Day 6 1st April 2017

Day 6 1^st April 2017

Mid trip round up.

This trip will should see me to Gold. All of the sectors booked add up to 1760 Tier points with 1500 being the qualification for Gold. You need 4 sectors booked either on BA metal or as a BA codeshare which I’ve already got in.

As I land in HKG that’s 880 Tier points in the bag and around 20,000 avios.

I’ll take this opportunity to cost up the trip and put into perspective what it takes to get to gold these days.

You can certainly still do it cheaper than this but my main criteria was actually getting to places that I needed or wanted to be as opposed to just flying around, I’ve routed through as many long distance pairs as possible on this trip and put in a return to Tallinn at the start and end to take advantage of physically needing to be at heathrow to start and end the trip but I’d have been in Shanghai and Hong Kong on some kind of ticket regardless of tier points.

Total flight costs for the trip:

LHR-HEL-PVG £1329

LHR-HEL-TLL-HEL-LHR £230  x 2 = £460

PVG-KUL-BOM-KUL-PVG = £552

BOM-KUL-HKG-KUL-BOM = £686

Total cost of flights = £3027. I actually had a £150 discount from Amex for this so the cost worked out at £2877 for 1760 Tier points. £1.63 per tier point which is pretty good if you need to be somewhere anyway.

The trip will also generate around 40,000 avios which I’d value at between £200-300 conservatively. 

Day 5 31st March 2017

Day 5 31^st March 2017

Flight 1: BOM-KUL Malaysian MH0186 23:25

Aircraft: Boeing 737

Distance: 2228 miles

Tier Points: 140

Flight boards with a small delay and we head out to take off. I’m not at all tired or hungry so I just get a glass of water and then play some tunes hoping that I’ll drift off.

As we fly down the Strait of Mallaca there is an absolutely huge thunderstorm to our left hand side. It proves impossible to catch on film but was an incredible sight. I saw one of these in 2014 when on a JFK-LAX flight and this one was equally impressive, lights up the entire horizon.

I should really sleep but don’t and stay away for an entire 5 hour red eye. That’s going to bite me on the backside at some point. Land in KUL pretty much on time with nice sunrise on the way in

Flight 2: KUL-HKG Malaysian MH0186 23:25

Aircraft: Airbus A330-300

Distance: 1572 miles

Tier Points: 40

There’s about an hour and a half till the next flight, again transiting at KUL is pretty simple but the toilets and airport lounges are really badly signposted. The Malaysian Airlines lounge is large but pretty grubby, and it smells really bad of some kind of cooking oil. The wifi also doesn’t work with my laptop so I head to the Cathay lounge which is small but comfortable and has scrambled eggs at least…

Trusty A330 ready to go

This flight is just under 2000 miles so only attracts 40 tier points, despite that it has a lie flat bed and I manage a few hours sleep here. The entire cabin is filled with people making retching noises trying to clear their throats all flight.

We land in HKG. I submit a Chinese visa application at the airport which I’ll be needing next week and get the airport express over to Hong Kong Island to meet with family. £10 for a one way 26 minute train trip, Heathrow express eat your heart out! Rainy in HK

Check into the Intercontinental hotel on Kowloon, I had a fantastic stay here back in 2015 over Chinese new year as the view over the harbour is unbeatable. The service at the hotel is also incredible, the best I’ve ever experienced.

Checked into a Harbour view suite with an absolutely stunning view. The travel has taken it’s toll so I go for a quick gym session, head to the club lounge for some canope’s and a few glasses of wine before getting a 20 minute jacuzzi with my brother and then crashing out.

Day 4 30th March 2017

Day 4 30^th March 2017

I wake up at midday, my next flight is at 23.25 and will see me to Honk Kong where I’ll be spending a few days visiting family.

I’ve just realised that Mumbai is somehow 30 minutes out of sync with BST, ie 4 hours and 30 minutes ahead of London. That’s a bit strange.

It’s really hot out. I head to the gym and book in a massage to try and sort out my calves which are still giving me trouble after the weekend’s 5 miler.

