BOOKED: My Wildest Review Trip Yet?

I’m not sure whether I should be impressed by how much I’m managing to cram into six days, or whether I should get my head checked for thinking that this itinerary is a good idea. I’ll let y’all decide. One thing’s for sure… I’m already exhausted just thinking about this.

Background on my upcoming review trip

Several days ago, I shared how I booked an A380 first class award using American AAdvantage miles, flying from Abu Dhabi to London in Etihad’s A380 first class, and then connecting from London to Chicago in British Airways’ A380 first class. This was largely motivated by wanting to check out the new Terminal A at Abu Dhabi Airport, as well as Etihad’s new lounges at the airport.

As I mentioned at the time, I was trying to come up with an interesting outbound itinerary. Well, I think it’s safe to say that I accomplished that, though I may have overdone it a bit.

For those who aren’t longtime readers, let me just explain that the intent of these review trips is solely to review as many interesting premium airline-related experiences as possible, while being away from home for as little time as possible. I have a husband, young son, and dog, I don’t particularly enjoy being apart from.

So while I absolutely do love flying and reviewing various experiences, these aren’t traditional trips, as I’ll barely leave the airport over the course of my six day journey.

The itinerary that I’ve booked…

With the above out of the way, let me share my general itinerary, to give a sense of what you can expect in terms of reviews. I’ll go in chronological order, even though I certainly didn’t book this trip in chronological order. I’ll talk more about the process of booking these awards when I publish the actual trip report, but I redeemed points for every single one of these flights.

EVA Air’s 777 & 787 business class

The first destination I wanted to visit was Hong Kong, so I thought of the most interesting way I could fly there. It has been years since I’ve flown EVA Air business class, so I decided to fly from the United States to Hong Kong via Taipei in EVA Air’s 777 and 787 business class.

I’m looking forward to checking out these products, especially since I recently flew Starlux’s A350 business class, so I’m curious how EVA Air compares nowadays.

Cathay Pacific’s A350 business class (& lounges)

The main reason I wanted to travel to Hong Kong was to write updated reviews of some of the lounges there, as that’s long overdue. So I’ll hopefully be reviewing the Cathay Pacific First & Business Class “The Pier” Lounges, the Cathay Pacific First & Business Class “The Wing” Lounges, the Qantas Lounge, and the Chase Sapphire Lounge.

I’ll then be flying Cathay Pacific’s A350 business class to Singapore. This segment is definitely more about the lounges than about the flight, though Cathay Pacific was the best airline to get me to my next desired destination.

Singapore Airlines’ 777 first class (& lounges)

The main reason I wanted to fly to Singapore was to check out Singapore Airlines’ new lounges there. I recently reviewed the new Singapore Airlines Business Lounge in Singapore, so I wanted to also review the Singapore Airlines Private Room and Singapore Airlines First Lounge.

In order to have access to these lounges, I’ll fly Singapore Airlines’ shortest first class route, from Singapore to Jakarta, which is operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. I’m looking forward to seeing what Singapore Airlines’ service is like on this very short flight. But again, it’s more about the lounges than anything.

Garuda Indonesia’s 777 business class

While I felt great about the itinerary up until this point, this is where it got a bit tricky. I needed to get from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi, which… proved surprisingly difficult in terms of award space around my dates.

I looked at just about all award options out of Jakarta that could get me in the direction of the Middle East, but didn’t find many good options. I mean, there was Qatar Airways award space, but I’ve reviewed the airline so often, and wanted to try something new. I did find Garuda Indonesia business class on the 777… but to Jeddah. What the heck, that sounds like fun… I’ll be sure to report back on the champagne selection. 😉

Etihad’s A321 & A380 first class

Next up, I’ll be flying from Jeddah to London via Abu Dhabi, with the first segment in Etihad’s A321 business class, and the second segment in Etihad’s A380 first class. I’m excited to fly Etihad’s A380 first class since the plane returned to service, and am even more excited to check out Etihad’s new lounges and terminal in Abu Dhabi.

British Airways’ A380 first class

Last but not least, I’ll be flying British Airways’ A380 first class from London to Chicago. This is included on the same award as the Etihad segment. I’ll also be reviewing the lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5, including the British Airways Concorde Room.

Bottom line

For my final review trip of 2023, I’ll be flying… well, all over the place. The trip started off innocently enough, with a one-way from Abu Dhabi to Chicago, but I decided to have some fun with getting to Abu Dhabi. So I’ll be flying via Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, and Jeddah, as one does.

I’ve been meaning to review Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and Etihad lounges, so I’m looking forward to that. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

So, what do you make of my itinerary? Did I overdo it?