2023 - Year In Review

[RooFlyer]

An opportunity to look back at our flying usually appears by now, so not seeing one yet, here we go.

I think it fair to say that the airline industry spent much of 2023 emerging out of the chaos that was the initial covid recovery period of 2022. By years end volumes were getting back to pre covid level, although cancellations and delays are far too common. Many frills we enjoyed pre covid are still not reinstated.

For myself, its going to end up with 63 flights - the most since 2016 - and 132,000 km



I scored 4 new airports,
* Denpasar, DPS
* Montevideo MVD
* Chisinau KIV
* Puerto Williams, WPU - the latter, the southern most airport in the world serviced by scheduled commercial flights.

Three new counties, Moldova, Uruguay and Indonesia. That's 96 - keeping an eye on you @Flashback

No new airlines, although I did take my second-ever JQ flight DPS-BNE

Unfortunately, as the Flighty app tells me that 73% of my flights (so far) have been delayed, losing 18 hours in the process.

My favourite airline remains QR, with its QSuites. Best business class in the sky.
My best flights were SQ F Suites SYD-SIN, LHR-SIN and SIN-SYD.
Best lounge. Al Safwa First at DOH
This year, I swapped my preferred domestic program from QFF to Velocity via a status match in January, and I retained Plat easily by domestic flights only. Also retained QFF Plat due to QF's status gifting.

 

[AIRwin]

Continuing to slowly ramp up my flying with 36 flights so far and another 2 to go before year end (36 in 2022, 27 in 2021, 22 in 2020 and 62 in 2019).
Some firsts for me:

• Continent - South America
• Countries - Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Mexico
• Airlines - Aeroméxico and LATAM
• Aircraft - B737 MAX 8 (SQ and VA)
• Airport - GRU, MEX, PNH, REP, SCL, VER
• Lounges - MEX, SCL, EK First in DXB (Concourses A, B and C)

 

[kookaburra75]

We had a quiet year at Chez Kookaburra, with 28 flights - but thankfully only 6 were for work. Down from a hectic high in 2018 of 132 flights that were all work.


Highlights:

• First time to Samoa, and a new airport Apia (APW)
• Another new airport Avalon (AVV), which was unintended
• First flights on a 787, on QF3/4 SYD-AKL return

 

[Flyfrequently]

We had an even quieter year with 18 flights but happy that we ticked Portugal off our bucket list.

• Melbourne - Brisbane
• Brisbane - Townsville ( for Magnetic Island - then return )
• Melb - HK - Ams - Lis
• Porto - Amsterdam
• Amsterdam - HKG
• HKG - Melbourne

Enjoyed flying with KLM and even though Schipol can be a bit crazy, would consider that as a European base.

My AFF armchair travel has been very enlightening and have gleaned much knowledge and many ideas for future travel ✈
Season's Greetings and happy travels for 2024

 

[bashworth]

Only 14 Flights for me but added 5 (or is it 6?) new countries (and 1 Continent)

• Chile*
• Antartica*
• Falkland Islands (??)*
• Argentina*
• Uruguay*
• Timor Leste (Was really easy to get Classic Rewards return from Melbourne . . . Really enjoyed the visit but very basic tourist infrastructure)
• India

* On an Oceanic Cruise.

Most frustrating things travel all year were:
1. Trying to get a Buenos Aires transport pass which took us all morning including walking about 2km and getting a taxi half way across the city!
2. Latam refusing to check bags through Santiago when flying back to Australia from Buenas Aires.

 

[SydneySwan]

Flights - 20 (9J, 11Y)
Kilometres - 71,487
New countries - Estonia
Milestones - first ever OWA (and in J)
2 paid flights on Qantas - first since 2012 (all QF flights in the intervening years were classic rewards redemptions)

2024 is looking more promising with 3 new countries (Czechia, Slovakia, Cambodia) booked and 8 / 13 flights booked in J.

 

[rbjhan]

To the surprise of no one I went to Japan twice
9 flights total and 25K miles.
Nothing like the crazy pre covid 2019....but then I highly doubt that will happen again...


Did have one new airline though! BR

 

[Skyring]

A return to international flying for me. Apart from a few masked flights to Queensland for family events, my last international flight was CBR-SYD-WLG return in February 2020 just before everything closed down.

Another Wellington journey in January this year, of which I have no memory at all. I'm sure it was good.

A Jetstar cheapie down to Melbourne and back. I got assigned an exit row for both flights and on the second one I'd worked out what to say when the hostie gave us a run-through on what to do in an emergency (chuck the door out the window and follow it smartish) and asked if there were any questions. "Do we get a practise run?" I asked. That cracked her up but sadly the answer was no. Thank you.

I had to go again later in the year and I went first class. On the train with a pensioner discount and it was pretty bloody tedious with no internet apart from a bit of flaky coverage at the odd station

June was a big deal. Complicated trip to Scotland via BKK and HEL and a couple of glorious flights in their A350 J no-recline seats. Trip report here.

October was a (mostly) J experience to Auckland and back to scrape up enough SC to return to SG. Thing went pear-shaped in Waiheke and the return home was not the pleasant experience I'd hoped for. TR here.

 

[andye]

Most miles ever but largely due to a family bereavement. Was due to go on a Y Egypt-UK-Spain-Maldives OWA but ended up cancelling due to mstrs andye3&4 being selected for NZ rugby tours.The QR/VA status match kept on giving
Miles: 70270
Flights: 24 (4J, 20Y)
New airports: WLG, SVQ
New airline: AirAsiaX
New lounges: QF F (AKL, SIN, HKG) QF Dom J (MEL), BA F (LGW), AY J (HEL Schengen), Plaza SIN, Sala VIP SVQ

 

[exceladdict]

Thanks for starting the thread, @RooFlyer! If I recall correctly, I had no flights booked at the turn of the new year, but ended up with my biggest year of flying ever at 50 flights and just under 179,000km - vast majority of it in Y, with a handful in J on points.

