Your 2024 year of travel in review

[VPS]

Longtime lurker…thought year in review would be a great way to introduce myself to the AFF community. So, here are my 2024 stats, relatively fewer segments than most, but substantial distance travelled thanks to plenty of long and ultra long hauls:

• 29 flights (2 J)
• 145,168 kms travelled
• 8 countries visited
• New airports: DXB, OPO, MXP, LIN, BOS
• New airlines: EK, UX, EI, TO, DL
• Best new lounge: AF JFK T1, got in 2 x using PP and was pleasantly surprised, great ambiance and decor, great food and most importantly champagne to boot! Must be one of the very few PP lounges with self-pour real champagne (didn’t realise until after my visits that Clarins also has complementary facials in the lounge)
• Worst new lounge: OPO ‘airport lounge’ (PP) - no air conditioning, no bathrooms, bad food and drinks
• Most surprising good flight: UA EWR-ORD, United has really improved a lot since the days pre-covid
• Most underwhelming flight: NZ1, more than half empty but disallowed use of empty rows for sleep as weight restrictions between cabins were in place, 787 on NZ also very hard and uncomfortable for a 17 hour flight, food was the worst i’ve had on long haul

and welcome to posting more on AFF

 

[Flyfrequently]

Longtime lurker…thought year in review would be a great way to introduce myself to the AFF community.

• Worst new lounge: OPO ‘airport lounge’ (PP) - no air conditioning, no bathrooms, bad food and drinks

Welcome to posting on AFF @chitown_boy
We used the ANA lounge at OPO last year when flying J KLM, busy but passable.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

• Total Flights: 32 (21 Y, 2 PE, 9 J) covering 98,820 km.
• Countries Visited: Just 3, with 16 of the flights comprising SYD-MEL and MEL-SYD. Three trips to the USA, and one quick holiday in NZ.
• New Airports: MSY, AUS
• New Airlines: AS, WN. Southwest was certainly an experience with their lack of assigned seating.
• New Aircraft Type: 787-9
• Best Flight: Nothing really comes to mind. Flights to the US were a mix of QF economy, premium and business. Premium was probably the best experience relative to expectations.
• Worst Flight: Probably QF123, SYD-ZQN, which was cancelled after we had boarded due to a navigation system issue. Handled very well by Qantas, with accommodation at the airport arranged for us (despite SYD being my home port) and meal vouchers.

 

[jase05]

Total Flights 91

- Work 31 ( J=16, Y=15 with most of the Y being on small regional aircraft )

- Leisure 60, all J with 24 International and 36 domestic.

- Countries visited 12, no new ones

- New Airports, KKN and SHJ

- New Airlines, none but first long haul on Vistara and first long haul on Air France for decades but wanted to try their new product.

- Best flight, The QSuites were great as usual but overall I’d have to say UK DEL-CDG gets the gong. Comfortable seats, fantastic crew and probably the best airline food I’ve tasted.

- Worst flight, EK DXB-BOM. Very rare for me to have a bad EK experience but old and tired J seating with a broken seat, unattractive staff and what I would describe as slops for a meal.

- Best lounge, Doha Al Safwa comfortably. Both times through there I over indulged and struggled to board the aircraft.

- Some honourable mentions and random thoughts. The AF seat I had on the 777 was quite possibly the best J seat I’ve had, shame about the rest of the product. Had an excellent fifth freedom flight on KL DPS-SIN that was dirt cheap.
Overall a pretty decent year with no major flight changes or disruptions and just your general delays.