Your 2017 flying year in review

[jomar]

Segments: 27 (all Y apart from one domestic J)
Miles: 73,854
Shortest flight: CHC-DUD (204 miles) x 5
Worst flight: Concertinaed into a Flybe Dash 8 LCY-EDI after 39 hours of Y from NZ
New airlines: EK
New websites and apps: AFF, TripIt, LoungeBuddy, ITA Matrix, EF

While I've had lots of short-haul weekends away in some previous years, only one flight this year was like that (and its return was on the Caledonian Sleeper). The other 26 added up to an unprecedented for me 3.5 return trips between the UK and New Zealand in a single year.

Living on the other side of the world from aged parents in declining health, we've long known there'd be some trips home at short notice sooner or later. We didn't anticipate that this scenario would play out twice in the same year.

En route to NZ in March, I blagged my way into the SYD Int J lounge using a long-since expired paper silver comp invitation and discovered that the lounge was a nicer experience than hunting out the various free showers on the DXB/SYD/MEL concourses. So when Qantas offered 40% off QP membership soon after, I ran the numbers (N projected UK/NZ trips over next few years x me+partner vs not enough projected trips to conceivably attain any lounge-included QFF status; being a "cheapest discount economy fare of the day" person vs going all-in on QF) and said hell yes.

Then in September I was booking Sep/Oct and Dec/Jan UK/NZ trips just as the QF DSC offer appeared. Discovered AFF while searching to see if other people's DSC registration experiences were as ambiguous as mine. Spent a week doing not much else but reading old AFF threads. Started using the other tools listed above. Reported bugs in LoungeBuddy (fixed in a couple of hours) and the QFF earnings calculator . And now thanks to the DSC offer I'm on 730 SC for the year and made it to SG after all.

If we have an actual holiday in NZ next year as planned, using what I've learned from AFF we'll be doing it in J (first ever long-haul J experience) and it'll bounce me up to WP. And then I'll start planning the 280K…

Thank you and Merry Christmas and other holidays to everyone sharing their knowledge on this fascinating community!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Segments = 89 or 90
New airports = PNP - Girua and TFI - Tufi
Shortest flight = Kairik to Nagoli (roughly 61 km I think)

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

tripit says I racked up a tad over 153,000KM in flights.

Got to try ANA and Emirates F for the first time. Think I drank enough Hibiki 21 and Hennessy Paradis to decide I need further taste testing before I can choose a clear winner . Got to love the self serve bar at the front of the EK F cabin.

My parents had their first international trip to the UK and back from Paris. They were highly impressed with SQ J, but my mum is adamant she wont fly Asiana again

Was disappointed with my QR F experience. Flight crew just didn't seem interested.

Had what I think was my best flight in SQ F to Tokyo on the SIN - NRT hop where the FA lead me through the meal with a variety of wines. I was wishign it was a much mmmuuuuuccccchhh longer flight.

Will sorely miss the cheap TG F flights from United going forward.

 

[Gary. Wang]

14 segment all in Y.
and 11 to go，all in F to keep Star Alliance gold card.
Base in Perth and Beijing. Mostly SQ and CA.
New to this community.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

New to this community.

Welcome to AFF

 

[BAM1748]

Didn't seem to fly much at all this year, made QF Gold with SCs to spare though. Just felt a bit of a non event year in the flying world.

 

[JessicaTam]

14 segment all in Y.
and 11 to go，all in F to keep Star Alliance gold card.
Base in Perth and Beijing. Mostly SQ and CA.
New to this community.

Welcome to AFF

And a welcome from me as well. With 11 F flights in the next two weeks you will fit right in!

 

[JohnM]

Nice bit of scatter in 2017. All SF leisure. 5F, 22J, 5Y. Flew over WKS.

 

[Gary. Wang]

Just following on from others who have gone before.

Hello, how can I make a post in Credit card referral part?

And a welcome from me as well. With 11 F flights in the next two weeks you will fit right in!

CA calendar year is from April to April. If I fly this year. The expiration date will be 2019 April 1st. I will fly at march so that the expiration could be 2020 April.

Thank you

Welcome to AFF

 

[JessicaTam]

Hello, how can I make a post in Credit card referral part?

Have a look at the first thread in the referrals sub-forum. There are a minimum number of posts and time as a member before posting there.

 

[Mr Pumblechook]

I look forward to this thread all year long

This year I managed 63 segments and 126,554 miles - record segments by 10 but short of my record miles by 10,000 reflecting a lot more domestic flying this year. All of it was Y except for an SQ J redemption, which was by far my highlight of the year.

Plenty of time spent in a VA 737 - 38 of the 63 segments (60%) were BNE-MEL or MEL-BNE - but some new airports (AUA, DUS, JFK, MUC, VCE, YYZ) and one new airline (EN) as well.