Highlights:

• Travel every month except January, June and July. Hit every day of the week, too!
• New status: Hit WP for the first time in May, granting some brilliant QF F lounge experiences in SYD and SIN
• New airlines: EK, AF, DD
• New airports: DXB, ARN, CDG, COS, DMK, MAQ, HBA, as well as some terminals
• Best flight: A points upgrade from Y to J on QF2 LHR-SIN, travelling with Mrs Excel. An excellent way to finish a great trip. Must get around to writing that TR.

 

[AIRwin]

Hit every day of the week, too!

Every week of the year?

 

[kookaburra75]

We had a quiet year at Chez Kookaburra, with 28 flights - but thankfully only 6 were for work. Down from a hectic high in 2018 of 132 flights that were all work.
View attachment 360012

Highlights:

• First time to Samoa, and a new airport Apia (APW)
• Another new airport Avalon (AVV), which was unintended
• First flights on a 787, on QF3/4 SYD-AKL return

I forgot to add, one new airline - Rex from MEL to CBR on their 737, although I had been on a few of their regional flights in the Saab in the past.

 

[SYD]

A manic year according to TripIt. Not so much the quantity of trips, but the duration (24 wks!). All “leisure” travel burning a bunch points and some relatively good J Sale fares.


New airports: Seattle (SEA), San Diego (SAN), Jakarta (CGK), Lisbon (LIS), Santander (SDR), Boise (BOI), Bozeman (BZN) and coughet (HKT).

New countries: Cambodia and Vietnam (cruise ports of call - need to return to see them properly!).

Across two Nth America trips, ticked off a few more US States: WA, OR, ID, WY, MT, VT, NH, ME (for a total of 30 states and territories so far).

Planes, trains, automobiles and boats.
42 Flights - including first time on Alaska Airlines (AS) and Bangkok Airways (PG).
2 Trains
7 Rental cars (several thousand Kms!) including most of LIS to SDR, BOI to BZN, BOS to YUL.
1 Cruise ship (SE Asia)

First time on QF 8 (that’s a long flight!) and QF 75 (also very long but possibly the best sleep ever on a LH flight).

 

[VPS]

A manic year according to TripIt. Not so much the quantity of trips, but the duration (24 wks!). All “leisure” travel burning a bunch points and some relatively good J Sale fares.

View attachment 360591
New airports: Seattle (SEA), San Diego (SAN), Jakarta (CGK), Lisbon (LIS), Santander (SDR), Boise (BOI), Bozeman (BZN) and coughet (HKT).

New countries: Cambodia and Vietnam (cruise ports of call - need to return to see them properly!).

Across two Nth America trips, ticked off a few more US States: WA, OR, ID, WY, MT, VT, NH, ME (for a total of 30 states and territories so far).

Planes, trains, automobiles and boats.
42 Flights - including first time on Alaska Airlines (AS) and Bangkok Airways (PG).
2 Trains
7 Rental cars (several thousand Kms!) including most of LIS to SDR, BOI to BZN, BOS to YUL.
1 Cruise ship (SE Asia)

First time on QF 8 (that’s a long flight!) and QF 75 (also very long but possibly the best sleep ever on a LH flight).

View attachment 360596

do you have Tripit Pro? Remind me again how you do the map please

Thanks

 

[SYD]

do you have Tripit Pro? Remind me again how you do the map please

Thanks

No, just freebie TripIt.

The map was cheating. I just threw non-overlapping routes separated by a comma into gcmap.com !

 

[kpc]

In addition to 4 domestic trips, 5 overseas trips with 8 new countries visited, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Finland, Estonia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Qatar. 91 days away from home

Trips	9
Days	91
Distance	126,393 km
Cities	28
Countries/Regions	14

 

[exceladdict]

Every week of the year?

Not quite! Maybe that's a future year's goal. (not fifo so unlikely!)

 

[Scarlett]

Was just about to post stats but realised I have flights remaining on 26, 29 and 30 Dec. (Have just gcmap’d them to find out how many miles, so will add that to the total) Assuming flights proceed as booked:

Miles flown: 84,970

Flights: 71 (18-J, 5-Y+, 48-Y)
including taking my 1000th flight.

Flights with baggage delayed (self or accompanying family): 8

New airports: PPS BPN TRK LOP BRU BLQ ZRH NCE FRA UPG TKG BTJ ORY SID DSS DOH AMQ PLW KDI LEA CCK XCH (good luck to anyone trying to guess all of those)

New airlines: SN IU LH LX QR TP VY (of 98 total)

New countries visited: Philippines, San Marino, Monaco, Andorra, Cabo Verde, Senegal (of 82 total)

Favourite airline of the year: TK
Fav. lounge: TK IST

Requals:
oneworld G. (but lifetime QF SG anyway)
*A G.
VFF WP

Games of golf played: 62 ️

 

[JessicaTam]

92 flights, so my busiest year in the sky.
New airport - OTP, PHL
New airline - LATAM
New cabin - QR F (short haul), LA J
Longest flight - SIN-JFK. They don't get any longer.
Shortest flight - LHR-MAN.
New experience - realising how useful Amex Plat can be for lounge access. (Looking at you LAS!)

I didn't keep HH Diamond this year so I will be using their one-off status extension next year.

 

[Scarlett]

@JessicaTam what is the difference between red and yellow lines on your 2023 flight map?