Being an Aussie based flyer, almost one-third of my 1585 flights have been with the Australian carrier, Qantas. In addition I have flown every current and past One World carrier! This volume of flights means that I have achieved Qantas Gold for Life status (equivalent to One World Sapphire) in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. I have also been Qantas Platinum (One World Emerald) for nine of the last ten years (I slipped one year). This status earns me a level of One World Priority benefits, which includes priority check-in, airport lounge access, priority boarding,…
One World
Tag Archives for One World.
Poor One World connectivity: When a booking goes Really Awry
I am a devoted fan of Qatar Airways, my preferred airline. I am a One World Emerald passenger, which is the highest level for frequent fliers in the One World system. I appreciate the benefits that come from heat arrangement. However, what should have been a seamless, terrific One World experience, however, turned into a more stressful experience due to the handling of a sudden change in my flight itinerary. I booked a four-segment flight from Jakarta, Indonesia to New York’s JFK and back, with connections in Doha, Qatar. The total miles for the roundtrip…
Dodging National Closures – Last Plane to Bangkok
I was in the USA for family reasons on a long arranged trip and was in the Northern suburbs of Philadelphia, USA. My Home base is in the northern suburbs of Bangkok, Thailand. Having worked in public health, I monitored the virus carefully. As the infections accelerated flight cancellations, lockdowns and compulsory quarantined accelerated. I decided to cut short my US business and get back to Bangkok. This was a rather nerve wracking trip as I tried to dodge the virus, country closures and airline shutdowns. Booking Finding a way home from Philadelphia proved to…
Six times Round the World- My 2019 Travel Highlights.
Last year’s travel adventures took me to 26 countries- including two new ones: Estonia and Russia. I have now lived in or visited 78 countries- most of which still exist. My travel distance by bus, train, ferry and plane was the equivalent of traveling around the globe six times. Where did you get to in 2019? I had some amazing Highlights: Meandering around marvelous Malacca/Melaka- thoroughly enjoyed this historic Malaysian city, the food, atmosphere and people. Stunning couple of weeks in Austria including a hike in the lower alps. Rambling around Ljubljana, the charming capital…
My 2019 Travel Plans -What are yours?
What are your travel plans for 2019? At this stage I plan to visit 15 countries across the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Pacific. . I plan to visit two new countries this year- probably the two will be in Eastern Europe. In Asia, I have plans to go to Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.There will be at least two diversions to Europe, one of which will involve Christmas markets! The Pacific will see me travel around Australia and New Zealand and across to the Americas. I have now flown 105 airlines. I…
Welcoming Royal Air Maroc to fracturing OneWorld
Royal Air Maroc has been revealed as One World’s newest member ending days of speculation as to whether it or China Southern were joining. Royal Air Maroc fixes a massive hole for One World: a member airline based in Africa. Star Alliance have Ethiopian and South African as members giving them a massive footprint across the continent, Skyteam has Kenya which currently has a substantial network too. One World only has a handful of routes in Southern Africa through British Airways Comair. Royal Air Maroc serves 94 destinations: The airline flies to several One World…
Auf Wiedersehen Air Berlin- what went wrong?
Next year should be Air Berlin’s 40th birthday. From a small charter operation founded in 1978, the airline grew to become Germany’s second largest, and Europe’s seventh biggest. 8,600 staff work for the carrier which up to recently, was flying to 42 destinations with a fleet of 114 planes. I have a small soft spot for the airline, its staff, history and most of all its home base, my second favourite city in the world. But nothing seems to be going to save Air Berlin. The airline has been in trouble for some time. I…
Qantas Gold for Life- After 20 years
A minor monumental moment happened this week for me, when Qantas shifted me from Lifetime Silver to Lifetime Gold in recognition of the 385 flights and 562,430 miles flown with them since I joined the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme 20 years ago in 1997. (Plus the few hundred thousand miles on partner carriers such as American, British and Cathay Pacific). Lifetime Gold is the equivalent of One World Sapphire. I am pretty excited by being a Gold member for life. It means that while I am alive and Qantas is in business and they do not change the rules (important…
Small plane, Big Service to Amman: Royal Jordanian’s Economy
DOH: Dohar, Qatar to AMM: Amman, Jordan RJ647 Embraer 175 Scheduled Departure: 12:30 Arrival: 14:25 2 hour 55 min flight Total distance: 1,047 miles / 1,671 km / 902 nautical miles Booking: 8/10 On this sector, it was a toss up between Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian. I figured it was time for a revisit with RJ as I have had more Qatar flights in recent days. While I believe, QR are the superior airline, RJ have a very solid, pleasant product. RJ’s website has been updated since I last used it. The improvements look visually good. The initial booking page…
The world’s best airline: Qatar Airways Economy Dubai to Doha
DXB, Dubai International, UAE to DOH Doha Hamad International Airport Qatar: Qatar Airways QR1025 Scheduled Departure: 09:30 Arrival: 09:40 1hour 10 (In reality, a 40 min flight) Total distance: 235 miles /383 kilometres/ 207 nautical miles Since I first started flying Qatar Airways five years ago, they have never let me down. Consistently high service with leading edge on everything. I often wonder if on my next trip with them, I will be disappointed. Has not happened yet! Today, a review on my shortest flight ever with them! Was curious to see if they keep their standards up!…
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