This year I set out to continue my annual Soccer/Football (football from here on) trip tradition and check off a few new grounds. While planning I realized that I would be short a few segments for keeping my UA Gold so I decided to skip the IAD-LHR non-stop and add a segment in each direction. This proved entertaining as it allowed me to experiment with arrival/departure airports within the UK, but eventually I decided on a fairly vanilla DCA-EWR-LHR and BHX-FRA-IAD routing.



Flights

United counts miles and co-pays towards upgrades as PQP, so I decided to book an economy routing and upgrade with miles/$. Once I decided this, I did some experimentation and identified that booking premium economy to England and economy back was cheaper than the difference in co-pay. So I ended up booking DCA-EWR-LHR in R (Premium Economy) and the return in W but there was PZ space available so my upgrade from FRA-IAD instantly cleared.

I paid $1,390 for this (with $115 of APD), then 40,000 miles and $975 of co-pay to upgrade both legs. My DCA-EWR upgrade cleared two months out and about 30 hours before departure my EWR-LHR upgrade cleared. Had I not been in R I definitely would not have cleared as there are 9 people on the list and 6 seats, but as a Gold in R I was ahead of all 1Ks in Economy. This is not tremendous value, as you could just buy round trip J for about $2,800, but I have a ton of Chase points which I transferred and this will net me more PQP for less cash.



Hotels

I have three expiring hotel credits (Amex Plat, C1 VX, and Chase SR) I set out to use, but also a conflicting goal of attaining Hyatt Explorist for the first time. In the end, I decided to use 2/3 of my credits and let the Amex Plat one expire. I booked the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham using my Venture X credit, but paid a little more than the best available rate for a total of $419. Then, I took advantage of a reasonable Hyatt rate to book the Hyatt House London Stratford for $466. For my last night I used the Chase portal to book the Ibis Birmingham Airport for $95. This made of a total cost of $980 for 5 nights, after using my credits it $630 out of pocket for 5 nights, an average of $126.



Match tickets

Skip this if you aren�t interested in how I bought tickets to the football matches! Three of the four grounds had easy tickets, with the only difficult one being Villa Park. However Villa have an innovative GA+ experience that gives you access to a special bar area (with one free drink) and a seat in the famous Holte End stand for $155 (note it sounds like this setup is controversial as it functionally prices out locals to allow tourists like myself to attend). The other four matches didn�t require anything complicated besides buying them the day they became available to non-members for a total of $167 for the four. This meant my total ticket cost for two Premier League and three Championship matches was $322.

I am having some issues with FT and have lost two iterations of this each one more concise than the last. Hopefully third time is a charm!

Capital One Landing DCA
DCA was not super busy, and for once I was able to use Clear to get through faster. Once I cleared security I walked towards the D gates where the lounge is.

I used the Capital One app to make a reservation a few weeks in advance, and that seems like the best way to ensure access. Kudos to Cap1 for such an innovative feature.

My waiter explained the concept to me — there is a QR code for drinks and hot plates, and a buffet bar where you can be served pre-plated things.

I ordered using the app and about 5 minutes later my delicious hanger steak appeared.

I followed it up with the shrimp, still good but a little less wow.

Capital One definitely did not skimp me on my pour.

Then I checked out the buffet and grabbed a few more snacks



Before long it was time to head to the gate to board. The Capital One Landing at DCA is a restaurant branded as a lounge, but since it has friendly staff, a gorgeous decor, and good food it is a great option. Hopefully they are able to keep the quality up!

A Newark Disaster
UA4560
CRJ-550
2A
DCA-EWR
Scheduled: 3:00pm-4:35pm
Actual: 2:53pm-6:17pm*
We boarded on time, which was a relief since this was the flight I was worried about delays on.

During boarding, the friendly FA did a PDB service with bottles of water.

At this point we enjoyed some great views of the monuments as we taxied to the runway. When we got towards the front of the queue to take off, we ended up moving over on the apron and parking. The Captain announced Newark was on a ground stop and we should know more in 20 minutes.

20 minutes later, Newark instituted a delay program due to the controller shortage and we were assigned a 5pm ish takeoff slot. This was going to leave me with a tight connection for my 6:40pm flight to London that finished boarding at 6:25pm.

