2022 in Review: Travel
Sunset over northern Canada en route to Berlin
I am one of many people that enjoys travel, and was grateful that the world continued to re-open to travel in 2022. I’m also one of a slightly smaller population that enjoys the art of the travel hack and of compiling personal travel statistics. So here is my annual recap of the year’s travel with highlights of the hacks and stats. Please also see my complete trip report from the week Naomi and I spent in Berlin in May!
Air Travel Stats and Status
2017 still stands as the year of my personal record for miles flown for the year (thanks in large part to our honeymoon to Kauai), but 2022 wasn’t too shabby! In 2022, I flew a total of 12,118 miles across ten segments. Four flights on American Airlines, four flights on United Airlines, and two flights on British Airways. I touched six airports: the now-familiar Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), London-Heathrow (LHR) New York-Newark (EWR), and Washington-National (DCA), and my first times at Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) and Washington-Dulles (IAD).
I also experienced a wide variety of onboard products. Six flights were in the given airline’s economy product, while on two American flights I was upgraded to domestic First (more on how that happened below), and I redeemed miles to fly one segment in United Polaris, the international business class product, and one segment in World Traveller Plus, British Airways’ international premium economy product (and both redemptions were very much worth it!). And extra special for an #AvGeek like me was to fly aboard the largest passenger plane ever built, the Airbus A380. There had been signs during the early days of the pandemic that this aircraft would be simply too big for the future of aviation, but British Airways (among others) did reactive its A380 fleet.
In 2022, American Airlines significant overhauled its loyalty program and how savvy customers could earn status. In short, a wider variety of ways to engage with the AAdvantage program now count toward earning status, so I was able to leverage the AAdvantage eShopping portal for work-related purchases early in the year to find myself with AAdvantage Platinum status by the end of April. I’ll have that status all the way through February 2024, and just within 2022, it’s gotten me two domestic First upgrades (Naomi was with me on one of those flights so we both got to enjoy it that day) and, because American Airlines is an alliance parter of British Airways, lounge access for both Naomi and me during our British Airways itineraries.
It got even better. All Nippon Airways (ANA), the Japanese airline, had a limited-time promotion to match status from US-based carriers. So I matched my American Platinum to ANA Platinum. I didn’t set foot on an ANA plane this year much less go to Japan. But ANA is an alliance partner of United Airlines, so I was able to use United Clubs before two of my United flights — both visits were at the retro-decorated United Club at Washington-National (DCA).
Here are two consolidated view of all my flights in 2022; above from OpenFlights and to the left from Flighty. View all my personal flight stats — and start tracking your own! — at OpenFlights.
Hotel Stats and Status
As I mentioned in my recap of the year’s travels this time last year, in 2021, I earned top-tier Globalist status in the World of Hyatt program. That status is valid all the way through February of 2023, and I was glad to use it to get complimentary room service breakfast for both Naomi and me on every day of our stay at the Grand Hyatt Berlin (where we also had complimentary lounge access) as well as during our Thanksgiving visit to Chicago where we stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association (where we were also upgraded to a junior suite).
Naomi, meanwhile, had Diamond status with the Hilton Honors program following extensive work travel in 2021, so we booked our anniversary staycation at the Conrad Washington, D.C. in Naomi’s name so as to enjoy the perks there.
Stats Summary:
Air Travel
10 segments covering 12,119 miles
Six segments in economy, two segments in domestic first class, one segment in international premium economy, one segment in international business class
3 carriers (American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines)
6 airports (Berlin Brandenburg, London Heathrow, Newark Liberty, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, Washington National)
8 plane types (Airbus A319, A320, and A380; Boeing 737-800, 737 MAX 8, and 767-300ER; and Embraer ERJ-175)
Nights Away from Home
7 hotel nights (six with Hyatt, four Grand Hyatt and two Unbound Collection, as well as one Hilton, a Conrad), plus 9 nights with family and one overnight flight
3 cities, 2 states, 2 countries (Berlin, Chicago, Washington DC)
Here’s hoping for much more in 2023!
