2022 - The year in review

[JessicaTam]

This year has seen travel slowly get back to normal - flights are delayed more, luggage is getting further away from its owner and airline food is no longer the novelty we look forward to. That's normal isn't it?

I managed to fly somewhere (that's a win isn't it?) and 33 times to boot. No longest or shortest flight records, but I did get to EU, and I also managed to fly from ADL to AKL via DOH. ("Why connect ... " etc, etc.)

So what have you managed to achieve?

 

[azza007]

This year took my first long haul flights in J. Started by visiting Qantas First Lounge in Syd for the first time.
Syd-lhr QF1 & rebooked onto AF for lhr-cdg by Qantas due to weather delays in Sin.
First ever flight in F on the way back cdg-hnd-syd on JL.
No jet lag at all on either end of the trip
I also found a saver award on SQ in F from lhr to melb for Oct 2023
Now to decide on how to get to Europe

 

[Human]

Took full advantage of plentiful reward seat availability in the months after the borders opened by visiting Europe twice, including our first trips to Iceland and Scotland. We saw the Northern Lights, fell in love with Iceland to the extent that we’d love to go back in Summer, took two weeks to circumnavigate Scotland by car (including ferry trips to Orkney and the Hebrides), and also visited France on the way home from both our trips.

On the second trip we had our first experiences of Qatar business class — definitely a fun experience!

Domestically we’ve made multiple trips to Tasmania, NSW and Queensland. It’s fun to be back in the air!

 

[AIRwin]

My year was off to a slow start with no flights in January/February but am now up to 34 flights with another 2 on Christmas Eve (27 in 2021, 22 in 2020 and 62 in 2019).
A few new experiences:

• New passport
• First time overseas since January 2020 (and first time seeing my cousin in GOT since 2005)
• First time ever in helicopter on a joy flight
• Playing Swedish floorball (innebandy)
• Cooling off from the heatwave in Hampstead Heath bathing pond
• ABBA concert in London
• Airlines - Link Airways and Alliance Airlines
• Aircraft - SAAB 340
• Cabin - F on QF (upcoming on Christmas Eve)
• Airport - MEB
• Lounge (but not airport) - GOT, EK in DXB (Concourses A, B and C) and LHR
• Inaugural flights - CBR to SYD on VA, MEL to CBR on JQ

 

[RooFlyer]

56 sectors, 46,163 miles (74,292 km).

New airports GET (Geraldton) BME (Broome) and ASW (Aswan) LXR (Luxor) and ABS (Abu Simbel) in Egypt.
New airline: Nile Air
New aircraft: A220
New lounge: Al Safwa (DOH)
First overseas since March 2020
Best experience: ADL-DOH-MEL on QR QSuites
Airlines: QR, (Qatar),NP (Nile Air), MS (Egypt Air), VA, QF

 

[Mattg]

This year has certainly been a better year of travel for me than the last one!

Still a few flights to go for 2022, but at this stage I've done 69 flights and 73,000 miles this year.

• New airline: FC
• New airports: LJU, CPH, FAO, BOS, MEX, YVR, BWT
• New aircraft type: Airbus A220, CRJ550
• Shortest flight: LIS-FAO
• Longest flight: LAX-MEL
• Best flight: SYD-SIN in SQ J
• Worst flight: YVR-YYC in AC J (delayed from ~8pm until 4am and Air Canada did not handle the situation well)

 

[SYD]

According to TripIt (my virtual travel memory):
Away days: 86
Countries: 6
Cities: 30
Distance: 64,013 kms

Managed to expend my entire SQ points stash from the VA->SQ “deval” transfer and further VA->SQ prior to the near death experience of VA1 only to have them rot and almost expire thanks to Covid but fortunately scored 2xJ SYD-LHR return before most cottoned on that travel was back! Six weeks in the UK and Europe in Mar/Apr without tourist hoards was bliss!

Since then cheeky trips to SIN, NOU and recently a NZ South Island road trip have been fun.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

• 6 Weeks in the states skiing and sightseeing at the start of the year (managed to visit 11 states, tick off some bucket list items, find out how much better Alaska Airlines treats elites...)
• Quick jaunt to the UK via Singapore for a wedding (redeemed QF Y to SIN, then AY new business to Helsinki, quick stopover and euro biz to Heathrow. Return was EK biz MAN-DXB A380 then 777 biz home)
• ticked over 50 flights for the year last week, predominantly work travel, visited every state except NT
• Jumped from QF gold to platinum
• Earned VA platinum with switcharoo
• And still have 3 flights left and ending the year in Sapporo!

Pretty happy with that for the first post covid year!

 

[LadyC]

Still a few flights left before 2022 finishes but I will have done 17 flights totalling 25460 miles by 31 December. The only new airport will be AUS and will tip over into QF platinum around 31 December also. Sadly no new countries, maybe next year.

Edit: Will have new airlines - flying AS down to AUS.

 

[JessicaTam]

I realise I have forgotten a couple of highlights:

First time in Dublin. And I made it to the Oberammergau Passion Play, that was originally due to be in 2020. There is a ten year gap between seasons, so I will see how I go in 2030!

 

[Matt_01]

39 sectors, 92,876 miles (149,470km)
New airline: YB (Harbour Air)
New airports: YWH (Victoria Harbour), CXH (Vancouver Harbour)
New aircraft type: DHC6 Twin Otter (float plane), A319
Shortest flight: YWH-CXH
Longest flight: EWR-SIN

It had been planned as a points burning year, points redeemed for flights taken in 2022 SQ 813K miles and QFF 918K points. In total for the year the only paid flights was around 14 domestic sectors in AU & CA.

