Hello fellow FlyerTalkers. After being a long time reader of the trip reports forum here on FT, I figured it would be time to make a little contribution of my own.


Introduction


Following BMI’s departure from Star Alliance, mileage collectors from all over the world flocked the call centres in order to make that final redemption before the cutoff date. As luck would have it, a good friend of mine whose stash of miles was a bit too large for him to use all by himself, offered to book me a redemption 25K of his remaining miles.

I obviously accepted his kind gesture, and agreed to cover all the taxes, fuel surcharges and the £150 cash portion. After notifying my friend about my dates, I was soon presented with the following itinerary. All flights are in Business Class.


Stockholm – Paris CDG: SAS B737-600
Paris CDG – Cairo: EgyptAir B777-300ER

2-day stopover in Cairo

Cairo – Dubai: EgyptAir A330-300 (changed from Singapore Airlines, arrgh!!!)

4-day stopover in Dubai

Dubai – Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Airlines B787-8 Dreamliner (changed to B777-200LR due to overbooking)

1-day layover in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa – Stockholm: Ethiopian Airlines B737-800 (changed from B757-200 with long haul seats)


The total cost for the trip was £461,50. Quite acceptable given the fact that I was flying during the high season, and the fact that an Economy Class ticket would’ve even set me back more.

Having the flights booked and set, I began looking for accommodation. Due to my short stay in Cairo, I decided to look for a hotel close to the airport. I managed to secure the Radisson Blu Cairo Heliopolis for $136 for 2 nights, using the Carlson Gold 2-for-1 weekend rate. Due to the fact that New Year’s is the very peak of the tourist season in Dubai, most hotels were priced at shamefully high rates, beyond my budget.

Luckily however in August 2012, I came over a mistake rate at the Ramada Jumeirah Hotel, where three nights were booked for $124 (805 SEK). It later turned out that a currency conversion error was the cause of this mistake rate. Apparently it should’ve been priced in USD rather than SEK.


Part 1: Stockholm – Paris CDG in SAS Business Class


I woke up at 5am on the morning of December 27th 2012, feeling ever so pleased that this christmas madness is finally over. With a 10.35am departure from Arlanda, my mother was kind enough to give me a ride to the bus station from where I took the airport bus at 7am. Roughly 90 minutes later, I arrive at the check-in hall of Terminal 5.



Check-in hall at ARN T5. Recycled pic.

As one would expect in these post-christmas days, the airport was completely packed with the typical fly-once-a-year holiday crowd. The place was bedlam, and both the Economy and Priority check-in lines were packed.



Priority check-in area at the SAS concourse.

Luckily however the Priority line was moving along quite quickly, and despite the queue I only had to wait for 3 minutes before it was my turn to check-in. Having the check-in formalities done, I made beeline for the fasttrack lane which was completely deserted this morning.

Next stop was the SAS Lounge. At the reception I was warmly greeted by the staff, who recognised me from an earlier visit. As always during the morning and afternoon rush hour, the Star Gold lounge was jam packed, so I decided to have my breakfast in the more quiet Business lounge.



A regular Scandinavian cold cut breakfast.

Eventually as the USA flights were called for departure, I moved over to the Star Gold lounge where I spent the last 45 minutes before boarding.


Flight: SK569 ARN-CDG
Departure: 10.35
Arrival: 13.10
Duration: 2h 35m
Seat: 1F


Gate 1 was assigned for this morning’s flight to Paris, which meant that I only had to walk down the stairs from the lounge. As usual on SAS no priority boarding call was made, and all passengers flocked the gate.

Once onboard, I discovered that there had been a last minute change to a domestic configuration B736. This meant no curtain for Business Class, and no front lavatory. Business Class today consisted of a single row, with all four seats taken. Economy Class was packed to the brim too.



Fairly decent legroom at the bulkhead row on the B736. Better than the MD-80.

The doors were soon shut, and we made an on-time departure followed by takeoff. Roughly 10 minutes into the flight the seatbelt sign was turned off, and the crew came out to distribute magazines. One thing that I love about SAS is their magazine selection, which includes practically any magazine that you may find in the store.



I settled for the second last issue of Newsweek.

A few minutes later, aperitifs were served. Since SAS nowadays only serve some cheap sparkling wine in Business on European flights, I opted for a standard Gin & Tonic.



My G&T. Note the lack of salty nibbles. Another cost cutting measure, I guess.

After finishing my G&T, our friendly purser collected the glasses and served the lunch. On the menu today was beef tenderloin with potato gratin and steamed carrots, along with a shrimp starter, cheese and some Green&Black’s chocolate. To go along, I opted for a bottle of Backhouse California Pinot Noir.



Lunch on SK569

Normally beef don’t do very well in the harsh conditions of an airplane cabin, and I was expecting the tenderloin to taste like a shoe rubber. It turned out to be the complete opposite. The tenderloin was cooked to rare perfection, with a smooth texture and lots of flavour. It was perhaps the best piece of steak I’ve ever eaten on a plane. The Pinot Noir went along perfectly with its mellow and fruity tones, with hints of red berries.

All in all it was a terrific meal, and I enjoyed every single bite of it. Soon the trays were cleared, and coffee + digestifs were served.



SAS no longer serve Bailey’s, so I opted for some Amarula instead.

The food, alcohol and lack of sleep left me feeling a bit drowsy. So I took a nap for the remainder of the flight to Paris.


To be continued