I check out at 4pm and head up the restaurant for a delicious meal of chicken meat balls and lamb biryani. 

The view from the hotel is incredible. Spend a few hours just soaking up the atmosphere on marine drive and watching day turn to night over a few kingfisher ultra’s.

Before I know it it’s time to head to the airport. In one respect I’d annoyed that I didn’t get out and explore and from another point of view I needed the rest, feeling much better now than when I landed.

The hotel want to charge £60 for their car so I opt for a local metered cab.

All of the metered cabs run on CNG…

In Honk Kong they run on LPG. I figure that India probably needs to do it for economy, hong kong does it because it’s clever which by some sort of deduction means we don’t run our taxi’s on gas because we’re moderately rich and stupid.

Sharing the back of the cab with a gas tank…

Driving through Mumbai is a real eye opener, quite strange to see people living in the slums and be in a taxi passing by about to be drinking champagne at 38,000ft above them. I’m not sure there’s a great deal I can do to improve their outcomes but its’s still a random chance of birth that separates out lives which is hard to reconcile.

Taxi is 500 Rupee's (about £6) for an hour drive. I leave the chap a 100% tip as I can't believe how cheap it is.

Upon arriving at the airport the security is extremely tight, lots of guards with machine guns, and to get into the terminal you need to have a piece of paper showing a valid booking for today. The chap in front has changed his flight and the security at the actual outside door of the airport building insists that he shows him the new booking on his phone.

I check in at the desk, and go through security and immigration promptly and head to the airport lounge. It’s large with a selection of mediocre food but they do have sprite zero which is a rarity and also magic masala flavour crisps!

Get some work done for an hour or so, then head to the gate and board, by which time it's gone into day 5...

Day 3, March 29th 2017

Day 3 March 29^th 2017

“Nothing’s ever what we expect, but they keep asking where I go next. All we’re chasing is the sunset” Robin Schulz

Daily Routing PVG-KUL-BOM

My body clock has now completely lost track of which way is up and which way is down. A 777 pilot once told me the secret to crossing time zones was to sleep when you’re tired, and it seems to mean multiple 3 hour naps a day. I’m woken by my alarm at the hotel at 13.00. Quick shower and I go to the immigration to leave Shanghai.

Flight 1: PVG-KUL Malaysian MH0389 15:25

Aircraft: Airbus A330-300

Distance: 2358 miles

Tier Points: 140

I’ve already checked in and printed my boarding pass but go to the check in desk to make sure everything is in order as I understand Indian Visa requirements can be a little strict. I’m travelling on an E-Visa and have not printed it, it's on my phone. 

I’m hoping to print it in the lounge airside but when I get through there is no printing facility. Quite short on time due to long queue at border control I head down to the gate and the flight has begun boarding.

Quick shot of some Kohler advertising on the baggage trolleys in Shanghai for my girlfriend who works for them back in the UK..

The flight is around 5 hours and it’s equipped with lie flat beds, I’m well rested now though so I don’t think I’ll be sleeping.

We take off on time, and the meal is served. Satay chicken to start, which is OK followed by a salad and fish which is inedible. I eat the vegetables and send the rest back.

Settle down to a film “War Dogs” which is reasonably entertaining before catching up on blog writing.

Flight is uneventful and we land with an to spare prior to my next flight.

Flight 2: KUL-BOM Malaysian MH0186 22:15

Aircraft: Boeing 737

Distance: 2228 miles

Tier Points: 140

KUL is simple to transit through, I have to get a 5 minute train to my gate but it’s all airside so no border control to worry about. I head to the Malaysian airport lounge and the chap on the desk kindly prints my E-Visa for india for me, apparently you need a paper copy of the email and not just the reference number to gain entry.

I head down the gate, where everyone’s bag gets security scanned at the gate (as they do in Tegel berlin also) and the flight has a delay of 30 minutes.