Almost forgot Covid also caught up with me, first time in the middle of the year and currently have it for a second time testing positive 2 days ago.

 

[drron]

The travel year was over shadowed by retirement and the final JQ flight out of LST because of work. That ended with 2 extra nights in Brisbane because of the floods.

Another 14 flights. Ten of them SQ J. But 2 BA J and 2QF Y domestic. No new airport.

But first OS flight in 30 months to catch Covid in Bangkok.
Then in August driving trips in Spain and the UK with our first cruise in 3 years around the Mediterranean.

Now spending the rest of the year in Bangkok.

 

[JohnK]

Built my first house. Great feeling and a huge relief as wife was under a lot of stress thanks to the builders and wife and daughter were away for 8 months. Seriously why are builders so scummy? Apologies if you're in the building game and you're one of the few honest ones.

Got a promotion at work. I was promoted to the level I was told I was at 3 years ago. Email was sent with all the promotions. My name not on the list. Now 4 months and still no sign of promotion. Obviously the care factor from management is zero. I really don't know why I continue to over perform. I'd be better off under the microscope and doing very little.

Had a few flights. Back to 3 trips a year to Thailand. The flying experience is not that great anymore and is worse than what it was 3 years ago. I hope this fad with A350 goes away real quick.

Unfortunately health continues to deteriorate. Really miss being able to play golf. Take what I can get while I can get it.

 

[gaz0303]

Back to pre-covid travel levels
64 segments. 44 of them on a Dash8/Saab/ATR. Only new airport was Palmerston North in NZ on only international trip.

Not one travel related hiccup or long delay that could be blamed on an airline. One or two extreme weather events though which also provided for some of the most turbulent flights I have experienced.

Next year is my year to make WP on QF.

 

[Hvr]

An interesting year:
Only six segments and at least three legs ran late.
MEL-HKT in Feb was a couple of hours late departing. Return ok.
MEL-NTL ok, the return, NTL-MEL was delayed overnight.
MEL-BKK not very late. BKK-MEL, four hours late departing.

Changed employers on promotion, still WFH which is excellent.

Attended an AFF function, which was great.

Have redeemed a couple of trips for next year and hope to visit Spain.
Probably final year of WP and LTG will kick in.

After what we've gone through the last few years, I'm not overly fussed about might happen.

 

[RooFlyer]

Have redeemed a couple of trips for next year and hope to visit Spain.

Ooooh ...Spain .. envious!

 

[Scarlett]

Should be seven more flights to go before the end of the year and that should take me to (according to OpenFlights):

* 44 flights - only one of which was on an Australian airline. (Citizenship fail award )
* 54,400 miles (5 days, 10+ hr airborne)

* New airlines: QG, SK, LH, IW, JT, PC, A3, KL
* New airports: TJQ, ARN, FRA, ECN, AYT, PLM, BPN, KOE, PKU, MDC, UPG, BDJ, PNK, ADA
* New aircraft type: Nil
* Shortest flight: SUB-DPS
* Longest flight: CGK-IST
* Best flight: All TK J longhauls
* Worst flight: CGK-SYD in GA Y overnight
* Best lounge: TK IST
* Worst lounge: QF HBA box cupboard
* Best hotel: TUI Magic Life, Belek, Turkey
* Worst hotel: Renaissance LHR

* Flights with my golf clubs: 42 (out of the 44)
* Games of golf in 2022: 43, across six countries.

 

[Lynda2475]

21 Flights (22 segments):

• 13 in J
• 8 in Y
• 13 classic award / OWA, 8 paid
• 1 flight upgrade on points

3 New Airports: NAN, EDI, GLA
4 Airlines flown: QF, FJ, BA, AA
4 countries visited: Fiji, Singapore, UK (England & Scotland), USA
4 Aussie states: Qld, Vic, SA and Tas
Shortest Fight: GLA to LHR
Longest Flight: DFW to SYD
New Hotel Brands stayed: Indigo, Voco
Free Hotel Upgrades: 3

 

[AIRwin]

Posting here on B-half of JQ:

https://newsroom.jetstar.com/2022--a-year-in-review-bargains-bali-and-bluey/

 

[bPeteb]

I'm surprised what we've done this year considering the decline in my health.

Our annual weight reduction trip to FNQ was fun as usual - three nights each in Port Douglas and Palm Cove over new years to sweat a few kilos off
We then headed back to Tassie in Feb for another 16 days. Car and hotels instead of last year's campervan. Had a terrific time.
Then a long weekend in Sydney where we finally visited coughatoo Island. I think a stay in one of the old residences is in order.
Next across to WA (my first ever trip) to see the whale sharks at Ningaloo. Amazing! Then back to Freo, a place we both loved and a return required.
A return to the NZ south island in Sept to see bAl's sister and kids and our second campervan holiday. Very cold but clear and beautiful, camper a tad too small, my colitis wasn't my best friend, but we still had magical time.
Our last trip for 2022 was another long weekend, this time to another new destination, the Mornington Peninsula. Hired a Tesla. What a fantastic experience. I'd have a Model Y tomorrow if that lunatic Musk wasn't involved in the company.

A week tomorrow we're off to sweat some more in FNQ with five more trips already booked for next year and maybe a colon removal somewhere in there. Life is good