BNE-OGG-BNE : via Everywhere

[mww99]

I preface this trip report with a huge thank you to my other half (Flyingzzzd’s) who spent countless hours putting together this itinerary as a Christmas present to me. Somehow she managed to piece this incredible trip together on an AA 120K (each) point redemption by knowing all the rules and applying them. It took her some considerable time, and in some cases, she was reciting the rules to the AA Platinum Concierge (yes, sometimes the rules are so complex, even THEY don’t understand them). So while I was travelling every week BNE-ISA, she quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) researched this trip and made all the pieces fit.
BNE-SYD Day 1 Flight 1 . Uneventful and somewhat empty 767 BNE-SYD leg. Christmas Day really is a great day to fly – no madding crowds at check-in making up for the fact that one still can’t check in online for international QF flights. The only QF legs we have on this trip are this one and SYD –BNE at the very end, but whilst there is an international leg in your itinerary, there is no online check in via Qantas.com. QF pub almost empty (an increasingly rare sight these days) and able to change to an earlier flight without begging, grovelling or promising our first born to the person behind the desk. In fact, we had 3 people checking us in after first one saw our itinerary. He took a photo copy as in his words “I’ve been in this industry for a very long time and I’ve never seen an itinerary like that.” Made us very proud! He was also grateful we had only carry on as the baggage claims would have taken a very long time to print out. On to aircraft on time (another increasingly rare event) and FA informed us that we were the only non staff passengers of the 6 in J and there were only about 50 down the back ( I told you it was empty). Aircraft wheels left the ground less than halfway down the runway and flyingzzd’s joked it was because she didn’t have any checked luggage. Not so sure it wasn’t the truth though – previous trips have seen us struggle to get all the suitcases on 2 trolleys!!! Into SYD on time (the 3rd miracle of this Christmas) and straight to the new QF First Club after a considerable wait for a bus to the international terminal (well it is Christmas day after all and they were probably running a public holiday timetable.) Now this is the way to spend Christmas Day for an aircraft loving geek like me. Almost more staff than patrons and able to enjoy a sumptuous meal and then settle back to watch the traffic take off and land. The view of the runway from this lounge is fantastic. 3 hrs here flies by (pardon the pun!).
SYD-SIN Day 1 Flight 2 On to BA16 (777-200) for first leg enroute to LHR. (again on time, so 4th miracle so far – maybe Santa does exist). Have 1E/F for this leg and this has reinforced our love for F on this aircraft (having previously flown AA metal in this aircraft/class). Love the space and seats (plenty of storage space for all the bits and pieces) and one can reach them even when the meal tray is out (for laptops to do trip reports). PJ’s in F are some of the best and the selection and quality of the food, wine and spirits is wonderful. FA’s all got into the festive spirit (Santa Claus was even at the entrance to the aircraft) and when we commiserated with them for having to work Christmas Day, there were no complaints, just positives such as “Well, at least we get to spend Christmas night in Singapore”. Great to see traditional turkey on the menu for this flight (which I couldn’t resist) and after battling with the plastic fork to pick up the crispy carrot pieces settled back to enjoy the inflight. Only 6 of us in F so all whims catered for quickly (about to have a Johnny Walker Blue for the Scotch lovers out there) and then get a little rest before we touch down. Map indicates we are now over Surabaya with about 1hr 40 to go. More after we are enroute to LHR.

 

[mww99]

