Round The World and other travel

Flight History 2019

	Day	Date	Flight No	From	Dep	To	Arr	Aircraft	Cabin	Seat
	Fri	01-Feb	BA1441	EDI	1035	LHR	1205	Cancelled
1	Fri	01-Feb	BA1439	EDI	0840	LHR	1005	319	Y	5A
2	Mon	04-Feb	BA1448	LHR	1405	EDI	1530	320	Y	11A
3	Thu	21-Feb	BA1441	EDI	1015	LHR	1145	320	Y	11A
4	Fri	22-Feb	IB3163	LHR	0915	MAD	1240	320	J	3F
*Mexico 2019 (see* Major Trips menu)**
12	Mon	11-Mar	U2 6996	MAD	1930	EDI	2125	320	Y	1F
13	Sat	06-Apr	BA2937	EDI	1105	LGW	1240	319	Y	6A
14	Mon	08-Apr	BA8706	LCY	1550	EDI	1705	E90	Y	9D
15	Tue	30-Apr	BA2941	EDI	1430	LGW	1605	319	J	2F
16	Wed	01-May	IB3715¹	LGW	1050	MAD	1420	320	Y	3A
17	Wed	01-May	IB3952¹	MAD	1610	SVQ	1715	320	Y	14A
18	Thu	02-May	IB3951¹	SVQ	1745	MAD	1850	320	Y	12A
19	Thu	02-May	IB3894¹	MAD	2215	SCQ	2325	320	Y	12F
20	Sat	04-May	IB3879¹	SCQ	1740	MAD	1850	320	Y	12A
21	Sun	05-May	IB930¹	MAD	0930	BCN	1045	320	Y	14D
22	Sun	05-May	IB1201¹	BCN	1200	MAD	1325	320	Y	14E
23	Sun	05-May	IB3718¹	MAD	1830	LGW	1950	320	J	1A
24	Sun	12-May	BA1452	LHR	1625	EDI	1750	319	Y	9F
*Amtrak Adventure 2019 (see* Major Trips menu)**
31	Sun	09-Jun	EC6922²	AMS	1040	EDI	1110	319	Y	1F
32	Fri	26-Jul	U2 426	EDI	1345	BRS	1500	319	Y	1F
33	Mon	05-Aug	BE7615³	VLY	0855	CWL	0945	J31	Y	5A
34	Tue	06-Aug	U2 429	BRS	1915	EDI	2025	320	Y	1F
35	Mon	30-Sep	EC2684	EDI	1025	MXP	1400	319	Y	1F
36	Fri	04-Oct	IG803	MXP	1330	CAI	1720	738	J	1A
37	Sat	05-Oct	BA154⁴	CAI	0800	LHR	1210	343⁵	J	2A
38	Sat	05-Oct	BA1448	LHR	1520	EDI	1645	321	Y	22F
39	Fri	11-Oct	FR813	EDI	0815	DUB	0920	738	Y	2F
40	Mon	14-Oct	EI3256	DUB	1425	EDI	1545	AT7	Y	15F
*Quebec to Florida, by Sea (see* Major Trips menu)**

(Total: 48 sectors)

Notes
1:	These flights were collectively known to me as 'Hopping MAD'. Thanks to an Iberia promotion that turned out to be the frequent-flyer opportunity of 2018, just booking these flights (and two further 'throwaways') provded the means to secure the intercontinental award flights for 'Mexico 2019'.
2.	First flight with easyJet Europe
3.	Operated by Eastern Airways. Only scheduled domestic flight entirely in Wales.
4.	First sector in a ticket to Canada, returning from Florida, booked in connection with Quebec to Florida, by Sea.
5.	Flight operated by Air Belgium

Selected Flight Impressions
Flight 33: Holyhead to Cardiff - Wales's only domestic flight
Background: Driving from Holyhead to Cardiff takes a minimum of 4.5hrs; this flight, commissioned by Transport for Wales, is booked at 50mins. The service is marketed by Flybe, but operated by Eastern Airways using a small Jetstream 31 aircraft. Unusually in the current short-haul market, free drinks and snacks are served, and provided you book early enough, a ticket costs only £19.99!


TOP ROW: 1. Anglesey Airport is a fenced-off section of RAF Valley 2. It has been created for one route 3. All passengers have access to free tea and coffee 4. Here's our aircraft 5. It taxies right to the gate BOTTOM ROW: 1. Almost ready for boarding 2. A rather cosy cabin shot 3. On-board coffee and snack 4. Above the cloud cover 5. Into the descent now 6. Crossing the South Wales coast
Flight 36: Milan to Cairo in Air Italy Business Class
Background: This was my first flight on Air Italy, formerly known as Meridiana and renamed following a major investment by Qatar Airways.


TOP ROW: 1. Boarding, with Business Class seats presented with red headrest covers 2. Probably the most generous and best-presented pre-take off drink I've ever been given on a short-haul flight 3. The legacy competition 4. Lining up for take-off 5. Bye-bye, Italy - it's been fun! 6. Lunch tray BOTTOM ROW: 1. Seconds of pizza 2. Nicely presented coffee 3. An Italian herbal liqueur 4. We overflew central Cairo 5. Arrival at sunset 6. Disembarkation

Flight 37: Cairo to London in British Airways Club World, operated by Air Belgium on an A340
Background: This flight started a good-value ticket to Canada, returning from the USA, in connection with Quebec to Florida, by Sea. The flight was originally scheduled to be operated by one of BA's Boeing 787 aircraft. Due to the need for this new sub-fleet to undergo modifications - a problem affecting all Dreamliner customers with the Rolls-Royce engine option - this turned into a rare opportunity to sample a British Airways long-haul flight that had been temporarily contracted out to Air Belgium.



TOP ROW: 1. Air Belgium A340-300 at CAI 2. Seat 2A 'throne' seat 3. Pre-take off champagne 4. Lining up for take-off Featured picture: Business-class cabin in 'staggered' configuration MIDDLE ROW: 1. And we're off! 2, Crossing the Egyptian coast 3. Breakfast 'starter' tray 4. Tea service BOTTOM ROW: 1. Second round of bread 2. Salmon close-up 3. 'English Breakfast' main course, with beefsteak and chicken sausage replacing the usual bacon and pork sausage 4. Much later, a Bloody Mary 5. Savoury snack 6. Sweet snack