Where to start?

Although January began with a fall from Lumo to Platinum Basic, leaving me thinking it was time to end this useless flying, 2024 turned out to be an eventful year. With the looming Adios changeover, it felt like game over. There was just one more trip to do: a "sustainably sustainable" premium economy mileage run with idiots. This was huge, as the destination was in America—most of my mileage runs had been to Asia. Now I find myself surrounded by old and new idiots on the upper deck of a British Airways A380, with G&Ts flowing freely. Suddenly, the ideas start coming in...

The America tour was a sensible HEL-BER-HEL-LHR-LAX-and-back itinerary. Total cost: around €1,400, which netted roughly 80,000 points. (I’m not double-checking the figures—it could be more or less—but the cost was low, and the points were high.) The only downside was the premium economy part, but at least the points earning felt like the good old days.

As the tonics marinated us sufficiently somewhere over the Atlantic, the discussion took the right turn: the future. One idiot discovered a great deal for DXB-JFK on AY metal, which meant six long hauls (including positioning) and tons of points. In premium economy... I don't fly economy... But the points... Wait—I'm only 300k Adios away from lifetime Gold!

At this point, common sense was officially flushed down the drain. I booked two trips—one for this year, one for 2025. Each trip earns almost enough points to renew Platinum. Combine that with another America tour, and boom: all the points needed for Platinum, and then some. I’m now set as Platinum until the end of 2026. No way I was letting this pass.

At some point, I realized I’d need to apply for time off—not from work, but from home. There’s a 1.5-year-old Mini-Sir at home, and parenting duties need coordinating. Oh well, those logistics can be sorted after booking. This trip deserves a report of its own, including dealings with Homeland Security, but some stories are best shared over a pint at a meetup.

Springtime was spent mainly flying to the UK with Mini-Sir to visit grandmamma and pops. These flights were on BT. Air Baltic’s annual mega sale offered round trips for two adults and one infant for under €130. Meanwhile, Misters Topi and Turkka wanted €1,300 for the same dates on AY. I believe I flew more segments on BT than AY this year and found BT's offering to be much better value. (Checked: not quite—13 segments on BT vs. 32 on AY.) At least BT's catering beats Finnair, and I like their pre-order food selection. Spring also included a quick Singapore stint with Sir Intuition and some other friends. Upgrades cleared on the notorious SIN route for four people—talk about the power of the basic card!

Summer was spent enjoying Finnish mökki-stuff and road-tripping. I bought an EV, so dealing with fast charging in the countryside was both an adventure and fun. No flights for a few months—it felt weird.

Suddenly, September arrived, and Mini-Sir was about to turn two. This meant he (or mom) would have to start paying for tickets. I decided to take him on a sightseeing flight just before his birthday on the Airveteran DC-3. We did a 30-minute tour around Helsinki, and he loved it as much as I did. Unfortunately, due to schedules, we only flew the DC-3 once this year.

November was DXB time. Premium economy was bearable, and the points accrued pushed me past the 150k Adios threshold, netting even more milestone gift award points.

Now, after spending the beginning of December in Thailand with the family (tickets, of course, bought pre-Adios change to maximize earning) and returning to snowy Helsinki, I can give the following summary:

• 118,000 km flown
• 67,000 km in premium economy
• 54 segments
• Platinum renewed
• Mini-Sir joined AY+ and almost immediately gained Silver

Never stop the madness—ja ensi vuonna mennään taas! Cheers!