In 2017 I qualified for American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum for the first time in my life. I’ve come close in years past, but was never able to cross the finish line. In fact, the only reason I qualified last year is thanks to an insane Qatar Airways mileage run in which I covered 61,000 miles in 2 weeks. I would really not like to do that again this year, although it was a ton of fun!
For 2018 I really wanted to star the year off strong. So shortly after qualifying for Executive Platinum I began looking ahead for international flights in early 2018. That search resulted in my Hong Kong trip over MLK weekend and this (these) trips to Oslo.
Booking Flights To And From Oslo
On Christmas Day 2018 I discovered an unbeatable economy class fare from Chicago to Oslo Norway. There was only one small issue, the fare required a 7 day minimum stay. While I’d love spend a week in Oslo I simply didn’t have the vacation time off work to make that happen. So, I began looking for fares from Oslo back to Chicago. To my surprise, I also found a great deal on those flights.
I couldn’t believe my luck so without thinking much more into it I booked both. I booked a trip to Oslo which departed Chicago on a Friday evening and returned 19 days later (Wednesday). Next, I booked a trip from Oslo which departed for Chicago on Sunday morning with a return to Oslo 12 days later.
It’s hard exactly picture what this accomplishes, but it essentially created two round trips to Oslo from Chicago. The first trip departed Chicago on a Friday evening and returned on Saturday afternoon. The second trip departed Chicago again on Friday, but this time returned on Wednesday. This effectively created a short mileage-run weekend and a long weekend trip to Oslo.
While I realize this wouldn’t appeal to everyone, it certainly excited me. In total, I’d earn 18,664 EQM and 1,865 EQD thanks to American Airlines special fares and booking AA flight numbers the whole way.
Visiting Several Lounges Along The Way
As with my Hong Kong trip a partial goal of this trip was to visit several international lounges along the way. Throughout the trip I visited (and will review) the following lounges:
- American Airlines Renovated Admirals Club Chicago O’Hare H/K
- American Airlines Flagship Lounge Chicago O’Hare H/K
- Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Heathrow
- Qantas Lounge London Heathrow
- British Airways Galleries First Lounge Heathrow
- OSL Lounge Oslo Airport (Priority Pass)
As you can tell this trip report will primarily focus on airport lounges, most of which can be used by AAdvantage Platinum and above elites or other OneWorld Sapphire members.
Two Successful Systemwide Upgrades
For both trips I booked American Airlines metal (aircraft) on the eastbound transatlantic sectors. I did this because it gave me a chance to finally use a Systemwide Upgrade. Surprisingly, both SWUs cleared on the same flight two weeks apart. The first was a close call while the second cleared about 24 hours before the flight.
Thanks to these two SWUs clearing I had two chances to fly Business Class on American Airlines’ 787-800 which is currently the workhorse which connects Chicago to a few international destinations. I have actually reviewed this product before on a flight from Paris to Chicago, but I’ll definitely be doing it again.
A Few British Airways Flights To Review
Beyond the two American Airlines operated 787 flights I booked all of the other flights on British Airways. In total, I had two westbound transatlantic sectors on the 747 and 777 and four intra-Europe flights on the A319. I will definitely review the two transatlantic flights separately, but will try to combine all four A319 flights into a single review.
Hotel Reviews?
For this trip I tried to keep my expenses as low as possible and that really shows when you look at where I stayed. For the first weekend trip I stayed at the airport hotel nearby. During my second visit I stayed at a second hotel which was nicer, but still nothing to write home a blog about. That being said, the second hotel is a great option for anyone visiting Oslo so it may be worth reviewing. I’ll have to see how the trip report goes and if I have enough photos from the hotels to write proper reviews.
Final Thoughts
This trip, like most, was a ton of fun. I had never been to Oslo so it’s always fun to visit a new city. I also visited the city during the Winter Olympics and it was awesome to see how excited the Norwegians were about their performance in the Winter Games.
However, in terms of flight reviews, this was arguably the worst trip I ever took. Not a single flight and one was downright bad. I suspect that will come out in the reviews.
Lastly, I’ve been extremely busy with work over the past few days and will be for at least another week or two. That may impede the speed at which I can write and publish each part of the trip report, but trust me, it’s coming!