BNE-OGG-BNE: Day 2 SIN-LHR-FRA

SIN-LHR Day 1 Flight 3. Short turn around in SIN – brief visit to the BA/QF First Lounge here. Located on the first floor – from the arrival gates, head for immigration , but when you get to the shops, go straight ahead and there is an escalator that leads upstairs to the BA/QF club. Not a huge area and furniture looks a little worse for wear, but like the rest of this country, meticulously clean. Showers looked sensational although we didn’t use these facilities. This leg we have 2A/3A so we don’t fight over window seats when we arrive LHR and also figured we will spend a good proportion of this flight asleep. We noticed that the storage nooks and crannies aren’t as plentiful as 1E/F (they have extra cupboard beside the small seat and an open storage nook underneath that. For us, these are the best seats in F, especially if you are travelling as a couple, but there is also an effective dividing screen if you’re travelling alone and want some privacy. A light meal on this leg (too much consumed previously this Christmas Day). Noticed no plastic cutlery on this leg and FA told me that the plastic cutlery is an Australian Govt. requirement only. My bed was made up in 1A and Flying zzzzzd’s in 4A when sleep time came around : again only 6 in F. The lighting, when dimmed for sleep, is considerably brighter at the front of this cabin, so if you like to be kept in the dark, opt for rows 3 or 4. Let’s face it, there are no BAD seats in F, just some better than others. Sleep is not difficult in this aircraft: for my money it is better than the 744’s for long haul and I will be able to make a direct comparison when we travel the return leg of this odyssey as we have a LHR-NRT leg on a BA 744 in F. The seat/bed is not as wide as the Skybed in QF, but the lie flat position is just that – flat and the padding they add when the bed is made up makes it a pretty comfortable package. I write this section having had about 7 hrs sleep - wonderful!!! Different crew on this aircraft to the SYD-SIN leg, but these are just as attentive. Seems every time I moved there was a FA asking me if I needed anything. About 4 hrs out of LHR now and at this stage it looks like we will be arriving about 15mins ahead of schedule with tail wind assistance. Looking forward to experiencing the BA First Lounge at LHR and hopefully squeezing in a massage before our next flight.
LHR-FRA Day 2 Flight 4. (BA 904-A319)Had 5 hrs in between flights and spent most of them in BA first lounge in Terminal 1. Great facilities and shower but alas, no massages available as staff did not start work until 10am and our flight departed at 10.40am. Used the wonderful shower facilities though and felt human again. Flight departed slightly late due to no show of a couple of passengers. Uneventful trip to FRA but for us, snow and ice on the airfield and surrounds was awe inspiring. Being from the northern half of Australia, the times we have seen snow can be counted on one hand. A cold -2 deg C outside saw us shiver on the short bus ride to the terminal building. Terminal 2 is still under construction with only parts of it accessible at the moment, but it looks very impressive and will be very spacious when finished. Used both the BA and Delta clubs in this terminal as we were traveling next leg with LAN and for some strange reason, they share the Delta lounge here. Delta lounge is just past gate D6 on the right in the corner. Continue to your left and downstairs via very slow lift to the BA lounge. For those of you that chose not to assault your lungs with toxic fumes, head for the Delta lounge if you can – it is completely non smoking. It is not open all day – closes at 1230 and does not- reopen until 1530 and closes early evening. The BA lounge still permits smoking in one area and the aroma permeates all sections. That said, the food and beverage selection was better in BA lounge. Next stop, MAD enroute to SCT. First flight for us with LAN Chile.

 

[drron]

Wow BNE-SCL via LHR all in one hit that is well beyond my limits even if it was in F.
Now you are going to have to tell us how this was done in F for 120K each.

 

[mww99]

Re: BNE-OGG-BNE : FRA-MAD-SCL-DFW leg

Drron - we haven't stopped yet - as you will see there is another couple of days flying yet before we stop to catch our breath. As the title says - BNE-OGG-BNE via everywhere is right on the money. The only catch withh AA awards - no long stopovers if flights are available and even then, under strict guidlines. As mentioned in the intro, Flyingzzzd's nealry went troppo getting it all organized and deserved every drop of red wine she consumed on this trip. Here is the next instalment.