After a few false starts and further delays, at 5:03pm we took off. While it was still looking tight, I was not too worried as I could sprint to the gate and make it before boarding closed.

However, we entered a 20 minute hold over Delaware and I nervously sipped some ginger ale and enjoyed a few snacks.

We landed at 6:07pm after a 1hr3min flight. We made it to about 100 yards from the gate at 6:12pm and I was feeling pretty good. Then, Newark found a new way to remind me never to connect through it: after a 5 minute delay to find wing walker, at 6:17pm we parked, and the door was opened, since on the CRJ the door has stairs it needs to be opened before the gate can be moved. As the gate was being moved, it appeared to strike a parked baggage cart, which led to a 34 minute comedy of errors in which what felt like the entire ramp team worked to free the gate and get us off board.

At 6:42pm, 2 minutes after my 6:40pm flight which was showing on time was due to depart, I got off the plane and sprinted from C72 to C130 in about 3 minutes. When I got there out of breath the door by the gate was closed, but thankfully the aircraft door was still open. A passenger who was late to the plane but arrived during boarding was debating his seat assignment with the gate agents, it seemed like the seat he paid for was reassigned when they assumed he wouldn’t make it. However, since he was there I guess they held the door to the plane as they sorted it out. In the mean time, they had given my Polaris seat, 7F, away to the person atop the upgrade list who was in 20A in Premium Plus (the seat I initially booked). I was given a choice to try and have them put me in Polaris on a later flight, or accept the downgrade and get on board in Premium Plus and get a refund. Since I had sprinted through the airport and been stressing since the DCA flight hit rolling delays I decided to board and just get to London. The door to the plane closed immediately after I got on board and we started to taxi as soon as I sat down.

UA4560
Boeing 767-300ER
7F 20A
EWR-LHR
Scheduled: 6:40pm-6:55am +1
Actual: 7:02pm-7:10am +1
​​​​I did not have time to take a picture before sitting down, but I had the usual Premium Plus spread.

About 30 minutes after takeoff a drink was served.

Then 1hr into the flight the meal, a choice of chicken or stir fry, was served. The chicken was a tiny portion and mostly bone, but the green curry sauce in the foil was incredible.

1hr45 minutes after takeoff my tray was cleared and I got ready to sleep. I slept very well, better than I typically do in Polaris, probably due to all the energy invested in worrying about making it. I woke up as we started or final descent and quickly got ready for landing, We touched down on a very stormy and windy day 6hrs30min after taking off.

Bus to Birmingham
This trip i decided to see how the National Express bus worked as a means of getting to Birmingham. Heathrow was busy but organized so 18 minutes after deplaning I was at the bus station and had time to grab a snack before boarding my 8am bus to Birmingham.

The bus was comfortable and I had a row to myself. It worked out to be a great decision since the weather caused lots of train delays and cancellations.

Obligatory lucozade.

Delicious Christmas wrap.


At around 11:30am the bus pulled into Birmingham’s Bus Station and my journey was complete. While it didn’t feel smooth, in the end it all worked out. Let this be a warning to all about connecting in Newark.

To be continued!

Well done on getting this trip report started. And I feel your pain about connecting through EWR. What a palava. And yes, the secret to clearing international upgrades is to always buy R class if you can afford it. Next time, reach out, I am sure I can find someone within my GS circle of friends who can find some Plus Points to gift you

Hyatt Regency Birmingham
This is my second time staying here and the hotel has continued to impress me. Hyatt Regency is my go to brand and properties like this are exactly why.
I arrived around noon and was welcomed back at check-in by the friendly front desk staff. Even though I had booked through the Capital One Portal I was upgraded to a high floor and given a choice of a canal or city view.
A perfectly adequate room on the 18th floor.

Comfy bed.

Lots of room and convenient storage space.

Clean bathroom with full sized tamper proof shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

The 24/7 Gym. Not pictured the weight room down that hallway.


On the first day, I used the steam room that is attached to the pool after working out, but on my second day they warned be it was very busy so I decided to skip.

Another stay that was exactly what I was looking for, definitely will return next time I am in Birmingham.

Day 1 Match 1
Since it was a cold, rainy, and windy day with 50mph gusts I decided to take an Uber from my hotel to Villa Park. Given it was only about $15 it felt like a great deal.

