Pete on his Lonesome

[skyring]

Bad news, I'm afraid. I spent Monday feeling bubbly and excited, looking forward to walking through Paris with Kerri, but yesterday she went back to work and they won't give her the time off (which is in the middle of school holidays here).

So it's just me.

And that means it's a totally different trip.

Looking at something like this.

Sun 8 April Canberra - Perth - Sydney - Hong Kong
Mon 9 April Hong Kong - Tokyo - Singapore
Tue 10 April Singapore - London
Wed 11 April
Thu 12 April London - Dubai - Frankfurt
Fri 13 April
Sat 14 April Frankfurt - Dubai - London
Sun 15 April London - LAX
Mon 16 April LAX - Chicago
Tue 17 April
Wed 18 April Chicago - LAX - Washington
Thu 19 April Drive Washington - Charleston.
Fri 20 April
Sat 21 April
Sun 22 April
Mon 23 April Charleston - Dallas/Fort Worth (on the early flight), DFW-JFK, JFK - Sydney (it's one flight number for booking purposes, but they break in LAX), Sydney-Canberra, arriving mid-morning on Wed 25.

This is, of course, subject to timetables, and I'll undoubtedly modify it fairly drastically. A lot of the flights are made for no other reason than to use up sectors. I don't actually want to get out of the terminal anywhere but London, Frankfurt, Chicago and Washington. The idea is to get the maximum mileage and status credits out of the trip.

I'm seeing Tessa (my travel agent) on Saturday and this will make her day!

Comments

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooooooooohhhhhh!!! Does that mean I wil see you again?

*pretty excited*

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

And because my bloody laptop froze, I couldn't add: sorry to hear she can't make it with you!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Well, if Kerri had been coming, we wouldn't have made Frankfurt. Kerri's idea of a good trip is one with the minimum number of flights. But I'm certain that she'll be in London next year.

Sorry to hear that it's still cold in Frankfurt. Try dunking your laptop in hot water and report back.

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

Call me nuts but I can so totally understand your wife regarding the good trip issue. ;-)

Well, if I do that to my laptop, it'll start to pout and not work properly anymore at all.


*still bouncy at the prospect of seeing you soon*

[texaswren.livejournal.com]

No time in FW this trip? I'm so disappointed!!!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

We'll see. Doubtless my itinerary will vary. Possibly I could take the 1700 flight out of Charleston on the Sunday, arriving at 1900 that evening, but I'd have to be at the airport at about 0900 Monday morning.

I intend returning to Texas, bringing Kerri with me. Just not this trip, unfortunately.

[miss-efficiency.livejournal.com]

Wow, sounds like a grand adventure. Too bad Kerri can't join in on the fun.

If it were me I would want to take a look around in Dubai. I have heard that it is a really interesting place.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, but time spent sightseeing is time when I'm not flying or sleeping. I'll see what the schedules are like - I wouldn't mind getting a picture of Ringbear in front of the Dubai skyline.

[miss-efficiency.livejournal.com]

Sleep? You can sleep at home. Or join caffcaff and I in the Raving Insomniacs' Club.

I think I am getting through to you. Going on a sightseeing outing for the sole purpose of taking photos of a toy bear in exotic locales is the exactly the kind of thing I would to. Before you know it you will be snarfing landmarks and then it will be all downhill form three.

NTS: make more userpics of Snarfy in exotic locales.

[tzurriz.livejournal.com]

Woo Hoo Chicago!

Do you need a place to stay? We have a lovely sofa-bed (although you would have to share it with some friendly, cuddly cats who just adore new people). I could probably even be convinced to provide transport and be a tour guide. I don't promise a great tour, but I'll do the best I can. :)

I'm sure we can get a group together for dinner Tuesday night.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

So lovely to hear your voice again! More than happy to cuddle up with your cats on the sofabed. And take you out to dinner!

[holmesfan.livejournal.com]

The pea-green colour is flying around here.

The only thing that is flying - that isn't quite true because we've just bought flights for a week in Sydney from 3 April to 10 April. Great way to celebrate an important birthday methinks.

Regards to Kerri.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, perhaps Kerri and I could pop up and see you?

[holmesfan.livejournal.com]

I'll let you know when we work out where we are staying. It would be STUPENDOUS to see you both.

[mojosmom.livejournal.com]

Note to self:

Take Tuesday, April 17, off work to show the Skyrings the town.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Just me, I'm afraid, as Kerri has to stay at work. But if you could walk me through one of your art galleries, that would be heaven indeed!

[thebiblioholic.livejournal.com]

Do you have any time in NYC between flights?

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately just a couple of hours. I am still overwhelmed by my lightning tour last July, when you gave up a good chunk of your holiday to show me round. I look at that bull on Wall Street in the newspapers and chuckle happily to myself. I read about the Brooklyn Bridge in a book or see it in a movie, and you can't stop me smiling.

It was only a few hours, but you cannot believe how happy you made me!

Another time...

[angelchild.livejournal.com]

Oh what a shame that Kerri cant make it......

Ha ha ha....another busy itinary i see ;o)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

It costs me about as much to fly around the world in twenty flights as to go to Charleston and back, so I figure I might as well make the most of it, and build up as many points as I can get.

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

Pete - what time is your Monday flight, the one to DFW?

[skyring.livejournal.com]

It's going to be the early flight, about 0700. That's the only way I can leave on Monday and make the Qantas flight from New York to Sydney. Can't miss out on that sector because it's totally huge and still counts as just one of my flights. Nor does it count as one of my six North American flights, or as the only transcontinental sector I'm allowed.

