LAX: AA B738
LAX – HNL: AA B763
HNL – PHX: US B757
PHX – JFK: US A321
JFK – LCY: BA A318
LCY – AMS: BA E190
AMS – LCY: BA E190 (RFS positioning)
Total TPs 1,270
Total Avios earned 48,881
Days travelling 4
Days in HNL 2
This is our Live Trip Report with a “twist”; our different perspectives on the same trip. Apart from this intro, we won’t be sharing notes before posting our experiences and thoughts (though might discuss pictures before uploading so we don’t post two sets of pics of the same thing). That’s the only “rule” really though we are planning on having a lot of “Flyertalk” fun with the trip and hopefully the report.
The Background
The idea started earlier in the year after the discovery of the shared passion for flying and Flyertalk. Having recently moved offices and found themselves sitting close to each other, talk of Chris1979’s travels were a popular topic of discussion within the team. This led to a chat over tea and a mutual passion of flying and TPs was discovered.
Chris1979 has done a few TP runs before. Apart from a few LGW AMS via JER, his first big one was in 2013 with ATH LHR LCY JFK MIA SFO and that trip got him hooked. He had been Gold for a number of years but suddenly GGL and CCR became within reach. Earlier in 2014, he used the IB ex France fare and some great AA fares for LHR CDG JFK SFO // SFO LAX MIA CUN MIA LAX MIA CUN MIA LAX SFO (10 flights in 51 hours) // SFO MIA JFK CDG LHR to have a crazy week of flying. Another “long” routing to LAX with a DEN – LAX – JFK run (on the AA 321 in F) pushed him to CCR). This is his 2nd Trip Report (having done one on TG F) and he feels a bit strange talking about himself in the 3rd person!
VFRonTop is a bit newer to all things Flyertalk and TP Running. In fact, this will be a trip of many “firsts” for him (UD, CW l/h, AA F, AA 738, 763, babybus) Each sector of this trip has been chosen to get as much variety as possible. He’s a self proclaimed “deal yunk1e” and has a few scandalously cheap Y trips to the US and Brazil coming up. Having been exiled to the murky world of Bronze earlier this year, Chris1979’s partner silver card has acted as a welcome lifeline to maintain status until this trip to takes him to Gold for the first time.
So, back in May, we came up with the idea and thanks to dutch_122’s help, we booked the trip in early June. It’s been a long, exciting way and tomorrow we are finally off.
Happy Flying and we hope you enjoy the report as much as we are hopefully going to enjoy the trip!
LHR – AMS: BA A320 (RFS positioning)
AMS – LHR: BA A320
LHR – MIA: BA B744 UD
MIA – LAX: AA B738
LAX – HNL: AA B763
HNL – PHX: US B757
PHX – JFK: US A321
JFK – LCY: BA A318
LCY – AMS: BA E190
AMS – LCY: BA E190 (RFS positioning)
Total TPs 1,270
Total Avios earned 48,881
Days travelling 4
Days in HNL 2
This is our Live Trip Report with a “twist”; our different perspectives on the same trip. Apart from this intro, we won’t be sharing notes before posting our experiences and thoughts (though might discuss pictures before uploading so we don’t post two sets of pics of the same thing). That’s the only “rule” really though we are planning on having a lot of “Flyertalk” fun with the trip and hopefully the report.
The Background
The idea started earlier in the year after the discovery of the shared passion for flying and Flyertalk. Having recently moved offices and found themselves sitting close to each other, talk of Chris1979’s travels were a popular topic of discussion within the team. This led to a chat over tea and a mutual passion of flying and TPs was discovered.
Chris1979 has done a few TP runs before. Apart from a few LGW AMS via JER, his first big one was in 2013 with ATH LHR LCY JFK MIA SFO and that trip got him hooked. He had been Gold for a number of years but suddenly GGL and CCR became within reach. Earlier in 2014, he used the IB ex France fare and some great AA fares for LHR CDG JFK SFO // SFO LAX MIA CUN MIA LAX MIA CUN MIA LAX SFO (10 flights in 51 hours) // SFO MIA JFK CDG LHR to have a crazy week of flying. Another “long” routing to LAX with a DEN – LAX – JFK run (on the AA 321 in F) pushed him to CCR). This is his 2nd Trip Report (having done one on TG F) and he feels a bit strange talking about himself in the 3rd person!
