Ok, so I'm back in London, after my three day jaunt to Lisbon. Meeting went well, but that's a bit less important than the flying experience...
As bummed as I was to leave Lisbon, I'm back in London where I've spent 3 of my last 5 years of work/life. The inter-Europe flights are hit or miss in my book. I made the LIS to FRA to LHR connecting flights, with little or no mishaps. When in FRA i popped in to the LH First/*A Gold lounge, which was small but well appointed. I'm always pleased to see they have little sandwiches, any beverage of your choosing, and bins stocked with licroice varieties. There is a shower, but I never have time to use them.
Arrived in London last night, and had meetings today and some more tomorrow. Heathrow sucks when it comes to handling flyers, but you can't fault them too much given the volumes through the airport. The only exceptions I've seen have been with SQ first passengers and super elite BA types. But in general, the UA staff is friendly, with exception of a few snarly GA's that must be hanging aorund due to seniority. Boooo!
Tuesday should be interesting. I have a flight to FRA, long layover, and LH flight from FRA to BKK. I'm still hoping a white knight comes through with an upgrade for me to BKK. I could meet or receive any offers in LHR or FRA airports. This would make my otherwise exhausting trip worthwhile...
For those that are interested in the *A RTW flights, I strongly recommend them. A highlight for those looking to travel in biz class:
- base US fare is $6900 + taxes (less than many west coast rt biz fares to EU)
- mileage accrural is just like any other fare, these tix are booked in D
- I expect to fly 27k actual miles, and take home my 100% 1K bonus miles, which works out to a free US to EU ticket in coach.
- change fees are negligible, $100 for re-routing, nothing for date changes
- tix are good for a full year
- upgrades are allowed using SWUs and miles
- and this is new: it's possble to book the entire thing as an e-ticket if you have the right partner airlines.
- you can do route planning by going to the *A website and downloading the RTW Mileage Calc tool
- you need a one week advance purchase from your first international segment
- and the trip must span at least 10 days outside the US
It's all very cool. This is my third in 12 months.
More to come.