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

'Kay. I will be flying out of CHS at 06:00 on Monday morning...possibility of a cuppa, maybe? I'll probably spend the night at the airport.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

If you are flying American Airlines, then it will be the same flight. Unfortunately there's no Admiral's Club in CHS, otherwise I could guest you in. But there are a couple in DFW.

Not sure about spending the night at the airport - I'll be sharing with ResQgeek on Sunday night, but I'll have to leave early Monday and would be more than happy to shout you a cuppa.

Those little Embraers are fun aircraft, BTW. Not much in the way of amenities, but you get a great view and the pilots can wheel them around a bit zippier than the bigger planes.

[(Anonymous)]

No, I'll be going with Untied. So, it will really depend on the layout of the airport as to whether we can meet or not--though I'm guessing it's all the same terminal. As I recall, I change planes in DC. On the way in, it's Chicago.

And really depends on whether you can be bothered to hoik yourself over here an hour earlier than you need to, too. I'm sort of fond of getting through security early, but that's me. ;-)

Little Charleston airport takes our Bookcrossers and sends them in all directions. ;-)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I'll bother myself for you. We can share a murky terminal coffee in the pre-dawn, and I'll wave a hanky at you as you thunder off into the sky.

I'm always happy to hang about airport terminals, and hanging about with you is the icing on the cake.

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

:-)

Let's try this while actually logged in, eh?

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

No, I'll be going with Untied. So, it will really depend on the layout of the airport as to whether we can meet or not--though I'm guessing it's all the same terminal. As I recall, I change planes in DC. On the way in, it's Chicago.

And really depends on whether you can be bothered to hoik yourself over here an hour earlier than you need to, too. I'm sort of fond of getting through security early, but that's me. ;-)

Little Charleston airport takes our Bookcrossers and sends them in all directions. ;-)

Re: Let's try this while actually logged in, eh?

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I'll be there in the empty, echoing terminal with you - see my answer earlier.

Charleston isn't that big a terminal, anyway. Passengers have to walk to and from American Airlines planes, rather than use a jetway.

[awaywithfairy1.livejournal.com]

Just that first day is enough to make me dizzy. Canberra to Sydney via Perth? I'm sure that there couldn't possibly be a more roundabout route without leaving Australia. Now THAT'S dedication to maintaining Frequent Flyer status!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

It's called a "status run". Flying just for the sake of earning points. I made platinum last year, but it was a bit of a struggle. Maintaining that level will be a bit easier, but still no doddle.

I may yet add another flight in there, if I can possibly squeeze one in.

[allysther.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that Kerri won't be able to make the trip, but it does give you a good excuse for the next one!

I look forward to your final plans.

[sunneschii.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should just sit on my fingers and say nothing.... But flying that much just to gain miles and keep the frequent flying status is beyond sick.
The whole world (well almost) is talking about climate warming/saving power, and there are some others who just go around and fly for "nothing"? Sorry, I can't and I don't want to understand this.
I just had to say something, couldn't go on without it.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Well, the planes will be flying with or without me, so I might as well be sitting in an otherwise empty seat.

Yes, global warming bothers me, but it's going to take a greater change than a few people or a few thousand people deciding not to fly for anything to happen.

And, living in Australia, I don't have too many options if I want to see my friends.

[sunneschii.livejournal.com]

Well, the planes will be flying with or without me, so I might as well be sitting in an otherwise empty seat. Well... if everybody thinks like that, we really are in deep shit. And an empty seat is lighter than an occupied seat... so the plane needs more fuel.

Yes, global warming bothers me, but it's going to take a greater change than a few people or a few thousand people deciding not to fly for anything to happen. If we don't start with something small, do you really think something big is going to happen?

And, living in Australia, I don't have too many options if I want to see my friends I have no problem with you flying to see your friends, I have problems with you flying from Frankfurt to Dubai and back just because you get your miles. That's my problem!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I take your points, but realistically, global air travel is not going to wither up and die through grass roots action for environmental reasons. Economic reasons would have far more of an effect - if there was a levy imposed for air travel based on environmental damage, then you might see a widespread effect. And on that point, each of my twenty flights will cost a lot more than the cut-price tickets sold by the million on budget airlines such as RyanAir.

[sunneschii.livejournal.com]

Well.. on that point you are maybe right. But the economic half of the world has just started to grasp the effects of global warming. And if you don't have any principles, who else will have?

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Sure, I've got principles, and sure I understand the problems of global warming and climate change. It terrifies me to think of the wasteland we might be creating.

But asking me to give up my trips and getting as much return as I can for my money is like asking me to stop drinking wine at dinner because alcohol abuse is a massive global problem.

I can be as responsible as I like with alcohol, minimise my consumption (and thereby marginally reduce the profits to the makers), but in the overall big picture, my actions have no impact at all.

[sunneschii.livejournal.com]

I DON'T ask you to give up your trips, I ask you to do them reasonable! Nothing against you to fly over the world and see your friends! But where are your friends in Dubai? Just flying around for nothing than the flying is idiotic (That's even worse than going for a drive because driving might be fun... it's idiotic)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

From this trip I should gain enough airmiles, when added to those I have saved up already from credit cards etc., to be able to do another round the world trip, hopefully to attend the UnConvention, which will allow me to see my friends without spending thousands of dollars.

I need to get as much out of this ticket as possible to do that. i also get status credits, which build up to give me lounge access and additional baggage allowance for another year.

If I didn't get these benefits, I wouldn't feel the need to take extra flights. But it's a matter of maximising the return for my investment, and it means a lot to me to be able to do extra trips and carry extra bags of books.