Musings after completing my mini R-T-W
May 29, 2011, 2:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC E; Marriott Platinum
Posts: 2,409
Musings after completing my mini R-T-W
After completing a 3 week mini-RTW, I do have some reflections that I thought I would share with the forum. I will be posting a more FT-style trip report (the blog is a wife+me thing)
1. Even though you get 2 stopovers and a turnaround, doesn't mean you have to use them. The long flights REALLY sapped me. If I had collapsed the 4long haul flights into 2 long hauls (one inbound, one outbound) I probably would have enjoyed my time more.
2. ALWAYS, always, carry a printout of your Aeroplan confirmation (including ticket numbers starting with 014). Make sure it is the most up-to-date version, as Lufthansa and Swiss could not find my reservations without them...and their ticketing agents were complaining about the repeated problems with AP tickets.
3. Detouring and using multiple connection to "experience" a certain airline's service may seem like a good idea, but when you have a 4 hour connection it really is a pain. For example, I flew BKK-ZRH-MAD, when I could have gotten a direct BKK-MAD flight on TG. It would have saved time and avoid a crappy 2hour flight on a European "J" service. Similarly, I flew MAD-FRA-EWR-YYZ to try out the First Class terminal, when I could have flown MAD-YYZ and not had a 26 hour day.
Yes, it is even worth paying the extortionary carrier admin charge.
4. European carriers "J" service is a PITA. You feel like you should be getting better service, but you aren't. The flights are just long enough to make you claw your eyes out. Avoid at all costs.
5. Collecting amenity kits sounds better than it is. My luggage is full of them, and I don't know what to do with them. 2 x Rimowa kits, a Swiss Bally bag, and the AC kit are in my luggage and I am wondering which recycle bin they belong in.
1. Even though you get 2 stopovers and a turnaround, doesn't mean you have to use them. The long flights REALLY sapped me. If I had collapsed the 4long haul flights into 2 long hauls (one inbound, one outbound) I probably would have enjoyed my time more.
2. ALWAYS, always, carry a printout of your Aeroplan confirmation (including ticket numbers starting with 014). Make sure it is the most up-to-date version, as Lufthansa and Swiss could not find my reservations without them...and their ticketing agents were complaining about the repeated problems with AP tickets.
3. Detouring and using multiple connection to "experience" a certain airline's service may seem like a good idea, but when you have a 4 hour connection it really is a pain. For example, I flew BKK-ZRH-MAD, when I could have gotten a direct BKK-MAD flight on TG. It would have saved time and avoid a crappy 2hour flight on a European "J" service. Similarly, I flew MAD-FRA-EWR-YYZ to try out the First Class terminal, when I could have flown MAD-YYZ and not had a 26 hour day.
Yes, it is even worth paying the extortionary carrier admin charge.
4. European carriers "J" service is a PITA. You feel like you should be getting better service, but you aren't. The flights are just long enough to make you claw your eyes out. Avoid at all costs.
5. Collecting amenity kits sounds better than it is. My luggage is full of them, and I don't know what to do with them. 2 x Rimowa kits, a Swiss Bally bag, and the AC kit are in my luggage and I am wondering which recycle bin they belong in.
May 29, 2011, 2:36 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: BA GGL, UA 1K, AC 35K, Accor Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 441
I hear ya....did it 4 months ago and still have those kits. Agreed that after doing the flights just for the sake of the airline experience, I wanted to kill myself. Lesson learned. For Christmas, 1 week in HKT with my son, as direct as possible.
May 29, 2011, 2:38 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2007
Location: YYZ, but my heart is in Asia
Programs: AC-SE, CX-DM, DL-G, Hyatt-DM, Hilton-DM, Fairmont-Plt, Marriott-S, Accor-Plt, SPG-G, IHG-Plt
Posts: 4,396
1. If I had to spend a night at a hotel or in a F cabin, I won't mind spending it in the F cabin. Hotels are expensive!
2. Agreed. I just put them in my iPad.
3. Agreed 100%. In a different thread, I mentioned this. I would rather be on AC J than LH F if the LH segment involves transiting in the US.
4. Agreed. Especially LH. Their boarding process resembles a zoo.
5. Aha, I do not keep them any more, not even the PJs. I have one of everything and that's more than enough for me. I don't have time to list and sell them on eBay although one could get a few bucks selling them.
2. Agreed. I just put them in my iPad.
3. Agreed 100%. In a different thread, I mentioned this. I would rather be on AC J than LH F if the LH segment involves transiting in the US.
4. Agreed. Especially LH. Their boarding process resembles a zoo.
5. Aha, I do not keep them any more, not even the PJs. I have one of everything and that's more than enough for me. I don't have time to list and sell them on eBay although one could get a few bucks selling them.
May 29, 2011, 3:39 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,305
I always wondered how people do these in 6 days without stopping in any of the places.....
I also agree I dont really see the point to fly just to "try an airline"... although that shouldnt stop one from researching the most comfortable route.
