This week we are treated to our member exceladdict’s first trip report. And what an adventure it is shaping up to be!
Well, to be honest, the full title should be 21 Flights, 16 Airports, 9 Plane Types and 6 Carriers taking 2 pax over 5 Continents in 28 Days. And it’s all thanks to the advice gained on this forum – without your expertise, it would not have been possible.
The trip begins on a high with our member’s first ever international flight in business class; a flight from Perth to Doha on Qatar Airways’ business class. They are very impressed with the service.
An EK/QF flight departed about 20 minutes prior to this one, and I can’t help but think that QF’s oneworld partner in QR has done a great job competing. I didn’t check Y, but it seems PER passengers have no hesitation to fly QR.
And given the service, it’s no surpise why. Almost as soon as I turned my reading light on to look at the menu, an attendant was with me in seconds (without me calling) to take a meal order. I’ve never had a cappuccino, complete with frothy milk, served with chocolate in the middle of the night on a plane before.
After a stopover in Doha, where a visit to the Qatar Airways Business lounge is in order, the journey continues to Houston in the United States. With a flight time just under 16 hours, it’s one of the longest flights in the world. The route takes the Boeing 777 north over Iran and Russia before crossing very close to the North Pole and continuing onwards towards Canada and the United States.
For some reason, it never occurred to me that the shortest flight path could be over the top rather than East-West. I spoke to the Pilot, he advised it was due to headwinds on the transatlantic East-West route.
Despite its length, it’s an enjoyable flight; the service is faultless and the food, as it did on the previous flight, looks mouth-watering.
The Qatar Airways flights are just the beginning of an almost month-long adventure through five continents. After a stay in Houston the trip continues with a US Airways flight in first class to Charlotte, but the full itinerary is still a secret at this stage.
After a promising start this trip report is set to be an interesting tale, complete with some great photography! What else will exceladdict get up to? Which other destinations will be visited? Come along for the ride HERE.