I call the Intercontinental in Mumbai to ask them to arrange a car to pick me up and they quote 4800 Rupee’s, about £60. A quick call to an Indian friend back in the UK confirms that this is a ridiculous price and he tells me to get a pre pay taxi at the airport upon arrival.

We then board and are away. 737 for this sector which I'm expecting to be pretty uncomfortable.

It’s very late but I’m very hungry after a day of very little food. I’m hoping for a much better meal than the previous flight and I’m not disappointed by some much fresher satay skewers followed by a tasty lamb rogan josh.

Dinner done and it’s seat back but I’m struggling to sleep, the plane is a 737 so not lie flat but a 4 a breast recliner similar to what you get on US domestic flights. It’s actually pretty comfortable (compared to BA club Europe at any rate) but I’m not that tired so I fire up the tunes and watch some TV.

I do drift off at some point for a short while and am woken by our descent into Mumbai.

Landing is smooth, “the local time is 1.21am and the temperature is 27 degrees”, pretty much midday sun on the hottest day of summer in the UK then, only in the middle of the night!

Mumbai airport new and modern, simple to get through and in the end the border control goes without a hitch with the E-Visa.

I get a prepaid taxi for 1700 Rupee and head the intercontinental. Mumbai looks really dirty but is still reasonable busy even at 2am, plenty of people driving around and lots of people walking down Marina drive. It’s my first time in India and initial impressions are that it seems like an incredibly interesting place, I just get the feeling there is a lot to see here.

Check in done and I’m to bed.

Day 2 March 28^th 2017

“Baby Baby is a wild world” Cat Stevens

Daily Routing LHR-HEL-PVG

It’s a beautiful morning in London, I wake up to a view of the greatest pinnacle of aviation man has yet created, Concorde. I hear we will trigger article 50 tomorrow, perhaps they’ll rev her up for a lap of honour.

Fire up the quattro…

Flight 1

Flight 1: LHR-HEL Finnair AY832 10:20

Aircraft: Airbus A350

Distance: 1134 miles

Tier Points: 80

Looking forward to my first trip on an A350 today, well 2 trips in fact. I print off some documents I’ll need for Visa’s in the next few days from the business centre and check out. Highly recommend the Garden inn, really nice hotel for the money.

I decide to time how long it takes from check out to getting to the Cathay Lounge at T3.

8.22 walk out of garden inn, walk to hatton cross underground station and catch the tube to Terminal 3. Up 2 sets of escalators, through fast track security and I’m in the Cathay lounge by 8.50. Less than 30 minutes from check out to drinking a coffee.

Flight is delayed by 30 mins, so boot up and get an hour of work in to kick the day off. Help myself to a delicious Cumberland sausage, scrambled egg and some mushrooms in the Cathay Lounge.

Head down to the gate to board and get some plane nerd shots in.

American Airlines (Dreamliner?)

More concorde …

and an engine nerd shot, the Trent XWB on the A350 is the latest Rolls Royce triple spool commercial engine with the world’s first ever triple spool RB211 hanging off the BA 747 in the background. What with the olympus’s on the concorde you’ve got one serious collection of British engineering there.

This flight’s a bit of an anomaly in that it’s a long haul plane on a short haul route, apparently Finnair use the A350 as the extra room for cargo is well utilised all of which means I get a bed, so after burning the candle at both ends for the past days I once again sleep through the entire flight to Helsinki.

I arrive, head into the Finnair lounge at which point I realise that the lounge seemed smaller than 3 years ago as they have separated short haul and long haul travellers, as my onward leg is long haul to Shanghai I’m directed into the business lounge which looks far more familiar.

The food offering is more extensive, but I don’t want to overeat so have some fruit, salad and a coffee and once again get some more work done.

The flight to shanghai is on time so I head off to the gate, no passport check needed prior to the gate, this airport is an absolute breeze to transit through.

Flight 2: HEL-PVG Finnair AY832 10:20

Aircraft: Airbus A350

Distance: miles

Tier Points: 140

Up until now I’ve just been burning cheap flights for points or positioning, this time I’m actually boarding a flight to get to somewhere I need to be. I’ll be meeting with a supplier in Shanghai and attending the F1 with them in 10 days time.

