Is Business Class $1900 from SE Asia - Europe cheap? (No lounge)

[MELso]

Yes. We just flew out of MAD on CX but will be MUC’ing around next year…

But a much earlier start to your day from memory? In hindsight, that Schengen flight would have allowed us to use the new OWE lounge at MAD. Instead, we had to allow time for EES and then the T4S lounge - which was a complete zoo…

Inbound, we got a “free” tag flight to HEL via MXP, but that included the trauma of “entering” the Schengen zone on a transit. Not advisable.

9AM vs 12.20PM if I flew out of AMS. Given the purpose is to escape UK APD, I had the options of AMS, ZRH, Milan and MAD but I was flying to AMS and taking a cruise from there and ZRH and MXP cost quite a bit more. I've also booked the Novotel near the airport (rather than my usual hotel in town) to hasten departure.

Chasing status does have its costs but in this case, a brutally early start wasn't one of them.