VFRonTop is a bit newer to all things Flyertalk and TP Running. In fact, this will be a trip of many “firsts” for him (UD, CW l/h, AA F, AA 738, 763, babybus) Each sector of this trip has been chosen to get as much variety as possible. He’s a self proclaimed “deal yunk1e” and has a few scandalously cheap Y trips to the US and Brazil coming up. Having been exiled to the murky world of Bronze earlier this year, Chris1979’s partner silver card has acted as a welcome lifeline to maintain status until this trip to takes him to Gold for the first time.
So, back in May, we came up with the idea and thanks to dutch_122’s help, we booked the trip in early June. It’s been a long, exciting way and tomorrow we are finally off.
Happy Flying and we hope you enjoy the report as much as we are hopefully going to enjoy the trip!
Last edited by chris1979; Nov 26, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Nov 26, 2014, 4:14 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold & GGL & CCR, HH Diam, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Spire, Tastecard
Posts: 7,549
it's been a few months being excited about this trip and one of the "firsts" for me is going long-haul and for more than a weekend on HBO.
Partially because VFR is in the HBO camp (with the likes of CWS and KARFA who all share this strange love for camping) whilst I believe in outsourcing issues and that includes handing my luggage to the nice people at the BA check-in and not worrying about it for a while.
This trip has a couple of 'tighter' connections including a same-plane turn-around in AMS at the very end. Though I pointed out to VFR that that means we could easily (and should!) check-in luggage on the way out, he "persuaded" me that HBO was that way to go.
I shan't repeat my previous 'rants' about the stress HBO causes me with regards to packing and packing enough stuff in mini sizes that only last for a day or so, so I did the required shopping last week for the trip:
As KARFA has already pointed out to me, that is 1 deo per day (ish) but I dont think there's more than 2-3 uses in them and I like having more than 1 shower a day.
One more sleep, a few hours in the office and we are off to LHR for dinner in the CCR and our hop to AMS.
Hopefully we'll get a chance to catch up with dutch_122 there.
Partially because VFR is in the HBO camp (with the likes of CWS and KARFA who all share this strange love for camping) whilst I believe in outsourcing issues and that includes handing my luggage to the nice people at the BA check-in and not worrying about it for a while.
This trip has a couple of 'tighter' connections including a same-plane turn-around in AMS at the very end. Though I pointed out to VFR that that means we could easily (and should!) check-in luggage on the way out, he "persuaded" me that HBO was that way to go.
I shan't repeat my previous 'rants' about the stress HBO causes me with regards to packing and packing enough stuff in mini sizes that only last for a day or so, so I did the required shopping last week for the trip:
As KARFA has already pointed out to me, that is 1 deo per day (ish) but I dont think there's more than 2-3 uses in them and I like having more than 1 shower a day.
One more sleep, a few hours in the office and we are off to LHR for dinner in the CCR and our hop to AMS.
Hopefully we'll get a chance to catch up with dutch_122 there.
Nov 26, 2014, 4:22 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold & GGL & CCR, HH Diam, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Spire, Tastecard
Posts: 7,549
Nov 26, 2014, 5:04 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,533
I have subscribed. I am also doing the HNL but from DUB next year and using the Baby bus each way on TATL. I have been to Hawaii twice in recent years but with family on holiday and did so as comfortably and efficiently as possible (one stop). Hope to get some tip from you and good luck with connections etc.
Nov 27, 2014, 1:12 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Iver
Programs: BA GOLD/OWE BA Amex Prem Plus Tesco Airmiles Qantas Bronze IHG SPG Eithad
Posts: 2,902
Am subscribing to this thread, it sounds as though it is going to be really exciting, mark you could imagine doing 4 days with all the routings you people are about to embark on, but very much look forward to reading and seeing all the pics.^
^
Nov 27, 2014, 1:23 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Iver
Programs: BA GOLD/OWE BA Amex Prem Plus Tesco Airmiles Qantas Bronze IHG SPG Eithad
Posts: 2,902
Wow all those deo's sure you do not need that many, even with them being under 100ml each I found one would last at least a week, using them twice a day, anyway onwards and upwards, just get on those planes and keep the TR going, we are all dying to see those lovely pics with a little writing as well^
^