But no, I would not pay $300 a person to fly AC J MAD-YYZ when paying F points, no matter how long the day was
I was going to do mine in summer 2012 over 2 months - but AE increases forced my hand - and will be doing mine 25.12-8.01 over Xmas break - one week in Thailand, one week in Europe with family.
I wish I knew about the increases 6 months ago when I planned my round the world summer 2011 using BD/UA points.
I also agree I dont really see the point to fly just to "try an airline"... although that shouldnt stop one from researching the most comfortable route.
But no, I would not pay $300 a person to fly AC J MAD-YYZ when paying F points, no matter how long the day was
I was going to do mine in summer 2012 over 2 months - but AE increases forced my hand - and will be doing mine 25.12-8.01 over Xmas break - one week in Thailand, one week in Europe with family.
I wish I knew about the increases 6 months ago when I planned my round the world summer 2011 using BD/UA points.
May 29, 2011, 5:08 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AC*E
Posts: 318
If you need someone to take the Rimowa kits off your hand, I can offer them a warm and loving home.
May 29, 2011, 8:29 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: AC SE100K MM, Accor Plat
Posts: 218
2. Totally agree, on our last trip was a pain with LX and LH locating our infant's ticket, but after 1 min of them banging away fruitlessly on the keyboard I dug out the printout with the 014 number and all was solved
May 29, 2011, 9:07 pm
#9
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YYZ/DLC
Programs: AP, HHonours Diamond
Posts: 3,722
Glad you're back Dave.
I always get the locator number from all airlines involved in my itineraries and pull up the reservations on the respective sites followed by a print out. It's worked perfectly so far with: LH, LX, TG, SQ, NH, UA.
Print out of the itinerary could also come in handy in case of any issues at immigration as most countries do require Proof of onward tix as condition of entry, even if they typically don't require proof to be shown.
Edit: my 2222nd. Post! Cool number.
I always get the locator number from all airlines involved in my itineraries and pull up the reservations on the respective sites followed by a print out. It's worked perfectly so far with: LH, LX, TG, SQ, NH, UA.
Print out of the itinerary could also come in handy in case of any issues at immigration as most countries do require Proof of onward tix as condition of entry, even if they typically don't require proof to be shown.
Edit: my 2222nd. Post! Cool number.
May 29, 2011, 9:35 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,161
When I do an around the world itinerary (when paying or pointing it), I am usually looking for three things:
1. long leaps
2. lay flat
3. overnight
So if I want to do Istanbul, Tokyo and Bangkok then I avoid booking it with Bangkok in the middle, so I can get that longer flight which means I can get a reasonable sleep. The 5-7 hour flights are the killers because with 45 minutes going up, 45 minutes coming down, you get a really short sleep and it taxes you.
Also the overnight flight saves you a hotel stay and helps justify the cost.
The mini-RTW I just booked, I purposefully went YUL - YYZ - IST in J instead of doing YUL - ZRH - IST in F and J for this reason plus the big one you mention (poor standards for European J), so better off taking one long J in a lay flat bed rather than getting a short F , getting on and off a plane, and then getting onto Euro J.
Maybe we should call Euro J class "j" class.
1. long leaps
2. lay flat
3. overnight
So if I want to do Istanbul, Tokyo and Bangkok then I avoid booking it with Bangkok in the middle, so I can get that longer flight which means I can get a reasonable sleep. The 5-7 hour flights are the killers because with 45 minutes going up, 45 minutes coming down, you get a really short sleep and it taxes you.
Also the overnight flight saves you a hotel stay and helps justify the cost.
The mini-RTW I just booked, I purposefully went YUL - YYZ - IST in J instead of doing YUL - ZRH - IST in F and J for this reason plus the big one you mention (poor standards for European J), so better off taking one long J in a lay flat bed rather than getting a short F , getting on and off a plane, and then getting onto Euro J.
Maybe we should call Euro J class "j" class.
May 30, 2011, 11:48 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: YYZ
Posts: 648
After completing a 3 week mini-RTW, I do have some reflections that I thought I would share with the forum. I will be posting a more FT-style trip report (the blog is a wife+me thing)
1. Even though you get 2 stopovers and a turnaround, doesn't mean you have to use them. The long flights REALLY sapped me. If I had collapsed the 4long haul flights into 2 long hauls (one inbound, one outbound) I probably would have enjoyed my time more.
2. ALWAYS, always, carry a printout of your Aeroplan confirmation (including ticket numbers starting with 014). Make sure it is the most up-to-date version, as Lufthansa and Swiss could not find my reservations without them...and their ticketing agents were complaining about the repeated problems with AP tickets.
3. Detouring and using multiple connection to "experience" a certain airline's service may seem like a good idea, but when you have a 4 hour connection it really is a pain. For example, I flew BKK-ZRH-MAD, when I could have gotten a direct BKK-MAD flight on TG. It would have saved time and avoid a crappy 2hour flight on a European "J" service. Similarly, I flew MAD-FRA-EWR-YYZ to try out the First Class terminal, when I could have flown MAD-YYZ and not had a 26 hour day.
Yes, it is even worth paying the extortionary carrier admin charge.