The famous Holte End.

I entered about 60 minutes before kick off and since I was starving made a beeline to a stand that sold chicken tikka wraps which were delicious.

Then, I headed to the hospitality lounge my ticket entitled me to where I was given a program.

Followed by a free pre-match pint.

Since I was still hungry, I bought some chips to go with the pint.

I was able to watch some of warm-ups from a balcony attached to the lounge, before I headed up to my seats.

View from my seats inside a standing section which made for a great atmosphere.

After a mildly entertaining 90 minutes I began the journey back to the city center.

Villa run a match day shuttle which I took back to New Street. Traffic was terrible, but there were some bus lanes which helped.

From the bus, I headed out for a pint of cask ale at a cool local pub.

Following my pint, I took a bus towards the Balti Triange, which dropped me off on a desolate ally. While it was cold, rainy and I hadn’t slept for real in 36 hours I was exited because Shababs, a famous curry house, was in sight.

One incredible balti and medium naan later I was ready to head back to the hotel.
There was a gala behind held in the event hall attached to the hotel, so I decided to work on my TR from the lobby and enjoyed some amazing people watching.


Thank you for following along!

Thank you for the generous offer - be careful I may take you up on it!! IMO the major advantage of R too is in IRROPS your baseline is that so anything worse is a downgrade. If you get upgraded from a Y fare any old economy seat meets the criteria.

Very cool TR so far. Be glad you didn't plan on the merseyside derby!

A very different kind of TR, enjoyed reading so far.

I must ask though, are you a Brit living abroad or an American? If you’re American, then you’re really immersing yourself in UK culture; National Express, chips and gravy and a pint! 🤣

Day 2 Match 2: An Accidental Bender
Started with a nice walk through Birmingham City Center. It always amazes me how nice pedestrian only (or near pedestrian only) areas can be.

Revisited a coffee shop a few blocks away from the hotel. When I came last year they had amazing pour overs, but seems as if they have stopped doing it this year. Not a bad coffee, but not worth going out of my way for.

After I did some more walking around I headed out to a pub by the ground for a pre-match tikka.

Rainy walk to the ground.

The last hour or so of daylight!

Pre-match pint to go with my program.

A cold rainy day.

Half-time pint — beer number 3 of the day and it is only 4 pm — oops!
A gritty performance to draw for the tenth time in the last eleven games.

Obligatory lucozade on the way back to the city center.

Headed out to the outskirts of town in search of a Sunday roast. The first place I tried was booked, but ended up making a reservation at a pub 10 minutes away.

Tried a cask ale, previously when I had one in Edinburgh I found it to be disgusting but I was expecting a cold beer. Enjoyed this a decent amount with the right expectations.

Beautiful roast with a side salad to make up for the lack of vegetables. At about $40 (including the beer and salad) this wasn’t exactly cheap but it was amazing.

Headed to a really cool pub, The Wellington, for another ale but got sidetracked by their great scotch selection. Tried a Ledaig for the first time.

Since I hadn’t had enough to drink yet, went for one more cask ale at a different pub.

Given all the beers, I decided to do a nice Sunday night walk through the city and ended back at the hotel a hour later carrying some snacks and ready to write an installment of my TR.


Up next — London!

Yes! Although a ticket to that probably would cost more than all the ones I got combined!

Thanks! I am American, just love football. This is my third year doing such a trip, so catching on.

Day 3 Match 3: London Calling
Started my day with an early workout before heading for a 9:47am train. Given the lack of vegetables I had a salad breakfast snack from Pret.

The long walk from the train into the chaos of Euston.

After dropping my stuff at the hotel I headed to the Covent Garden area for some Christmas shopping. First some coffee to fuel up.

I took a shopping break to enjoy an incredible Christmas Sandwhich from Stakehaus in Seven Dials.

To quell the food coma another coffee.

Then after some more successful shopping, it was time for the daily lucozade as I prepared for the football.

Tonight was West Ham vs Wolves, and I walked through the Westfields mall from Stratford Station.

The queue to get into the fan zone.

A nice pre-match pint outside the stadium.

And a loaded hot dog to start the unhealthy dinner.

Followed by an equally unhealthy sausage curry roll from inside the ground.

