FlyerTalk Forums - Around-The-World Trip Report

We recently used 220,000 DL miles each for a SkyTeam Around-The-Work (RTW) Award in Business Class.

In all, we found it to be a good value.
There were some mistakes along the way, but that’s just knowledge for next time.

Our itinerary, as flown was:

MIA-ATL-LAX-PPT DL, AF
PPT-LAX-ICN-SYD AF, KE
SYD-ICN-BKK KE
BKK-CDG-ATH AF
ATH-FCO-NAP AZ
NAP-FCO AZ
FCO-CDG-ATL-MCO AF, DL

Making Reservations:
We made our reservation 9 months ahead of our departure.
First, we requested a certificate from DL for fear the mileage levels may increase. We held on to that until we ticketed 8 months ahead of departure.

Delta placed the reservation on hold for about a month.
In that time, and almost until the day of departure, there were significant flight changes due to schedule updates. More about that later.

We’d been talking about this for 4 years. We really only started research about 12 months before we took our first flight. Although we remained nervous about trying to squeeze it all into a seemingly short period of time, it turned out to be ample.

Making the reservation was easy. We sat down with the globe, picked our cities, approximate dates, and picked-up the phone. When calling Delta you must first get an international agent, who must then get you the around-the-world award desk. It’s not good enough to have the around-the-world desk, you must get the around-the-world AWARD desk in Salt Lake City. It’s only open until 11pm Eastern, I’m told. So keep that in mind.

We had to be a bit flexible, but thankfully not too much!
All but one destination was available for around the dates we wanted to travel. There was surprisingly good availability in business class. Some cities ended up with shorter stays than we wanted, while others had to be extended. It’s part of the game-- you’re flying for free, after all!

If you don’t like long layovers, you’re going to be disappointed. Prepare for it. With new entrants into SkyTeam this may be decreased, but still likely (we booked ours BEFORE CO/NW/KL entered).

Ticketing:
Once ready for ticketing, we took the certificates to the airport. We’d been told to allot 2 or 3 hours for ticketing! We did. When we arrived, the agent predictably had no idea what to do as this is not a common transaction. She got on the phone and within 30 minutes we have two massively thick packets of tickets. When we heard the printer popping out the first set of tickets about 15 minutes after we started we were elated. I don’t know what would take 3 hours, but we were very happy to have gained back an extra two and a half hours we’d already written off.

IN addition to FT, we used another great site to help choose seats:
http://www.frequentflyer.oag.com/air...ts/seating.asp

AF, DL, and AZ easily assigned seats.
KE, on the other hand, was reluctant to do so. We learned this is because Y seats are unassigned until check-in. Once KE’s phone agents realized we were in business, they gave us a hand.

We had hoped for bulkhead seats, but were unlucky in booking them ahead of time. As it turns out, we grew to love the exit row seats of the 744.

Multiple Schedule Changes:
After that it was time to dream. Really though, it was time to watch flight schedules more carefully than the financial markets. Each week, it seemed, there was a new surprise. This flight has been cancelled, that connection became too tight, etc.. Only once (out of probably 10 “updates” in 8 months) did a schedule shift work to our advantage. For the most part we ended up stuck someplace longer than we wanted or were forced to leave earlier than we planned.

If you’re going to take an Around-The-World trip, our best advice is to avoid flight surprises and monitor you itinerary daily. Also, as an extra-diligent measure, compare your DL itinerary against ACTUAL flight schedules published online.

Here’s the tool we use, courtesy of FT:
http://www.flyaow.com/classcwt.htm

Who to Talk to:
Getting through to a qualified Delta Around-The-World Award Agents proved to be the most time consuming part of all this. When there was a schedule shift on other carriers they had little flexibility. We were at the mercy of award buckets, which got slimmer and slimmer as the flight drew nearer. When DL flights changed we had better, though not great, luck.

While on the trip, as detailed below, we had very few hitches. We even made a change midway through with only a hassle or two.

Would we do it again? Yes we would. Would we do it differently? Yes we would, but not dramatically.

Here’s a flight-by-flight synopsis:

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MIA-ATL (DL First Class--BE Equipped 763)

Inbound aircraft change, flight delayed so much we’ll miss our connection to LAX in ATL and jeopardize our LAX-PPT flight. The MIA agents kind of throw their hands in the air saying, “you’ll just have to take the late flight and hope for the best.”

We kept suggesting other carriers, but they resisted. We really didn’t want to mess with ATL, but got nowhere.

Finally, they get someone in ATL on the phone to switch our ATL-LAX flight… but there’s allegedly only one seat. One will fly for sure, the other will be waitlisted.