4. European carriers "J" service is a PITA. You feel like you should be getting better service, but you aren't. The flights are just long enough to make you claw your eyes out. Avoid at all costs.
5. Collecting amenity kits sounds better than it is. My luggage is full of them, and I don't know what to do with them. 2 x Rimowa kits, a Swiss Bally bag, and the AC kit are in my luggage and I am wondering which recycle bin they belong in.
1. Even though you get 2 stopovers and a turnaround, doesn't mean you have to use them. The long flights REALLY sapped me. If I had collapsed the 4long haul flights into 2 long hauls (one inbound, one outbound) I probably would have enjoyed my time more.
2. ALWAYS, always, carry a printout of your Aeroplan confirmation (including ticket numbers starting with 014). Make sure it is the most up-to-date version, as Lufthansa and Swiss could not find my reservations without them...and their ticketing agents were complaining about the repeated problems with AP tickets.
3. Detouring and using multiple connection to "experience" a certain airline's service may seem like a good idea, but when you have a 4 hour connection it really is a pain. For example, I flew BKK-ZRH-MAD, when I could have gotten a direct BKK-MAD flight on TG. It would have saved time and avoid a crappy 2hour flight on a European "J" service. Similarly, I flew MAD-FRA-EWR-YYZ to try out the First Class terminal, when I could have flown MAD-YYZ and not had a 26 hour day.
Yes, it is even worth paying the extortionary carrier admin charge.
4. European carriers "J" service is a PITA. You feel like you should be getting better service, but you aren't. The flights are just long enough to make you claw your eyes out. Avoid at all costs.
5. Collecting amenity kits sounds better than it is. My luggage is full of them, and I don't know what to do with them. 2 x Rimowa kits, a Swiss Bally bag, and the AC kit are in my luggage and I am wondering which recycle bin they belong in.
1. We just finished our trip back in March 2011... the trip home was VERY long as I couldn't find 4 seats in J or F from HKT-YYZ with less connections (ended up with HKT-BKK-IST-MUC-YUL-YYZ in F and J)... So I thought that as long as we cover the 2 long legs in F for the whole family, we'll be fine... BIG MISTAKE
layover time in BKK, IST and MUC just killed us even if we had access to F lounges. I'm currently planning another trip for next year before AE increases. Will probably take Y IST-YYZ for 2 of the 4 us to get home faster!2. We had the same expericence! It took LH forever to find our resevation... that was not the case with TG.
3. Yeah, we didn't really enjoy the F experience on our MUC-YUL segment as we were exhausted!
4. Agreed with you 100%. the intra-Europe experience in J, be it on TK or LH, is not great...
5. We have 8 Rimowa kits and 6 TK F kits from our trip
... just sitting at home collecting dust... if one can really sell them on ebay for $50+, I'll be happy to give it a try... lol
May 30, 2011, 2:38 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: AC E75, SPG Plat, HH peon-by-choice (ex Gold)
Posts: 8,090
2. ALWAYS, always, carry a printout of your Aeroplan confirmation (including ticket numbers starting with 014). Make sure it is the most up-to-date version, as Lufthansa and Swiss could not find my reservations without them...and their ticketing agents were complaining about the repeated problems with AP tickets.
3. Detouring and using multiple connection to "experience" a certain airline's service may seem like a good idea, but when you have a 4 hour connection it really is a pain. For example, I flew BKK-ZRH-MAD, when I could have gotten a direct BKK-MAD flight on TG. It would have saved time and avoid a crappy 2hour flight on a European "J" service. Similarly, I flew MAD-FRA-EWR-YYZ to try out the First Class terminal, when I could have flown MAD-YYZ and not had a 26 hour day.
May 30, 2011, 3:49 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: Via Preference Privilege, AC*A, Fairmont Plat, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,334
I've booked myself YUL-ZRH-BKK in one go, that will be a bit of a long day (or multiple days lol). For the rest of my Mini I'm doing one flight at a time, always stopping off before continuing on the next segment. Best of all, no intra-European J...
I agree I'm not sure why some people enjoy doing it in one go. You may as well make yourself a few foot box in your bedroom and lock yourself in it, than play some jet engine sounds and order in food. Your bath tub is only slightly smaller than an AC pod (bath tub being a bit wider, but shorter) so if you don't have the budget for an AC trip in J you can re-create the experience at home including the limited foot space.
I agree I'm not sure why some people enjoy doing it in one go. You may as well make yourself a few foot box in your bedroom and lock yourself in it, than play some jet engine sounds and order in food. Your bath tub is only slightly smaller than an AC pod (bath tub being a bit wider, but shorter) so if you don't have the budget for an AC trip in J you can re-create the experience at home including the limited foot space.
May 30, 2011, 3:56 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,305
I am YTZ-YUL-ZRH-BOM-BKK in one go, 29:25 hours, but I've done worse, in the very back of the bus too....
But on the other side will be a nice beach vacation in the midst of December snows ...
love your bathtub analogy
And if flying AC or UA - get your grandma to come serve you food too
But on the other side will be a nice beach vacation in the midst of December snows ...
love your bathtub analogy
And if flying AC or UA - get your grandma to come serve you food too