FRA-MAD Day 2 Flight 5 (LAN 705-A340) Boarded on time: so far so good with flight times (knock on wood). Unusual First layout on LAN A340: 2-1-2. No overhead storage in the single centre position, but a storage area is provided beside the seat. Seats are typical Airbus - very comfortable sleeping position, these could actually move beyond flat , but no storage areas anywhere. There is a great innovation for all those position buttons that seem to move the seat every way EXCEPT the way you want it to – they are still there but in addition there are another four – BED,DINING,TAKE/OFF LAND and MASSAGE. AVOD installed and reasonable selection of English language movies/TV shows available. One push and the seat moves to that position – so much easier. Service was very good – food selection not extensive, but what was on offer was very good. The wine selection was beautiful – with a few very good Chilean reds in amongst them. Into MAD on time : this is a fascinating airport. Wonderfully open and a “wave” style roofline that is completely lined with wooden slats on the underside. Quite a few shops here and the club is LAN SALA VIP lounge (caters for all oneworld carriers) . Warning for the non smokers:- there is a smoking area here that has those invisble walls that are supposed to keep smoke away from those of us who chose not to smoke. For some strange reason, it doesn't work. Apart from that, this is a very big club and great view of the runway. It is on Level 2 of the International Terminal (departure Level).
MAD-SCT Day 2/3 Flight 6 (LAN 705-A340)Departed MAD on time and back into “our” cabin – again the only ones is F. More food – only a very light meal this time as we don’t want to go home looking like a marshmallow. One thing to note – whilst the First cabin has plenty of room and we had the privilege of having it all to ourselves, the proximity to the forward galley, which services the entire J cabin as well, can get noisy at times. Still managed to get a lot of sleep despite the bumps (plenty of turbulence this sector) and arrived SCL 20mins early. 14hrs to kill here, so headed straight for the AC (next flight is AA to DFW). This is a beautiful club – very spacious and food selection is way above average for AC fare. Great shower facilities and plenty of power points available for recharging all those battery packs for the electronic gadgets we all carry these days. Open bar all day and a great business centre with 8 workstations, 2 of them with desktops available for use. Wireless broadband internet connection is also available. Got some work done and then decided to head into town, however, there is a little catch to this activity. US, Canadian and Australian citizens are charged a “reciprocity fee” for a Visa here - US$56 for Australians, US$100 for Americans and US$112 for Canadians. This visa is valid for up to 90days but if you only have a few hours, one has to question the value. There is also a US$30 per person departure tax, so we were looking at $US172 plus taxi’s etc just fo a few hours and as the energy reserves were starting to feel a little drained, we opted to have a look at the Duty Free and overpriced gift shops for an hour or so and then headed back to the club a little shut eye and a humanizing shower before the next flight leaves at 11.20pm.
SCT-DFW Day 3 Flight 7 (AA904 767-3) A little late leaving SCT, but aircraft well equipped – looked almost new. No First on this flight but “international J class” – seats were comfortable, but sleeping position leaves a little to be desired – at about a 15 deg tilt so one tends to slide down the bed. AVOD- the bring it to you type that slips into a docking station on the back of the seat in front) is available and the BOSE headsets ( if you don’t have your own) they give you in J and F on international AA flights. Into DFW 10mins late and despite being told by crew that no forms were needed for transit passengers, found this not to be the case. It maybe just for flights from South America (there were 4 at the same time), but we had to go through immigration and customs and go through security again, even though we only had carry on and another international flight in 4 hrs. I must admit that the security procedures at SCT were a little on the easy side – all bags were opened but only a cursory “scratch around” as to the contents was conducted. Anyway, that done, off to AC here – Between Gates D23 and D24 in the new Terminal D for international flights – what a spectacular terminal. Lots of space and the AC is well equipped too. Great bar area, lots of business centre space, spacious and modern showers. A great place for a rest and the staff were super friendly. This is of course AA’s signature hub, so you’d expect the AC to be good here, but it was the terminal that took us by surprise. Terminal D has a myriad of shops and restaurants to choose from. Boarded on time ( this is good because or next connection is the tightest – 1hr 50min).

 

[mww99]

Re: BNE-OGG-BNE FW-NRT-LAX-OGG

DFW-NRT Day 3/4 Flight 8 (AA175-777) Back to our favourite aircraft and as far as I’m concerned, AA has the best F cabin config of them all. 1,2,1 seating with plenty of room and seats that can rotate at 45 deg and 90 deg to the standard forward facing seats. This is a feature we love. You can adjust the seat for working (or doing trip reports) eating together if travelling as a couple and have the middle seats together. We opted for different seating on these flights – 1/2J on this leg and 2D/G on the NRT-LAX leg next. We wanted window seats for the daytime landing in NRT and middle seats for the overnight flight to LAX. Flight only 10 mins late into Terminal 2 @ NRT and transferrred to Terminal 1 via light rail to rest and clean up in the AC here : another beautifully appointed club. Toilets here are unbelievable – the armrest (yes they have an armrest) had more controls than most TV‘s. Heated seat,"powerful deodourant", and bidet style cleaning jets are all there for your entertainment and pleasure. EVERYTHING is automatic. Time for a drink and a quick check of the emails before heading back on to the same plane we landed in just under 2 hrs ago.
NRT-LAX Day 4 Flight 9 (AA170 -777). Not much to say about this flight that wasn‘t mentioned in last leg’s report. Overnight flight to LAX eating sumptuous food (4 course meals and desserts to die for) and getting some more sleep on the best lie flat beds ( in our opinion) in the business.
LAX-OGG Day 5 Flight 10 (AA161 – 763). After a few hours rest at Sheraton LAX, we are ready for our flight to Maui. On to AA’s refurbished 763, with Skybed type seating in Business (no First on this flight). Great food served during this 5 ½ hr flight – into Maui at around 10 in the evening (Hawaii time). Maui airport is quaint – lots of wood in its’ construction – looks somewhat like a long hut. Not a lot to see and the only club there is Hawaiian Airlines. So we wandered around the airport building and waited for the next flight in this adventure – catching the same plane back to LA in 2 1/2 hours.

