May 3, 2019, 10:43 am

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Last edit by: peter h

Poor @KARFA and @LondonAndy have a few gatecrashers

@LondonAndy's quiet weekend in Sofia (SOF).

LHR - SOF
Friday 28 February 2020
BA0890 12:45 - 17:50: Garimi (+3), Tomparskate

Saturday 29 February 2020
BA0890 08:10 - 13:15: alex67500, CaroFos, dycc, estrangeiro8, FlyerP, GadgetGal, jfallesen, LondonAndy, megaloman, mtikky, ~~n4ynx~~, onobond, ScienceTeacher, streetmagix (+1), teledude, Tiffywren, Wbeest,
~~BA0892 13:40 - 18:50~~: Cancelled, so assuming everyone has opted for the BA0890 (please correct if wrong)
EW9912 12:55-16:30 Cymro

Optional walking tour - needs advance reservation: It is possible to have a private tour through 365association.com (https://freesofiatour.com/). They will meet us at the Hilton at c. 15.00 (to allow for slight delays) on Saturday and will give a 2.5hr tour for an all-in cost of €130/BGN260. I'd suggest that if there are 10 or more committed to splitting the cost then I'll book. Please put your name below if you are interested:
alex67500, CaroFos, FlyerP, LondonAndy, megaloman, mtikky, OxtailSoup+1, Tiffywren, TurningLeft, Tomparskate

SOF - LHR
Sunday 1 March 2020
BA0891 14:05 - 15:40: alex67500, atcer28, CaroFos, dycc, estrangeiro8, FlyerP, GadgetGal, Garimi (+3), jfallesen, LondonAndy, megaloman, mtikky, onobond, OxtailSoup+1, ScienceTeacher, teledude, Tiffywren, Wbeest, Tomparskate,
EW2499/EW2464 11:15-17:55 Cymro

SOF - LHR
Tuesday 3rd March 2020
BA0891 14:05 - 15:40: streetmagix (+1)

Hotels
Hilton Sofia - alex67500, atcer28, CaroFos, Cymro, dycc, estrangeiro8, FlyerP, GadgetGal, Garimi (+3), jfallesen, megaloman, mtikky, onobond, p78 (can share roo), ScienceTeacher, teledude, Tiffywren, Wbeest, Tomparskate (Saturday Night)
InterContinental Sofia - streetmagix (+1), Tomparskate (Friday night)

@Karfa's quiet weekend in Tirana (TIA)

LGW-AMS
Saturday 21 March 2020
BA2758 07:40 - 10:05 KARFA

AMS - LGW
Saturday 21 March 2020
BA2759 10:55 - 11:10 KARFA

LHR - LGW

Saturday 21 March 2020

Garimi-express 13:30 - 14:30: Garimi

LGW - TIA
Friday 20 March 2020
BA2648 11:10 - 15:00: Calchas, chris1979, JB7+1

VIE-TIA
Friday 20March 2020
OS847 12:45 - 14:20: ToMMM

Saturday 21 March 2020

BA2648 16:20 - 20:20: alex67500, ~~bisonrav,~~ cgtechuk, Duncs, dycc, estrangeiro8, ~~jfallesen~~, GadgetGal, Garimi, Karfa, Last20, onobond, p78, ~~peter h~~, ScienceTeacher (+1), teledude, The Geek (+1), Tiffywren, bhbloke

TIA Minibus #1: bisonrav, estrangeiro8, jfallesen, peter h, ScienceTeacher (+1), The Geek (+1)

TIA Minibus #2 21/22 March TIR Airport<->HGI: , Onobond, Last20 (only from airport), ~~bisonrav (only return)~~, ~~peter h~~ (only return), ~~jfallesen (only return)~~

TIA - LGW
Sunday 22 March 2020
BA2649 11:05 - 13:05: Calchas, chris1979, Duncs, dycc, GadgetGal, Garimi, JB7+1, ~~jfallesen~~, Karfa, onobond, p78, ~~peter h~~, ScienceTeacher (+1), Tiffywren, bhbloke

BA2651 18:30 - 20:40: (cancelled, I moved the remaining people on 2649 above)

TIA-BEG

Sunday 22 March 2020JU213 teledude

TIA - LGW
Monday 23 March 2020
BA2649 12:55 - 15:05: cgtechuk, The Geek (+1),

BEG-DOH

Monday 23 March 2020

QR232 teledude

TIA - LGW
Tuesday 24th March 2020
BA2649- 14:20: estrangeiro8, Last20

DOH-LHR

Tuesday 24th March 2020

QR9 teledude

TIA-FRA
Sunday 22nd March 2020
LH1425 TomMM

Hotels
HGI: Calchas, cgtechuk, chris1979, Duncs, dycc, estrangeiro8, Garimi, JB7, ~~jfallesen~~, KARFA, megaloman, onobond, p78(can share room), ~~peter h~~, ScienceTeacher (+1), teledude, The Geek (+1) Tiffywren, ~~TomMM~~, bhbloke

Rescheduled September Tirana-do

LHR–TIA
Sat 26/09 BA2648: Calchas, chris1979, ~~jfallesen~~, peter h

TIA–LHR
Monday 28/09 BA2649: Calchas, chris1979, ~~jfallesen~~, peter h

Hotels
HGI: Calchas, chris1979, ~~jfallesen~~, peter h (tbc)

A couple of new "mini" DOs.....

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May 7, 2019, 1:52 am

#61

LondonAndy

Join Date: Mar 2009

Location: London

Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 3,483

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiffywren

I used the Hilton app and was able to book rooms in both TIR and SOF.

