Itinerary Exposure Draft - please help me maximise SC's and Lounge experiances

[gumpy]

Starting on a Saturday I'll be fly DONE4 from Auckland.

Start of the trip - I need to get to Newcastle UK preferrably by Sunday night.

End of the trip - I leave Bangkok on a Friday night and want to be in Sydney Monday, morning preferred so that I can sleep when I get back home.

Only 3 segments have been used so far - ie London to NC back to London to Bangkok. I can't add to this section of the flying due to work requirements.

I am thinking as follows: AKL - Santiago - Madrid - London (should I be going via the US? I hate LAX with a passion but maybe able to to go LAX - ORD - NYC as F class). Does anyone rate the Madrid Lounge? Is there a FLounge?

and

way home: BK - HK - Tokyo - Singapore - Syd (my home) and at a later date - Mel - AKL.

 

[markis10]

When are you going, there are big changes to schedules coming up with the winter timetable.

 

[gumpy]

When are you going, there are big changes to schedules coming up with the winter timetable.

OH... in Nov

 

[docjames]

Could switch to SCL-EZE-MAD
or SCL-LIM-MEX-MAD-LHR

Would LHR-DXB-HKG-BKK-HKG-SIN-SYD would be an option (might be one too many segments in Asia in which case drop SIN or HKG the second time).

Have you had a play with the oneworld booking too to see current schedules / OW airline flight possibilities?

 

[gumpy]

Could switch to SCL-EZE-MAD
or SCL-LIM-MEX-MAD-LHR

Would LHR-DXB-HKG-BKK-HKG-SIN-SYD would be an option (might be one too many segments in Asia in which case drop SIN or HKG the second time).

Have you had a play with the oneworld booking too to see current schedules / OW airline flight possibilities?

I didn't consider DXB - I just tried it in the planner and it doesn't work cause to get to BKK you need to go via HK...

I did have a play around with it, just was wondering if there were better routes or better lounges I should visit. Keen to see the Wing and the Tokyo lounges...

 

[ajw373]

I am thinking as follows: AKL - Santiago - Madrid - London (should I be going via the US? I hate LAX with a passion but maybe able to to go LAX - ORD - NYC as F class). Does anyone rate the Madrid Lounge? Is there a FLounge?

Yes Madrid has an F lounge, a couple in fact. The one in the main terminal is pretty coughpy and busy. Think of a busy Qantas domestic lounge and you will get the idea. In the international area of the satellite terminal they have another one which is pretty good and quiet. Also has a good view of one of the runways. If I recall there is another lounge in the domestic/schengen part of the satellite terminal, cannot recall if it is a business lounge or first. In any case the one I have been in was ok.

Now the question is who do you plan to travel from MAD-LHR with? If BA then BA always leaves from the international section of the satellite terminal, so you would get to use the better of the F lounges there. If with IB then chances are the flight will leave from the main domestic/schengen terminal in which case you would use the coughpier lounge. NB when IB uses gates in the main domestic/schengen parts of the terminal, Spanish immigration set-up a passport control in the boarding lounge and the gates they use always seem to be the ones futherest away.

 

[gumpy]

Yes Madrid has an F lounge, a couple in fact. The one in the main terminal is pretty coughpy and busy. Think of a busy Qantas domestic lounge and you will get the idea. In the international area of the satellite terminal they have another one which is pretty good and quiet. Also has a good view of one of the runways. If I recall there is another lounge in the domestic/schengen part of the satellite terminal, cannot recall if it is a business lounge or first. In any case the one I have been in was ok.

Now the question is who do you plan to travel from MAD-LHR with? If BA then BA always leaves from the international section of the satellite terminal, so you would get to use the better of the F lounges there. If with IB then chances are the flight will leave from the main domestic/schengen terminal in which case you would use the coughpier lounge. NB when IB uses gates in the main domestic/schengen parts of the terminal, Spanish immigration set-up a passport control in the boarding lounge and the gates they use always seem to be the ones futherest away.

I'll be flying BA from Madrid to maximise points. Seeing I get a IB flight from SA i'm happy to pass on them for the 2nd round =)