Index to this trip report

1. Introduction
   
2. Something new
   
3. Fly every route
   
4. Auckland to Wellington on NZ 737 in economy space+
   
5. Wellington to Nadi on NZ A320 in economy
   
6. Nadi to Christchurch on NZ A320 in economy
   
7. Transit in Christchurch
   
8. Christchurch to Auckland on NZ 737 in economy space+
   
9. Christchurch to Auckland on NZ 777 in business
   
10. Visas
    
11. Auckland to Okiwi on Fly My Sky Britten Norman Islander BN-2B in couch
    
12. Okiwi to Claris on Fly My Sky Britten Norman Islander BN-2B in couch
    
13. Claris to Auckland on Fly My Sky Britten Norman Islander BN-2B in couch
    
14. Pre-trip checks
    
15. Auckland to Auckland on Qantas A380 in first
    
16. New Qantas IFE
    
17. Qantas new First class
    
18. Qantas new Business class
    
19. Qantas new Premium Economy class
    
20. Qantas new Economy class
    
21. Prelude
    
22. Auckland to Sydney on Air New Zealand 767-300 in business class
    
23. Auckland to Sydney business class menu
    
24. Sydney to Singapore on Singapore Airlines 747-400 in business class
    
25. Sydney to Singapore business class menu
    
26. Singapore to Male on Singapore Airlines 777-200 in regional business class
    
27. Singapore to Male business class menu
    
28. Transit in Male
    
29. Male to Singapore on Singapore Airlines 777-200 in regional business class
    
30. Male to Singapore business class menu
    
31. Singapore to Kathmandu on Silkair A320 in business class
    
32. Transit in Kathmandu
    
33. Kathmandu to Singapore on Silkair A320 in business class
    
34. Singapore to Dili on Silkair A320 in business class
    
35. Dili to Singapore on Silkair A320 in business class
    
36. Singapore to Cairo on Singapore Airlines 777-200ER in business class
    
37. Singapore to Cairo business class menu
    
38. Cairo
    
39. Cairo to Frankfurt on Lufthansa A300-600 in business class
    
40. Cairo to Frankfurt business class menu
    
41. Algeria transit visa question
    
42. Frankfurt to Algiers on Lufthansa 737-500 in business class
    
43. Frankfurt to Algiers business class menu
    
44. Transit in Algiers
    
45. Algiers to Frankfurt on Lufthansa 737-500 in business class
    
46. Frankfurt to Ljubljana on Adria A320 in business class
    
47. Ljubljana to Pristina on Adria A320 in business class
    
48. Pristina to Vienna on Austrian Airlines A320-200 in business class
    
49. Pristina to Vienna business class menu
    
50. Vienna to Frankfurt on Lufthansa A320-200 in business class
    
51. Vienna to Frankfurt business class menu
    
52. Frankfurt
    
53. Frankfurt to Khartoum on Lufthansa A300-600 in business class
    
54. Frankfurt to Khartoum business class menu
    
55. Khartoum to Addis Ababa on Lufthansa A300-600 in business class
    
56. Khartoum to Addis Ababa business class menu
    
57. Transit in Addis Ababa
    
58. Addis Ababa to Khartoum on Lufthansa A300-600 in business class
    
59. Addis Ababa to Khartoum business class menu
    
60. Khartoum to Frankfurt on Lufthansa A300-600 in business class
    
61. Khartoum to Frankfurt business class menu
    
62. Frankfurt to London on Lufthansa 737-300 in business class
    
63. Transit in London Heathrow
    
64. London Heathrow to Los Angeles on Air New Zealand 777-200ER in business class
    
65. London Heathrow to Los Angeles business class menu
    
66. Los Angeles to Auckland on Air New Zealand 777-200ER in business class
    
67. Los Angeles to Auckland business class menu
    
68. Auckland to Christchurch on Air New Zealand 737 in economy space+
    
69. Christchurch to Dunedin on Air New Zealand ATR 72-500 in economy
    
70. Dunedin to Melbourne on Air New Zealand A320 in economy space+
    
71. Melbourne to Auckland on Air New Zealand A320 in business
    
72. Melbourne to Auckland business class menu
    

Latest summary

• GCM map, a google map of Great Barrier Island flights and google map of approximate flightpath of Qantas A380
• 56,088 flown miles (incl approx 400 miles for QF A380)
• 38 flights
• 8 a/c types
  • 737
  • A320
  • 777
  • Britten Norman Islander BN-2B
  • A380
  • 767
  • 747
  • A300
• 8 airlines
  • Air New Zealand
  • Fly My Sky
  • Qantas
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Silkair
  • Lufthansa
  • Adria
  • Austrian Airlines
• 17 countries
  • New Zealand
  • Fiji
  • Australia
  • Singapore
  • Maldives
  • Nepal
  • Timor Leste
  • Egypt
  • Germany
  • Algeria
  • Slovenia
  • Kosovo
  • Austria
  • Sudan
  • Ethiopia
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
• personal firsts and other trivia
  • shortest flight, 6 miles not many minutes
  • first A380 flight
  • first flight in Qantas new first class
  • 9th airline flown in/out of Sydney, equal 3rd most for me
  • pass 750,000 flown miles on Singapore Airlines/Silkair, the most for me
  • 41st destination on Singapore Airlines/Silkair, 2nd most for me
  • flown Lufthansa to all European Star Alliance hubs except for IST, MAD and LIS (LHR CPH ARN HEL MUC FRA LJU ZAG WAW ZRH VIE BCN)
  • pass 750k airline status miles (or equivalent) since 1 January 2008
  • flown 100th Air New Zealand flight of 2008
  • flown 105th and final current Air NZ route (plus several discontinued routes)

As at post #174

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INTRODUCTION

As is often the case, when the opportunity arose for a brief break, I was thinking of another dash around the world stopping briefly in a few countries I have yet to visit. As time goes by this is getting harder and harder to achieve. While there are more countries I have not visited than countries that I have visited (just barely), many of the more accessible ones (easy connections, little or no visa issues, high frequency of flights, etc) I have already visited.

So the planning for the trip was trickier than normal. Matters were complicated by my tight schedule and a short window of opportunity to arrange necessary visas - for I have had ongoing frequent international travel lately.

Those who've read some of my previous reports will be aware I'm not content to just have one complicated ticket on the go, but I also have other tickets inter-woven into my travel itinerary. Some are for convenient side-trips, while others are in the pursuit of another travel goal of mine - to fly every route of an airline.

As I write this I have no idea if it will all work out. All I know is the schedule is ambitious/optimistic (even by my standards), for some reasons which will become apparent as this report unfolds, as well as some other reasons which will hopefully never see the light of day.

More later.