I’m on another Finnair A350, as this is long haul they give out a washbag, slippers and some bose headphones. First thing to note Is that the entertainment system is very slick on this place, touchscreen – it’s almost as responsive as an ipad which is a real revelation compared to what BA have on their A380’s in first class. I’m not really into movies so turn the screen onto camera mode for take off. Nice slippers..

As we leave Helsinki there are yet more stunning views of frozen lakes.

You know humans have got too clever when you can have a champagne cocktail, some crackers with fish dip while flying over the frozen deserts of Russia listening to cat stevens and blogging it to the internet over the in air wifi.

Dinner is a really nice beef dish, which goes down well with a couple of glasses of red wine served in a tumbler, here's a token picture. Tastes much better than it looks.

I get several hours of sleep and am woken up for breakfast which is reasonably decent, a yoghurt and frittata.

The A350’s been a great host, it feels a bit louder than the A380 but it’s smooth and very comfortable.

As we descend into Shanghai, the most populous city in the world according the the in flight information, it’s incredible that the airport is surrounded by tiny little B roads with people tending to fields of crops mainly by manual means.

I arrive in Shanghai on time, which leaves me with 7 hours until my next connection. I clear immigration on a transit visa and decide I need a hotel so book into motel 168 which is between terminal’s 1 and 2 just above the maglev station. 298RMB later (about £30) and I have a room for 6 hours to get some sleep. Not seen a dot matrix printer for a very long time, it seems they all got sent to China as it’s all they have behind the check in desk whizzing away frantically. There's a very interesting note on the desk in the hotel, and now it's time for a nap...

Day 1 March 27^th 2017

Daily routing: LHR-HEL-TLL-HEL-LHR

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it” George Moore.

The days leading up to this trip have been pretty hard going on my body, after a week skiing in the alps we had a 4am wake up call on Saturday 25th for our transfer back to grenoble which ended in us taking 13 hours to get home because of various delays. I then had an early Sunday morning 7am start for the Ox5 charity 5 mile running race.

It’s a 4.30am start on Monday morning to leave Cheltenham and head for Heathrow. Day one is an out and out tier point earning mission, literally a return trip to Tallinn via Helsinki which generates 200 tier points. The flights have been on offer for about 6 months here now and via an amex offer I’ve managed to get them in for £180 return which gives 90p per tier point, my personal limit is £1 per tier point as an additional value I’m willing to pay for a flight in order to generate extra TP’s so this qualifies.

Flight 1: LHR-HEL Finnair AY3126 07:30

Aircraft: Airbus A320

Distance: 1134 miles

Tier Points: 80

I get dropped off at Terminal 3 at 6.20am, straight through security and I’m in the lovely new Cathay Pacific lounge in T3 by 6.35am. Not feeling particularly hungry I force down a bircher muesli, get in a quick 20 minutes of emails and then head down to the boarding gate. Having just returned from a skiing trip I’m absolutely spent so get on board and fall asleep for the entire flight. No photo’s, no food, no drink. Before I know it we’re 10 minutes to landing! It’s warmer than expected in Helsinki, I haven’t packed a coat and despite the snow on the ground as we’re on approach it’s perfectly fine with just a jumper as we depart the plane.

Flight 2: HEL-TLL Finnair AY107 13:45

Aircraft: ATR 72

Distance: 63 miles

Tier points: 20

Helsinki Airport really is a delight, transiting here is an absolute breeze. I’m travelling only with hand luggage so can stay airside. I head into the Finnair premium lounge and settle down to some work while I wait for the next flight, food here is a bit odd, lots of herring, some strange beef casserole affair but lovely lounge and as ever very chilled out Fins everywhere.

Quick electronic passport scan at the Schengen border and I’m through to the gate for my next flight.

Board the dual turbo prop ATR 72 and 20 minutes after take off I’m in Tallinn.

