Before diving into the post, I would like to mention that this is the first guest contribution by Hirofumi, a Japanese aviation enthusiast based in India. It is also the first guest contribution ever to KN Aviation. As such, I would like to thank Hirofumi for sharing his experiences here, and I hope you will enjoy his work as much as I do!
Anyways, let’s jump right in!
This is my first post on KN Aviation and I’d like to start off by writing a series of trip reports on my recent round-the-world experience.
The products I had the chance to try included Singapore Airlines’ premium economy, United’s domestic economy, and Turkish Airlines’ business class. As a Star Alliance Gold Member, I’ve also had the privilege to visit a couple of lounges on my way which I’ll be reviewing as well.
As I’m based in Delhi, the trip started and ended there, and below is the route that I took (map generated by Great Circle Mapper):
Not a “True” Round-the-World Ticket
Contrary to what it might seem like, the trip was not booked using a “true” round-the-world ticket. Instead, it was a combination of four one-way tickets:
- Singapore Airlines premium economy ticket from Delhi to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita
- United Airlines economy ticket from Los Angeles to Phoenix
- United Airlines economy ticket from Phoenix to San Francisco
- Turkish Airlines business class ticket from San Francisco to Delhi
I’ll explain why I decided to come up with such a routing.
Four Nights Onboard to Attend a Store Opening
One of my best friends has just inaugurated a new shipping store in Mesa near Phoenix, and I attended its grand opening to congratulate him on his success.
As you know, Arizona isn’t close to India at all – in fact, the two are on the opposite ends of the globe. Given that my time was limited, I had just two nights to spend in Phoenix. That was largely due to the fact that the flights themselves took two nights each way, making the trip six nights long in total (and also six days and not seven days, since I’ve crossed the international date line).
Booking the Flights
When searching for the best deal for the trip, I found Singapore Airlines’ great premium economy fares out of India to the US, especially to the West Coast. One-way fare from Delhi to Los Angeles/San Francisco was just around $900. Roundtrips were available for about 60% extra.
However, as an aviation enthusiast, flying return on the same airline could get a bit boring. And so, I booked the one-way flight.
While looking for a way to get back, I realized that one-way business class ticket from San Francisco to Delhi on Turkish Airlines via Istanbul cost just 52,500 Miles & Smiles miles – which I had enough of.
The taxes were $329, which is a bit steep, but still acceptable considering the relatively low mileage requirement. As I was always curious about the airline’s  long-haul business class product, and especially the famous gorgeous meals that many speak of, I decided to book the ticket.
(For Turkish Airlines’ economy class review, see Keishi’s article about his flight from Tokyo to Istanbul.)
Finally, the United Airlines flights were just the cheapest options available by a Star Alliance carrier connecting to and from Phoenix.
Stay Tuned!
While the above details the background of the trip, the actual detailed reviews of each of the flights and lounges will be published starting from mid-September, so stay tuned!
List of Articles Related to This Trip
- Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Delhi Indira Gandhi International
- Lounge Review: Lufthansa Lounge at Delhi Indira Gandhi International
- Flight Review: Singapore Airlines A380-800 Premium Economy from Delhi to Singapore
- Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at Singapore Changi
- Flight Review: Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Premium Economy from Singapore to Los Angeles
- Lounge Review: ANA Lounge Terminal 1 Satellite 4 at Tokyo Narita
- Lounge Review: United Club at Los Angeles International
- Lounge Review: United Club Lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor
- Flight Review: United Express CRJ-700 Economy Class from Phoenix to San Francisco
- Lounge Review: EVA Air Evergreen Lounge at San Francisco International
- Lounge Review: United Club (International Terminal) at San Francisco International
- Flight Review: Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Business Class from San Francisco to Istanbul
- Lounge Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge at Istanbul Ataturk
- Flight Review: Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Business Class from Istanbul to Delhi