 

[Gary. Wang]

awesome！

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I look forward to this thread all year long

I usually look forward to reading JohnK's tally. True dedication to the FFer cause!

 

[harvyk]

This year was only 14 sectors, however in my defence, that was 3 long haul trips, including a RTW.

This year also included taking the family across to HKG, which was awesome, and managed to get a couple of long haul J sectors in there as well.

Interestingly, with exception to positioning flights, I didn't do any domestic flying at all this year. Each trip my destination was international.
In lots of ways I prefer this sort of flying to 50 sectors of mainly golden triangle, even if it's not as frequent.

 

[kookaburra75]

I've finally got enough time to think about what this year has involved for me:

Segments: 75 for work, 8 for leisure / 72 Y, 7 J / 21 Intl, 62 Dom
Miles: 101379
No new countries or airlines
New airports: HTI
Shortest flight: CBR-SYD (146 miles)

Certainly the highlight was being able to get get upgrades to J from Y on the run to the UK, twice (and fingers crossed for Jan 2018); as well as being able to take my better half to Singapore in J for her birthday in Oct, with lovely service from the QF crew - downside, nothing else but J will do from now on...

 

[mel-world]

Season's Greetings to all at AFF. I really enjoy this community even if I do not post as often as I should.

Most of my travel is now self-funded or upgraded on points so mainly concentrating on two airlines (SQ and VA) and one hotel chain (Hilton). Managing to keep TPPS on SQ and will make Diamond again on HH after being Gold for a few years (but that was a bit of luck as had 31 days straight in one property).

Only one new airline (IB) and one two new airports - INV and SZX (I think) but my airport count is over 150 now so the new locations are getting rarer. Highlight was definitely an SQ F RTW - MEL via FRA to NY and SFO to MEL via HKG. Unbelievable service delivery.

 

[HockeyMonkey]

Segments: 16 (All in Y, although with one upgrade to W)
Miles: 61011
New Airlines: Delta, Vueling, Monarch, Flybe, WestJet
New Countries: None
New Airports: YYC
Shortest Flight: SJC-LAX (308 miles)

Lots of cheapie airlines this year on short flights. Visited 10 customers in 5 days in 3 countries which was fun.
Dodged a bullet on Monarch who went broke shortly after I flew with them from CDG-VCE, stranding a lot of people
All long haul on A380 (QF/EK). Love that plane.
No checked baggage, except where I learnt the hard way not to fly US domestic without priority boarding where 3 piece luggage sets are the norm for carry on

Highlight was a trip to Banff, although squeezing in a Venice weekend getaway during a work trip was nice as well.

Next year should be much nicer with at least 8 long haul J segments booked for 3 separate holidays thanks to advice on this site.

 

[QF WP]

Mine is boring as usual, all Australian domestic travel.

Segments: 24 (work related = 18, personal= 6)
Miles: 18,463 (QF= 6,819 and VA= 11,644)
Airlines: QF and VA (QF=7 and VA=17)
Cabin: Business=6, Economy=18
Upgrades: 6, all points upgrades, 2 x QF, 4 x VA

After a tough couple of years on the home front, looking at USA [for the first time in 15 year] in June school holidays (SEA, Boeing factory, staying with cousins in GEG and of course LAX for the kids and theme parks); then NAN with our neighbours to celebrate my 50th (this year) ans 3 of their 40's (next year). 7 kids and 6 adults, will hopefully be at DT Sonsali Island, thanks to a recommendation from @straitman.

My brother is heading to Russia for the World Cup, so I suppose will be there with @cove's sons and other AFF'ers.

 

[EestiTiger]

Mine pale into nothing when I read some of these posts!

Segments: 27 Y/J/F
Miles: 44,385
Shortest flight: OOL-BNE 58 miles We were delayed out of ADL, circled for a while before diverting to OOL for fuel.
Longest flight: LAX-HKG 7243 miles Thankfully in CX F. I had the whole F cabin to myself
New airlines: Spirit, Southwest

Merry Xmas to all

 

[Stevo.1702]

Segments: 65
Miles: 64,674
New country: South Korea, Taiwan,
New airlines: CX
New airports: Many
Shortest flight: CNS-TSV (176 miles)
Longest flight: DFW-SYD (8575 miles)

First ever F class flight this year (albeit trans-Tasman on Emirates and only so I can say that I've done it)
Also first flight in PE on QF SYD-DFW and 5 flights on CX (4 of which was on the A350)

2018 so far will see me hit Lifetime Silver with QF and add regional Roma and Wellington NZ to my flight map - and that's just January! Only one significant trip planned next year is East Coast USA which will see me clock up some miles on CX.

It is amazing how much my travel habits have changed since joining AFF. Admittedly I'm spending a lot more time in aircraft (why fly direct?) yet my spend has gone down and my status has gone up.

Thank you to everyone in this community. Many of you have answered questions I haven't even thought to have asked. I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.