A lot of what I write here are trip reports from past trips. Reports from a past trip to Cape Town with flights on United Polaris and Qatar QSuites is mostly finished. Now I’m off on another trip, with more suites to try.
How this trip came about: Suites and Suites
This one is to finally use a Qatar Airways ticket I bought more than 2 years ago and changed multiple times. Note that Qatar still has a flexible booking policy, although it has been tightened up somewhat compared to what it once was. I barely remembered that I had to deal with an annoying payment verification process way back when I booked in early 2020. This was a sale fare I bought originating in Europe, and due to changes over time, eventually I settled in on a FRA-SYD ticket.
I picked a April date months ago hoping things might be open and available then, and thankfully it has proved to be the case. As things firmed up a bit, I decided to add some fun stuff to do on the way there and then back home. This includes a flight in Singapore Suites, which had a bunch of award availability recently. This will be my first time on this product, although I did fly Singapore First Class a while back.
Singapore Suites is my way back to the US from Frankfurt, and to get to Europe at the start of my trip. I found flights on American for less than $500 with confirmable upgrade space. Best part of this is that I used one of my soon to expire Systemwide upgrades. Looking at the schedule, I realized I could return to Liverpool for a football match. This is a tight fit around my Qatar flight schedule, but it could work. I had to book flights from Liverpool on Wizz air, which will be a new experience. Then a Lufthansa award booked with United miles to get to Frankfurt. After flying Singapore to JFK, I’m on a sub-$100 ticket on a new JetBlue nonstop to Milwaukee.
Hotels, including hopefully some more suites, and a train ride
While this is vacation, as I do sometimes, there isn’t much time for relaxing. Then again, several flights in cushy airplane seats/suites. Lots of time on the go and moving around. Including several short stays in London, Liverpool, and Frankfurt. But once at my destination, a bit more time while in Sydney. I had a soon to expire free night certificate, so I’ll return to the Park Hyatt Sydney, a favorite hotel with an amazing view. Another expiring award, a Suite Night Award will hopefully clear at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport. Not a fancy place, but very convenient for a morning departure, as it is just steps away from the terminals.
Struggling to find good flights from London to Liverpool, I realized a train would be much easier. City Center to city center, with easy access to hotels. I always like to fly, but efficient train service is a great way to get around, even in the UK. Complicated, but it will hopefully work out as planned. Minimal travel restrictions remaining, other than pre-arrival COVID testing for Australia.
Final thoughts
Looking forward to this trip. When this posts, I’ll already be enroute on my trip. Full trip reports to follow when I’m back.
