Introduction: A Trip Of Downgrades, Suspensions, And Delays

Welcome to my next trip report series, covering a recent journey I took to Europe, which didn’t at all work out the way I planned. From a downgrade, to a frequent flyer account suspension, to a missed connection, I improvised as I went along.

This wasn’t a pure review trip, since I actually spent a bit of time on the ground, and my dad came along as well (he joined me for the outbound portion of the trip, and then stayed in Europe for a while longer).

In this series, you can expect flight reviews of Lufthansa’s A350 Allegris first class, British Airways’ A320neo business class, and American’s 787 Flagship Suite business class. You can also expect reviews of the Koenigshof Munich and the Park Hyatt London River Thames, plus some airport lounge reviews.

Why I took this trip, and why it went sideways

This trip was primarily motivated by a couple of factors. For one, I identified an opportunity to review Lufthansa’s new Allegris A350 first class. I of course like to stay on top of the latest first class products out there, and this is an experience that has been on my list since it launched.

Next, I wanted to take a trip with my dad. My parents aren’t together anymore, but due to my mom’s cancer battle over the past several years, I haven’t done much traveling with my dad, so I want to make a habit of doing that again, as we always have a good time together.

So my plan was essentially to fly with him to Germany, spend a couple of days with him there, and then continue my review trip, prior to heading back home. Right now my ability to be away from home for long periods is pretty limited, given that our second son was born over the summer, so we have our hands full.

Often my trips go super smoothly and exactly as planned, while other times they don’t work out as planned, and I just have to roll with the punches. This one fit in the latter category:

• On the outbound, my dad and I were supposed to fly Lufthansa’s Allegris A350 first class, but due to an inoperable seat, one of us had to be downgraded
• My plan was then to fly to Abu Dhabi in Etihad’s 787 business class and return to Europe in Etihad’s A380 The Residence, but there was a plane swap on my flight to Abu Dhabi, and then the return didn’t work out because my Etihad Guest account was suspended
• My return flight on American from London to Chicago ended up being delayed, causing me to miss my connection back to Miami; this was an issue I didn’t mind, since I was eligible for UK261 compensation (though actually getting paid took some fighting)

So while I had planned for the routing for this trip to look like the below…

…in the end it just looked like this.

The airlines I flew on this trip

On the outbound, I flew Lufthansa’ Airbus A350 Allegris first class from Newark (EWR) to Munich (MUC). It’s not possible to redeem miles (with Miles & More or any partner program) for travel in Allegris first class, so I had to get creative.

Short of outright booking a first class fare, the only other option is to confirm a paid upgrade, which is potentially available at the time of booking. In this particular case, I found an attractive Lufthansa business class fare (that an OMAAT reader shared with me), and then I upgraded to first class for $1,990 per person. That’s way more than I’d ideally spend, but hey, this is a product I really wanted to review, and there was no better option.

I ended up booking the following flight for my dad and me:

7/23 LH413 Newark to Munich departing 8:30PM arriving 10:15AM (+1 day)

Then I spent a few nights in Munich with my dad, and after the Abu Dhabi portion of the trip was no longer possible, I ended up flying British Airways’ A320neo business class from Munich (MUC) to London (LHR). I booked the following for 16,250 British Airways Club Avios plus $25 in taxes & fees:

7/27 BA947 Munich to London departing 7:20AM arriving 8:30AM

Then after a night in London, I booked American’s Boeing 787-9 Flagship Suite business class from London (LHR) to Chicago (ORD), with a connection to Miami (MIA). I booked the following for 75,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $382.31 in taxes & fees (the fees are so high due to the UK Air Passenger Duty):

7/28 AA91 London to Chicago departing 2:25PM arriving 5:00PM
7/28 AA1277 Chicago to Miami departing 6:57PM arriving 11:19PM

In addition to flight reviews, you can expect reviews of the following lounges:

• The Lufthansa Allegris Lounge Newark (EWR)
• The Airport Lounge World Munich (MUC)

The hotels I stayed at on this trip

Unlike some of my pure review trips (where I sometimes don’t even leave the airport), on this trip I was able to check out a couple of properties that have been on my radar.

In Munich, my dad and I spent a couple of nights at Koenigshof Munich, a Marriott Luxury Collection property. This hotel recently opened, and is now the most luxurious points property in the city, so it’s a nice addition to the German hotel market.

I had an extra night in Munich (due to not going to Abu Dhabi), and with an early morning flight, I decided to stay at the Hilton Munich Airport. I won’t be reviewing this hotel, since I only recently reviewed it. Furthermore, I was at the hotel for a total of under eight hours, so I hardly had enough time to actually experience the hotel.

One of the primary reasons I wanted to spend a night in London was to check out the new Park Hyatt London River Thames. I don’t visit London that often, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity to check out this new hotel, since I was wanting to fly American’s new business class product the following day.

Bottom line

I’m happy I was able to take a quick trip with my dad, which will be the first of many in the coming months and years. I had the chance to check out two of the premium airline products that I’ve been most interested in flying — Lufthansa’s A350 Allegris first class and American’s 787 Flagship Suite business class. On top of that, I was able to check out a couple of luxury points hotels that I’ve also been meaning to visit.

While the trip didn’t go as I had planned, I still had an amazing time. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!