It’s been another interesting year of travel for me, with some familiar destinations and a few new ones.
Firstly, my map of travel for the year.
Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz.
And my segments broken down
- Total distance: 37,753 miles
- Sectors: 22
- Class sectors:
- Business Class 11
- Premium Economy 2
- Economy/Single Class 9
- All with a window seat
- 1 fun segment with a boat across the Irish sea too
- Longest Segment: ORD-HEL (4,436 miles)
- Shortest Segment: BHX<>DUB (200 miles)
Trends
For the first time in some years, my travel is skewed towards premium travel over economy travel – although six of these were redemption flights on BA for short-haul European hops, with the rest being on my long haul Singapore trip.
The big business class trip remains a focus of my travel – mainly so I can get any frequent flyer re-qualifications done and dusted. The fact I can mix this in with a decent holiday is a very nice side effect (and continues to be my strategy for retaining BA Silver).
Premium Economy continues to be a feature in my travel segments – showing when the price is right and when it’s appropriate for the segment – it’s worth its weight in comfort and rest options.
As for economy class – it never went away, filling in the gaps when it’s a mono-class service, or when my wallet can’t justify a premium economy leg (such as Chicago flights).
Firsts
Some firsts for me this year, including flying BA First (on a short-haul leg, granted), trying out QSuites as well as flying the A340-600 and A350-1000 for the first time.
BA First
Qatar Airways QSuites
The rest of the time – its the usual mix of short-haul A320 family aircraft, Boeing 787 Dreamliners across the pond, and a variety of equipment the other way – including the ATR72-600
The Highs
- British Airways set a very high bar towards the end of the year set the bar high in business class between Barcelona and London. The crew was on-point and offered some of the best customer service I’ve ever seen in the air. Expect to see my full reasons and trip report soon enough.
- Qatar Airways showed a consistent high-quality service – From each interaction, their business class and suites deliver in spades.
The Good
- It’s finally good to see American Airlines get their finger out and install Premium Economy Seating. Whilst the seat won’t set the world alight, its more than good enough.
- British Airways is still continuing to have improved across its cabins. Maybe, just maybe they’re remembering they need customers to flourish.
- Finnair provided an interesting long haul experience (and still one of the few carriers to offer a second service hot meal on a transatlantic leg…
- Aer Lingus – constant service delivery with both their mainline and regional products. What more can you ask for?
The “Could and Can Do Better”
- American Airlines are having ups and downs – with on-time departure management being a real problem this year in the segments I flew with them
- Finnair gets a ding for their old cabin A330s. They desperately need a refit – both in terms of seating, but in also in IFE terms.
The “I never want to do that again”
- I had my very first shot of Scoot. And unless I have no other options, I’ll be skipping them (unless it’s an exit or front row).
Into 2020
For me, I’m starting 2020 with a little uncertainty in the real world. With my current secondment coming to an end, I’ll be trying to factor in what travel is next.
All things being equal, Hamburg and Chicago will come first, as well as a few trips over to the Emerald Isle.
Beyond that? It’s a mystery.
And maybe some mysteries need to explored and understood – along with having a fun time in the process.
No matter what, I’ll be keeping apace with the latest in routes and networks, new aircraft and passenger experience news.
From your Writer, Photographer, Technology correspondent, Beta tester, Editor in Chief and Coffee Drinker, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research as well as the humour and madness as I only know how to deliver.
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