Earlier this summer I blogged about my upcoming vacation and how I used Gary’s (View From the Wing) award booking service to find the “perfect” itinerary in first class. Well, vacation is only 3 ½ weeks away and wouldn’t you know it, a last minute business trip has created havoc with my award booking.
So here was my debate (which I’ve been having with myself for the last three days) – do I change my award ticket to leave a week earlier and end up with a horrible itinerary or do I book a coach ticket to Bangkok and hope for an upgrade? Well, if you know me, you’d know that I’m not one to leave things to chance – not on a 12+ hour flight. I started researching frequent flyer award availability from Charleston, SC to Bangkok, Thailand. I’ve literally spent at least 10 hours searching and searching – I even emailed Gary to ask a question or two – and this is the best itinerary I’ve come up with so far.
I will depart from Charleston, SC and fly to Charlotte, NC. From there I will head to Los Angeles, CA, first two legs on US Air. I leave Charleston on Wednesday evening arriving in LA late in the afternoon. I leave LA on Thursday morning. In LA I will switch over to Asiana and fly from LA to Seoul, South Korea (this was when the US Air agent asked me what country South Korea was in…yeah, it was a rough call) in First Class. I will arrive in Seoul around 6pm on Friday. I currently have seat 2A.
The next flight out of Seoul with award availability doesn’t leave until the next day, Saturday, around 5pm arriving into Bangkok at 11pm. That flight would be on Thai Air in business class. I have no idea what seat I have because Thai’s online tool hasn’t been working in weeks and I don’t feel like calling in.
Worst itinerary ever? I think so. I have to leave on Wednesday night to arrive on Saturday night in Bangkok. I’m continually checking every day for a better itinerary…and I’m hopeful that something turns up before I have to depart. I’m disappointed that I’m not able to take the original flights Gary found for me but…well, there is no but. I hope I’ll find something better.
What do you think? Is this the craziest thing you’ve heard of? Have you had a crazy itinerary?