The view from my seats. Really a bit of a downer how the atmosphere was, and the fact that the pitch is so far away does have a negative impact.

Half time pint.

And a sensational steak and onion pie.

After the match I snagged a mint tea since it had gotten rather chilly.

Annoyingly, the 5 minute walk from Westfields was a 20 minute walk due to sidewalk closure and crowds.

So close yet so far!



To be continued!

Day 4 Match 4: An evening of theatre

Had a bit of a late start and didn�t finish my workout and shower until about 10am. I decided to head to Spitalfields for a browse and coffee.

From there, headed to Hackney to meet a friend.

From Hackney, it was towards Covent Garden for a delicious pre-theatre lunch.

A lovely soup and curry.

After lunch, we walked around from bit, catching a glimpse of Big Ben without the scaffolding.

Around 2:30 we headed to the Fortune Theatre to see the musical Operation Mincemeat which came highly recommended to me.

Intermission Moet � definitely a rip off at 20 quid but still tasty.

After a sensational show, can�t recommend it enough, it was time to head to Luton for the other form of entertainment: Football. First, some sustenance.

The train to Luton was smooth and about an hour later I was walking from the station to the ground.

Obligatory Lucozade Luton edition.

The view by my entrance to Kenilworth Road.

The famous entrance to the away stand through someone�s garden.

The surrounding area is so seamlessly integrated to the football ground I enjoyed walking a lap.

Pre-football burger.

And a pint to wash it down.

My view for the match. I was about halfway up the stand which is not big at all.

Half time pint as it is a 1-1 match.

And scenes at full time as a late Luton goal seals three points for them.

Can not recommend coming here enough it was an authentic experience and incredible atmosphere.

The walk through Luton back to the station.

Enjoying a snack I snagged for the train.

At St Pancreas I grabbed some fruit from a Pret to ensure I had at least something that wasn�t bread or meat.


To be continued!

Hyatt House London Stratford

I had an adequate two night stay at the Hyatt House Stratford. The Hyatt Regency and Stratford share the same entrance and lobby, but occupy different floors.

I arrived at around 1pm but was unable to check-in until after 3pm, even as a Discoverist. Thankfully, the concierge/doormen were able to store bags so it was not an issue. I picked the Hyatt house since it was a bit cheaper than the regency, but I never once used the kitchen or any of its amenities.

Besides the kitchen, the room was standard.


And a nice shower with good water pressure.

The gym was shared by both hotels and on the twelfth floor.

View of the London Stadium from the gym.

The Hyatt House included a breakfast buffet which I sampled. Nothing special and I wouldn’t pay extra for it.


To be continued!

Really enjoying this report so far!

Day 5 Match 5: On the Road Again
Started my day with a run through the old Olympic village. While Stratford is a bit far from central London being close to a nice park area was nice.

After a shower and bite to eat it was time to head into central London to wander around. First some caffeine!

I spontaneously decided to compare brick lane beigels. I have had a salt beef at Brick Lane before, so tried the Beigal shops salt beef and Brick Lanes smoked salmon.

A delicious snack.

The plain smoked salmon was great as well.

After my lunch/snack I did some more walking around and soaked in the London energy while I could.

Last London coffee of the trip.

From there, I went back to Stratford to get my stuff and took the train to St Pancreas before walking over to Euston. All in, a lot of schlepping but I was happy to make it to Birmingham. This was where the worst planned logistics of my trip occurred. I booked an airport hotel, so took the Avanti to Birmingham International, then checked-in dropped my stuff off and headed into Birmingham. I wanted to go to my favorite whiskey shop, Hard to Find Whiskeys (can�t recommend it enough), to buy a few bottles. Since I was going to a match in Birmingham that required shopping, going back to the airport, then going back to Birmingham for the match.

I spent a great hour doing my shopping and selected two bottles plus a mini for the train.

After completing my Birmingham to Birmingham International round trip. It was time to head to my last match, but first a Lucozade.

Pre-match burger which tasted better than it looks.

Last pre-match pint of the trip.

And some delicious chips.

The scene during the build up/

Half time nourishments.

After a great 2-0 victory it was time to trek back to the airport for my four hours of sleep.

But first, a 20 min wait for a metro train to the city center.


Coming up, the Ibis Birmingham airport and my trip back to DC.