The guy in the lounge didn’t want to grant us access because we weren’t on a DL business class flight that day. I explained otherwise, showed him my CO SkyTeam ElitePlus card, and he let us in. Why he was being so un-necessarily restrictive I do not know. The lounge is a dump anyway, so what’s he protecting?

We just wanted to get in to get a drink and a snack.

On the flight from ATL-LAX there was no meal service.

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ATL-LAX (DL First Class—BE Equipped 763)

Our inbound flight was very late. We made it to the gate for our connecting flight before the door was closed, but barely. The waitlist cleared, but we were seated apart. Not quite the best handling by DL.

Dinner was served in First without offering MissBumpMe! a choice. The F/As meandered the cabin taking orders. She was left with an ugly chicken and pea combination that looked like the rejects from a pot pie plant.

This is the worst first class airline meal she’s ever had, and sadly ranks it just as low as a coach meal she only barely stomached on AerLingus 2 years ago! Ugh!

Dessert was a piece of chocolate cake, but no ice cream.
She’d been looking forward to that too!
Come on Gate Gourmet!!!

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LAX-PPT (AF Business Class 744)

LAX DL lounge was decent. But, we were very frustrated to discover the “shower attendant” went home early so the showers were closed. The sign said it was open until X, the agent said they closed at Y. When I pressed, she admitted that person went home for the day.

Despite our best attempts to score an upgrade, we failed at every turn. We hope for the flight to be overbooked, but that was not the case either. Our gate agent said only 38 or so people were boarding in LAX, so it wouldn’t take long. Most of the passengers were through-passengers from CDG.

The flight was about a third full on the upper deck. Despite our hopes, wishes, and even some prayers, this aircraft was NOT equipped with the new concept seats. Realizing the cabin would not be full, we quickly moved from our seats to the exit row, 66 A & B. We wanted to bulkhead, row 60, but it was taken. In the end, we think 66 was just as good or better. The exit row has the advantage of extra leg room and no one reclining into you. The “old” AF business seats, when reclined, seemed to intrude into the seat behind quite substantially. Having the exit row solves that problem! Small storage lockers on the floor along the walls make up for a lack of storage space under the seat in front of you and teenie, tiny overhead bins.

This was our first trip in the upper-deck of a 744. We were amazed how quiet it was from start to finish.

Champagne was served before push-back. They forgot to pick-up our glasses, so we had them in our hand for take-off. We resisted the temptation to “borrow” them as a souvenir.

For dinner MissBumpMe! had a salmon dish which looked like a pinwheel. I though it was okay, but she was less impressed. My choice was a tender lamb which tasted great despite my body asking why we were eating after 3am eastern time (the flight leaves at midnight pacific time and we’d been going since 7am Eastern, 4am Pacific).

Overnight, we managed a couple hours of sleep, waking just in time for breakfast. The noise canceling headphones, tuned to the classical music channel, helped me fall fast asleep.

Breakfast was a choice of either Crepes or an Omelet. Both were warm and well received. MissBumpMe! loved hers, crepes in a berry sauce and mint leaves on top. The egg dish was nothing fancy, a chive omelet with sausage.

We found the flight staff to be kind. We’d expected the potential for something else after reading report from some FlyerTalk members. It was nice to see kindness.

Upon arrival in PPT we disembarked down the air stairs. The sky was overcast, so waiting for immigration (outside) was not too uncomfortable. In the warmer sunny season, that might be a bit trying with bags!

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PPT-LAX (AF Business Class 744)

Lining-up to check-in in PPT was a treat, as many European bound passengers pushed their may through line as if to say they are more important than everyone else and can’t afford to wait. It’s obnoxious at best.

The coach / tempo line snaked for half the terminal it seemed. Another instance where it’s 220,00 miles well spent. If it had been sunnier/warmer, that would have been an uncomfortable wait-- just to sit in coach for 8 to 20 hours!

We tried for an upgrade again, but had no luck. More than anything else, we were simply curious about the first class cabin. This was NOT the “new concept” business class, though we were hopeful it would be!

The lounge in PPT is small, yet well done. It’s interesting to see large airport amenities in a tiny terminal. We were ready to go on from Tahiti, so our early morning drinks were celebratory!

On this 744, we were delighted to discover on-demand video. MissBumpMe! is now asking about it on ALL our flights. Unfortunately, it was the only one to offer it on this lengthy itinerary.

The meal service, lunch, was just as good as the outbound portion. We’d found little we liked in Tahiti as far as food is concerned, so a warm airline meals was a welcome sight for empty traveling tummies.

