Hello; I have followed this forum for years but this is my first crack at trip report, so please be gentle LOL. Also, English is not my first language, so pardon my typos, mistakes, etc!
Let’s see how it goes; I will try to get it done within my spare time, so it might take some time. Hopefully I can finish it!
Introduction
I just finished a liveaboard diving trip a few weeks back, going from GRU to CNS. Given my limited amount of vacation time (there is something called work that gets in the way …), I was only in OZ for 8 days, so I wanted to get there with the most comfortable product possible (or at least that was what I convinced myself of).
My original plan was GRU-CDG-AUH-SYD-CNS and return. Yeah, the long way. The most direct route would be via Chile, but then the products wouldn’t be nearly as nice. And the second most direct route with Emirates via DXB, but I didn’t feel like “bling”.
So, all was good, with two sectors in La Premičre and four sectors in The Residence, plus the domestic QF sectors in J. Tickets issued 10 months advance, yeah! That’s until … Etihad happened. With the winter rotation, one SYD sector and both CDG sectors were downgauged from A380 to 77W. Infuriating!
(Very) Long story short, I was rerouted to LHR-SYD instead on the A380. But I didn’t really feel like flying BA First, which is a material downgrade from AF La Premičre. I also moved to the evening SYD flight and got a day-stay at the Emirates palace in AUH, courtesy of Etihad.
In the end, I was left with GRU-CDG-LHR-AUH-SYD-CNS and return. Seriously, who does that?! I guess the silver lining is that on the AF ticket, I got US$1,000 back as the fare with a connection to LHR was cheaper than the flight to CDG only.
Anyway, enough with the intro; let’s go diving (I mean, flying)
Index:
- GRU: Amex Lounge VIP Room
- GRU-CDG: AF La Premičre
- CDG: La Premičre Lounge
- CDG-LHR: AF Business
- LHR: No 1 Lounge VIP Room
- LHR-AUH: EY The Residence
- Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace Suite
- AUH: EY The Residence Lounge
- AUH-SYD: EY The Residence
- SYD-CNS: QF Business
- Mike Ball Dive Expeditions
- CNS-SYD: QF Business
- SYD-AUH: EY The Residence
- AUH-LHR: EY The Residence
- LHR-CDG: AF Business
- CDG-GRU: AF La Premičre