I mostly fly on BA, and just recently got gold status. SAS were offering a status match to tempt people in as they were leaving Star Alliance and becoming members of Sky Team. As a result I needed to take five flights to confirm that status. Rather than book the cheapest possible set of flights, I took this as an opportunity to visit a couple of places. This time, Prague.
I'm also seeing if train travel to the airport will work for me.
So Friday at 06:00 it's time to set off. I was planning to walk to the station, but it was cold dark and wet, so I got a £6 taxi ride instead.
Then the train from Stoke to Manchester Airport via Picadilly.
The train journey was fine, not long to wait for a train. But it probably took me 2.5hrs door to door when it's just under 60 minutes in a taxi. I saved £80 going there and back by train but I'm not sure it's a saving I would repeat all the time.
The walk from the train station to T1 was fine and due to my newly minted SAS status I could use the fast track and there weren't many people ahead of me, no secondary, nice staff, no dramas to get through. But SAS don't get lounge access at T1 and I wasn't going to pay for it (knowing those lounges well already). So I breakfasted at Giraffe. First time not in a lounge in a very long time but I survived it.