Flying over the pacific toward the U.S. backtracking was strange. It didn’t feel quite right to arrive in LAX, go through immigration/customs and then commence another international journey. Then again, it felt VERY right!!!

We could not believe Delta at LAX. When the AF flight landed there were lots of passengers who needed to re-check bags for both domestic and international travel (ourselves included), but an agent was nowhere to be found.

Finally, we figured out we’d have to get ourselves and our bags to the Tom Bradley terminal for Korean’s check-in. Delta may be the operating agent for AF in LAX, but there was little ‘operating’ on the arrivals end, that’s for sure!

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LAX-ICN (KE Business Class 744)

We’d just arrived from PPT on AF immediately prior to taking this KE flight, so we were a little tired going in. Nonetheless, it was a surprisingly good flight.

We had our hopes set low for the cabin.
Success came in securing exit row seats on the upper deck again. This became a theme for all our 747-400 flights!

The in-flight entertainment lacked luster, especially coming off a AF flight with on-demand video. But, we were tired an opted to sleep instead of watching TV.

Attention to service on all our KE flights was remarkable. The meal service was efficient, and more than edible! The “American” choices were always recognizable and filling.

Each time we flew KE we asked for a bowl of Ramen in addition to our meals. It was very, very spicy but a great way to warm ourselves into a good night’s sleep. We highly recommend it, even if just for a taste.

Breakfast was served some 3 hours prior to arrival. I couldn’t understand that. We ate and were then wide awake for the last 2 hours. It would have been nice to sleep away that last bit!

The seat itself isn’t the best we’ve seen at 35-thousand feet, but it turned out to be fairly comfortable for this, our longest, flight. We last flew to Asia in 2001 via DL’s old JFK-NRT route. This flight was a little less glamorous than that one, but still well worth the miles!

Arriving at ICN for a 14 hour layover, we decided to see Seoul. But, once we were outside immigration and saw how terrible the weather had become, we soon changed our minds.

Proceeding back through security we saw two things we thought were funny:

1.) The people who check boarding passes have scales where they weight carry-ons. You don’t have to know Korean to understand the argument people are having about their bag’s bulk.

2.) So screeners can x-ray your shows, the security people have little slippers you wear through the checkpoint. MissBumpMe! already hates waling on the floor of these checkpoints, so having to wear shoes someone else had just worm made her even more disgusted!

The KE Business Class lounge was great. Food was out at all hours for our all-day stint. After we got home we read my SkyTeam Elite Plus Status would have gotten us into the First Class Lounge, but that’s unconfirmed.

Overpowering in this lounge, this day, was Kenny G. His music blared though the lounge on an endless loop of maybe 3 or 4 songs. That got old very, very fast.

When lunch was introduced, the businessmen flocked like vultures to a fresh kill. It was a mob scene we let subside. Between departure banks we sampled sandwiches, salads, and sweets.

In the far right corner there are two PCs with access to the Internet. We set-up shop there and spent the day surfing and watching air traffic out the huge windows.

The shower rooms were small, yet clean. All we had to do was exchange our boarding pass for a key. There was no real time-limit. When I dunked my head under the water I received a reprieve from Kenny G.

In addition to the shower, there is a slumber room. Unfortunately, the “cots” were quite uncomfortable and Kenny G could still be heard amid the snoring of snoozing Asian businessmen. We got some sleep, nonetheless.

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ICN-SYD (KE Business Class 744)

After 14 hours in ICN, we were very, very ready for the flight to SYD. We tried at every turn to get into the mystery “business-class-plus” cabin in the nose, but were rejected each time.

In the end, our upper-deck exit-row experience was much the same as our above-average flight from LAX to ICN. There is one glaring exception: In-flight entertainment.

There were no individual monitors on this 744. Instead, we were offered personal DVD players with a narrow selection of movies. We tried one of our NTSC DVDs, but the played predictably rejected it.

Meal service was the same as LAX-ICN: a dinner upon take-off and breakfast a couple of hours before arrival. We arrived into Sydney (our first visit) after making a fabulously breathtaking approach over the harbor.

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SYD-ICN (KE Business Class 744)

KE flights require a bag x-ray before proceeding to the check-in counter. This mixes lines for coach and business class. Prepare for a bit of a delay.

Qantas agents check-in KE passengers in SYD, albeit at a dedicated KE counter. They were friendly, but had no authority to get us into the phantom “business-class-plus” cabin in the nose. A real KE agent over-ruled us saying we have to be revenue passengers to get those seats. (At least we tried!) We again got upper deck exit row seats, which were our own first class!