 

[drron]

Now I get it,but I wouldnt do it.A OW less than 10000 in F for 120000 miles.Brilliant.
However I must warn you that your other half has an incedible cunning and I would watch out.What will be thought of Next?

 

[mww99]

Thanks Dr.Ron - she has an incrediable attention to detail and she's a Virgo - so she never gives up. And she loves flying as much as I do. Although she does draw the line at aerobatic joy flights - that she leaves to me.

 

[drron]

And it is incredible what they get up to when youre working in the Isa.My wife is a Leo so i do what I'm told.

 

[futaris]

All I can say is wow. 40k flown miles, when OGG is only 4735mi away from BNE. Or in other words, (+734.6% more)

 

[mww99]

Futaris, perhaps I should have posted this table first - it details all our flights. I mstakenly put SCT in the report heading - it should have been SCL -You will see we did "just a little more" than 40K miles - the flights from OGG to LAX,SAN,LAS and back to OGG (highlighted in red) were NOT part of the AA award - we wanted to get to LAS- flyingzzzd's loves the outlet shopping) I haven't quite finished the narration, but I will post them as I finish them.

 

[futaris]

Great Circle Mapper

 

[serfty]

Nice report, great oddessy!

... LAX-OGG Day 5 Flight 10 (AA161 – 763). ... On to AA’s refurbished 763, with Skybed type seating in Business (no First on this flight). Great food served during this 5 ½ hr flight – into Maui at around 10 in the evening (Hawaii time). ...

Actually you will have been in "First Class" on this flight; For 2 Class Domestic flights, AA have First and Coach 'service', no Business. For international 2 class AA flights (e.g. LAX-YVR) the service is defined as J and Y - Same physical cabins however.

 

[simongr]

What an amazing trip and experience. Incredibly sneaky on some level but brilliant! One thing I cant fathom is how the plat desk actually allowed this - the fact that they didnt try to push a mre direct routing is mad!

 

[mww99]

Thanks Serfty. You are 100% correct. It is First class : I had it in my brain that there was no 3 class service, and called it Business instead of First. I should have remembered that FIRST is plastered all over the boarding passes. Cheers. I will continue with posts as I finish the reports.

 

[mww99]

Simongr - we have now done this twice, although the last time there was somehwat less legs. Flyingzzd's (my other half and chief conspirator) sometimes has to call a number of times to get the right operator: one she doesn't have to explain the rules to. (Yep, she's that good). But our experience has been that if you get the right operator, they are only to happy to assist you. Most think we are completely mad, but help anyway. If the computer accepts the itenerary, you're set. We agree that it seems strange, but when you can play within the rules and get a bonus like this, we say why not?

 

[drron]

I let my better half look at this trip report-now I told you she is a Leo.She has 3 questions for you.These will show that she likes the idea of first class,has reservations re long haul flying and that we will never do such a trip!
The questions are-1.How many PJ's did you collect?
2.How many showers did you have?
3.Do you want the name of a good psychiatrist?

 

[NM]

Thanks Serfty. You are 100% correct. It is First class : I had it in my brain that there was no 3 class service, and called it Business instead of First. I should have remembered that FIRST is plastered all over the boarding passes. Cheers. I will continue with posts as I finish the reports.

Well, in reality it is domestic business class, but AA is just too proud to label it as such .

 

[simongr]

We agree that it seems strange, but when you can play within the rules and get a bonus like this, we say why not?

I think your wife did brilliantly - I was telling mrssimongr about it last night - sowing the seeds of an idea for the future for me

@NM Seriously you would call it business class???? I struggle to get out of whY+ as a description

 

[NM]

I think your wife did brilliantly - I was telling mrssimongr about it last night - sowing the seeds of an idea for the future for me

@NM Seriously you would call it business class???? I struggle to get out of whY+ as a description

I have no problem comparing AA domestic F with QF domestic J or BA Club Europe. Yes, there are some short AA flights where even F does not get a snack, but I have never flown any myself. I have always been provided a meal or snack and the seats, food, and service make for a comparable domestic J product in my view, and the ground services (priority check-in, screening, boarding etc) are similar. And until very recently, QF did not allow lounge access to J passengers who were not other entitled to lounge access by way of membership or status.

 

[mww99]

Drron -1. - PJ's - Only 2 from the BA legs. AA,LAN and JAL don't supply
them.
2. Showers in every club at with the exception of Madrid LAN lounge.

3. No thanks - we already have one!!!!

@Simongr - The premise for this trip was that we had to leave Christmas
Day - that was the only available flight out of BNE with award
seats. So it built form there and of course, there has to be no
available direct flights for them to grant it.