Flight 3: TLL-HEL Finnair AY114 17:25

Aircraft: ATR 72

Distance: 63 miles

Tier points: 20

All smooth so far, Tallinn airport is very small but a very comfortable place to be. There are complimentary sleep pods which some tier point runners have used instead of booking a hotel. I’m only here for a few hours before I turn straight around and check into the business lounge. Smoked salmon sandwhich and a cup of coffee and it’s time to turn around.

Again boarding is very straight forward, I’ve already checked in to all the flights on day one and have the boarding passes on my phone. Lots of turbulence on the way back to Helsinki and the ATR 72 seems to have a very steep approach. Heavy cross winds make for a pretty interesting angle as we touch down. Caught a photo of people skiing in Helsinki on the approach…

Flight 4: HEL-LHR Finnair AY3125 19:30

Aircraft: Airbus A319

Distance: 1134 miles

Tier Points: 80

Quick trip to the Finnair premium lounge again, just have a cup of coffee and water. Not sure what has happened here but the lounge seems half the size it was 3 years ago when I last passed though.

Boarding is a little late but we’re soon underway. The sunset is incredible and only gets better as we pass over the still frozen lakes as we fly over Finland. At one point the whole sky turns completely red, the photo’s don’t do it justice.

It’s these moments that make me appreciate how amazing it is to be able to fly around. You get to see a perspective on the world that no other generation of humans have seen. You’re sat there drinking a cup of tea, alone with your thoughts and the best view the world has to offer as you look down at London and see cars sitting in traffic on the M25.

I think it’s why I enjoy these tier point runs, it’s a chance to be alone with your own thoughts to be completely removed from the distractions of life and actually have some thinking time to consider what it is one really wants.

A really disgusting lump of rolled up beef with mash is served for dinner and then we’re back to heathrow.

I get on the underground, check into the garden inn Hilton (surely the best kept hotel secret at LHR being right next to hatton cross underground station!) and head down to the gym for an hour before bedding down.

Day one over, and 200 tier points in the bag, cost £180.

Three years on....

Preview

Three years have passed since I last went tier point running. My first adventure back in the spring of 2014 saw me travelling to Hawaii and the Caribbean on a 38 sector mission to hit 5000 tier points and attain Gold Guest List status with BA. I enjoyed 22 months as a gold guest list member before soft landing to silver for a further 12 months.

Since 2014 the tier point earning rules have changed significantly in North America making it much harder to hit the top tier BA status in relatively few sectors. Namely the all business London city to New York BA “babybus” no longer attracts first class tier points (140 now as opposed to 210 then) and similarly domestic flights within the USA in 2 cabin aircraft now only attract business TP’s instead of first.

All of this means that a round trip LCY-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-JFK-LCY will now earn 840 Tier points where it would have earned 1260 back in 2014.

Not one to be deterred by a challenge I’m again attempting to qualify for Gold Guest List status, only this time it’s going to take a more ‘relaxed’ approach over several different trips.

I’m combining some business, family visits and a love of formula one to put together some exciting routings and try to gain GGL status once again, as well as taking advantage of some cheap Finnair fares from LHR-TLL. The goal is once again 5000 Tier points!

Trip 1: Broadly a trip to visit family in Hong Kong, and to visit a supplier in Shanghai whilst taking in the Formula 1 with some exotic routing to maximise TP’s

Routing codes:

LHR-HEL-TLL-HEL-LHR-HEL-PVG-KUL-BOM-KUL-HKG-KUL-BOM-KUL-PVG-HEL-LHR-HEL-TLL-HEL-LHR

(1760 Tier points)

Trip 2: Texas to watch the Formula 1

Routing codes

MAN-HEL-ORD-DFW-SAT-DFW-ORD-HEL-MAN

(600 Tier points)

Trip 3 : Abu dahbi Formula 1

LHR-HEL-LHR-DOH-AUH-DOH-LHR-HEL-LHR

(720 Tier points)

After that I’ll be 1920 points short of GGL, so will be keeping an eye out for something exciting to pop up or if all else fails it will be a few weekends of turnabouts to Tallinn.