In SYD KE partners with Air New Zealand for its lounge. Had we known this ahead of time, we would have given ourselves MORE time at the airport. It’s an impressive lounge!

The food was great, the wine superb, and the spirits… how shall we say, uplifting!?!?

A shower in the Air New Zealand lounge in SYD is akin to a spa treatment. The rooms are HUGE and washed in beautiful black marble. I even had to summon MissBumpMe! for a glimpse!

The flight to ICN was uneventful. The staff was just as attentive as always and very, very friendly. It’s amazing how cordial they are.

Before arrival, they came through with breakfast. I was simply exhausted, so I declined. This, apparently, did not resonate well with the flight staff. They repeatedly asked MissBumpMe! if I was okay and whether I was ready to eat.

Even on final approach, they continued asking if I wanted to eat. If this had been a DL flight my breakfast would have been long gobbled by a starving flight attendant!

Way to go KE!

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ICN-BKK (KE Business Class PLUS “First Class” 744)

We had another 10 hours in SYD before our last KE flight to BKK. During those hours I made every attempt possible to convince KE we should fly in the nose.

Amazingly, it worked. All I did was write the seat numbers we wanted (thanks ITN) on the ticket jacket and present it to the transfer desk. Without hesitation, she did it and handed me new boarding passes.

By the way, during our second layover in ICN Kenny G continued!

MissBumpMe! loved these seats. We were in row 1 and could not wipe the smile off her face. It would have been very, very nice to have these nearly-full recline seats for our longer KE flights. Nonetheless, we enjoyed them for 5 hours.

After downing some Ramen, we kicked back for some of the best airplane sleep we’ve ever experienced.

Arriving in BKK, we had to walk what seemed like forever to get to immigration. We passed several stations which looked like they were closed. Finally, we arrived at one which was open, and close to baggage claim. It’s one of the more chaotic airports we been to, but still manageable.

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BKK-CDG (AF Business Class A340)

Although we hoped, prayed, and even begged a little, we watched AF fill an empty first class cabin with other people. That was sad, but we were happy to be in the bulk head of business class for this flight.

We experienced great AF service. The flight attendants were very kind, and seemed anxious to speak English, despite my attempts to speak broken French.

I’ll admit I was ready for nasty AF flight attendants, but experienced none. They were all very kind.

Food on this flight had been a subject of concern for us. We’d figured there was a chance we’d recognize nothing on the menu. Luckily, there was a broad enough selection of food we were able to choose something palatable.

The “buffet” service, however, was less than impressive. It included soggy sandwiches made with pate and something else defying description, something completely foreign to us.

We arrived into CDG to take the first of many pointless airport buses in Europe. Efficient they are not at European airports.

The CDG lounge was awful. After seeing NZ’s in SYD and KE’s in SYD, this one was the equivalent of a bus terminal.

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CDG-ATH (AF Business Class A319)

I still cannot understand why European carriers configure their business class cabins they way they do on smaller aircraft.

This was an unimpressive flight which requires little explanation. We had very helpful flight attendants, an awful meal, and arrived in ATH safely.

Our view over the Alps, however, was spectacular. I felt like a kid again peering out that tiny window. There’s nothing like a mountain to put everything in perspective!

Although there were plenty of gates, we took the obligatory shuttle bus. Ugh! Oh, the odors!

I’m utterly amazed at how the airport handled the Olympics. It’s really pretty small for such a huge event. We took the train into town. It was easy and cheap, yet lengthy.

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ATH-FCO (AZ Business Class A321)

The lounge in ATH is tucked away in the back corner of the terminal. It’s small, but our early morning flight left it quiet and virtually to ourselves. There is an Internet terminal available. Be aware: it has a funky keyboard!

As far as food is concerned, there wasn’t much to choose from. We though it was funny the booze was out before the muffins.

Security took about a minute. It would have taken less time if the guards had not wasted time checking-out MissBumpMe!

Although there were plenty of gates, we again took a bus to board in ATH. This is getting really, really old.

The flight attendant sat in the business class bulkhead seat ahead of us. He slept during take-off, and woke up as the pilot was saying we were at our cruise altitude.

He tossed our cellophane-wrapped meals and gave us a choice of juices: red or reddish-orange. I’m still not sure what they are.

The F/A never looked us in the eye.
After his very, very brief service, he sat back down in the bulkhead business class seat and went back to sleep.

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FCO-NAP (AZ Coach Class MD-80)

When we arrived at FCO we again took a bus to the terminal.
This, after passing many empty gates! Ugh!

Security clearance was again required inside. We stood in one line for one screener while 6 or so others stood around. Efficient they are not!