I hope that you didn't book a room in TIR ("Tirupati Airport is a domestic airport at Renigunta, a part of Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India") but instead TIA

. Joking aside, I had no problem going straight via the Hilton home page for SOF (I'm booking another weekend and staying somewhere else for TIA).

Tiffywren and Wbeest like this.

May 7, 2019, 3:29 am

#62

Tiffywren

Join Date: Oct 2015

Location: Portsmouth, UK

Programs: BA GGL/CCR

Posts: 791

Quote:

Originally Posted by LondonAndy

I hope that you didn't book a room in TIR ("Tirupati Airport is a domestic airport at Renigunta, a part of Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India") but instead TIA

. Joking aside, I had no problem going straight via the Hilton home page for SOF (I'm booking another weekend and staying somewhere else for TIA).

May 7, 2019, 3:47 am

#63

KARFA

Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend

Join Date: Apr 2012

Location: Leeds, UK

Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond

Posts: 42,982

Have booked the HGI for Tirana now.

p78 likes this.

May 7, 2019, 5:53 am

#64

TomMM

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2014

Location: 4éme

Posts: 12,043

Any mini DOs planned for 2019?

May 7, 2019, 5:54 am

#65

florens

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Switzerland

Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP

Posts: 6,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomMM

Any mini DOs planned for 2019?

There is an Iceland Do in September:

Iceland Road Trip Do, 5th to 8th September 2019

Otherwise none (BA FT, that is) planned yet AFAIK.

May 7, 2019, 7:01 am

#66

snaxmuppet

Join Date: Mar 2016

Location: Plymouth, UK

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 1,159

I have tried to look for availability 29th Feb to 3rd March and there is nothing. So I looked for any in March/April and nothing... strange.

I'll try again in case they have just gone up

Edit: nope... nothing available in Mar 2020 at all at the moment

May 7, 2019, 12:26 pm

#67

bisonrav

Join Date: Dec 2016

Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis

Posts: 5,620

Booked a 30K redemption at the Hilton Sofia for 1 night on the 29th. Maybe they figure the staff need a few days to recover from @teledude?

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May 7, 2019, 3:35 pm

#68

ScienceTeacher

Join Date: Apr 2018

Location: London

Programs: Gold at BA, Hilton and Radisson.

Posts: 593

Booked the Hilton in Sofia. Was offered some freaky POUG for the hotel straight away; €31 to go into an Exec. room with lounge access. BA E store is offering 8Avios/£ so click through there first

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May 8, 2019, 2:21 am

#69

p78

Suspended

Join Date: Apr 2014

Location: LHR

Programs: BA Silver, Aegan Gold, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 393

Ok I'm going to SOF mini do to...if I will be throw away from home it's your fault

booked J for 289GBP with Car (it was only 3GBP more expensive), looks like parking on street is easy at weekends.
I'm staying at Hilton and have diamond status (nice upgrade and free breakfast) happy to share room or invite someone to executive lounge

I can take up to 4 people from airport to Hilton both ways

Can we start mini do at Hilton happy hour? we should be in hotel before 20.00 maybe we should polite ask Hilton Sofia as big community to extend happy hour till 21.00?

Last edited by p78; May 8, 2019 at 3:09 am

May 8, 2019, 6:06 am

#70

snaxmuppet

Join Date: Mar 2016

Location: Plymouth, UK

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 1,159

Just called Hilton reservations. Apparently, the Hilton Sofia has not yet made available the March 2020 inventory. This should be available from 1st June. I'll try then

May 8, 2019, 6:40 am

#71

Cris L

Join Date: Nov 2000

Location: London

Programs: BAEC Silver, Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles Platinum

Posts: 2,375

Is there going to be a BA London summer do?

Hope so.

May 10, 2019, 4:11 am

#72

estrangeiro8

Join Date: Nov 2017

Location: London

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 86

Hi all,

I've decided to join you all on the SOF do (BA892 on 29 Feb 2020 and BA891 on 1 March 2020) - would someone be able to update the Wiki for me please?

It'll be my first FT jaunt. I've missed out on previous do's so really looking forward to this one. I went to Sofia in March last year and liked the city.

I'll see if I can make it out to Tirana as well.

Looking forward to meeting you all - seeing @bisonrav again, and also @teledude (whom I met at an FT Xmas Party a couple of years ago but we were both quite inebriated, so I'm not sure he'll remember me!)

Cheers

estrangeiro8

bisonrav and ScienceTeacher like this.

May 10, 2019, 4:13 am

#73

snaxmuppet

Join Date: Mar 2016

Location: Plymouth, UK

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 1,159

Welcome aboard estrangeiro8

Wiki updated.

Where are you staying?

estrangeiro8 likes this.

May 10, 2019, 4:16 am

#74

snaxmuppet

Join Date: Mar 2016

Location: Plymouth, UK

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 1,159

Quote:

Originally Posted by estrangeiro8

... we were both quite inebriated, so I'm not sure he'll remember me!)...

Really? Are you suggesting that people drink ALCOHOL on FT dos?

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May 10, 2019, 4:22 am

#75

estrangeiro8

Join Date: Nov 2017

Location: London

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 86

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaxmuppet

Welcome aboard estrangeiro8

Wiki updated.

Where are you staying?

Thank you so much @snaxmuppet - much appreciated.

I'll stay at the Hilton again (although haven't booked yet) as it's convenient - close to the metro and an easy walk to the centre of town.

snaxmuppet likes this.