Navigating FCO was strange. I always felt like I was trapped. It’s a strangely laid-out airport, in my opinion.

We departed the FCO gate and boarded a Bus for the plane! Yippee!! I am so tired of this.

We were so surprised by Alitalia’s planes. This ancient MD-80 included the cleanest aircraft interior I’ve even experienced.

The flight to NAP was uneventful.
Amazingly, the flight attendants serviced the cabin pretty quickly during this short 30 minute flight. I think I drank the “red” juice this time.

The height of absurdity: when we arrived in NAP the plane stopped about 50 feet shy of a jetway. We disembarked to a bus which, when full, drove about 10 seconds to the door under the jetway! Aghhhhh!!! Stop the madness!!!

This airport is tiny, and easy to navigate. We watched as a police officer with a dog sniffed off-loaded bags. He seized one— though we didn’t stay for the outcome.
Just outside, we boarded the bus to Sorrento.

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NAP-FCO (AZ Coach Class MD-80)

Just above in reverse.
Same stupid routine with the buses in BOTH NAP and FCO!
Ahhhhhh! Stop the madness!

No lounge in NAP.

One note here: We wanted to get on an earlier flight from NAP-FCO, but DL couldn’t do it over the phone. So, we just showed up at NAP for an earlier departure. Thankfully, AZ had no problem with it. We were prepared to sit and wait, but wanted to get to FCO sooner.

Once in FCO, we took a shared taxi from the airport to the Cavalieri Hilton for 35 Euros. It was a rip-off for a shared van, but we’re at their mercy. ‘This guy must be making a killing,’ I kept calculating as he drove 100-120 mph!

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FCO-CDG (AF Business Class A319)

Alitalia does the check-in for AF in FCO, albeit at a dedicated AF counter. We had a box which required a special screening way in the back. It was no big deal, just something which ate away at our time cushion.

The lounge was empty, as our flight was early in the AM. IT included a small selection of pastries and warm beverages. We didn’t eat much, thinking a hot meal was coming on the light. We though wrong.

AF made an announcement saying the flight would be late: 10 minutes late. The moans and groans were hilarious. All I could think of are those gate screen in ATL which read 3:15 Departure ON TIME at 4:02. I think I laughed out loud.

The flight was pretty funny. Our pilot was giving a tour in French and English. I think, however, the English version was lacking a few of the details.

Passed over Venice he made a somewhat lengthy announcement which sent people shifting to the left side of the plane. In English he simply said, “there is a city on the left.”
Gee, thanks pal.

When we finally arrived in CDG we took a bus into the terminal. This was an international display of discourtesy. People were pushing and shoving toward the immigration line. One guy was claiming his flight was leaving right away, waving his boarding pass with the “boarding time” still 15 minute away. It was disgusting.

We were so happy to be getting on our way. Next we were schedule for a DL flight to ATL, and not even an angry European person was going to ruin that. We let them pass and think what they will.

The lounge was just a nutty as it was the last time we were in CDG. This time, however, we were each able to get a massage! It was great! If you’re flying though CDG and are going to be at the lounge for a bit, it’s a great way to kill the time! We each offered a little “donation” to the attendant.

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CDG-ATL (DL Business Elite 777)

DL had cancelled a flight to CVG this day, so what was supposed to be a less-than-full BE cabin was packed.
We tried to get bumped, but failed. I hate how some gate agents discount a volunteer simply because they’re in Business or First! Arg! We’re willing to sit in Y if the price is right!

Stepping aboard that bird was like a homecoming. We’d been on the road so long, and seen so much which was unfamiliar, that those two seats were very, very welcoming!

We joined the clean-plate club, that’s for sure. We were starving and nearly licked the bowls! Having ice cream again was a treat too!

The head wind for this flight was incredibly strong. Our progress slowed so much we arrived nearly an hour late! That didn’t faze us; We were almost home!
But were our bags?

We passed through immigration in ATL and proceeded to pick-up our bags. We had 3 total. Amazingly, they made it!

An agent quickly re-checked them and we took off for the familiar territory of Atlanta Hartsfield! Yippee!!

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ATL-MCO (DL First Class 767-400)

This flight was your typical DL domestic flight, but so exciting for us! We’d done it; we’d flown around the world! It was a great feeling!

That sweet sensation turned sour at baggage claim in Orlando, however. Only two of our three bags made it. The missing one had mostly MissBumpMe!’s stuff, but also some of mine, ALL our souvenirs, and many Around-the-World Christmas presents.
DL’s yet to make good.
We’ll see what happens.